Mary Rickert, Prather Ranch | Living with Wolves in California

Mary Rickert and her husband, Jim Rickert, are owners and operators of Prather Ranch – a cattle and hay operation spanning several northern California counties including an abattoir in Siskiyou County. Since 1979, Prather Ranch has been at the forefront of sustainable ranching and regenerative agricultural practices with a vertically integrated beef operation and closed herd program. Now, they face new challenges at the front lines of wolf recolonization. Listen as Mary describes her passion for agriculture and her belief in compromising for solutions that support a future where wolves and ranchers coexist. Stay tuned for more episodes from Living with Wolves:    / @californiawolfproject   Living with Wolves is a series of conversations that captures the diverse human experiences surrounding the recolonization of gray wolves in California. Produced by the California Wolf Project, a research initiative launched within UC Berkeley Wildlife program, each episode features in-depth interviews and immersive field recordings to highlight the wide range of perspectives—rural ranchers, wildlife biologists, outdoor recreationists, policymakers, and conservationists—who are navigating the ecological and cultural dimensions of living with wolves on a shared landscape. Learn more about the California Wolf Project: californiawolfproject.berkeley.edu Episode Credits: Project Director, Dr. Kaggie Orrick Multimedia Producer, Camera Operator & Editor, Malia Byrtus Consulting Producer, Christina Winters Writer & Interview Specialist, Anna Sale Production Assistant & Editor, Vishal Subrayaman Additional camera trap footage by Patrick Griffin, Siskiyou County Wolf Liaison