UC Rangelands

08/06/2026

🌱 Job Opportunity: Rangeland Management Specialist 🌱

The U.S. Forest Service Lassen National Forest is hiring a Rangeland Management Specialist (GS-0454-09/11) with duty station options in Fall River Mills or Susanville, California.

📅 Application window: August 4–10, 2026
🔗 Apply here: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/878801400

This is a great opportunity for someone interested in applied rangeland management and stewardship of public grazing lands.

⏰ The application timeline is short, but a reminder that federal resumes are now only 2 pages.

For additional information about the position, contact:
Bobette Jones — [email protected]

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

07/29/2026

We wrapped up the Targeted Grazing Short Course with a fantastic field tour and demonstration hosted by UC Cooperative Extension and the Central Sierra Conservation Hub! Along the way, we visited innovative targeted grazing projects and did a little bit of ruminating on grazing science, management, planning, and policy. 🌱🐐🐑

Thank you to everyone who shared their time and expertise! We really appreciated the thoughtful discussions and enthusiasm throughout the course. Follow us for updates on future workshops, field tours, and resources—we hope to see you at the next one!

07/10/2026

Targeted Grazing Short Course for Central Sierra Planners - Registration is open!

🌿🐑🐂 Focused on the Central Sierra, but open to participants from California and beyond!

Planning or managing targeted grazing projects? Join this FREE four-session course to learn how grazing can support wildfire resilience, forest management, and healthy working landscapes.

Led by UC Cooperative Extension Central Sierra and the Central Sierra Conservation Hub, this course is designed for professionals involved in planning and implementing targeted grazing projects, including those form Resource Conservation Districts, Forest Service, NRCS, Fire Safe Councils, Tribal organizations, land trusts, and other conservation and land management organizations.

📅 The series includes:
• Three interactive virtual sessions featuring experienced graziers, Extension professionals, and project managers sharing practical guidance on how to put targeted grazing to work.

• An in-person field tour showcasing active sheep and goat grazing projects, post-fire recovery efforts, monitoring approaches, and conversations with contract graziers, project administrators, and Extension staff at Cronan Ranch, BLM and Blodgett Forest Research Station.

Whether you're new to targeted grazing or looking to strengthen your program, this course offers practical guidance and opportunities to learn from others planning and implementing grazing projects.

Registration is free. Participants may attend any combination of the virtual sessions. The field tour is available to those who attend at least one virtual session.

👉 Register: tinyurl.com/TGrazeCS

📅
• Session 1: Targeted Grazing Overview — Virtual
Wednesday, July 15, 3:00–4:30 PM

• Session 2: Central Sierra Grazing & Ranching Overview — Virtual
Monday, July 20, 3:00–4:30 PM

• Session 3: Project Planning & Administration — Virtual
Friday, July 24, 3:00–4:30 PM

• Field Tour & Demonstration — In Person
Tuesday, July 28, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cronan Ranch (Pilot Hill, BLM) and Blodgett Research Demonstration Forest (Georgetown Divide)

07/09/2026

🐺 Wolves, Cattle, and California Rangelands: What New Research Reveals

As wolves continue to expand their range in California, new research from UC Davis is helping answer important questions about their interactions with livestock.

The team found that:
🔹 Cattle DNA was detected in 72% of wolf s**t samples collected from two northeastern California wolf packs, indicating cattle were a substantial part of wolf diets in these areas.

🔹 Cattle grazing in wolf-occupied landscapes had 58% higher hair cortisol concentrations, suggesting chronic physiological stress associated with wolf presence.

These studies provide new science to help inform livestock management, wildlife conservation, and policy decisions. Understanding both direct and indirect impacts is essential for developing practical strategies that support resilient ranching operations while meeting California’s conservation goals.

📖 Read more: https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/california-wolves-feed-heavily-cattle-study-finds

| | | |

Image description: A gray wolf caught on a game camera walking through a forested area in Northeastern California. (📸: Tina Saitone)

06/29/2026

🔥 New interview spotlight: How can farmers and ranchers help fight wildfires?

UC Rangelands collaborator Dr. Natalia Pinzón shares practical insights in a new
Ag Alert interview on the important role agricultural producers can play in reducing wildfire risk across California.

From strategic grazing to fuel management and community preparedness, the interview highlights how working lands can be part of the solution to creating more fire-resilient landscapes.

At UC Rangelands, we’re fortunate to collaborate with researchers, extension specialists and advisors, ranchers, land managers, and many others who are advancing science-based approaches to wildfire resilience.

👀 Read the interview: On the Record: How Farmers Can Help Fight Wildfires

🔑 Key takeaway: Agriculture and rangeland stewardship are not just affected by wildfire—they are also essential tools for reducing risk and improving resilience across California’s landscapes.



https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/june-17-2026/on-the-record-how-farmers-can-help-fight-wildfires/?fbclid=IwZnRzaASuyy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEecp0uIx6u62fKUmqKvHB98_cyy8Iq4_WTsQkNhYNxHZ4-nKTR8La2LBbOfGw_aem_ABvYaHkW_xmNdqgqXMge3Q

UC Davis researcher Natalia Pinzón explains how farmers and ranchers reduce wildfire risk, protect operations and communities, and access tools to prepare before, during and after fires.

06/23/2026

New World Screwworm Has Reached Texas—What Does this Mean for Livestock, Wildlife, and Veterinary Care?

Join the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with the High Plains Veterinary Medical Association, for a discussion on the recent emergence of New World Screwworm in Texas.

This panel will focus on treatment, management, and response strategies across all species, providing valuable information for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, livestock producers, and ag professionals.

NWS has not been detected in California, but now is a good time to learn about the threat and how to recognize and respond to it.

Webinar Information -
📅 Date: July 2
⏰ Panel Discussion: 4:00–5:30 PM PDT
💻 Webinar registration: https://texastech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yD5MflYbRpe1H4nAqYkIjg?fm=wc&_x_zm_rtaid=7SwL5xKbSiGdAsguYxBbUA.1782176841869.0ede17fccfe84966281ec652c6411157&_x_zm_rhtaid=89

06/16/2026

📷🐾 Wildlife monitoring equipment is up and running!

As part of a new grazing experiment, we’ve installed drift fences and camera traps to help us learn more about the wildlife that uses the area before grazing begins.

Drift fences gently guide animals along a fence line, and then the camera traps will capture photos as they pass by. Together, these tools allow us to document wildlife activity with minimal disturbance.

These surveys will help establish baseline information on wildlife use of the site, giving us a better understanding of existing conditions before we begin testing adaptive grazing strategies. Over time, we’ll compare these observations with future monitoring data to better understand how grazing management may influence wildlife and their habitat.

Now we wait to see who shows up on camera! 🐿️🐸🦎📸

05/27/2026

Our crew has been out collecting data for a new project this spring—and we love getting out to “touch grass.” 🌾🌾

Just remember... sometimes it touches back. Watch your step out there 🐍


Image description: Photo 1 - A coiled rattlesnake rests partially hidden in tall green grass, with its head raised; Photo 2 - UC Rangeland researcher, wearing snake chaps, stands on a hillside holding up a long snakeskin shed, with oak trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

05/22/2026

It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic loss of Lincoln Sabini. Lincoln had recently started working with UC Rangelands as an undergraduate research assistant. An Agricultural Sustainability and Food Systems major, he was eager to engage in grazing systems research and had just enrolled in his very first sheep management lab at UC Davis.

Lincoln was a thoughtful, enthusiastic student and a genuinely kind person—the kind of student we are always grateful to welcome into this field. He was a bright, rising star lost far too soon.

Our thoughts are with Lincoln’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone whose lives he touched.

Read the tribute from Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis at the link below.

Lincoln Sabini was a second-year student in the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and also took courses in the Department of Plant Sciences. Those who knew him recount some memories.

05/12/2026

California livestock producers — your feedback can help guide future support for working lands and livestock operations across the state.

UC Berkeley and UC Cooperative Extension are seeking input on the future of wolf-livestock compensation programs in California, and they want to hear directly from producers and other interested parties who live in California.

Survey responses will be:
✔️ Anonymous
✔️ Securely stored through UC
✔️ Shared only as combined group results
✔️ About 20 minutes to complete

📅 Survey closes June 11

Take the survey on CDFW’s wolf-livestock compensation program here: https://berkeley.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8qemY1a3p1rv5BQ