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Biodiversity, Threatened and Imperiled Species

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100285
This digital collection includes presentations given at the 8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium held in 2014 for the symposium theme: Biodiversity, Threatened and Imperiled Species.

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Browsing Biodiversity, Threatened and Imperiled Species by Author "Anderson, Walt, speaker"

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    Private lands for public access: the Sutter Buttes of California
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Anderson, Walt, speaker; Anderson, David, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
    The Sutter Buttes, the only mountain range in California's Central Valley, rise from an intensely cultivated, highly altered landscape. Fences divide the land by property ownership, keeping livestock in and trespassers out. It was inevitable in urbanizing California that the general public would want to get beyond fences to hike, explore, and take photographs. Pressure for a state park mounted, creating a polarized division between private landowners and access-demanding public. Out of conflict arose innovation: a program of public access and interpretation was developed on one ranch property; later the author expanded the concept to about 40 properties in the range. Landowners were compensated for public access, allowing traditional uses (cattle and sheep ranching) to co-exist with hikes and workshops covering geology, natural and cultural history, and environmental education. At the same time, sensitive areas (e.g., eagle eyries, bat colonies) could be protected. From a private enterprise company (Sutter Buttes Naturalists) evolved the Middle Mountain Foundation, now the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. Landowners and "outsiders" together are active in land management, conservation, and education issues, demonstrating that local communities can achieve desired goals without the need for government involvement. The evolving model met its founder's goals of achieving a "positive spirit of constructive collaboration"; new issues are dealt with as they arise. Non-destructive public use has led to economic development, conservation of natural resources, and changes in attitudes and cultural perceptions. Thousands are exposed to the model and landscape at an Oakland Museum exhibit.