Located in unincorporated South Santa Rosa, the Hunter Lane Community Grazing Cooperative consists of five households on Hunter Lane and Horn Avenue and plans to include a few more members as time goes on. Each household stewards one and a half to four acres. Our adult members range from ages twenty-four to sixty-five and have many different walks of life, including a registered nurse, machinist, homemaker, park ranger, and computer commuters. Jesse and Jenny have two elementary school aged children. Sacha and John live with a group of other people, including visitors from abroad. Bo has her own abode that she shares with her dog and two other people who live on her property. Carson’s household includes his parents, who are supportive observers. In the summer of 2020, Bo was so fed up with wildfire danger, power shutoffs, evacuations, and dangerously contaminated air that she was determined to move away from California. As she considered where to move, however, she realized how much she loves Sonoma County, and the reality is that climate change induced dangers are increasing everywhere. She decided to apply herself to figuring out how to mitigate her fire risk. Researching many areas of fire, she came across the idea of grazing sheep and goats. She contacted several contract grazers; most would not visit her small 1.5 acre property. Those who would were prohibitively expensive. Perhaps it was impossible? Then, through matchgraze.com, Bo found Sarah Keiser. Sarah suggested Bo get her own animals. Bo resisted, thinking she didn’t want to be so tied down. Sarah explained that if she brought her neighbors together into a community co-op, she wouldn’t be so tied down. Bo spoke with her neighbors John and Sacha, who loved the idea of sharing the responsibility of the flerd, the expenses and of the decisions. Because the responsibility is shared, no one has to feel pinned down. There’s always someone to help. Sacha wondered if she would be able to contribute equally because she’s less able to get around. She was a bit apprehensive about the responsibility. “It’s been fairly easy to get started, and we’ve learned a lot as we go. I was mainly interested in reducing our wildfire risk by grazing. But now, I’m excited to be closer to my neighbors, to be a better steward of our land, a part of Fibershed, and (sometime in the future) our own, cruelty-free organic meat. Our Community Grazing Cooperative stacks functions! John felt “excited and delighted.” “I had always wanted goats. But now that I have come to know goats, I really prefer sheep. They are easier to manage, and they don’t test the fence.” John, Sacha and Bo and other cooperative members manage the flock, getting alfalfa when there is not enough grass, moving sheep, giving medications and immunizations, organizing the shearing, discussing when to get a ram and what to do with the lambs (keep or sell, bottle-feed if rejected by mom, etc.). Jenny and family, the newest member to our Community Grazing Cooperative, were thrilled to be participating in this collaborative land stewarding project. Jenny was on a walk around the neighborhood and came across our sheep grazing in Bo’s yard. She stopped to watch and enjoy the sheep. Bo came out of her house and the two of them started chatting. Jenny expresses that experience: “Bo mentioned she started a neighborhood grazing cooperative to help with fire fuel load mitigation. Having two small children, I thought it sounded like a great educational experience as well. Out of this we have met so many of our neighbors, our girls have been able to bottle-feed baby lambs and learn about how to raise goats and sheep. This cooperative has brought so many wonderful things for our little family! We are doing what we can to manage fire fuel loads, not only for our own property but for those around us as well.” As Bo said, “All of the grazing cooperative families have been neighbors for two decades, but most of us didn’t really know each other. Now we have a shared message thread; we get together socially; we help each other out. My life here in the neighborhood is richer!” Carson and his family decided to participate as well. Here he adds his voice to the story: “My experience with the grazing cooperative has been minimal but very powerful and influential. I am personally very interested in introducing grazing animals to my open acreage, but with my lack of knowledge and a busy schedule, I have been skeptical about whether I could handle and care for several large animals. However, this grazing cooperative provides a perfect solution for my situation and location. It is perfect for rural neighborhoods with large grass fields and landowners who aren’t full time farmers and/or land maintainers. With my little exposure to the project I can see now that it is very possible for me to be a temporary caretaker and still meet my goals of overall fuel reduction and practicing good environmental stewardship. I am very eager to participate and no longer have the fear of not being able to care for large animals full time. The cooperative allows for proper rotational grazing, temporary caretaking and the fun of farm animals without being tied down to a full time farming lifestyle. It is also great because a willing landowne

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