Join the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition at The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Las Piletas Ranch Preserve- a 13,500-acre working cattle ranch and living laboratory for conservation innovation. The preserve straddles the north Carrizo Plain and the headwaters of the Salinas River watershed and hosts pronghorn, tule elk, San Joaquin kit fox, and rare plants to name a few. TNC partners with its neighbor at Carrizo Ranch to meet annual manament goals through cattle grazing.
TNC and Carrizo Ranch utilize a broad suite of technologies to support planning, management, and monitoring for wildlife and habitat, grazing, forage, and water resources. We will gather and meet at the ranch headquarters on the edge of the Carrizo Plain near California Valley.
RSVP by April 3, 2026!
https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=47566
*For travelers from the North with time, Highway 1 has reopened.
Event Schedule
| Time | Session Details |
| 8:00 | Registration and Coffee |
| 8:30 | Welcome to the meeting and orientation to the site Ethan Inlander, The Nature Conservancy Small Group Introductions |
| 9:15 | Grazing Planning, Management, Monitoring and Adaption on Las Piletas Ranch TNC team members: Ethan Inlander, Dillon Brook, and Gabe Runte Break |
| 10:30 | Virtual fencing deep dive Researchers and Ranchers Researchers, TBD Ranchers, Michael Dennis and Thomas Workman Small Group break out |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Field Sites Stop 1: Grazing for fuels reduction Stop 2: Grazing for conservation on the North Carrizo Ecological Reserve Stop 3: Virtual Fence in the field: a look at the hardware and field applications Stop 4: Cost Share programs for water developments and fencing, including virtual fence |
| 3:50 | Small group break out, wrap-up discussion, and closing remarks |
| 4:30 | Meeting End** Informal exploration of the ranch - on your own |
| 5:30 | Optional Dinner (if you pre-registered) - thank you San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Association! |
| 7:00 | Head home |
Meeting Goal
To explore existing technologies for ranching operations and monitoring that assist with both livestock management and habitat/wildlife management.
Meeting Outcomes
• Attendees will be provided with an overview about what kinds of technology are available to improve ranching operations and monitoring.
• Attendees will understand the basics of how these technologies work, and also costs, benefits, and challenges.
• Attendees will be provided an overview about technical and financial assistance programs available to help them purchase and use some of these technologies.
Optional Dinner
The San Luis Obispo County Cattlemen's Association will be providing an optional BBQ dinner on the evening of April 16th. Once registration is open, you will be able to add dinner to your registration if you are interested.
Hotels
Hotels arrangements for the meeting can be made in Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo.
Hotel Options in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo
Camping
A limited number of spaces may be available at Las Piletas Ranch's modest campground on the nights of 4/15 and 4/16. Please contact Ethan Inlander at einlander@tnc.org