CALIFORNIA CATTLE COUNCIL
CATTLE COUNCIL LAUNCHES WILDFIRE RESILIENCY CAMPAIGN by California Cattle Council Executive Director Justin Oldfield It is without a doubt, wildfire has become a yearround issue in California. In addition to persevering through a longer and more destructive wildfire season, the urgency to craft real solutions that will achieve fire resiliency across the landscape remains a priority far before the first fire that will inevitably begin this year. The need for action NOW has spurred the California Cattle Council to launch the Wildfire Resiliency Campaign that seeks to effectively and strategically apply pressure to decision makers and urge them to take action to increase grazing and prescribed fire across the landscape. The campaign will also seek to expand the number of nontraditional allies to highlight that this issue is not rural vs. urban, Republican vs. Democrat or business vs. the environment. The campaign, launched in March, is being broadcasted various ways to reach the right audience. This includes social media, paid digital media, radio and other public relations tools that call for all Californians to reject the status quo and seek real change. Science demonstrates that grazing and prescribed fire significantly improve our chances to return to a healthy ecological state where fire improves the landscape and not destroys it. To that end, messages and materials delivered during the campaign are intended to amplify and make the efforts of our partners like CCA more effective in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Those hearing or seeing campaign materials will be directed to a new website that is hosted by the Council at https://calresilient.com/. The objective of this website will be to serve as an information hub for those looking to learn more about the positive role grazing and prescribed fire play in managing the landscape. In addition, articles, fact sheets and other information on the website will for the first time be made available in a single central location to allow others to utilize these resources. In addition, the Council has also taken the step to extend the reach and impact of fire research we conducted in 2020 with the University of California Cooperative Extension by initiating a second phase that will evaluate the air quality benefits associated with 28 California Cattleman April 2021
grazing livestock to remove fuels, rather than those fuels being burned by wildfires. This research will be extremely valuable as we continue to better position ranchers and livestock as a viable, cost effective and immediate solution to our land management needs. Even for those communities that are sheltered from the danger posed by wildfires, they are not protected from the substantially poor air quality and health risks that now exist throughout much of California during the height of the fire season. The opportunity to greatly intensify the public policy solutions offered by ranchers is something that’s new to the debate in Sacramento and is the result of the formation of the Council. The Council brings a level of resources to the industry’s government affairs efforts we’ve not seen before. The launch of the Wildfire Resiliency Campaign is also coupled with the launch of a new Council website and logo that will make it easier for producers to stay up to date on what the Council is doing. Wildfire remains a priority issue for the Council but it is certainly not the only issue we are tackling. As we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the ongoing COVID pandemic, it’s our hope that we will return to the road soon to meet with producers faceto-face at tour meetings and other industry events. 2020 was no doubt a difficult year and the share of challenges the industry will face in 2021 are real. It remains our firm commitment to continue to demonstrate to you that our work is worthy of your investment. Never hesitate to contact me or a member of our producer board for more information on our campaigns, projects or to provide input. In the meantime, we hope you take the opportunity to visit https://calresilient.com/ and assist us in putting these resources to work.
