
Episode 5.3: Women on the Range – Karen Sweet’s Story
Rangeland Trust CEO Michael Delbar interviews Karen Sweet on ranching in Alameda County, women in agriculture, land conservation, and the future of California rangelands.

Rangeland Trust CEO Michael Delbar interviews Karen Sweet on ranching in Alameda County, women in agriculture, land conservation, and the future of California rangelands.

The Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA) Ranch is a working cattle ranch that contains the perfect habitat for endangered species like the San Joaquin kit fox, burrowing owl, California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, and many others. The property has been owned by ACWMA since the early 1990’s.
In 2018, California Rangeland Trust partnered with Golden Hills Ecological Preserve to develop a mitigation agreement on the ranch

The Sweet Ranch is a working cattle ranch nestled on low, rolling hills coated in nutrient-rich grasses that are perfect for cattle grazing. The ranch has been owned by the Sweet family since 1915 when they purchased it from Sanford University. Several generations later, the property is still home to the Sweet family, their cattle operation, sheep, and grain crops. The ranch provides critical habitat for federally listed species including the San Joaquin kit fox, California red-legged frog, and tiger salamander, as well as the American badger and the burrowing owl. To mitigate potential negative impacts to these important species, the Sweet family worked with California Rangeland Trust to not only conserve the ranch, but to enhance its wildlife habitat.

The conservation project on the Marciel Ranch reflects the importance of balancing the need for increased housing development with the need for conserving the working lands that livestock and wildlife call home. In order to offset the effects of housing development in the bay area, 158 acres of the Marciel Ranch were conserved in 2017 through a conservation easement held by the Rangeland Trust. This agreement ensures that the property will continue to provide vibrant habitat for the federally listed California red legged frog and California tiger salamander.
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