Join us to learn about California's rangelands and the people who care for them.
An immigrant family in California’s Central Valley faces the loss of their land and way of life. One of the few remaining ranchers in the Bay Area watches urban sprawl creep in from every direction. Cowboys work in the shadow of the historic Hearst Castle. One of the largest Black landowners in the state discovers Native American artifacts on his ranch. You Just Can’t See Them From the Road is a documentary portrait of modern West Coast ranchers—invisible to and misunderstood by the rapidly modernizing society they sustain.
The United Nations declared 2026 to be the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists; a year to globally shine a light on the ranchers who raise livestock and the land they steward. To share a glimpse into what ranchers face daily, the California Rangeland Trust created the award-winning documentary “You Just Can’t See Them from the Road”. Featuring ranching families from across California, the film shares their stories and offers a closer look at the people, work and stewardship behind California’s rangelands.
Roughly half of California is rangeland, and there are many out there caring for the land that you will never see as you drive down I-5 or out 120 toward Yosemite. Still, they are there managing the land for the benefit of wildlife and livestock, providing a beautiful viewshed of blooming wildflowers in spring, and tending the same land their great-great grandparents also cared for.
Featuring an art exhibit in the lobby celebrating the International Year of Rengelands and Pastoralists. There will be a Q&A with local ranchers immediately following the film
Sponsored by the San Joaquin-Stanislaus Cattlemen, the University of California Cooperative Extension, California Rangeland Trust, Wester Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and celebrating the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
Doors at 5:00; film at 6:00pm