Trading Screens for Oak Woodlands and Grasslands

With the days growing colder and shorter, our policy team happily traded screens for fresh air on a late-fall trip to Audubon’s Bobcat Ranch in December. You could feel the relaxation of the emails left behind for another day as our van drew closer to the Central Valley’s beautiful oak woodlands, one of the highlights of conservation ranching.  And we weren’t the only ones eager to step outside - legislative staff joined us for our adventure to deepen their appreciation and understanding of oak woodlands, and the many biodiversity benefits this habitat provides. Even with cold, foggy weather settling in, we were thrilled to welcome legislative staff from the offices of Assemblymembers Rodgers, Connolly, Irwin, Muratsuchi, Stefani, and Arambula. Pelayo Alvarez, Audubon California’s Director of Conservation Ranching, and Matt Allshouse, Senior Manager of Bobcat Ranch, led the group on a hike to explore the property and share insights about Bobcat Ranch and the Audubon Conservation Ranching Program in California.

As the flagship demonstration site for Audubon’s Conservation Ranching Program, Bobcat Ranch hosts California Scrub-Jays and Acorn Woodpeckers, just to name a few of our group’s favorite birds. And we learned that Acorn Woodpeckers aren’t the only acorn lovers of Bobcat Ranch : research shows that California Scrub-Jays store hundreds to thousands of acorns each year! Luckily for oaks, these secretive birds do not return to all  their caches and, in turn, support the next generation of saplings. California blue oaks and valley oaks hold more life than you might expect at first glance. Along with birds, they’re home to a wide diversity of moths, insects, and butterflies, such as Mournful Duskywings and Pacific tent caterpillars.  

And at Bobcat Ranch, the habitat benefits don’t stop under the oak canopy. Beyond the trees, beautiful, productive, and increasingly vulnerable grasslands stretch across the property.  Due to the significant loss of historical grasslands from increased development and climate change, many grassland birds are in decline. That’s where Audubon’s Conservation Ranching Program comes in. At Bobcat Ranch and across partner ranches, the program supports bird-friendly practices on working lands, enhancing grasslands that support bird species like Grasshopper Sparrows and Western Meadowlarks.

Along the way, we explored the native plants around the ranch that benefit birds and other pollinators, including the largest known patch of heart-leaf milkweed. This patch is critical for Western monarchs as they make the final push of their annual migration that can cover more than 1,000 miles. They rely on this particular milkweed for the critical nutrients it provides for the long haul; no other milkweed variety fills this need. Currently, research is underway by U.C. Davis to try to learn more about why this is such an abundant patch and whether grazing plays a role.

Pelayo and Matt also spoke of the relationship between people and the landscape, noting that California oak woodlands have been cared for since time immemorial by Indigenous people. Part of this care included tending to native plants utilizing fire and celebrating the oaks throughout the year. They recognized that Indigenous people hold an important understanding of these plants and ecosystems, and that should be recognized and respected.

Once we were tucked into the valley, no longer able to see our cars, Pelayo pointed to the quietness of the landscape, and we paused to listen to a diversity of birds, including the Western Meadowlark’s bell-like call. Shortly after, we made our way to the peak of a hill, where Matt explained that on a clear day, we would be able to see downtown Sacramento, where many of us traveled from that morning. We considered how close these communities are and how impactful decisions at the state’s capital can be on the many diverse communities across California.

We paused our exploration of the landscape and returned to where we began the day for lunch and to hear from Adam Cline, rancher and owner of Cline Livestock Company, who manages the cattle on Bobcat Ranch. He shared his experience as a full-time rancher, a rarity in California, where most ranchers have to balance multiple jobs to make ends meet. He shared his appreciation and pride in being able to work with the land and not have to tear down native plants or level the hills to produce beef raised on bird-friendly land. Adam also reflected on beneficial policy implementations that have supported his work, and others that do not result in the promises from the capital.

“Adaptive management is critical,” he explained, “we can have it all planned out for the season, how we will rotate the cattle and when, but then Mother Nature has a different idea, bringing multiple inches of rain in a day – atmospheric rivers, requiring us to change our plans.” Legislative staff appreciated his perspective, sharing that they were humbled to hear how the numbers and results that come across their desks play out on the ground.

With a little time left in the day, we got moving again, digging holes for riparian plantings around a stock pond, an opportunity to expand native habitat and improve the water quality. Then our group moved on to build habitat piles that help California Quail. Despite this being a group effort, it was hard work. We quickly recognized how much work Matt regularly has cut out for himself as Bobcat Ranch’s caretaker.

Imagining the capacity needed to do this work statewide certainly gave many of us pause. Currently, Audubon’s California policy team is taking a look at how to support continuous appropriations to critical ecosystems, such as oak woodlands. This work can support expanding native plants in these landscapes, in turn sequestering more carbon into the land across the state. These types of nature-based climate solutions are critical as we continue to see increasing levels of carbon in the atmosphere.

As we headed back to Sacramento that afternoon, I kept thinking about how important it is to have access to landscapes like Bobcat Ranch, not only to understand their role in carbon sequestration, but also to share the joy they bring to people. Even in a rapidly changing climate, there are still populations of milkweed popping up where we least expect them, and awe-inspiring oaks working to adapt to climate shifts. There is so much to celebrate in how resilient ecosystems can be. Supporting these spaces now, through smart policy and sustained investment, reduces the pressure they’ll be asked to withstand in the future.  Whether we are legislators, consumers, ranchers, or advocates, we all have a role to play in strengthening our support of them. Sometimes, though, it starts with stepping outside, even on a cold, foggy day, and spending time learning from and appreciating them.