Angels Camp, CA…On Saturday, 4/25/26, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office was honored to attend the Calaveras Cattlemen’s Association Dinner, where Sheriff Rachelle Whiting spent the evening with local ranchers sharing stories, listening to concerns, and talking through the real issues impacting rural life in our county. Events like this provide an important chance to sit down face-to-face, have honest conversations, and stay connected to the people who make up the backbone of Calaveras County.

Conversations throughout the evening touched on issues such as trespassing, livestock theft, and ongoing concerns about predator activity. These are real challenges, and the Sheriff’s Office remains committed to working alongside the ranching community to address them.

The meeting before the dinner included several speakers and a discussion regarding the significant economic losses and emotional stress that ranchers and livestock owners in several northern California counties have been experiencing due to an increasing population of gray wolves.

As Sheriff Whiting stated at the meeting, although Calaveras County has yet to be impacted, we are pre-planning and working alongside our Cattlemen’s Association, Farm Bureau, Ag Commissioner, and other local officials to ensure we are equipped with educational topics on what to do and not do, lessons learned, monitoring legislation, engaging our representatives, and being prepared when the inevitable happens.

As a next step, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging community members to attend the upcoming University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources Livestock-Predator Workshop. The workshop will be held at 891 Mountain Ranch Road in San Andreas on Wednesday, June 10th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please see the attached flyer for additional details. The workshop will focus on practical information and tools to help ranchers better protect their livestock and navigate predator-related issues.

The Sheriff’s Office also works closely with the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force (CRCPTF), a statewide partnership focused on rural and livestock-related crime prevention. More information can be found at www.crcptf.org.

Locally, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office maintains a Rural Crimes Task Force, with detectives who assist with investigations involving livestock and ranch-related crimes when they arise. Ranchers are encouraged to report suspicious activity and reach out if issues occur.

The Sheriff’s Office appreciates the continued partnership with the ranching community and looks forward to keeping these conversations going.