Certified Rangeland Manager #M106, State of California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, 2015
B.S. Natural Resources Management, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1982.
- Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting,Range Management Specialist 2019 – Present
- East Bay Regional Park District, Wildland Vegetation Program Manager 2013 – 2019
- East Bay Regional Park District, Park Supervisor 1990 – 2013
- East Bay Regional Park District, Park Ranger 1983 – 1990
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Ms. Defreese has over three decades of public land management experience gained as a wildland vegetation program manager, park supervisor and park ranger. As the range program manager for over 80,000 acres, she oversaw over 80 grazing licenses held by 43 ranchers using mostly cattle, but also sheep and goats, to manage vegetation to reduce fuel loads and enhance grassland communities. Before becoming the vegetation program manager, she honed her skills on the ground as a park supervisor managing lands at Briones Regional Park, Morgan Territory, Round Valley, Brushy Peak, and Vasco Caves. Ms. Defreese managed grazing programs at each park to reduce weedy species and manage grasslands in support of listed or threatened species, such as California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, Alameda whipsnake, golden eagle and western burrowing owl. As a park supervisor, she saw firsthand how managed livestock grazing affected vegetative change and supported special-status species.
Ms. Defreese has collaborated with agency partners, academic collaborators, public lands ranching operations, resource conservation districts, environmental advocacy groups, and volunteers. She is active in local conservation groups, as a steering committee member of the Central Coast Rangelands Coalition, and as chairperson of both the Awards Committee and the Certified Range Manager Committee of the California-Pacific Section of the Society for Rangeland Management.
She has coordinated, conducted, and trained staff in rangeland monitoring, rare plant surveys and floristic inventories on sites in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. She is familiar with state and federal regulations protecting special-status species. Selected terrestrial project experience includes plant community mapping, rare plant and botanical surveys. She also has a strong familiarity of California amphibian, mammal and bird species.
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECT EXPERIENCE
CA Rangeland Trust, Lazy K Ranch, Chowchilla, CA Annual RDM Monitoring Report
As the Certified Rangeland Manager reviewed previous RDM reports and the Grazing Plan. Completed RDM samples at ten sites, recommended changes for improvement. Wrote and submitted report.
EBRPD Vegetation Monitoring Program Review (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA). Developed, implemented and led prioritized system to annually survey spring grassland vegetation over ten parks using existing staff with locations based on data gaps, specific management changes or rare plant communities. Directed and participated in annual rare plant surveys of Mount Diablo Buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum); Santa Cruz tarplant (Holocarpha macradenia), and fragrant fritillary (Fritillaria liliacea).
EBRPD Grazing Lease and Fee Schedule Program Review (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA). As the program manager, wrote and reviewed requests for proposals for grazing leases. Researched public land agency proposals and developed rating systems to screen, rate and recommend qualified candidates. Organized, led and coordinated selection process to recommend new leaseholders. Summarized local public land licenses, lease lengths and protocols and recommended updates to EBRPD license for review. Reviewed, summarized and recommended changes to fee schedules and procedures to offer flexibility and better meet needs of the agency.
Sunol Rangeland Resiliency Project (Alameda County CA). East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) lead in a complex watershed project on lands owned by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and EBRPD. Alameda County Resource Conservation District, with assistance from Dina Robertson of AECOM, obtained grant funding from the Coastal Conservancy requiring matching funding from partner agencies to install rangeland improvements within two years (allowed a one-year extension due to permit issues). Project involved collaboration with multiple partners, budget management, permit coordination, preconstruction plant survey coordination with partner landowner, contract management, planning and design for water development improvements that included two pond restorations, three spring redevelopments and a mile of new pipe and troughs. Project was completed on time and within budget.
Serpentine Prairie Restoration for Clarkia franciscana (Oakland, CA). Project manager from 2014-2019 coordinating and directing consultant in land management in support of federal and state listed species at Redwood Regional Park. Coordinated and managed targeted grazing as a new management tool initiated in 2015. Coordinated with integrated pest management staff annual volunteer event for weed removal. Reviewed and edited annual reports from 2014-2018.
EBRPD Rangeland Improvement Project Implementation (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA). Project manager for over 35 rangeland improvement projects performed by contractors or range leaseholders annually. Coordinated and managed Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Improvement projects (EQIP) between leaseholders and District resulting in cost savings of $50,000-100,000 annually. Reviewed, inspected, planned, designed and coordinated permits and construction needs with permit requirements to meet current conservation practices.
Delta Landbank Restoration Project (Contra Costa County). Developed and implemented a passive restoration management plan on a fallow 80-acre grassland and remnant dune site. Initial goals were to reduce target weedy species and nonnative annual grasses. Secondary goals were to increase native species, specifically California croton (Croton californicus). Worked collaboratively with the local rancher who brought in his small cattle herd at the recommended times. Target weed species were reduced by at least 75% by year 3. Annual grass biomass was reduced by half and California croton was abundant and expanding by year three.