Rancher Doniga Markegard and her husband, Erik, raise their grass-fed Belted Galloway cows on a 1,000-acre ranch on the San Mateo coast. Galloways are a heritage breed from the coast of Scotland that has a double coat of long hair to better shed the rain. (Photo by Federica Armstrong, federicaarmstrong.com)

Rangelands in the 21st Century

Rangelands (including grasslands, and some oak woodlands and scrublands) are the largest single type of undeveloped landscapes—and the largest single type of land cover of any type—in the San Francisco Bay Area and in California. This means that any meaningful vision for protecting open space and biodiversity in the Bay Area must include a strategy for protecting and stewarding these landscapes, many of which are in private hands and many of which are working landscapes grazed by cattle and other domesticated ungulates.

Despite this apparent confluence of interests, the relationship between the ranching community and environmental communities has often been a contentious one. While that state of affairs is changing, there remain areas of difference and discussion. This web page is dedicated to furthering that discussion and exploring several of the issues associated with protecting, managing, and better understanding rangelands in and around the Bay Area. [Read More]