So I spent the summer avoiding the East Bay cattle and wandering most of the properties of the Midpeninsula Open Space District, which announced the other day that it’s planning to allow cattle grazing in a few grassy areas:

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District announced Thursday it will accept proposals for grazing tenants at the former Big Dipper and Silva ranches, spanning 995 acres of preserve lands, about a quarter of which is hillside grassland where cattle grazing began in the 1920s.

The district’s new cattle grazing plan, however, is designed with ecological sustainability, as well as continued public access and a boost to the local agricultural economy, in mind.

“With proper management, grazing has proven to be one of the few effective tools available to public agencies for managing expansive tracts of grassland,” district resource planner Kirk Lenington said.

According to Lenington, cattle usually prefer dining on non-native grasses, a boon for native vegetation while also cutting down on potential fuel for wildland fires.

Far be it from me to question the superior knowledge of those who administer the open space preserves … my only concern is not having to step over piles of fresh, steaming poop.