The Importance of Livestock Pond Restoration

This workshop will provide an overview of the creation of livestock ponds and how they become essential breeding and rearing aquatic habitat for amphibians, turtles, and invertebrates. We will talk about how livestock grazing is used to reduce herbaceous biomass and maintain the upland landscapes. Participants will learn the steps taken to achieve pond restoration work —including planning, partnership, permitting, implementation, monitoring, and feasibility.  You will hear from our panelists about their roles in pond maintenance as a rancher, regulator, and public land manager. In the afternoon we will visit a restored pond along Sunol Ridge in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Learn about the challenges associated with livestock pond restoration including pond prioritization, improvement costs and practices, permitting, and construction requirements.
2. Learn the history of stock pond creation and the growing benefits to both livestock and habitat for wildlife species.
3. Learn about the Alameda and Contra Costa NRCS wildlife-friendly livestock pond initiative program.
4. Gain perspectives from ranchers and public agencies responsible for pond management, permitting, cost-sharing, and coordination programs.
5. Participants will examine two recent habitat pond restoration projects completed in partnership with the grazing tenant, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Alameda County RCD, and East Bay Regional Park District at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.
6. Engage in productive group discussions.
7. Does pond restoration make sense in your county? Species of concern? Livestock water benefits?
8. What are the challenges you face if planning for a pond restoration project?
9. Discuss how livestock pond restoration fits with climate resiliency goals.
10. How to increase scale and expand this pond restoration model to those counties challenged with regulatory hurdles.

Discuss changes in pond management and monitoring over the past decade (fencing out ponds, restrictive grazing management plans, inability to make improvements).

Instructors

Meeting Agenda

List of Attendees - non-harvestable

Managing Rangelands to Benefit California Red-Legged Frogs & California Tiger Salamanders

Introduction to Livestock Ponds in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties