A City Girl's Introduction to Ranching in Siskiyou County

Since childhood, I have countless memories of road trips from the Bay Area to Southern California. I remember staring out the window, looking at the agricultural fields, grasslands, and ranches of I‑5. Most of all, I remember being suddenly struck by the infamous and unavoidable smell of Harris Ranch. This ranch stretches on for what feels like forever, with an unfathomable number of cows packed into the pastures, standing practically body to body. This was the first and only introduction to cattle ranching that I had ever experienced. Seeing this horrifying landscape time after time led me to develop all sorts of negative perceptions about the world of ranching. I closed-mindedly believed that all ranching looked like this, and therefore that ranching as a business was cruel, environmentally harmful, and a waste of water and resources. It always felt like ranching and conservation were bound to be sworn enemies, actively working against each other. It wasn’t until moving to the rural town of Weed in Siskiyou County that I finally realized that this doesn’t have to be—and is not always—the case.

Cattle on Parks Creek Ranch (TNC Klamath Basin), with Mt. Shasta in the background.

Since embarking on my journey as a GrizzlyCorps Fellow for The Nature Conservancy, I have had the opportunity to learn from ranchers who operate both locally and internationally, including our ranch lessee (and my closest neighbor) on the property I live and work on. From being a part of conversations with ranchers like him, I have come to understand how complex and demanding it can be to run such a ranching operation, and how oftentimes it is an intense labor of love. Ranching is a full‑time job that often requires working seven days a week. Ranchers must maintain their irrigation systems, monitor which fields to irrigate and how much water is necessary, all the while managing hundreds of cattle or other ruminants. It’s loads of work, and on top of this, ranchers constantly have to balance their businesses with the pressures of policy changes surrounding drought and global warming.

Ranch lessee building a push-up dam off Parks Creek to close off diversion.

Growing up in California, I am no stranger to conversations around drought. However, before working alongside and listening to the voices of ranchers, I never fully understood how their livelihoods are so closely tied to access to water. During a meeting at Montague City Hall, the California State Water Board invited dozens of local ranchers and farmers to attend and discuss the future of water policy. During this discussion, I heard someone say, “When we lose 20% of our water, we lose 20% of our income.” Those words made everything click for me. When we reduce ranchers’ irrigation water supply, we are taking away the very resources they rely on to keep their businesses afloat and support themselves and their families.

What surprised me most about that meeting was that, despite the stress of the ever‑increasing costs and regulations on their businesses, many of the ranchers present expressed that they are already making ongoing adjustments to reduce water use and make their operations more sustainable. They understood the policy changes and were willing to work within them. Contrary to my previous beliefs, many of these ranchers really did care about improving their ranching techniques to support conservation efforts. Ranching and conservation don’t have to live in opposition; instead, they can thrive together.

Tailwater capture dam on Parks Creek Ranch.

Throughout my time with GrizzlyCorps, it has been fascinating to learn about all of the ways in which ranchers are actively contributing to conservation. Through techniques such as mob grazing, ranchers can utilize their livestock to reduce fuel loads and manage invasive plant species. With emerging tools like virtual fencing, it is becoming easier—and increasingly accessible—to use grazing as a conservation tool while still protecting ecologically sensitive areas, such as riparian zones.

More cattle on Parks Creek Ranch.

Being surrounded by ranchers has not only given me a deeper appreciation for their work, but also a new understanding of the hardships they must endure to keep their businesses alive. Despite many ranchers’ current efforts to work in tandem with conservation, the pressures of drought and global warming continue to loom over us all. While it is necessary for ranchers and farmers to reduce their water consumption to protect our ecosystems, it is unjust to demand these changes without financial support or supplementation. In order to truly address water scarcity, we must work together with ranchers and farmers to transition toward more sustainable practices without compromising their livelihoods. I hope that in the years to come, we can invest in and support regenerative agriculture and ranching through subsidizing or funding these movements toward a more sustainable future.

I truly believe that with the right support and open conversations, the ranching community and the conservation movement can become powerful allies, supporting each other in the face of a changing climate.