Dear Editors,
Mr. Wuerthner’s misrepresentation of my perspective on the value of livestock grazing in the San Francisco Bay Area is unfortunate. His article, “Pro-Grazing Pieces Don’t Do a Full Accounting of Livestock Costs” recently published on the Baynature.org website indicates that he does not have knowledge of the natural ecosystems of the Bay Area and their current ecological challenges and stewardship.
Bay Area public open space lands are grazed by livestock not for “livestock production” but because livestock grazing is valued for meeting conservation objectives such as improving wildlife habitat, supporting native plant diversity, and reducing fire fuel loads. In the San Francisco Bay Area there are over 30 public agencies that use livestock grazing to manage open space. The specific missions of these agencies vary from watershed protection and habitat conservation to open space protection and recreation, but they all recognize the role of livestock grazing.
As taxpayers and consumers, we are fortunate that livestock grazing not only serves an ecological function but also supports livestock production. In most cases, since ranchers are able to generate revenue from livestock production while their animals are grazing to support conservation objectives, they are willing to pay public agencies for the forage their livestock consumes. The conservation services provided by grazing are, however, so valuable that on some parcels that aren’t economical for a livestock operation, the rancher grazes his livestock without paying cash rent. This is currently the case near the Santa Cruz Harbor where cattle are grazing park land to improve habitat for the endangered native Santa Cruz tarplant.
The value of livestock grazing for several special status species in the greater San Francisco Area is well documented and is an essential part of managing open space lands for habitat conservation. For example, the Habitat Conservation Plan for the Santa Clara Valley requires grazing to support habitat for the bay checkerspot butterfly. The US Fish and Wildlife Service uses grazing to manage refuge land near San Francisco Bay to support habitat for the western burrowing owl, California tiger salamander, vernal pool tadpole shrimp and Contra Costa goldfields. The Habitat Management Plan for Contra Costa Water District requires grazing for the San Joaquin kit fox. All of these species are negatively impacted by non-native annual grasses which are controlled with livestock grazing.
Mr. Wuerthner seems to only acknowledge vertebrates as species that could be threatened by extinction. In the Bay Area many of the species that are protected by the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts are plants and invertebrates. These species are particularly impacted by non-native annual grasses and several have extirpated populations associated with the removal of grazing livestock. For example the last few populations of Contra Costa goldfields and Sonoma spineflower exist with the support of livestock grazing. The remaining populations of both the bay checkerspot butterfly and big flowered fiddleneck are persisting with habitat management from livestock grazing.
The San Francisco Bay Area is recognized as one of the world’s most significant biological hot spots. Urbanization and a sea of non-native annual species present challenges to conserving the area’s unique biological diversity. The value of livestock grazing and the role of rancher stewardship in addressing these challengers are recognized by nearly every land manager and conservation organization in the Bay Area.
Sheila Barry
Bay Area Natural Resources/ Livestock Advisor
County Director, Santa Clara County
University of California Cooperative Extension
