Bob Schneider (February 2008)

On January 19, I drove to Lower Lake for a presentation on the Blue Ridge Berryessa National Conservation Area proposal. The event was organized by Victoria Brandon of the Lake Group of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club. Apparently, it was branding time and on the Knoxville Road above Lake Berryessa we were delayed by a cattle drive. It was a very real reminder that much of the Blue Ridge Berryessa region is a working landscape made up of private lands.
One of the goals of the National Conservation Area (NCA) designation is to make sure that working landscapes endure into the future.

Farms and ranches benefit from the landscape, but they also play a critical role in sustaining it. Rural land-uses are a bulwark against residential and commercial development. They provide the economic means for private landowners to remain on the land in a manner that relies upon rather than destroys the natural environment.

The alternative is clear. When working farms and ranches are replaced by subdivisions and ranchettes, the landscape becomes fragmented, which destroys the habitats that support the plants and animals native to the region.

A relatively new organization, the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition (CRCC), recognizes that there is a relationship between private lands in the working landscape and the conservation of important habitats around the Central Valley. It came out of discussions between the California Cattleman's (and Cattlewoman's) Association and the Defenders of Wildlife. This Coalition is using a science-based approach to prioritize important habitat areas, including portions of the Blue Ridge, Capay Hills and Cortina Ridge. CRCC members are also fighting to get the conservation dollars necessary to protect these important private lands with conservation easements, enhance land stewardship practices, and streamline their implementation.

Other groups, such as the Farm Water Alliance (FWA), stand in stark contrast out of the main stream of the modern ranching community. They oppose conservation easements and efforts to protect these lands in perpetuity. They even oppose the NCA proposal on our public lands.
We are talking with the FWA. I believe that all the parties involved do want to see a sustainable working landscape into the future. But, there is still a very large divide between our beliefs and approach and theirs. The Rangeland Coalition shows that on some issues common ground can be found.

Over the next several months we will continue making presentation on the NCA proposal to interested stakeholder groups, service clubs and decision makers. Please let us know if you would like a presentation for a group or business with which you work.
Email Bob Schneider at verve2006@comcast.net or call 530-304-6215.