By Dr. Heather Constable
In a partnership with Kiani Preserve, cattle have returned to Sedgwick Reserve. Before accepting Kiani’s robust Wagyu cattle, the Reserve needed to reinforce our aged and fire-damaged fencing (which is an ongoing process). Good fences make good neighbors, especially when cattle are involved.
Land steward, Sam Spaulding, has spent many misty mornings walking the property and tending fence in solitude. When asked if he could reinforce over 600 acres of fence by himself, Sam said in a philosophical tone “It can be done, it will just take longer.”
Luckily, we had help! In April 2025 the UCSB ROTC Surfrider battalion was conducting navigation training at Sedgwick and agreed to hike six 80lb rolls of barbed wire and t-posts across Figueroa Creek to the top of a ridge.
After the materials were delivered, the hard work of installing and mending fences began. Land Steward Angela Giordani coordinated a hearty and dedicated volunteer fencing crew to pound a whopping 350 t-posts by hand and lay, pull, and clip barbed wire to protect research infrastructure. Our amazing volunteers did this intense physical work with smiles. The Kiani Preserve crew kindly fixed up large portions of fence along the Sedgwick/Kiani border.
After months of preparation and planning, the Kiani Preserve cattle were introduced in early June. The cattle seemed to approve and got right to work breaking down woody stems, aerating the soil, and reducing fuel loads. Managing cattle ecologically takes a lot of knowledge. Towards these efforts, Sedgwick staff took a Holistic Management Intensive at White Buffalo Land Trust, where they gained an agricultural, commercial, and ecological perspective on grazing. When managed properly, grazing can reduce invasive annual species to promote perennial native forbs. All grazing activity on the Reserve is carefully documented to provide research opportunities for scientists like Claudia Tyler, who has studied complex ecological responses to livestock in oak savannahs.
Sedgwick Reserve is appreciative of our staff, volunteers, researchers, and the Kiani Preserve as we manage Sedgwick’s beautiful historic lands.
