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\u00a0or ASI Executive Director, Peter Orwick at\
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Wool for Specialty Markets webinar on\u00a0October 28-29, 2020.
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ASI is presenting a webinar to discuss Wool for Specialty Markets.
Oct. 28 and 29, beginning at 6 p.m. mountain time each day.
The webinar will be available through Zoom.
Registration is available now and limited to 100 participants.
Recordings will be available at SheepUSA.org after the webinar is completed. Be sure to register ahead of time!\u00a0
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UCANR: Protecting California\u2019s natural resources
A Rancher\u2019s Fire Safe Council for the Sierra Foothills
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Author: Dan Macon
Published on:\u00a0October 8, 2020
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Like many of you over the last several weeks (and indeed, over the last several years), I\u2019ve read heartbreaking accounts of ranchers losing livestock in this latest round of devastating wildfires. I\u2019ve talked to neighboring ranchers who helped friends evacuate livestock, and who moved their own animals to safe zones. And I\u2019ve constantly watched the horizon for new smoke, and the sky for fire planes and helicopters. I\u2019ve wondered what we can do as a ranching community to address our unique concerns and needs in the face of increasingly dangerous wildfires.
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According to the California Fire Safe Council,
\u201cFire Safe Councils are grassroots, community-led organizations that mobilize residents to protect their homes, communities, and environments from catastrophic wildfire. A local Fire Safe Council is often sparked by a catalyst \u2013 perhaps a recent fire or a group of neighbors eager to spread a fire-safe message \u2013 then embraced by the community, which turns that initial interest into a committed group that finds ways to empower the residents to do their part to make the community safe.\u201d
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Most of these local Fire Safe Councils are formed by geographically related communities \u2013 counties, towns, or neighborhoods. But what about communities of interest? What about the ranching community? Our needs, when it comes to preventing and responding to wildfire, can be very different than a residential homeowner\u2019s needs.
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Ranching in the Sierra foothills is unique. Many of us operate on multiple parcels, some leased, others owned. These ranches are dispersed throughout the community \u2013 they may be surrounded by residential communities or public lands. Some of us still take livestock to the high country, while others rely on irrigated pasture during the summer months. Many of us have livestock at multiple locations.
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Because these ranches are grazed (or in fire terms, because the fine and ladder fuels are modified), ranches may provide areas where fire behavior changes \u2013 where firefighters can attack a fire directly. Ranches that include irrigated pasture may provide additional firebreak benefits. Some ranches have ponds or other water sources that maybe helpful to firefighting efforts.
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Rancher needs during a wildfire may also differ from the surrounding communities. Unlike backyard livestock owners, commercial ranchers often have more livestock than can be evacuated by a single truck and trailer \u2013 making evacuation difficult even with enough warning. Ranchers with leased pasture may have difficulty accessing property and livestock during an emergency due to roadblocks. And ranchers typically have first-hand, on-the-ground knowledge \u2013 and oftentimes equipment \u2013 that may be helpful in the initial response to wildfire.
All of this brings me to an idea:
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What if we created a Rancher\u2019s Fire Safe Council?
What if we formalized our efforts to inventory the equipment and expertise that could help protect ranch lands and the surrounding community?
What if we formalized our relationships with CalFire, law enforcement, and other emergency services?
What if we could train ourselves (and our neighbors) on things like safe evacuation and fire behavior?
What if we formally became a resource for protecting our ranches and our communities?
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I\u2019d like to invite you to a meeting to explore this idea in more detail. And please feel free to invite other ranchers to participate. I envision this group being comprised of commercial producers \u2013 ranchers who have more livestock than could be evacuated in a single trailer, who are raising livestock as a business.
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WHEN:\u00a0Wednesday, October 28, 2020 \u2013 6-7:30 p.m.
WHERE:
RSVP HERE
Via Zoom \u2013 link will be provided once you register
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Tentative Agenda
What is a Fire Safe Council?
Are there other ways to address the fire prevention, response, and recover needs of the ranching community?
What could a Rancher\u2019s Fire Safe Council do? What are our top priorities?
Who should be involved in this effort?
Next steps
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I look forward to hearing from you! What do YOU think a Rancher\u2019s Fire Safe Council could do? Leave a comment to this blog, or email me directly at\.<\/p>"}}]}]}]};