California Native Grassland Association GRASS Award Speaker Series

Join us for the final talk of this season's GRASS Speaker Series showcasing the amazing work undertaken in California Grasslands by some of our Grassland Research Awards for Student Scholarship Winners.

Talks are on Tuesdays from 6 PM - 7 PM PST featuring a one 40-minute talk, or one or two 20-minute talks, with time for Q&A. 

Members: Free      Non-Members: $10       Non-Member Students: Free with Student ID

Title: Impact of Livestock Grazing on Avian Diversity at Montane Riparian Meadows in California’s Federal Public Lands

Speaker:   Sabela Vasquez-Rey (UC Davis Graduate Student)

January 28, 2025 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Abstract: Riparian meadows promote essential ecosystem services that benefit both biodiversity and human society. During summer in the Sierra Nevada, multiple bird species depend upon these meadows to complete integral parts of their life cycle; simultaneously, domestic livestock in U.S. Forest Service plot allotments are sustained by nutrient-rich forage in these productive meadows. Previous studies have noted that in riparian areas with minimal management oversight, excessive grazing was associated with a degradation of meadow conditions and ecosystem functioning, which can have underlying consequences for wildlife, such as birds. This project studies the impact of domestic livestock on the diversity of avian communities in the following national forests of the Sierra Nevada: Plumas, Lassen, Modoc, and Tahoe National Forests. During the summers of 2023 and 2024, avian point counts were established to identify bird species at 23 riparian meadows within grazing plot allotments monitored by the U.S. Forest Service. Additionally, livestock utilization data was collected by performing landscape appearance assessments; determining livestock fecal loading density; measuring streambank herbaceous vegetation stubble; and observing livestock trampling counts at streambanks. Lastly, habitat measurements were performed at each point count to quantify vegetation cover and vegetation strata structure. The goal of this study is to discern how current livestock grazing might be impacting avian species occupancy and biodiversity dynamics, and whether a middle ground can be reached so livestock and wildlife can co-exist.

Bio: I am a master’s student in Dr. Leslie Roche’s lab at the University of California, Davis. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I have been privileged to research multiple ecosystems and to work with fascinating wildlife species, including monitoring piping plovers and least terns in Colorado’s grand grasslands; studying sage thrashers, sagebrush sparrows, and brewer’s sparrows in Wyoming’s vast sagebrush shrublands; and observing barn swallows in Colorado’s ranching communities. Currently, I am interested in studying how local land management strategies and livestock grazing pressure are impacting avian communities across grazing allotments managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada region, with an emphasis on sites with montane riparian meadows.

Contact Justin Luong (jluong4@ucsc.edu) with any questions.

CNGA 2024 GRASS Award Speaker Series 2024 Schedule (Tuesdays, 6 - 7 pm)

• October 29 - Annie Taylor (The Nature Conservancy)
• November 12 -  Ava-Rose Beech (UCD)
• November 19 - Carmen Watkins (U of Oregon)
• December 10 - Brooke Wainwright (UCD)
• Winter Intermission
• January 21 - Mathew Wells (Santa Monica Mountains NPS)
• January 28 - Sabela Vasquez-Rey (UCD)

Help Support Student Research - Donate to the GRASS Program

CNGA's GRASS Program: 

• Focuses student research on important grassland-related questions. 
• Inspires students to become more involved in California Grassland Conservation and Restoration. 
• Trains future employees for your agency or company.
• Creates advocates for California Grasslands