Training

See also: Central Coast Rangeland Coalition, Sustainable Human Systems

The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition’s (CCRC’s) Rancher, Manager, and Scientist Forum on Rangeland Conservation, was sponsored by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District from 2011 – 2015. The second phase (2016 – 2020) is sponsored by the East Bay Regional Park District and The Nature Conservancy of California. The Forum is also supported by in-kind contributions from the Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program, University of California Cooperative Extension, and Dr. Ford’s consulting firm (LD Ford, Rangeland Conservation Science). The Forum focuses on key rangeland conservation topics, which have been identified through interviews of sponsor agency personnel and surveys of the CCRC membership. Graduate students have conducted reviews of the scientific literature on each topic, prepared formal papers, and given formal talks at CCRC meetings under the supervision of a faculty member and a CCRC Co-Principal Investigator.

For many years, the Coalition has focused on the highest priority topics, learning about the existing science related to each topic. The Forum has built personal trust of, and collaborated with, CCRC participants to better understand conservation problems and solutions, improving management planning and practices, and identifying knowledge gaps and priorities for future research. It has built “community” and respect among the stakeholders (and their colleagues and families) involved in rangeland management generally, and has helped earn public recognition for the important benefits of public and private rangeland stewardship based on science. It has also built upon the stated recognition that scientific credibility is central to CCRC’s activities.

The fundamental outcome of the Forum has been to improve communications and understanding between the participant sub-groups (ranchers, agency managers, technical advisors/consultants, educators, and scientists, as well as other readers of the reports) of the critical values of both scholarship and practical knowledge in improving rangeland management (short- and long-term). Over the short-term, this has provided more research-based information to professionals and the public as well as better communication about existing research. As such, this complements the programs of the CCRC meetings by providing a regular place for student presentations while allowing for discussion on these subjects between meeting participants. We plan to focus future spring meetings of the CCRC on the current Forum topic, with the student and faculty sponsor organizing and leading the meeting.

During the first 5 years of the Forum—students prepared 5 papers (listed and available for download below) and presented 5 talks at CCRC meetings. Two formal journal articles have been published. Over the long-term, the Forum will continue to lead to new relevant research focused on helping land managers meet conservation goals cost efficiently. Additional outcomes of the Forum include: greater relevance and focus in development of rangeland conservation research programs by graduate students, their academic advisors, and professional research scientists (short-term); and increased consultation of both technical advisors and scientific reference documents by all parties involved in management planning, and thus improved management (short- and long-term).

If you are interested in helping with the Forum, please contact us.