The touching story of Lacey Maddalena appeared in the Sacramento Bee on Saturday in a nicely written article by Chris Bowman about a collaborative project involving UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Humanities Institute.
Passion for the Land is the digital storytelling project designed to help residents of Sierra Valley, a 200-square-mile Plumas County valley at the 5,000-foot elevation, communicate with policymakers, community leaders, and educators about the challenges of sustaining working landscapes, wildlife habitat, and the rural way of life. It is one of the projects that make up the Art of Regional Change, which brings together scholars, students, artists and community members to collaborate on projects that aim to change the culture and amplify the voices of underrepresented groups.
The Bee story focused on Maddalena, one rancher in the alpine valley surrounded by snowy Sierra peaks. Maddelena, 24, inherited a 550-acre ranch from her father and decided to maintain her family ranching tradition rather than sell the parcel for millions of dollars.
"It's not about the money. It's about the love for the land. It's about looking out, seeing your progress every day," she explained in the digital recording, as reported by Bowman. "Seeing the calves get big, watching the grass grow tall, knowing those calluses on your hands are the product of hard work and determination. It's about knowing that someday future generations like myself will be able to have something beautiful of their own."
UC Cooperative Extension livestock farm advisor Holly George is working with the Humanities Institute to capture the thoughts and feelings of Sierra Valley residents.
"If we don't have the people who are for the land being able to make a decent living, and we don't acknowledge their stewardship, we lose them," George was quoted in the article.