04/24/2026
Thursday was our final day in California, and we had the coolest tour, Feathers, Flames, and Fields. We explored two remarkable rangeland sites and discovered how partnerships, conservation, and cultural history came together to protect and provide stewardship for these vital landscapes.
The first stop was at the 540-acre Nyland Property, where we will heard stories from the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust, Amah Mutsun Land Trust, grazing lessee, Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association, and Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed program. We learned how these groups worked together to steward the land through traditional ecological knowledge, sustainable grazing, and fire management.
Next, we headed to the iconic Pinnacles National Park, where we learned about an experiment investigating if cattle grazing, seeding with native forbs, and mowing could help the park achieve their conservation goals. We also learned the history of how the park was created and their incredible role in the recovery of the endangered California condor.
We closed out the trip with sushi and a sunset walk on the pier.
