Summit to explore how cattle and wildlife can coexist

Cattle ranchers and wildlife experts will gather once again to talk about how these creatures can get along.

The 12th annual summit of the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition will take place Jan. 12 and 13 in Stockton and on some of the grazing land in the region.

The group promotes the idea that rangeland – the vast nonirrigated country to the east and west of the Central Valley – can produce much more than beef. It provides habitat for deer and hawks and many other wild animals. It yields water for cities and farms. It provides open vistas and recreation for the public.

The coalition includes ranchers, academics, environmentalists and other interested people. Past summits have explored topics such as the incursion of almond orchards, the risk from wildfires, and the abundance of rodents that raptors can find in these places.

The first day of the 2017 summit will feature tours of Sparrowk Livestock, an award-winning operation in the Clements area of San Joaquin County, and of rangeland in the Mokelumne River watershed that supplies the East Bay.

Attendees also will see a place in Lockeford where native grasses and other plants are researched by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is looking into whether compost might benefit grazing land.

The second day will have speakers in Stockton to talk about range management, habitat restoration and other topics. Notable this year is a discussion on how nitrogen emissions from vehicles can act as a fertilizer that promotes grass growth but also increases wildfire fuel.

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Summit to explore how cattle and wildlife can coexist."