Sonoma Mountain Institute

• Overall, the biggest accomplishment was connecting a 10-mile mega-migration management corridor from the south of Triangle G and the 116 to the top of Walsh in Sonoma County Regional Parks. This corridor allows us to see the ecology and wildlife corridors in a much larger context and to make more holistic management decisions.
  • Within that corridor, we are managing and partnering with multiple landowners and nonprofits, as well as private landowners. We negotiated access to the one property in the middle of the corridor that we do not manage, so we were able to pass through during GY2024.
• We put together a 1300-head herd of cattle to graze this migration corridor, which was an epically sized herd, and in the process learned many ways to get better and become more effective at mega-migration management. This is one of the largest single herds moving together in a regenerative grazing pattern in California. It is likely in the top 1% in the country in terms of size for a regeneratively and adaptively managed herd.
• GY2024 was one of the best seasons ever for grass, with some of the warmest average temperatures on record and a very consistent distribution of humidity throughout the season. This was amazing for grass growth vigor but had some surprises for the cattle. 
• The warm conditions were perfect for fostering internal parasites. The cattle had a high parasite load because we had no hard freezes, so we had to treat 1300 head for lungworm, an illness that can cause 100% mortality if left untreated. The team did an amazing job with this massive lift.
  • Our investment in corrals and handling facilities allowed treatment to happen without any injuries to cattle or handlers. The vet rep who was on hand to supply medicine (and who has seen hundreds of operations) commented that it was the calmest she had ever seen cattle worked in her life, and she loved being around the team. 
• We carried out another Star thistle experiment in which we kept 300 head until late July after shipping the rest of the herd home in June. The animals got a bunch of bad eyes from eating alfalfa in the Star thistle, so we mowed a bunch of the Star thistle. The cattle were better able to feed on it, which showed promise of impact. We might try mowing again in the future. 
• Despite many successes, we faced several management obstacles in GY2024:
  • Even though we had the same partner sending us cattle at SMI and Triangle G, these cattle had a different front-end life experience. The cattle we received had never seen anyone on foot or ATV, and they had no experience with electric fencing. When we got them, it took much more effort to dog-train them and train them to follow the hay. We brought in some partners from other organizations to help us establish a low-stress handling relationship with the cattle.
  • Additionally, our Cayetana and Eames herd developed coccidiosis and internal parasites, and we had to administer a lot of health care to keep them healthy and operational. We’re proud to say we did not lose a single animal from that herd.

Infrastructure

• In GY2023, we were awarded an NRCS Upland Wildlife Management Grant at Triangle G, which includes funding for fencing, upgrading the water system, and various wildlife habitat improvements. We are currently installing the 6 miles of wildlife-friendly electric fence and about 6 miles of water system infrastructure.
  • This is an amazing setup infrastructure on a ranch that has had zero investment in the last 40 years. When we inherited the ranch, there was one working water trough in the south of the ranch, and there was not another working trough anywhere else. There was not a single working gate. These system upgrades will enable us to better manage the cattle that are coming for GY2025, allowing better rotations and better density.
  • The ownership of Triangle G has committed to funding the gap between the award and the installed infrastructure. 
  • We are the only Upland Wildlife Improvement grant in California awarded in years due to the state biologist feeling it was misused in the past; however, he trusted SMI to implement the grant well, and he felt the award was deserved. 
• This year, we managed the clean-up of 6+ miles of disintegrating fence that was a wildlife hazard at Triangle G.
• We supported the redoing of all the roads on Triangle G to make sure they had rolling dips that shed water and less erosive features. Other contractors that were brought in previously did not use any water-shedding features. 
• Byron and Bill designed a water system at Mitsui that we worked to implement in GY2023 and GY2024. We added 10,000 LF of new line, connected 30,000 gallons of water that is disconnected into 3 separate systems, upgraded a spring from 1 gpm to 8 gpm to help supply the ranch, and added 5 new troughs. The system has vastly improved the ability to manage cattle, get water to the cattle, and adapt to drought.