Interagency Rangeland ESD Pilot Workshop

 
The Interagency Rangeland Ecological Site Description (ESD) Pilot Workshop was held November 16 - 18, 2010 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  The workshop was a huge success with over 85 participants and three full days of excellent presentations and valuable discussions.  The Pilot Workshop convened technical leadership from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, and US Forest Service, and was held at the Agricultural Research Service Jornada Experimental Range.

One primary objective of this workshop was to generate interest and support for a continuing interagency collaborative approach in the employment and utility of ESDs as well as for subsequent field-level training workshops. SRM is pleased to be in a position to support these ground-breaking efforts and is committed to moving forward with end products from the Pilot Workshop and next steps.  SRM is particularly excited to be a major player in the development of subsequent field level training workshops targeted for late Spring/early Fall 2011.  These subsequent workshops are intended to embrace a much broader audience including the entire SRM membership as well as non-members. Instructors for these workshops will not be limited to federal employees, but will encompass the larger knowledge base from university scientists, private consultants and other interested parties. 

Workshop objectives were to:

1. Provide an in-depth background on the fundamentals of ecological sites and descriptions.
2. Increase the understanding of current and emerging policy and science on how to define ESD's and develop ESD projects.
3. Explore collaborative applications of ESDs to decision-making across a variety of state-level (regional) scenarios.
4. Scope preliminary plans for moving forward with agency implementation at the field level.

To meet these objectives, the Pilot Workshop included a variety of presentations on ESDs and the interagency approach to their development and use.  The middle of the workshop included an informative field tour, which was useful in linking the scientific concepts of ESDs to what ecological sites and different states might look like on the ground.  The workshop concluded with breakout sessions and an open mic session to discuss the challenges and opportunities of ESDs, and a synthesis of the workshop.

Click here to view the Pilot Workshop agenda and details.  Click here to visit the Jornada website for access to workshop presentations and materials, including PDF documents of PowerPoint presentations from the Pilot Workshop.  A special thank you to the sponsors of this Pilot Program and to all of those who were instrumental in moving this process forward.

Stay tuned for information on the subsequent training workshops.

SRM Spotlight: Roger Blew, Idaho Section

By Julia Workman, SRM Outreach Intern

Ecologist Roger Blew recently acquired his pilot’s license. He also owns half an airplane, which “seems to be the expensive half,” he laughs. Other pastimes include fly fishing, spending time with his dog, Bud, and—until recently—planning the Idaho Section SRM winter meeting.

Roger says joining SRM was a logical step when he began working with Stoller Corporation in Idaho 15 years ago and began work on sagebrush steppe ecosystems—the Society was “a natural fit for where I was in my career, and what I needed in the professional world,” he says. Of course, work in rangelands meant returning to old interests.

He grew up in Kansas and did his undergraduate and graduate studies in rangelands at Emporia State and Kansas State Universities, but his post doctoral work in forest systems at the University of Washington. His work with Stoller in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, after he finished his post doc, brought him back to the interests he had had when taking range classes in Kansas and later pursuing his Ph.D. in soil ecology at the University of Calgary.

Since joining Stoller Corporation and SRM upon completion of his post doc, Roger has served as the Idaho section newsletter editor for four or five years, and recently took over the duties of Idaho Section President at the section meeting, on November 11.

Roger believes that SRM has undergone some important changes since he joined—namely, the transition of the flagship journal from the Journal of Range Management to Rangeland Ecology and Management, an ecology-based publication more similar to the journal of 15 years ago and the associated emphasis of ecologists in the Society. He also notes that new demands have been placed on ranch managers as new values have been placed on rangelands, and says that SRM has made a positive move to become more applicable to broader society by accommodating those changing values. The range profession itself has changed as well, incorporating new technology and new emphases on grazing plans and assessments, NEPA documentation, and other office-related work. Field work is still a major component of managing rangelands, but different skill sets (such as understanding statistical models and new tools such as GIS and GPS) are gaining more importance. These and other factors have forced managers to look at landscapes as a whole and highlighted the need for interagency cooperation and management for multiple uses.

When it comes down to it, Roger sees and strongly supports a movement to place greater emphasis on plant ecology in the Society. He argues that it is the basis for rangeland management: as he has heard from ranchers, “we’re not raising beef, we’re raising grass.” He also likes that rangeland management is now incorporating such ideas from plant ecology as state and transition models. To Roger, the exchange of ideas—between people and groups—is extremely important, and one of the aspects of SRM he has found most valuable in his career. This goes hand in hand with the opportunity for continuing education through SRM, important because “learning doesn’t stop when we graduate [from] college”—we need to update our knowledge as the science changes. He says he appreciates being able to learn from other SRM members’ experiences, both successes and failures.

On that note, he advises that younger SRM members can get the most out of their membership by getting involved, especially by attending—and participating in—meetings at all levels. The URME, Range Cup, and Plant ID contests, among others, are great ways of making a student’s name known to potential employers. Plus, the meetings provide opportunities to gain exposure to current issues, and gain valuable knowledge from the older generations. He comments that the way SRM includes students in the Society through its undergraduate education, involvement, and mentoring emphases is unique among the societies of which he is a member.

Roger joked at the Idaho section business meeting, that a good deal of his success in planning the meeting was due to “good people.” After reiterating this point in his interview, he added, “First rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people: hire people who are better than you!”

Idaho Section Meeting

By Julia Workman, SRM Outreach Intern


The Idaho SRM Section’s 2010 winter meeting on November 10-12 featured several talented speakers at various symposia focused on “Alternative Management Strategies in Big Sagebrush Steppe: Perspectives, Opportunities, and Supporting Evidence.” The section co-hosting Spokane 2012 showed the 150 visitors to Idaho Falls a great learning experience and plenty of opportunity for Idaho section members to get to know each other and guest Aleta Rudeen, the national organization’s Director for Outreach and Leadership.

The meeting kicked off with the business meeting on Wednesday night. Karen Launchbaugh, a professor at the University of Idaho, talked about the new UI Rangeland Center. This program, the only one like it in the West, currently has a membership of 23 professors, agency workers, and other individuals interested in rangelands. It will focus on applied research and forming longterm relationships, as well as solidifying the importance of rangeland ecology and management through times of shifting values at the university. Meribeth Lomkin also took the spotlight as she received the Traveling Outhouse Award for the second year running (which was handy, since the outhouse had forgotten to travel to the meeting).

The Thursday and Friday seminars kicked off with “Sagebrush steppe ecosystems—musings of a long-term student,” followed by talks ranging in topic from “Understanding resistance to invasion and resilience to disturbance” to “Fire ecology of sagebrush systems: to burn or not to burn for wildlife habitat,” from “Remote sensing applications in the sagebrush steppe of Idaho” to “Inter-relationships of invasive and native plants and hydroclimate in sagebrush steppe: implications for management.” Needless to say, everyone’s understanding of the sagebrush ecosystem improved quite a bit during our time there.

Another highlight of the meeting was the student benefit silent auction, which featured fierce bidding for such items as a license plate clock, a juniper-stand lamp, canned produce, several books, and of course a number of gift baskets. Proceeds from this annual event go to the Brian Miller Scholarship fund and donations to other student groups. Winners were declared during the Friday lunchtime poster session.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with incoming section president Roger Blew, so be sure to keep posted for the next SRM Spotlight!

Overall, thanks to Idaho for a terrific experience. The meeting was a huge success with plenty of good fun, food, and friends to offset a great atmosphere for learning. We're well on track with planning for Spokane 2012... but first, I'll see you all in Billings!

SRM Spotlight: Rex Pieper, New Mexico Section

By Julia Workman, SRM Outreach Intern

New Mexico State Professor Emeritus Rex Pieper has seen several positive changes in the Society for Range Management since joining in 1957. One of the biggest changes, he says, is the increased student involvement he sees at the university, section, and national levels. Students have always had a big role to play, and Rex says that this increase has also been important for recruiting new members and new ideas.

He should know. Rex himself joined SRM while a student at Utah State University, where he was working toward his Master’s degree in Range Management after receiving a B.S. in Wildlife Management at the University of Idaho. He later became a member of the California section while he worked toward his Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley, and finally joined the New Mexico section in 1963 when he accepted a position at New Mexico State University. While at his position with NMS, Rex spent his time teaching and conducting research at the Fort Stanton Experimental Range in the Sacramento Mountains. His research had a few different foci, including livestock grazing and diet work, and ecology work such as that in piñon-juniper woodlands.

Throughout his involvement with the New Mexico SRM section, Rex has worn several different hats, serving as the section President, the Scholarship Committee Chair, a National Advisory Committee member, and finally as the section Historian, the position he currently holds. When he was not involved in SRM activities, he often spent time traveling with his family. In recent years, however, he has taken up a new pastime: “When I retired they gave me a set of golf clubs,” he laughs, “so I’ve got to break those in."

Rex notes that one of the major changes to the range profession over the years has been a demographic shift in range students, an increasing number of whom are from urban backgrounds. He adds that the same goes for their professors. “When I was starting out,” he says, “most of us had rural backgrounds.” Rex himself, raised on an irrigated South Idaho farm, is from the traditional, rural stock. Yet he does not believe the change is all bad: although a range student, professor, or professional who was raised in an urban setting may have weaker ties to the land than one raised in close proximity to it, these urban-rooted range managers can bring fresh, new insight to the field. He also notes that population in the West is booming and major population shifts are occurring, with a movement toward subdividing ranches into smaller parcels and ranchettes. This gives the range management industry a broader prospective, drawing attention to such aspects as carbon sequestration and multiuse management practices. This broad face is a direct result of many people, from different backgrounds and viewpoints, taking an interest in the management of rangelands.

The Society for Range Management will be able to adapt to these changing demographics by integrating these different perspectives into our own understanding of range management. The trick is to adapt while maintaining SRM’s ties to the land and the ideals of its founders. One aspect of this involves sharing experiences in the field, especially at the local and section levels; this sharing and the associated transfer of knowledge, particularly from older to younger members, is an important part of SRM. The fact that the Society involves scientists, technicians, land managers, ranchers, and practitioners in this sharing process makes it unique. The future, then, is bright. However, he emphasizes that it is important for all members to stay involved. “Don’t assume that someone else will take care of it. We all have a role, we all have an interest.”

SRM Spotlight: Chuck Quimby, Colorado Section

By Julia Workman, SRM Outreach Intern

For the busy professional, it can be difficult to maintain a high level of involvement in a society like SRM. Life member Chuck Quimby, Rangeland Program Manager for the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, can relate. This Colorado Section Member enjoys playing the bagpipes (although he declined to elaborate on his skill level), as well as hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreation. He received his B.S. in rangeland management with a wildlife management minor from the University of Arizona, where he also earned his Master’s degree in watershed management. He has been with the Forest Service for 39 years since graduating, not including seasonal work and a brief stint with the NRCS. Chuck says that his job keeps him busy, which means that he has been able to hold “no real offices” in SRM serving on the editorial board for Rangelands magazine. Yet he has maintained an active membership since the late sixties, when he joined as a college student. He says he joined because SRM was the professional organization for rangeland management.

Chuck decided early to become a life member because of the importance of staying involved with such an organization, and has maintained his membership in the Society for the value of his interactions with other members and access to the Society’s journals.

The Society, Chuck says, is still meeting the needs of the workforce at least as well as when he joined. He cites Rangelands and Rangeland Ecology and Management as examples of these services which also enable the Society to reach a broader and richer audience. He adds that the sections are doing a good job of staying strong and keeping people informed.

Chuck adds that SRM has done a good job of keeping its focus fairly constant, with its emphases on science and on-the-ground application, since he joined—despite some important changes. The “biggest and best” change he has seen has been the outreach to other groups with an interest in rangelands, especially professional groups and the livestock industry. He explains that livestock grazing has recently come under attack in Western culture, and hopes that SRM will be to maintain the importance of livestock grazing on the rangelands of the West. Chuck also hopes that SRM will stay relevant—the “go-to leader” for rangeland management—as it begins to deal with new aspects of rangeland management in a changing culture. “Open spaces” and zoning have not had bearing on rangeland management in the past, he points out, but will play critical roles in the future as urban areas continue to encroach on the rangeland interface. He also notes the demographic change seen all over the workforce today: an aging workforce in both the Society and agencies: “I’ve been around for 39 years, but I’m not going to stay forever,” he says.

Chuck believes SRM should work more closely with universities and agencies to produce graduates qualified to work in a variety of fields. It’s not enough anymore, he says, to graduate with a range degree: a professional needs to be able to interact with fish, wildlife, and water, as well. The presence of older, retired members in the Society is also an important resource for younger members so long as they make use of the opportunity to gain the knowledge born of years of experience.

All that said, Chuck still most highly values how the SRM enables him to interact with “a lot of different professionals in a lot of different fields” and appreciates the training, education, and knowledge exchange it has to offer, as well as being able to keep abreast of the latest science through access to SRM’s journals. He hopes SRM will be able to stay alive, active, and relevant in the coming years, and more engaged in a changing Western America and a changing world. Many groups, he says, don’t like or don’t understand what range managers and SRM do, but he hopes our importance will be made apparent to those people who care about rangelands and even to those who don’t know what rangelands really are.

Chuck has two pieces of advice for younger members. The first concerns SRM involvement: Join, he says, and go to as many functions as you can; when you’re there, interact with other members. Take initiative, because your own interest will carry you the farthest. His second is broader: There is no dumb advice. He clarifies, “You can learn from anybody, anywhere; you just have to be able to put [their advice] in perspective and make it fit your situation.”