Celebrating our Western Heritage-
A Western Affair 2007

A Western Affair at Rancho San Julian is once again an affair to remember

Nearly 500 guests entered the historic Rancho San Julian, Lompoc, for an evening celebration to benefit the California Rangeland Trust, Sacramento, on June 2, 2007. As guests passed the early 19^th century adobe casa the scene opened up to a wide pasture where they were ushered into a beautifully decorated tent. The candle-lit dinner tables were the perfect setting for the once again successful live and silent auctions.

As guests mingled under a canopy decorated with twinkle lights, foliage and antique western décor, all done by a committee headed by Mindi Christian, they feasted on hors d’oeuvres while gazing at the hills surrounding Rancho San Julian headquarters and the event site. Guests had the opportunity to view displays of the Trust’s closed easement projects in the restored dairy barn and to visit the country store provided by Bobbi Faria of Yosemite Hide Co., Merced. To wrap the night in melody the fiddle-based country tunes of Julie Beaver and the Bad Dogs, Paso Robles, floated among the crowd as they played.

Guests were treated to an outstanding steak and tilapia dinner accompanied by roasted potatoes and a gourmet salad all provided by Martin Testa of Testa Catering, Santa Maria. Custom labeled water bottles were also donated by Glenn Drown of Borrego Springs Bottled Water. To top off this delicious meal, wine on the tables and at the open bar was donated by Hampton Farming, Brooks Firestone, Sandy and Heloise Power, Thekla and Richard Sanford’s Alma Rosa Winery and Elizabeth Flood Stevenson.

The Chairman of the Board, Darrell Wood, welcomed guests as they sat to eat and shared the Trust’s mission and their reason for bringing the group together for this evening celebration. “The Trust is here to help families and ranchers stay in business and give them a tool to compete in California’s changing landscape. Tonight we are here to celebrate what ranching families provide us in rich cultural traditions, open space, wildlife habitat and many other intangible things.”

Next, Wood invited Lieutenant Governor, John Garamendi, Sacramento, to address the crowd as the Rangeland Trust’s first easement project closed in 1998, shortly after the Trust’s inception. He received a rousing applause as he talked about the importance of saving California’s rangelands. John was in attendance with his wife Patti Garamendi.

As dinner continued Bob Fox, Auburn, came to the stage to introduce the Trust’s special guests. Unique to this year’s event were five special guests invited to help the Trust and guests celebrate the western heritage kept alive by California’s ranches. These guests included: Bobbi Ingersoll, Ronnie Richards, Ted Robinson, Cotton Rosser and Sheila Varian. Bob introduced each of these noteworthy guests to the crowd and explained their many accomplishments which help to sustain the traditions and heritage of the ranching industry in our state.

The highlight of the evening began as Bill Lefty, Yuba City, took the auction block. A lively auction ensued with the help of announcer Ted Robinson. With all this help the Trust was thrilled to bring in more than $148,000 from both the live and silent auctions.

The live auction was organized by live auction chair, Abbie Nelson and the silent auction was organized by Carole Silveira with help from Karen Stone, who also organized the registration for the event. A special thank you goes out to the event committee chair Kendra Wilbur, who has been the chair of this event for six years and local event chair Brandy Branquinho.

In addition to the committee’s dedication and generosity the California Cattlemen’s Association’s Young Cattlemen did an outstanding job as volunteers for parking, registration, meal service and clean-up. A big thank you to the Young Cattlemen who helped make this event possible!

“At our event this year we wanted to honor the past while recognizing how it links with our future and the future of ranching. We are so grateful to all who have supported us, our sponsors, our special guests, our board and our many volunteers. It will take all of us to support a viable future for our state’s rangelands and our ranching families,” said Nita Vail, executive director of the Trust.

CRT's 2006 Event Coverage:

California Rangeland Trust hosts annual fundraising event in Sanger

On June 3, 2006, a group of 400 friends and supporters of California Rangeland Trust gathered for an evening at John and Carole Harris' River Ranch on the Kings River in Sanger A record-setting live and silent auc­tion brought in more than $173,000.

Guests from throughout the state arrived at the ranch to experience an expansive view of the Kings River, horse pastures and the Harris home. The evening began with a social hour, hors d'oeuvres and a magnificent ice sculpture from caterer Harris Ranch Restaurant, Coalinga. The silent auction was organized by Carole Silveira of Firebaugh and Abbie Nelson ofWilton, with help from Jennifer Rice of Clements, Karen Stone of Woodland and Jakki McDonald of Sacramento. Bobbi Faria of Yosemite Hide Co., Merced, added a "country store" setup by the river, offering unique western gift items.

Host John Harris welcomed the crowd, and Darrell Wood, Susanville, chair of the California Rangeland Trust, introduced the board of directors, and thanked supporters and sponsors.

The evening's dinner was elegantly prepared and served by Vince Papag­ini and his Harris Ranch Restaurant team. Bob Denney of Hames Valley Vineyards, Bradley, donated the wine served with dinner. Spirited bluegrass music was provided throughout the evening by California Rangeland Trust board member Scott Stone and the Plainfield Pickers of Woodland. "We'd like to extend our sincerest gratitude to everyone who contrib­uted to our annual event," said Wood. Much of the success is due to the work of the event committee, chaired by Kendra Wilber, Clements; and assisted by Nita Vail, Sacramento, executive director of California Rangeland Trust; and Sherry Harkins, Walnut Creek.

A lively auction with Col. Bill Lefty, Yuba City, at the microphone with help of announcer Bob Fox, Auburn, and ringmen Jerry York, Nampa, Idaho, Western Livestock Journal; Matt Macfarlane, Sheridan, California Cattleman; John Dickinson, Sacramento, Angus Journal; and Col. Jon Dolieslager, Dinuba, Tulare County Stockyard. Young cattlemen members, assisting with check-in and the auction, included Heston Nunes of Modesto,Ryan Nelson of Wilton, Cassie Silviera of Sanger, Melanie Andrade of Madera and Clayton Koopmann of Sunol.

The California Rangeland Trust board of directors would like to extend a special thank you to hosts John and Carole Harris, the event organizers, and all of the individuals and businesses contributing to making this year's "Western Affair" the most successful yet. A complete list of donors and event photos are featured on the following pages.

"A Day on Cowboy Island" – Santa Rosa Island

The event on Santa Rosa Island, October 3, was a huge success! With nearly 200 friends and family in attendance and beautiful weather, we could not be more pleased with the outcome of this event. Laughter and conversations filled the ranch headquarters yard that day and it was testament to the wonderful time had by all!

As guests arrived by sea and by air they were greeted with an expansive view of this wild island and the ranch headquarters nestled on its eastern coast. All the ranch facilities including the barns, loading chute, the bunkhouse, the old schoolhouse and the main house were open to the guests for touring and exploring. Boat travelers docked at the end of the pier where cattle were once loaded and unloaded for their stay on the island.

As lunch ensued Nita Vail, Tim Vail and Will Woolley, all Vail family members, spoke to the audience about the rich history of the island community that once supported the cattle operation on the island. One of the many special guests at the event was EK Smith, the only man born on the island that is living today. Additionally, many cowboys and their families that once worked and lived on the island were there to celebrate the island's legacy.

On behalf of the California Rangeland Trust and the Vail and Vickers families we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all our guests, volunteers and supporters. This celebration of the cowboy spirit and paying tribute to the heritage of the California rancher was one of a kind.

Annual Cowboy Breakfast

Once again CRT was joined by nearly 200 cattlemen and cattlewomen from throughout California on Thursday, November 16 at the Sacramento Double Tree for our annual Cowboy Breakfast. This unique event always draws a crowd prior to the California Cattlemen's Association committee meetings.

Our keynote speakers, lawyers James Leet and Kent Silvester from McDonough Holland & Allen PC, discussed the new tax incentives now available to ranchers since the passage of the new Pension Protection Act on August 17, 2006. Guests were able to learn about how they may benefit from this remarkable triumph in legislation for today's ranching family.

In addition, this year we had a special treat with Mike Beck of Spreckles as our featured entertainer. Mike is a cowboy poet, songwriter and storyteller who has performed all over the U.S. and Europe. He is also renowned for his horse clinics and brings real life "cowboying" experience to his music and entertainment.