Native Grass Conservation

Nearly half of The Land is open meadow, and those meadows have been shrinking. Once sheep grazing ended in 1969, thickets of young fir began marching in from the edges. We’ve been clearing those firs and pruning the meadow-edge trees, with help from NRCS. A botanical survey found substantial populations of native perennial grasses, which are now rare across much of California. We hand-pull invasive velvet grass, and our burn plan will help keep the native grasslands healthy for the long term.