Midpen continues to make good on carrying out our unique mission on the San Mateo County coast, including preserving open space and agricultural lands in perpetuity. At a recent public meeting, the Midpen board approved newly created rangeland management plans for several recently protected coastal properties that are actively grazed by cattle. The custom plans were created to guide the detailed management of grazed areas of Midpen’s coastal Miramontes Ridge, Cloverdale Ranch and Purisima Creek Redwoods open space preserves to meet conservation goals and maximize benefits to native plants and wildlife.
Midpen’s Conservation Grazing Program, made up of eight ranching tenants leasing approximately 14,000 acres of Midpen-managed coastal rangelands, is the primary way Midpen supports agriculture on the Coastside. Conservation grazing as a land management tool helps to improve wildland fire safety and maintain coastal grasslands and the native plants and wildlife that depend on this open habitat.
Rangeland management plans protect natural resources by controlling the number and type of livestock, grazing durations and locations. Appropriately placed water troughs and wildlife-friendly fencing move livestock around and contain them in areas where conservation grazing is desired and beneficial.