WERA1008: Rangelands West

(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

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SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[09/07/2017] [07/26/2018] [07/03/2019] [06/01/2020] [08/15/2021]

Date of Annual Report: 09/07/2017

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 05/07/2017 - 05/10/2017
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2016 - 09/30/2017

Participants

Participants Attachment:

FY1617WERA1008AnnualReport_July10.docx

Brief Summary of Minutes

A reception was held on Sunday, May 7, at Caine House, a venue at Utah State University, organized by Beth Burritt, meeting organizer.

Monday, May 8

The morning agenda included a review of Rangelands West Partnership (RWP) activities in the past year. Each state representative gave an update regarding his/her contributions to advancing rangeland information within their region. In particular, RWP members updated the group on numerous topics, including:

the advancement of the International Year of Rangelands designation through the United Nations

changes in coverage and accessibility to the journals Rangeland Ecology and Management and Rangelands through the web portal

extensive outreach activities, ranging from grazing after fire to irrigated pasture improvements to issues with wolves to sagebrush/sage-grouse education

new institutional hires in rangeland-related fields

emerging invasive species challenges

changes in institutional spending on extension and/or rangeland departments (both positive and negative)

review of public lands-related litigation in the Great Basin

Partners from Oklahoma, Oregon, and California introduced numerous examples of online education in rangeland topics. Particularly, Oregon discussed its completely online rangelands degree program including methods of instruction, technology, and classroom management. This coincided with further updates on the output from the Range Science Education Council and its now complete Higher Education Challenge Grant (NIFA Grant: 2010-01828). In particular, attendees sought vignettes/videos/testimonials from range specialists regarding their careers for use in these websites.

The afternoon session covered a series of topics relevant to the work of the RWP, including data management, video production, and communication/marketing. The research data management session featured presentations from colleagues at Montana State University and the University of Arizona and engaged the partnership in discussion of the role of research data curation and accessibility via the RWP’s portal. The University of Wyoming partners actively engaged attendees in producing short videos using technologies identified as part of their “Discovering Our Nation’s Rangelands” project (NIFA Grant: 2014-46401-2259) which focuses on video stories that capture local knowledge from landowners and rangeland resource professionals. The session on communications centered on the outreach efforts around Beyond the Mirage, a documentary on water produced by RWP member Cody Sheehy. He detailed the formal and informal elements of conducting a large publicity campaign around a natural resources issue. This session deliberately focused on illustrating the challenges of promoting the International Year of Rangeland idea.

The annual business meeting took place just before the close of the first day. Chair Nicole Juve updated the RWP on the new WERA project and requested individuals sign up on NIMSS if they have not yet done so. She reported RWP Executive Committee changes and future meeting dates. The meeting included requests for a plan for spending the reserve funds and an invitation to join the ILRI Global Rangelands Initiative and the International Land Coalition.

TUESDAY, May 9

The morning session consisted primarily of an update on several major activities – the RREA Strategic Plan Project and the Sustatinable Rangelands Roundtable (SSR), followed by a report of the RWP’s various action groups.

Three action groups were formed and reported outcomes of their discussions:

Marketing and Social Media: Devised an improved marketing strategy with regular shifting responsibilities. Planned to compile a list of contacts and determine local “influencers” on social media. Will develop a checklist of how and what to post. Members divided responsibilities for posting by month, and for each month, a member will post 1-2 items to the RP Facebook page per week, post something that links back to a state page, Rangelands West, and/or Global Rangelands related page (e.g. YouTube channel), and schedule all posts in one sitting via HootSuite for best use of time. Amber (chair), Tracy, Tip, Sarah, Livia, Retta

Content Development/Collection Management: Will draft a collection/content policy based on a discussion with the EC regarding audience and mission. Review of content was also reported as needed. Nicole (chair), Jeanne, April, Amy, Beth.

Sustainability: Need to develop a succession plan for key leadership positions. Also need to develop better mechanisms, e.g. templates, for assisting grant-seekers to incorporate the RWP in their grants. Need to expand membership to other relevant stakeholders, e.g. agency officials. Members include: Mark, John, Dave, Jeremy, Barb (chair), Rachel, Derek, Brad.

We concluded the day by working through content development problems for the websites and databases we support. These included creating images and features for state websites, reviewing the “topics” pages, essentially a handbook of rangeland ecology topics, and refreshing the attendees’ memories on how to add records to the database.

The meeting concluded with several decisions. First, the following annual meeting will try to open the format up a little to invite presentations/activities from attendees. Second, the Executive Committee will review the mission and vision of the RWP this year, with a by-laws review to happen in the future. Third, the members present voted in favor of participating in the Global Rangelands Initiative, but not with the International Lands Coalition. Mark Thorne and Barb Hutchinson will work with their representatives to begin our participation.

Accomplishments

Successful annual meeting of the Rangelands West Partnership (May 2017, Logan, UT). Attendees (24 on-site; 4 virtual).  Positive financial return for the RWP. Progress on several grants received by different RWP partners for rangelands information projects. Most notably, the Discovering Our Nation's Rangelands grant from USDA NIFA Renewable Resources Extension Act National Focus Funds. Videos that highlight different perspectives on controversial issues, videos of interviews with ranchers and public land managers, podcasts with ranchers, and training materials for others to use were completed. Progress on the International Year of Rangelands initiative.  The Rangelands Partnership is working with multiple organizations to get a United Nations designation highlighting rangelands. Distributed survey results conducted to learn more about what our stakeholders are interested in results to partners, with a focus on three areas prioritized by the RP Executive Committee and Arizona technical team: Sustainability/Long-Term Funding, Services and Collections, and Marketing and Outreach. Focused the annual meetings action groups on these three items. Subcommittees were formed to address each issue. Continued distributing Rangelands Partnership information and updates via social media and the RWP Newsletter.

Publications

Impact Statements

Significant steps taken toward the achievement of the primary vision of Rangelands West/Global Rangelands as the premier website for dissemination of scientific information on rangeland ecology and management.

Date of Annual Report: 07/26/2018

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 05/17/2018 - 05/20/2018
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2017 - 09/30/2018

Participants

Jodee Kuden-AK; Amber Dalke-AZ; Barb Hutchinson-AZ; Sheila Merrigan-AZ; Sarah Noelle-AZ; Jeanne Pfander-AZ; Susan Marshall-CA; Leslie Roche-CA; Retta Bruegger-CO; Mark Thorne-HI; April Hulet-ID; Jeremy Kenyon-ID; Jason Karl-ID; Karen Launchbaugh-ID; Eric Winford-ID; Livia Olsen-KS; Walt Fick-KS; Nicole Juve-ND; Cynthia Watkins- NM; Amy Shannon-NV; Yvette Gibson-OR; Carolyn Jackson-TX; Beth Burritt-UT; Tip Hudson-WA; David Kruger-WY; Kristie Maczko-WY; John Tanaka-WY

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of the Annual Meeting (May 17-20, 2018, Moscow, ID):

A reception was held on Thursday May 17^th at the Best Western Plus University Inn, Palouse Room. This was a mixer among Rangelands Partnership Members and librarians who were attending the concurrent AgNIC conference, organized by Jeremy Kenyon, meeting organizer.

Friday, May 18th

The morning agenda included a review of Rangelands West Partnership (RWP) activities in the past year. Each state representative gave an update regarding their contributions to advancing rangeland information within their region. In particular, RWP members updated the group on numerous topics, including:

extensive outreach activities, ranging from outreach addressing potential impacts from volcanic activity to livestock producers, new grass identification apps, livestock predation management, managing for drought, and more.

new institutional hires and department changes in rangeland-related fields

emerging invasive species challenges

changes in institutional spending on extension and/or rangeland departments (both positive and negative)

review of public lands-related litigation in the Great Basin

Partners from Colorado and Washington are using new outreach tools to reach stakeholders. For example, Washington State University representative Tip Hudson received a grant to produce podcasts on “the Art of Range.” Colorado is using social media (Facebook and Instagram) and new web-based technologies (Adobe Spark) to make content more accessible and visually appealing. Partners from Wyoming highlighted the work of the Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable, including their work putting together the Sustainable Range Management Assessment Guidebook, and connecting management actions to ecosystem services. Wyoming also highlighted the work of videos made via the Rangelands Partnership. McDonald’s has a “Flagship Farmers” nomination program to highlight managers conserving native plant communities and utilizing rotational grazing. Because of existing UWYO video from work with Rangelands Partnership, they were able to quickly nominate someone and provide the video for the nomination.

The morning session also introduced and updated the group on numerous examples of online education in rangeland topics, and recruitment of new students. In particular, work done through Range at a Distance [Yvette Gibson, OR], and development of rangeland careers & education [Susan Marshall, CA]. California showed a new video on careers in rangeland science and management.

The afternoon session covered a series of topics relevant to the work of the RWP. These included a hands-on workshop on using ESRI StoryMaps for communicating science, with Jeremy Kenyon and Bruce Godfrey, ID. Meeting participants viewed examples of the tool and made their own StoryMap.

In addition, the afternoon featured a lecture by RWP member David Kruger on his recent book, J. C. Penney: The Man, the Store, and American Agriculture, and a lecture by Leslie Roche titled “Sustainable Working Rangelands – Management Research Partnerships to Create Usable Science.” She highlighted several studies underway in California addressing issues such as rancher decision making in drought, divergence among management and research on grazing systems, and challenges faced by first generation ranchers.

The afternoon also featured updated on the new RREA strategic plan, and discussion on the advancement of the International Year of Rangelands designation through the United Nations. On the new RREA strategic plan for 2018-2022, plan creators (Arizona Team and regional representatives) are considering ways to feature example programs under each topic area, and they want ideas on how to evaluate programs over the long term. The group suggested that photos might be a reporting requirement. The project team would also like to raise the visibility of RREA and are considering a webinar series on what works and what doesn’t to achieve this goal. In terms of the International Year of Rangelands, Barb Hutchinson presented updates that the year designation will have to go through FAO and likely is scheduled for 2026. Once the designation is settled, Partners discussed options to put energy into planning out a multi-tiered outreach strategy including youth activities and curriculum. Partners cited the “Year of Soil” as great example of outreach and youth outreach, in particular. Mark Thorne updated us on his work with International Land Coalition/Rangelands Initiative Global. Communication is progressing.

The Partnership hosted a dinner at the 1912 Center in downtown Moscow, ID in the evening. Guest speakers were Brenda Erhardt, conservation planner, Latah Soil and Water Conservation District: “Palouse Prairie” & David Benscoter, retired FBI agent and fruit explorer: “Lost and Found: Heirloom Apple Varieties in the Inland Empire”.

Saturday, May 19

The morning session consisted of a continuation of the International Year of Rangelands, which was not entirely completed on May 18. In addition, the Rangelands Partnership Business Meeting was held. Topics discussed included: the report from the Chair - [Jeremy Kenyon, ID], the administrative update on WERA - [John Tanaka, WY] and request for a new WERA administrator given John’s upcoming retirement, and the secretary-treasurer Report - [Retta Bruegger, CO]. We also elected a new secretary-treasurer (Livia Olsen), and transitioned to the new Executive team. We discussed states needing stronger representation in the Partnership, and strategies to engage people from these states. Karen Launchbaugh gave an update on the Range Science Education Council (RSEC). Amber Dalke recruited new authors for the newsletter for the upcoming year.

In addition, Jason Karl (ID) gave a presentation on a grant application from Idaho, Arizona and others to the NRCS CIG program that would develop a grazinglands ontology that would have broader applications for the Partnership’s database usability. He also provided an update on JournalMap, an application that provides access to articles that are geospatially referenced. There are currently 30,000 articles in JournalMap, with a focus on range, arid lands, drylands agriculture. They do not host content; just use “cross-ref” services through agreements with several publishers. RSIS might be next (as a batch); also could be good for sage grouse and Wrangle. He just published an article on JournalMap in Journal of Information Science.

This was followed by small group discussions among 3 action groups with the following outcomes:

Marketing and Social Media: Continued and improved marketing strategy first developed in 2017. Members divided responsibilities for posting around themes such as “Field Follies”. For each theme, members with post a photo, text, and a link back to a state page, Rangelands West, and/or Global Rangelands-related page (e.g. YouTube channel). The group also discussed types of swag the RP should invest in to promote the site. Amber (chair). Members: Kristi Mackzo (Wyoming), Livia Olsen (Kansas State), Retta Bruegger (Colorado), Sarah Noelle (Arizona), Amy Shannon (Nevada), Sheila Merrigan (Arizona), Leslie Roche (California, Davis)

Content Development/Collection Management: Goals: Complete a draft collection development policy by next meeting. Important points: search for own state content & data (location tags very important), including specific resources such as extension publications, conference proceedings that have aspects of range, rangelands, range management; also content must be authoritative, scholarly, and/or referred. Members: Nicole Juve (ND), Jeanne Pfander (AZ), Walt Fick (KS), Beth Burritt (UT), Cynthia Watkins (NM), David Kruger (WY), Jason Karl (ID), and Jodee Kuden (AK).

Sustainability: Identified a further need to develop a succession plan for key leadership positions including a coordinator and WERA administrator. Also discussed need to develop better mechanisms, e.g. templates, for assisting grant-seekers to incorporate the RWP in their grants. Discussed a draft template provided by Barb including various boilerplate text that could be used for proposals seeking to include the RWP, perhaps as a sub-contract. Also discussed the need to expand membership to other relevant stakeholders, e.g. agency officials. Ultimate goal is to find a way to help RWP to continue. Members: Mark, John, Jeremy, Tip, Susan, and Barb (chair).

The morning concluded with reports from each action group.

During lunch, Sheila Merrigan led a website & database training. The AZ Technical Team was available to assist in adding records to database or updating state rangelands websites.

Following lunch, the AZ Technical Team led a work session where we reviewed work from the past year, delved into topic pages and made edits, and reviewed Google Analytics for specific topic pages. Members spent time editing and revising particular pages of interest.

Continuing a motion to review the mission and vision from the 2017 meeting, the EC led a discussion from the results of the mission and vision survey conducted by the EC over the last year. Members gave input on results of the survey, and discussed key issues faced by the Partnership. The EC will review these comments and come up with a revised mission and vision statement before the meeting in 2019.

We concluded the day reviewing the Action Groups and their plans for the upcoming year, and each individual at the meeting reporting out on one activity they planned to work on with regards to the Partnership in the coming year, ranging from serving on the EC, to revising a state site, to serving in an action group, to writing articles for the newsletter.

The meeting concluded with evidence of responses to goals set in 2017. For example, in 2017 we decided to include presentation/activities from attendees, which the agenda this year showcased. The Mission and Vision is still in review, but progress has been made. Moving in to 2018/2019, we have several new avenues of progress to pursue. For example, we will pursue new funding for the Partnership, find a new WERA administrator, continue work on the Mission and Vision, and amplifying our efforts on social media.

Accomplishments

Arizona Technical Team/State Report for 2017 Throughout 2017, the UACE Rangelands Partnership Team has continued to provide the technical foundation for the Partnership’s communications outlets and to participate in and help coordinate meetings, workshops, as well as special projects funded through competitive grants.  All activities have focused on providing information and educational resources to a variety of stakeholders including public and private land managers, teachers, students, policy makers, and the general public.  Specifically, the Partnership’s three-tiered websites (GlobalRangelands.org, RangelandsWest.org, and state rangelands sites) provide open access to research and education resources, practical tools, and multimedia programming on all aspects of sustainable rangeland management.  The GlobalRangelands database includes collections of resources emanating from rangelands-related organizations around the world, and RangelandsWest offers customized sections on trending topics specific to the Western U.S., see <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/rangelandswest/highlighted-topics">https://globalrangelands.org/rangelandswest/highlighted-topics</a>, for example. State rangelands websites maintained by each of the Partnership members are also linked to the overall system with easy entry through a clickable map, see <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/state/arizona">https://globalrangelands.org/state/arizona</a>.  Ten state sites are hosted by the Arizona RP Tech Team.   During 2017, website updates and refinements were made, including eliminating duplicate records in the underlying database (i.e. collections from a variety of collaborators), as well as adding records for new resources.  This includes new editions of Society for Range Management (SRM) journals Rangelands and Rangeland Ecology and Management (REM), abstracts for papers and posters presented at SRM conferences, as well as new materials, particularly multimedia, added to the general Global Rangelands and Rangelands West collections.  Total numbers of resources in the database are currently 23,192 (an addition of 437 records from 2016). Topics pages were updated and new topics added including “Large Landscape Conservation” - https://globalrangelands.org/topics/large-landscape-conservation ; “Brush Management” - https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-0 ; and “Sage Grouse” - https://globalrangelands.org/topics/uses-range-and-pasture-lands/sage-grouse.  The “brush management” topic page is based on a Western SARE Professional Development Program-funded series of workshops organized by the AZ Tech Team in collaboration with the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance (AVCA), and includes a series of new videos as well as fact sheets and other resources.  In addition, the AZ Tech Team, on behalf of the Partnership, was awarded a grant from USDANIFA-RREA to update the five-year RREA Strategic Plan.  One outcome of this project is a website providing access to project survey data as well as previous and current RREA resources - <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/">https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/</a>. During this reporting period, the RWP also continued to expand its social media presence, and to tie outlets to each other as well as the websites.  Social media outlets include: Rangelands Partnership Facebook with 949 page likes as of 12/2017 (up from 816 at the end of 2016); the Global Rangelands YouTube channel featuring 237 videos in 22 playlists (up from 200 videos and 19 playlists) with more than 346,800 views in 2017; and the Rangelands Partnership Twitter page which has 636 followers (up from 299).  The RP Pinterest page is still a lesser priority but growing with 6 boards and 411 pins (up from 5 boards and 37 pins), while a small Instagram account currently numbers 141 (up from 35).  The Global Rangelands website usage has increased steadily from 35,965 users in 2015 to 41,480 in 2016 to 58,292 users in 2017; page views increased from 91,407 to 211,492 to 282,995 at the end of 2017 with 71,752 sessions documented (up from 51,364 sessions).  Just over thirty-six% of users are from the U.S. (all 50 states and the District of Columbia), with the other 63.6% users from 204 different countries (up from 187 countries).   The focus for 2018 is to complete the RREA Strategic Plan project as well as the WSARE PDP series of Brush Management workshops and accompanying websites, videos, and user tools.  In addition, new annual updates of the SRM journals will be added to the database given the shortened embargo periods, and customized topics pages will be further developed.  Two RP-related proposals for special projects have been submitted with review results expected by mid-year.   Grants Update: <ul> <li>Completed NIFA-RREA “eXtension-Rangelands West Optimization” project (2016)</li> <li>Completed NIFA-RREA “Discovering Our Nations Rangelands” project (2017)</li> <li>Funded: Updating the RREA Strategic Plan 2018-21 project (2016-18)</li> <li>Funded: Global Rangelands-Rangelands West portion of five year RREA project for Arizona (2016-2021)</li> <li>Funded: WSARE Professional Development Project on Brush Management (UA-Altar Valley Conservation Alliance-RP; 2017-2019)</li> <li>Funded: The Art of Range (Podcast Series): Western Center for Risk Management Education (2018-2019)</li> <li>Submitted: A national grazingland information system: expanding GlobalRangelands.org through a grazingland thesaurus and mobile content access: NRCS CIG (2018-2021)</li> </ul> Member Site Update: <a href="http://uwyoextension.org/rwpmembers/">http://uwyoextension.org/rwpmembers/</a> The Arizona RP team gives special thanks to Ann Tanaka for all of her work on keeping the Member site updated. This includes uploading various annual meeting documents and photos and keeping the home page refreshed.  Also updated are the Guide to Annual Meeting Planning as well as the General Partnership Guidelines document. The comprehensive PowerPoint slideshow about the Partnership is available on the Member Site - <a href="http://uwyoextension.org/rwpmembers/tools/marketing-materials/%20">http://uwyoextension.org/rwpmembers/tools/marketing-materials/</a> as is the “Introduction to the Rangelands Partnership” videos from the 2017 Executive Committee - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9bs98fSwEjQp_h5JZVF3wUutBZUe3O1q">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9bs98fSwEjQp_h5JZVF3wUutBZUe3O1q</a>. International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) Initiative See also webpage on Global Rangelands: <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/international-yearrangelands-and-pastoralists-initiative">https://globalrangelands.org/international-yearrangelands-and-pastoralists-initiative</a> Beginning in early 2016, many organizations began working together to gain support for a United Nations designated International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). This led to the formalization of an IYRP Steering Committee that has spearheaded this effort by actively engaging with colleagues and interested parties around the world. The Steering Committee has coordinated numerous meetings and events, and has worked with members to gain the support of their respective governments for the IYRP. One important event brought particular attention to this effort. The United Nations Environment Assembly conference held in Nairobi in May of 2016 (UNEA-2) included a Side Event on “Sustainable Pastoralism and the Responsible Consumption of Livestock”. The outcome of UNEA-2 was a successful resolution “Combating desertification, land degradation, and drought and promoting sustainable pastoralism and rangelands”. While this resolution did not include a provision for an International Year, it did include language calling upon organizations around the world to “contribute to raising the awareness of sustainable pastoralism and rangelands.” It also called for a worldwide gap analysis related to rangelands issues; this analysis is expected to be completed in 2018. Current efforts are focused on a Resolution for an IYRP drawn up by Kenyans in 2017, and proposed in early 2018 by their Ministry of Agriculture to their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although there have been delays in Kenya, Mexico and South Africa have also expressed support for submitting the proposed Resolution to the Director General of FAO for consideration. Rangeland Partnership Monthly Newsletter Amber Dalke has continued yet another year of wonderful monthly newsletters for the Partnership.  Here are the statistics from our readership: <table style="height: 86px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320"> <tbody> <tr> <td>List Stats</td> <td>List Stats</td> <td>2017-2018</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Average Open Rate</td> <td>34.1%</td> <td>34.1%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Average Click Rate</td> <td>5.1%</td> <td>4.6%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Subscribers</td> <td>118</td> <td>119</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   How readers are choosing to view the newsletter: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Ways to View Newsletter </td> <td> Percent </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Desktop </td> <td> 61.4% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Outlook 2016 </td> <td> 14.9% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Apple Mail </td> <td> 12.9% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Gmail </td> <td> 12.9% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Outlook 2013 </td> <td> 10.9% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Outlook 2010 </td> <td> 5.0% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Mobile </td> <td> 38.6% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> iPhone </td> <td> 29.7% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Chrome Mobile </td> <td> 5.0% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Android Webview </td> <td> 4.0% </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   SRM Journal Archive at the University of Arizona Additional years/volumes for the SRM journals -REM 2012 and Rangelands 2015 - have been uploaded to the University of Arizona Libraries repository’s (UAiR) SRM journals collection. These will be imported into the Global Rangelands database in the next month. Usage stats for 2017 on UAiR for REM show a modest 7.07% increase in pageviews over 2016 stats from 48,316 to 51,733. The United States remains as the source of the highest percentage (45.44%) of users is from the United States, followed by India, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Rangelands usage stats on UAiR show 21,985 pageviews in 2017, a decrease of 10.05% from 2016’s 24,441 pageviews. Geographic locations of users for Rangelands is somewhat different from REM, with the U.S., Canada, Nigeria, the U.K. and India being the top five. Note: We are looking at how, if possible, we could get similarly detailed usage stats from the Global Rangelands site for the SRM journal records. Colorado Rangelands State Report <ul> <li>Created a new, updated CO Rangelands website that is combined with the Colorado State University Range Extension website</li> <li>Use is way up on the current site. Old site had 363 users in 2016. New site had 1.8 K in the past year with 4,028 page views.</li> <li>Need to use Analytics more effectively but most popular pages are 1) Cows and mountain bikes, 2) Stocking rate and carrying capacity, 3) Calendar, 4) Drought workshop materials, 5) Animals and toxic plants, 6) Welcome to rangelands with Retta Bruegger, 7) Range Monitoring – what is it and how to do it.</li> <li>New content this year was an interactive fact sheet and video on what to do if you see cow in the backcountry as a mountain biker, in response to increasing recreation in Colorado’s backcountry and on grazing allotments.</li> <li>Developed a “Grass, Grazing, and Goals” workshop which we delivered in Steamboat Springs, CO, in 2017.</li> <li>Also developed drought workshops in winter 2018 with the USDA Climate Hub, with 185 attendees. Workshop materials are on the website.</li> <li>Work with collegues in CO on a social media strategy on Instagram and Facebook.</li> </ul> 10/2017 - 09/2018 Accomplishments <ul> <li>Successful annual meeting of the Rangelands West Partnership (May 2018, Moscow, ID). Attendees (25 on-site; 2 virtual).  Positive financial return for the RP.</li> <li>Further enhanced a guideline document for including the RP and Arizona’s technology team in regional grant proposals.</li> <li>Progress on several grants received by different RWP partners for rangelands information projects (noted above in Arizona state report).</li> <li>Progress on the International Year of Rangelands initiative.</li> <li>Launching “The Art of Range” podcast in October 2018 in a cooperative effort led by Washington State University and involving RP as well as SRM; funded by $50,000 grant through Western Center for Risk Management Education.</li> <li>Distributed survey results to partners, with a focus on three areas prioritized by the RP Executive Committee and Arizona technical team: <ul> <li>Sustainability/Long-Term Funding</li> <li>Services and Collections</li> <li>Marketing and Outreach</li> </ul> </li> <li>Focused the annual meetings action groups on these three items</li> <li>Committed resources to the preservation of several rangeland-oriented educational films from the 1980s, through the Society for Range Management</li> <li>Continued distributing RWP information and updates via social media and the RWP Newsletter</li> </ul> Challenges of the Past : <ul> <li>Continuing to build and expand unique state rangelands websites with locally-specific content – and adding metadata records for that content to the Global Rangelands database with limited time and resources.</li> <li>Streamlining and engaging task forces to ensure ongoing productivity.</li> <li>Continuing to assess options for long-term sustainability and funding opportunities.</li> </ul> In Process / Next Step Activities: <ul> <li>Continue to develop collaborative grant proposals that specifically identify connection to the RWP.</li> <li>Refine elements of new website redesign as per user feedback.</li> <li>Continue to pursue harvesting rangelands records from institutional repositories; and create a tool kit for members to use for setting up harvesting protocols.</li> <li>Review the mission and vision of the RWP.</li> <li>Create a list of “influencers” in local regions that can help distribute information.</li> <li>Develop templates to assist RWP members in including the RWP in grant proposals.</li> <li>Develop a succession plan for key positions.</li> </ul> Develop a Marketing Plan that includes guidelines/checklist for members to contribute to social media outlets; rotate Social Media Director monthly. This person will be responsible for pushing out existing content on a monthly basis; developing a video for marketing Global Rangelands and Rangelands West websites (review those overall presentations already developed and possible new applications that offer instant video options); conducting public awareness events by members in their institutions; and other efforts (International Year of Rangelands, consistent hashtag).

Publications

Impact Statements

• Significant steps taken toward the achievement of the primary vision of Rangelands West/Global Rangelands as the premier website for dissemination of scientific information on rangeland ecology and management.

Date of Annual Report: 07/03/2019

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 05/19/2019 - 05/22/2019
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/1970 - 01/01/1970

Participants

Participants in the 2019 annual meeting were: Jodee Kuden-AK; Amber Dalke-AZ; Barb Hutchinson-AZ; Sheila Merrigan-AZ; Sarah Noelle-AZ; Jeanne Pfander-AZ; Jocelyn Boice-CO (virtual); Mark Thorne-HI; Sean DiStefano-ID; April Hulet-ID (virtual); Jason Karl-ID; Jeremy Kenyon-ID; Barbara Dawn Petty-ID/WERA; Eric Winford-ID; Walt Fick-KS; Livia Olsen-KS; Mitch Stephenson-NE (virtual); Nicole Juve-ND; Miranda Meehan-ND; Kevin Sedivec-ND; Laura Goodman-OK (virtual); Krista Ehlert-SD; Sandy Smart-SD; Nancy Marshall-SD; Beth Burritt-UT; Tip Hudson-WA; David Kruger-WY; Kristie Maczko-WY.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of the Annual Meeting (May 19-23, 2019, Fargo, ND):

A reception was held on Sunday, May 19, at the Candlewood Suites Hotel, a hotel on the North Dakota State University campus, organized by Nicole Juve, meeting organizer.

Monday, May 20

One of the first items on the agenda was a special welcome to Barbara Petty, Director of Extension at the University of Idaho, and the new WERA 1008 Project Director (replacing John Tanaka).

Lightning round reports of rangelands outreach projects, faculty and staff changes and top 3 items to share with the Partnership provided a new format for state reports. The following are highlights:

Arizona spotlighted RP booth activities at the SRM annual conference as well as extensive work on the RP websites redesign, social media activities, completion of the RREA Strategic Plan & WSARE brush management projects, and involvement in new collaborative projects with other RP members (see more about these projects below).

California’s multiple rangelands-related websites were featured as was a new video about careers in rangeland management from Humboldt State - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3OsJK8tJAY.

In Hawaii, a variety of materials for producers were created to help in addressing problems resulting from volcanic eruptions as well as the spittle bug outbreak that started in 2016.

Idaho showcased 4H skillathon curriculum, a Google Earth pro course, and ‘Sagebrush Saturdays’ (https://idrange.org/range-stories/central-idaho/collaboration-thrives-at-rock-creek-ranch/).

Outreach activities in Kansas focused on prescribed burning workshops, a youth range camp, and adult range management schools.

Nebraska has a new Extension website on range pastures and forages that will become the featured Nebraska Rangelands Other new resources include the Beefwatch blog and podcast: https://beef.unl.edu/beefwatch.

North Dakota shared examples of new peer-reviewed Extension publications on a variety of topics available on their Livestock Management website which is currently being redesigned: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/livestock/range-grazing, as well as the NDSU grazing calculator. They have received funding to produce a series of two-minute how-to videos.

Oklahoma outlined plans for creating plant web pages including 3D images. Field days are being held on invasive plants as well as prescribed fire demonstrations in four different environments. An OK State PBS show about agriculture was featured: http://sunup.okstate.edu/.

Oregon is involved in a Native American rangeland training partnership that includes four programs, online course, field workshops, and tribal collaborations; OSU online major has grown to 50+ majors.

South Dakota is beginning to experiment with drones and is working with Extension web developers on revising the new site and addressing pdf accessibility. Farm stress workshops are being held for farmers, ranchers, and those who work with them.

Utah State University rangelands programs have focused on aspen regeneration, control of Medusahead, the wild horse and burro issue, and sage grouse issues.

Washington State featured numerous multimedia projects: The Art of Range; Ranching for Climate Uncertainty including interviews and short films highlighting ecological & social resilience.

Wyoming is part of a multi-state wild horse group and is also working on the application of new technology to sheep and cattle management questions (i.e., GPS tracking cattle, DNA metabarcoding for diet quantification, and NIRS for diet quality related questions).

Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable update included the publication of the Sustainable Ranch Management Assessment Guidebook, https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/SARE-Project-Products/Western-SARE-Project-Products/Sustainable-Ranch-Management-Assessment-Guidebook, and projects such as outcome-based grazing pilots with BLM, a series of soil health tours, and ecosystems services evaluation that are now online, and a sage grouse project.

Action Group updates focused on (1) Marketing and Social Media: Facebook now has more than 1000 followers (up 10% from last year); plans for a new campaign “Where I Range” for next year. (2) Collections and Content Management: Drafted a Collections Management policy for review. (3) Partnership Sustainability: Funding challenges for general operations; most successful in gaining competitive grants; working on a scope of work and template for members to use in grant proposals; and membership approval for an extra meeting fee.

New Projects were Featured and Discussed:

RREA Strategic Plan Webinars: two-year project will organize a series of webinars based on the nine critical issues described in the new 2018-2022 RREA Strategic plan (prepared by the Rangelands Partnership); available at https://ucanr.edu/sites/rrea/files/291575.pdf . The long-term goal is to strengthen RREA/Extension programming.

Partnership Websites Redesign project: summarized the more than six-month effort to upgrade and reconfigure the multiple RP websites into a more cohesive and user-friendly design. Results of a Partnership survey that gained input on overall goals and objectives were reviewed. The University of Arizona’s web designer/developer then took the participants through a series of specific design questions as well as a tour of the first mock-ups to gain additional feedback. User task exercises gave RP members the opportunity to test navigation to locate specific information. Comments and suggestions were noted and will guide next steps in the redesign process. (See expanded report below)

NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Grazingland Information System: three-year project is led by the University of Idaho with involvement of many RP members. Project objectives include: (1) development of a grazingland thesaurus to classify and tag key phrases in selected technical resources; (2) identifying key grazingland technical guides and handbooks to be tagged and made available through RP-developed web and mobile applications; (3) using the ontology to tag and classify information within the identified technical resources; (4) developing a mobile-friendly interface; and (5) testing the ontology and the mobile app with RP stakeholders. Project evaluation and reporting are also key activities.

Lunch Speaker, Dr. Sandy Smart, spoke about the South Dakota Grassland Coalition, an organization that started 20 years ago. It is producer driven but partners with the State Conservationist and SDSU. It is rancher-to-rancher but the science behind them comes from the partners. Web site: https://www.sdgrass.org/ and newsletter: https://www.sdgrass.org/newsletters-and-news/.

A dinner and tour was held at the Cass County Historical Society “Bonanzaville” site that included a dramatic and entertaining presentation by historian and artist, Steve Stark, of an illustrated historic timeline of the Land Grant university system and the Cooperative Extension service.

Tuesday, April 21^st

Business Meeting: Chair Tip Hudson provided his year-end report which featured drafts of updated mission and vision statements. Feedback from the members was requested.

Barbara Petty the new WERA 1008 administrator provided an administrative update. She mentioned that all Western Governors Association initiatives are concerned with aspects of rangelands. She encouraged the Partnership to write a strong impact section of the yearly report because there are many accomplishments to highlight. The Partnership should also consider applying for NIFA awards. A NIFA Partnership Award application has been started. It will need to be submitted by one partner institution’s dean or director.

A motion to amend the bylaws passed to divide the secretary/treasurer position into two positions. The secretary will continue to be a part of the three-year secretary/chair elect/chair cycle. The treasurer will be a person (currently Jeremy Kenyon) at the institution that holds the Partnership’s funds (currently the University of Idaho). This will be an appointed rather than elected position with the arrangement to be reviewed every three years to insure it works well. The current balance is $5,270.03 but that does not include registrations and spending from this meeting.

Membership was discussed. With few exceptions, the 19 member states are currently engaged with the Partnership. Personal contact is important to gaining new individual members. A roster will be kept to track state representatives and insure that people also join the WERA.

Communication outlets were discussed. The newsletter is the main outlet; members signed up to write articles. The format has been changed to have a more professional look. Some newsletter articles will become publications for SRM’s Rangelands journal; new section called “research partnership highlights”.

Krista Ehlert volunteered to serve as next year’s secretary. The 2020 meeting will be held in Tucson in March and will focus on communicating science.

International Rangeland Partnership Activities Report

The RP continues to support the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) effort by serving as the Secretariat for the IYRP Support Group. This includes hosting conference calls, posting minutes, managing the IYRP website, as well as the IYRP Support Group listserv. In addition, the RP created a series of 6-foot posters that are being used for outreach at conferences and meetings around the world. Plans for the future include participating in the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock conference in September 2019 and creating an academic poster on the IYRP for use at various conferences. A full report on progress is included below.

A member of the RP participated in the first International Land Coalition/ILRI Rangelands Initiative - Global meeting held in November 2018 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. Focal areas for the initiative are: 1. Land tenure 2. Rangeland restoration 3. Mobility issues. Activities include exploring options for collaborative projects; creating a global photo resource; preparing regional position papers.

Web site Redesign Content Questions/Discussion: The Redesign project team experimented with weighting website Topic pages higher in search results but reconsidered this when the first page of results showed only topic pages. The redesign team will look into having a search for only academic publications or to have the topics pages weighted equally with other content. In addition, the ‘Tools’ section on the new site was discussed. A major concern is that many sections (i.e. multimedia, the glossary) listed under Tools are not actually tools; that section has been revised accordingly. There was also discussion about whether search results should take users to a metadata/citation page or directly to the content. The majority felt users wants to go directly to the resource. Finally, an outline for the new ’Member Resources’ site was presented. It will now be integrated with the main site. State sites, global resources, grant funded projects, funders/supporters, and membership sections were also discussed.

Guest Speaker: “Advertising, Messaging, and Creative Communications Strategy” presented by Dr. Elizabeth Crisp Crawford, Department of Communication, NDSU. Dr. Crisp discussed how to get out key messages by being nimble, positioning ourselves as a group with answers, newsjacking, and empowering producers. A brief workshop on capturing good images and videos followed the presentation.

Action Group Reports

Marketing and Social Media

Will create lists of Extension professionals and ranchers to follow on social media and organizations to send press releases to when launching new website.

Will create photo storage location (cloud-based) for repository and increase frequency of social media posts.

Content and Collections Management

A draft policy will be sent out for comment.

Focus for content development in 2019-20 will be on conference proceedings.

Extension documents also will be a focus; guidelines for submitting Extension publications into database will be provided.

Partnership Sustainability

Will create a 2-page white paper about the Partnership to be used to approach partner organizations for funding support.

Will update template for services the Partnership can provide; template will have information about the Partnership that can be inserted into funding proposals including outreach, evaluation, and web development.

Will document the Partnership’s ability to create customized educational products

RP Meeting Adjourned at 5:00pm following a summary of action plans with members identifying one particular task they hope to achieve during the next year.

Wednesday, May 22: Prairie Research Tour - Dr. Kevin Sedivec, NDSU, provided a tour of the

Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (CGREC) in Streeter, ND. Topics covered included prescribed fire, cattle on rangelands, and bird research. The tour provided members with the opportunity to see the prairie pothole region first-hand and learn about livestock studies and late-season grazing projects. An excellent lunch was provided prior to a visit to the National Buffalo Museum on the return to Fargo.

Arizona Technical Team Statistical/RREA Report 2018-19

Throughout 2018 and into 2019, the Arizona RP technical team has continued to provide the technical foundation for the Partnership’s communications outlets and to participate in and help coordinate meetings, workshops, as well as special projects funded through competitive grants. All activities have focused on providing information and educational resources to a variety of stakeholders including public and private land managers, teachers, students, policy makers, and the general public. Specifically, the Partnership’s three-tiered websites (GlobalRangelands.org, RangelandsWest.org, and state rangelands sites) provide open access to research and education resources, practical tools, and multimedia programming on all aspects of sustainable rangeland management. The GlobalRangelands database includes collections of resources emanating from rangelands-related organizations around the world, and RangelandsWest offers customized sections on trending topics specific to the Western U.S. For example: https://globalrangelands.org/rangelandswest/highlighted-topics. State rangelands websites maintained by each of the Partnership members are also linked to the overall system with easy entry through a clickable map, see https://globalrangelands.org/rangelandswest. Ten state sites are hosted on the UA College of Agriculture servers.

During 2018, website updates and refinements were made, including eliminating duplicate records in the underlying database (which includes collections from a variety of collaborators), as well as adding records for new resources. This includes new volumes of the Society for Range Management (SRM) journals Rangelands and Rangeland Ecology and Management (REM), abstracts for papers and posters presented at SRM conferences, as well as new materials, particularly multimedia, added to the general Global Rangelands and Rangelands West collections. Total numbers of resources in the database are currently 24,214 (an increase of 1,022 records).

The “brush management” topic page was developed with funding from the Western SARE Professional Development Program. This project provided support for a series of workshops organized by the UA RP technical team in collaboration with the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance (AVCA). Three workshops and five feature videos were completed in 2018. All presentations, PowerPoints, handouts, a storymap and videos are available at: https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops. Two of the videos developed during this project were aired on the PBS show “Arizona Illustrated”.

In 2018, the Partnership, with the Arizona RP eam as the lead, completed a two-year project to update the Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) Strategic Plan. This resulted in the publication of the 2018-2022 RREA Strategic Plan and additional related resources through a customized webpage at https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/. Executive summaries are provided, as well as information about the national survey conducted at the outset of the project.

During this reporting period, the Rangelands Partnership also continued to expand its social media presence, and to tie outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to each other as well as the RP websites. During 2018, the priority was posting and engaging on Facebook. Page “likes” on the RP Facebook site increased to 1013 as of December 2018, up from 915 on Jan. 1, 2018. Typically, 2-4 posts are scheduled weekly and the largest reach for an individual post was greater than 650 people. The Global Rangelands YouTube channel featured 260 videos in 21 playlists (up from 200 videos and 19 playlists in 2017) with currently 802,438 views of videos in all playlists (some videos appear in more than 1 playlist). The RP twitter page currently has 610 followers (down 26). The Global Rangelands website usage has increased steadily from 35,965 users in 2015 to 41,480 in 2016 to 58,292 in 2017 to 92,688 users in 2018; page views increased from 91,407 to 211,492 to 282,995 in 2017 and to 413,036 in 2018 with 115,881sessions documented (up from 71,752 sessions in 2017 and 51,364 sessions in 2016). Thirty-nine percent of users are from the U.S., with the other 61% users from 206 different countries (up from 187 countries in 2016 and 204 in 2017).

The Rangelands Partnership distributes a monthly e-newsletter to 130 RP members, university administrators, and international collaborators. Over 2018, the open rate for the newsletter was between 35% and 45%. (The industry standard for an educational newsletter is 17%.) At the end of 2018, we launched a new format designed to be easier to view for online and mobile users.

List Stats	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019
Average Open Rate	34.1%	34.1%	34.8
Average Click Rate	5.1%	4.6%	5.0%
Subscribers	118	119	129

How readers are choosing to view the newsletter:

Ways to View Newsletter	Percent
Desktop	69.0%
Outlook 2016	23.0%
Apple Mail	14.2%
Gmail	14.2%
Outlook 2013	8%%
Outlook 2010	2.7%
Mobile	31.0%
iPhone	23.0%
Android Webview	5.3%
Chrome Mobile	2.7%

The focus of the Arizona team for 2019 is to update and redesign the suite of rangelands websites using the latest version of Drupal. This will ensure sustainability, implement a more intuitive interface, and streamline the multiple websites into one, under the auspices of the Rangelands Partnership. When the new website is launched, the RP will use social media outlets to widely promote the new website to stakeholders. In addition, new updates of the SRM journals will be added annually to the database according to the agreed-upon embargo periods, and customized topics pages will be further developed.

Society for Range Management (SRM) Journal Archive at the University of Arizona

As detailed in the revised Memorandum of Agreement with SRM, there is a 5-year rolling window delay for the Rangelands Ecology & Management (REM) journal and a 3-year rolling window for Rangelands. At the time of the RP 2019 Annual Meeting (May 19-23), the most recent year in the Global Rangelands/Rangelands West (GR/RW) database for REM is 2012 and for Rangelands, 2015. University of Arizona Libraries (UAL) staff have contacted Elsevier and requested the files for REM (v66, 2013) and Rangelands (v38, 2016). Records and PDFs for articles in these volumes will be uploaded to GR/RW within the next few months. [Update: The issues for v66 (2013) of REM and the issues for v38 (2016) of Rangelands were loaded in June 2019.]

REM usage stats (2018): 41,543 (20% decrease) compared to usage in 2017 of 51,733. Geographic locations of users for REM (in the rank of %): U.S (47%), India, Canada, UK, Australia. Rangelands usage stats (2018): 16,821 (23% decrease) compared to usage in 2017. Geographic locations of users for Rangelands is (in the rank of % usage): U.S., Nigeria, France, Canada, and Australia.

SRM Reports: RP Activities & SRM Outreach, Communication, and Website Committee

Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, February 2019

The Rangelands Partnership had another successful showing at the 72nd SRM Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Feb. 10-14. The RP booth met with a steady stream of visitors during the two-day trade show. The new “I ❤️ Grass” stickers were a big hit, as were the “conference survival kit” raffle drawings (a particular draw for students!). Many people stopped to talk and ask questions and we are in the process of following up on a number of contacts.

Two RP members became co-chairs of the SRM’s Outreach, Communications, and Website (OCW) Committee. At the meetings, discussions were led on the SRM’s goals for the OCW committee and vision for the future and toured the SRM website.

The Rangelands Partnership portion of the OCW meeting included updates on:

GR/RW website redesign

Restructuring International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists (IYRP) activities

CIG Grazingland Information System project report

RREA webinar project update

Updates were also presented on the activities of the RP Social Media and Marketing Action Group. The Group has met regularly throughout the past year to discuss ideas for outreach on the RP home page and through Facebook. Along with continuing efforts to regularly post content to the Facebook page, survey questions have been distributed in an effort to learn more about Facebook followers. These surveys have received positive engagement from those contributing to the comment section and overall have resulted in positive numbers within Facebook Insights. Posts to Facebook in the latter half of April resulted in a 375% increase in page views, a 200% increase in page likes, 300% increase in page followers, and increased post reach by 6%.

Several RP members had presentations in the SRM Annual Meeting program and posters on display during the Poster Sessions.

RP Websites Redesign Project

During 2018, the Executive Committee and the Arizona RP Technical Team began a process to redesign the Partnership’s suite of websites: Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, Member site and hosted state sites. This has involved months of meetings with web design experts in the UA’s CALS Cyber and Communications Technologies (CCT) unit going through an intensive assessment process. In addition, as part of this process, a Partnership-wide survey was conducted to ensure the new websites reflect stakeholder needs, interests, and ease of use. The results of these efforts were presented at the 2019 RP Annual Meeting.

The underlying redesign goal is to give the Partnership’s products and activities increased prominence through a seamless and easier to use interface, coupled with a modern look. To this end, the role of the Partnership will be more identifiable on the new integrated website, with Rangelands West and Global Rangelands as two of its key resources. At the same time, social media is being used to increase visibility of the websites’ resources. Given changes in technology, website design, the Partnership itself, and recognizing members’ time and resource constraints, it is hoped the redesign will provide a sustainable foundation for the future of the Partnership.

Getting started on a website redesign involved asking and answering many questions. Who are our users? What content would be of significant interest to them? What is the number one thing that we want people to know about rangelands? Is there content that should be on the site but that isn’t there now? How can state sites be more effective and easier to manage? How can we increase the visibility of related grant projects involving the Partnership? What is the best way to feature the Partnership?

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists Initiative

https://globalrangelands.org/international-year-rangelands-and-pastoralists-initiative

Background

Beginning in early 2016, many organizations began working together to gain support for a United Nations designated International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) including the RP. This led to the formalization of an IYRP Steering Committee that has spearheaded this effort by actively engaging with colleagues and interested parties around the world. The Steering Committee, including members of the RP, has coordinated numerous meetings and events and has worked with members to gain the support of their respective governments for the IYRP. One important event brought particular attention to this effort. The United Nations Environment Assembly conference held in Nairobi in May of 2016 (UNEA-2) included a Side Event on “Sustainable Pastoralism and the Responsible Consumption of Livestock”. The outcome of UNEA-2 was a successful resolution “Combating desertification, land degradation, and drought and promoting sustainable pastoralism and rangelands”. While this resolution did not include a provision for an International Year, it did include language calling upon organizations around the world to “contribute to raising the awareness of sustainable pastoralism and rangelands.” It also called for a worldwide gap analysis related to rangelands issues which was recently completed (links below).

Current Status

Text of the Resolution: http://web.unep.org/environmentassembly/ministerial-declaration-resolutions-and-decisions-unea-4

Gap Analysis Report - "A case of benign neglect: Knowledge gaps about sustainability in pastoralism and rangelands”: http://www.grida.no/publications/428

UNEA-4 Ministerial Breakfast Report with Photos (March 12, 2019)

Grants Update:

Completed: Updating the RREA Strategic Plan 2018-21 project (2016-18) - https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/

Completed: WSARE Professional Development Project on Brush Management (UA-Altar Valley Conservation Alliance-RP; 2017-2019) - https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops.

Ongoing: The Art of Range (Podcast Series): Western Center for Risk Management Education (2018-2019) - https://artofrange.com/.

Funded: A National Grazingland Information System: Expanding GlobalRangelands.org through a Grazingland Thesaurus and Mobile Content Access: NRCS CIG (2018-2021).

Funded: Strengthening RREA Programming Through Enhanced Connections: Webinar Series (2019-2021).

Funded: USAIN Geotagging Project is exploring tools and best practices for creating geo-referenced bibliographic records for rangeland-related papers from a test collection of Arizona workshop proceedings.

Funded: AZ Cooperative Extension Project: Revise & Update Public Lands Grazing Topic - the goal of this 1-year project is to create a new multimedia topic page on the theme “grazing on public lands”, with special focus on the NEPA process.

Funded: Global Rangelands-Rangelands West portion of five-year RREA project for Arizona (2016-2021).

Accomplishments

10/2018-09/2019 Accomplishments   <ul> <li>Successful annual meeting of the Rangelands West Partnership (May 2019, Fargo, ND). Attendees (24 on-site; 4 virtual). Positive financial return for the</li> <li>Initiated a website redesign project to merge the Partnership’s websites and products together in one location. This will refocus attention on the benefits and accomplishments of the Partnership particularly for the western United States; streamline and modernizs the website design; and integrate the Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, and Member websites. University of Arizona IT team engaged a website redesign expert to assist in this iterative process.</li> <li>RP Executive Committee drafted new mission and vision statements.</li> <li>Recruited new member range specialists for North and South Dakota.</li> <li>Several RP-related grant projects were completed (noted above in Arizona’s RP technical report).</li> <li>Progress was made on the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) initiative (also noted above).</li> <li>Washington State University launched “The Art of Range” podcast in October 2018 involving RP members as well as SRM; funded by Western Center for Risk Management</li> <li>Received funding for a three-year NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant project “A National Grazingland Information System: Expanding Global Rangelands.org through a Grazingland Thesaurus and Mobile Content Access.</li> <li>Received funding for several other new projects (see also above).</li> <li>Continued distributing information and updates via RP social media and the RP Newsletter. The Newsletter format was updated with a more professional design and an agreement was made with SRM’s journal Rangelands to adapt certain RP newsletter articles for a new column. New initiatives in social media led to increased engagement with content posted. </li> </ul> <h1>Challenges of the Past Year:</h1> <ul> <li>Intensive workload for redesign of Rangeland Partnership websites.</li> <li>Recruiting new members when retirements or position changes occur.</li> <li>Consolidating and reorganizing content on websites as part of redesign process.</li> <li>Engaging Partnership members actively in updating topics and other website content, as well as Action Group objectives.</li> <li>Tracking and maintaining quality output from the many grants the Partnership members have received.</li> <li>Continuing to build and expand unique state rangelands websites with locally-specific content – and adding metadata records for that content to the RP database with limited time and</li> <li>Maintaining productivity for engaging, relevant, and educational social media posts.</li> <li>Continuing to assess options for long-term sustainability and funding</li> <li>Helping to gain an IYRP designation within often unclear UN procedures.</li> </ul>   In Process / Next Step Activities:   <ul> <li>Incorporate feedback received from the Partnership in the redesign of the suite of websites; relaunch later this year.</li> <li>Continue to work with IT/web design experts in development of the redesigned website.</li> <li>Continue to keep Partnership members engaged in redesign and Action Group responsibilities.</li> <li>Encourage members to identify the RP in publications, posters, and presentation.</li> <li>Continue to develop collaborative grant proposals that specifically identify connection to the RP.</li> <li>Continue to pursue harvesting rangelands records from institutional repositories; create a toolkit for members to use for setting up harvesting</li> <li>Review and finalize the new mission and vision statements.</li> <li>Develop templates to assist members in including the RP in grant proposals and other outreach activities.</li> <li>Develop a succession plan for key</li> <li>Encourage members to contribute to social media and marketing locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to highlight the partnership.</li> </ul> Impact Statements:  The Rangelands West Partnership (now called “Rangelands Partnership) seeks to provide quality web-based information, resources, and tools to improve land management and ensure sustainability of rangelands. Expected and ongoing outcomes and impacts include:   <ul> <li>Increased quantity of peer-reviewed rangeland information and resources to meet the needs of a broad range of users and audiences from around the Total number of resources in the database are currently 24,214 (an addition of 1,022 records).</li> <li>Strengthened relationships and information sharing among rangeland professionals, librarians, and IT specialists in Western U.S. states through multiple communications outlets, i.e listserv messages, monthly e-newsletter; social media posts, and annual meeting.</li> <li>Developed standardized methods for metadata, incorporating input from the RP members and other interested stakeholders into revised data entry procedures.</li> <li>Continued increases in RP website usage. The Global Rangelands website usage has increased steadily from 41,480 in 2016 to 58,292 in 2017 to 92,688 users in 2018; page views increased from 282,995 in 2017 to 413,036 in 2018 with 115,881sessions documented (up from 71,752 sessions in 2017 and 51,364 sessions in 2016). Thirty-nine percent of users are from the U.S., with the other 61% from 206 different countries (up from 187 countries in 2016 and 204 in 2017).</li> <li>Continued increases in RP social media. The RP Facebook increased page likes to 1013 as of December 2018 (up from 915 on 1/1/2018). Typically, 2-4 posts are scheduled weekly and the largest reach for an individual post was greater than 650 people. The Global Rangelands YouTube channel featured 260 videos in 21 playlists (up from 200 videos and 19 playlists in 2017) with currently 802,438 views of videos in all playlists (some videos appear in more than 1 playlist). The RP Twitter page currently has 610 followers.</li> <li>Completed “brush management” workshops and web resources topic page project funded by WSARE Professional Development Program. All presentations, PowerPoints, handouts, storymap and videos are available at: <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops">https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops</a>.  Two of the videos developed during this project were aired on the PBS show “Arizona Illustrated”. Pre- and post-evaluations were conducted for the workshops as well as four months after the final one was held.  Comments were highly complementary and while only 43% of participants attending the first workshop felt confident to plan a brush control project, that number increased after workshops two (76%) and three (78%) and up to 80% in the final survey.   </li> <li>Completed a two-year project to update the RREA Strategic Plan. This resulted in the publication of the 2018-2022 RREA Strategic Plan and additional related resources through a customized webpage: <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/">https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/</a>.  Executive summaries are provided as is information about the national survey conducted at the outset of the project.</li> <li>Based on user feedback, the redesigned RP website will provide improved navigation and accessibility of user-driven information.</li> <li>Significant steps taken toward the achievement of the primary vision of the RP to be a premier website for dissemination of scientific information on rangeland ecology and</li> <li>The Rangelands Partnership is increasingly recognized as an authority on rangelands that has led to many fruitful collaborations on grants and targeted projects.    </li> </ul>

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 06/01/2020

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 03/30/2020 - 03/31/2020
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2020

Participants

Participants in the 2020 annual meeting were: AK: Jodee Kuden; AZ: Amber Dalke, Barb Hutchinson, Sheila Merrigan, Sarah Noelle, Jeanne Pfander, Larry Howery, George Ruyle, Elise Gornish, Ashley Hall, Andrew Brischke, Josh Grace; CA: Susan Marshall; CO: Retta Bruegger; HI: Mark Thorne; ID: Jerremy Kenyon, April Hulet, Karen Launchbaugh, Barbara Petty; KS: Livia Olsen, Walt Fick; NE: Mitch Stephenson, Dana W.R. Boden; NV: Amy Shannon; NM: Alex Benitez; ND: Nichole Juve, Miranda Meehan; OK: Allison Thompson, Laura Goodman; SD: Krista Ehlert, Nancy Marshall; UT: Beth Burritt; WA: Tip Hudson; WY: Derek Scasta; USFS: Judith Dyess; NIFA: Jim Dobrowolski; NRCS: Gene Fults; Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP): Lori Metz

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of the Annual Meeting (March 30-31, 2020, held virtually via Zoom):

Due to COVID-19 occurring, a decision was made to host the annual meeting virtually, instead of the intended location this year (Tucson, AZ).

Monday, March 30

One of the first items on the agenda was a special welcome to Barbara Petty, Director of Extension at the University of Idaho, and the new WERA 1008 Project Director (replacing John Tanaka).

State Report Highlights:

State reports were submitted as recorded PowerPoints for viewing prior to the meeting. The reports covered rangelands outreach projects, faculty and staff changes.

Arizona is working on a large USDA-NIFA grant focused on developing opportunities and growing businesses of limited-resource and Native American beginning farmers and ranchers. Workshops that are being provided as part of this effort include: business planning, range management, and livestock production.

California’s update included the decision to transition the California Range Camp to being completely online this year. Other updates include some faculty hiring at U.C. Davis and U.C. Berkley for a grassland ecology and management professor and a vegetation ecologist, respectively.

Colorado provided a unique report in the form of ‘cowboy poetry.’ Highlights include a push in 2020 to further utilize social media to secure website page views, a webinar series for land managers in the Colorado Plateau region (western side), and an increase in rangeland Extension staff.

Conservation Effects Assessment Project shared the vision of valuing conservation investments on grazing lands, with the goals of using environmental modeling, ecosystem services, remote sensing, and effective targeting to realize their vision and target conservation actions where they are most needed.

Hawaii shared several projects that the state has been working on, with one of the main efforts being a series of 9 webinars focused on strengthening RREA programming through enhanced connections. Research on the two-line spittle bug infestations are continuing – the population is increasing and spreading rapidly, damaging HI rangelands.

Idaho showcased research projects that use dormant season grazing to reduce the impact of an invasive annual grass, medusahead, and promote perennial vegetation. An Extension component of this research uses workshops to teach land managers how to use Google Earth Pro/GIS to enhance rangeland awareness. Participants are taught to use these tools to map their operation, use mapping technologies, and asses rangeland health.

Kansas provided an update about the fire that occurred at the Hale Library – some collections were damaged, but most books were smoke damaged instead of destroyed, and had to be cleaned. Plans are moving forward for new construction and redesign of the library, including new spaces such as an innovation space, a partner space, and a digitization lab. Outreach activities focused on youth efforts: 4-H Discovery Days and a Youth Range Camp. Adult outreach activities consist of Range Management Camps and a large Field Day Collaboration, with different agencies involved.

Nebraska highlighted a project that they are working on, “Sandhills Rangeland Monitoring Cooperative,” which is housed as an Adobe Spark page. Monitoring efforts on participating ranches include photo points, cover, frequency of occurrence (30-65 species have been counted in some areas!), and dry-weight rank. Environmental aspects are also being accounted for in this project.

Nevada shared that they have a new range person hired and located in Elko. New research efforts focus on identifying pronghorn movement patterns to assess threats to the pronghorn migratory locations. Dormant season grazing is also being used to diminish the impact of annual grasses on fire loads.

North Dakota recently received a USDA-NIFA grant to assess the impact of grazing practices on livestock performance and pollinator habitat. Extension efforts have focused on a “Gearing Up for Grazing” program that helps NDSU Extension Agents improve their knowledge of grazing readiness and helps them connect with local producers. impacts of livestock

Oklahoma has developed new Fact Sheets that focus on how to minimize impacts to wildlife from livestock infrastructure, invasive species, and prescribed fire. There was also an update made to the Rangeland Judging Manual. Other Extension efforts have focused on plant pages, with 3-D photo capture of the plants being a key attribute of the pages.

South Dakota’s report shared that updates have been made to the SD state page, with highlights focused on the farm and ranch stress initiative, and updated content including faculty research publications. RREA activities in SD have been centered on a Grazing School for producers and a Range Camp for agency professionals.

Teaching Clearinghouse and HEC Tools update was provided by Karen Launchbaugh and focused on different websites and tools available to recruit students (“Rangeland Recruiting”), provide students with a way to learn about range from a distance (“Range Education at a Distance”), and provide resources to other range professionals (“Rangeland Teaching Clearing House”).

USFS provided an update from Judith Dyess. Efforts have focused on understanding carrying capacity of rangelands with respect to wild horse populations, which have been at the center of recent discussions in the range world.

Washington’s report described the success of The Art of Range podcast, with listeners from all over the globe: the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., Argentina, and even Kenya as countries with listeners. Tip Hudson shared his view on using the podcast as an educational medium in a Rangelands

Wyoming shared a lack of capacity with respect to personnel; however, range work in WY has continued to make progress, with projects focusing on feral horse management, public lands grazing, toxic plant management, and prescribed fire.

Action Group Updates:

Marketing and Social Media: The Rangelands Partnership newsletter is focusing efforts on the marketing side, with respect to announcing the new website launch. Facebook posts are going to be utilized more heavily by scheduling posts that engage people with information about rangeland plants, animals, threats, and challenges.

Collections and Content Management: Work is being discussed on including conference proceedings, and collecting more resources from the database by sending out a monthly request to audience members.

Partnership Sustainability: Funding challenges for general operations; most successful in gaining competitive grants; working on a scope of work and template for members to use in grant proposals.

Guest Speakers – Highlights:

What’s New in Arizona Cooperative Extension?.

Jeff Silvertooth, Associate Dean and Director, Extension and Economic Development, University of Arizona

Jeff provided an overview of AZ Extension, highlighting the success of external funding bridging the gap between state and Smith-Lever funds.

Communications with Purpose: Science for Society Panel

Theresa Crimmins (USA National Phenology Network); Elise Gornish (UA Cooperative Extension Specialist in Ecological Restoration); Rosemary Brandt (UA CALS Media Relations)

Theresa, Elise, and Rosemary were great panelists and shared their perspectives on communicating science. Theresa shared social media tips; multiple platforms with multiple people help get your word out, strong captions and hashtags are essential. Elise emphasized the importance of listening in communication; stakeholders generally know more, so let them tell you the type of information they need and the format that they desire. Rosemary discussed how her role is to the bridge the gap between the public and scientists; media coverage is powerful and she shared tips on how to use it to your advantage.

RREA Strategic Plan Webinar Project Update:

This two-year project will organize a series of webinars based on the nine critical issues described in the new 2018-2022 RREA Strategic plan (prepared by the Rangelands Partnership); available at https://ucanr.edu/sites/rrea/files/291575.pdf . The long-term goal is to strengthen RREA/Extension programming. As of the annual meeting, two webinars had been hosted, with high attendance.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Business Meeting:

Retta Brugger, Chair, provided her year-end report. She reviewed the “Action Items/To-do List” from the 2019 annual meeting.

Barbara Petty, WERA 1008 administrator, provided an administrative update. She mentioned that all Western Governors Association initiatives are concerned with aspects of rangelands. She encouraged the Partnership to write a strong impact section of the yearly report because there are many accomplishments to highlight. The Partnership should also consider applying for NIFA awards. A NIFA Partnership Award application has been started. It will need to be submitted by one partner institution’s dean or director.

Jeremy Kenyon, Treasurer, shared that the current balance is $7,300. Hosting the annual meeting virtually this year saved some expenses. Participants had the option of paying a registration fee this year – several people did, strengthening the finances.

Krista Ehlert, Secretary, shared her report and Nancy Marshall will step into this role for 2020/2021.

The 2021 meeting location was discussed, and is likely to be in Grand Junction, Colorado. Retta Brugger will be the lead organizer. The decision to hold the 2021 meeting virtually will occur if needed, depending on the COVID-19 situation.

Travel awards for officers was discussed to help augment cost of attending the annual meeting. Attendees who were supposed to receive travel awards for this year will be given them for the 2021 meeting.

Barb Hutchinson received an award for all of her hardwork and dedicated effort to the Rangelands Partnership. Thank you, Barb! Barb will be retiring in 2020, but will continue her efforts with the Rangelands Partnership as they relate to her International work.

Rangelands Gateway Update:

The new website design was revealed by the Arizona team. The University of Arizona’s web designer/developer then took the participants through the functionality of the new design. The partner state resources will again be available as a clickable map. The search function can filter by collection or type of resource. There are over 20,000 pieces of content, currently! Members were encouraged to continue to add content to their state sites.

Action Group Work – Breakout Rooms:

Marketing and Social Media: A list of partner social media handles will be developed, to further enhance the sharing of information and the ability to stay connected through these platforms.

Collections and Content Management: A survey will be sent out regarding the conference proceedings. The inclusion of Ag Experiment Station and Extension publications was discussed.

Partnership Sustainability: Members were challenged to think about the audience for the Rangelands Partnership, and ways to engage these individuals with specific products we can offer, such as the RREA webinar series.

Guest Speaker – Highlights:

Socio-Ecological Systems – Emphasizing the Human Dimension (Special Keynote first presented at SRM)

Leslie Roche, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist, U.C. Davis

Leslie discussed the need for having “beef” in the room, emphasizing how to have “campus to county” connections with stakeholders. Grand challenges for rangelands were discussed as a means to engage stakeholders, and include: global food demand, climate change, and invasive species. Ways to address these grand challenges were presented and included intra and inter-disciplinary work, discovering multidimensional linkages, and moving away from the top-down traditional methods of Extension and outreach. Her suggestion was “Extension 3.0” – a bottom up method that starts with stakeholders and how they view the landscape, as a way to increase the capacity of collaboration.

International Rangeland Partnership Activities Update:

The RP continues to support the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) effort by serving as the Secretariat for the IYRP Support Group. This includes hosting conference calls, posting minutes, managing the IYRP website, as well as the IYRP Support Group listserv. In addition, the proposal for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists went in via the Mongolian government. Karen Launchbaugh and Barb Hutchinson were instrumental in these efforts.

NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Grazingland Information System Update:

This three-year project is led by the University of Idaho with involvement of many RP members. Project objectives include: (1) development of a grazingland thesaurus to classify and tag key phrases in selected technical resources; (2) identifying key grazingland technical guides and handbooks to be tagged and made available through RP-developed web and mobile applications; (3) using the ontology to tag and classify information within the identified technical resources; (4) developing a mobile-friendly interface; and (5) testing the ontology and the mobile app with RP stakeholders. Project evaluation and reporting are also key activities.

The Idaho team shared that next steps are wot work with material experts to identify gaps and expand terminology, and to integrate the grazingland thesaurus with the UN AGROVOC. The team also highlighted tools to annotate documents, and capture and store the data in a way that provides an opportunity to build machine learning models.

RP Meeting Adjourned at 5:00pm following a summary of action plans with members identifying one particular task they hope to achieve during the next year.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments   <ul> <li>Successful annual meeting of the Rangelands West Partnership (May 2019, Fargo, ND). Attendees (24 on-site; 4 virtual). Positive financial return for the</li> <li>Initiated a website redesign project to merge the Partnership’s websites and products together in one location. This will refocus attention on the benefits and accomplishments of the Partnership particularly for the western United States; streamline and modernizs the website design; and integrate the Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, and Member websites. University of Arizona IT team engaged a website redesign expert to assist in this iterative process.</li> <li>RP Executive Committee drafted new mission and vision statements.</li> <li>Recruited new member range specialists for North and South Dakota.</li> <li>Several RP-related grant projects were completed (noted above in Arizona’s RP technical report).</li> <li>Progress was made on the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) initiative (also noted above).</li> <li>Washington State University launched “The Art of Range” podcast in October 2018 involving RP members as well as SRM; funded by Western Center for Risk Management</li> <li>Received funding for a three-year NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant project “A National Grazingland Information System: Expanding Global Rangelands.org through a Grazingland Thesaurus and Mobile Content Access.</li> <li>Received funding for several other new projects (see also above).</li> <li>Continued distributing information and updates via RP social media and the RP Newsletter. The Newsletter format was updated with a more professional design and an agreement was made with SRM’s journal Rangelands to adapt certain RP newsletter articles for a new column. New initiatives in social media led to increased engagement with content posted.</li> <li>Increased quantity of peer-reviewed rangeland information and resources to meet the needs of a broad range of users and audiences from around the world. Total number of resources in the database are currently 24,214 (an addition of 1,022 records).</li> <li>Strengthened relationships and information sharing among rangeland professionals, librarians, and IT specialists in Western U.S. states through multiple communications outlets, i.e listserv messages, monthly e-newsletter; social media posts, and annual meeting.</li> <li>Developed standardized methods for metadata, incorporating input from the RP members and other interested stakeholders into revised data entry procedures.</li> <li>Continued increases in RP website usage. The Global Rangelands website usage has increased steadily from 41,480 in 2016 to 58,292 in 2017 to 92,688 users in 2018; page views increased from 282,995 in 2017 to 413,036 in 2018 with 115,881sessions documented (up from 71,752 sessions in 2017 and 51,364 sessions in 2016). Thirty-nine percent of users are from the U.S., with the other 61% from 206 different countries (up from 187 countries in 2016 and 204 in 2017).</li> <li>Continued increases in RP social media. The RP Facebook increased page likes to 1013 as of December 2018 (up from 915 on 1/1/2018). Typically, 2-4 posts are scheduled weekly and the largest reach for an individual post was greater than 650 people. The Global Rangelands YouTube channel featured 260 videos in 21 playlists (up from 200 videos and 19 playlists in 2017) with currently 802,438 views of videos in all playlists (some videos appear in more than 1 playlist). The RP Twitter page currently has 610 followers.</li> <li>Completed “brush management” workshops and web resources topic page project funded by WSARE Professional Development Program. All presentations, PowerPoints, handouts, storymap and videos are available at: <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops">https://globalrangelands.org/brush-management-workshops</a>.  Two of the videos developed during this project were aired on the PBS show “Arizona Illustrated”. Pre- and post-evaluations were conducted for the workshops as well as four months after the final one was held.  Comments were highly complementary and while only 43% of participants attending the first workshop felt confident to plan a brush control project, that number increased after workshops two (76%) and three (78%) and up to 80% in the final survey.   </li> <li>Completed a two-year project to update the RREA Strategic Plan. This resulted in the publication of the 2018-2022 RREA Strategic Plan and additional related resources through a customized webpage: <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/">https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/</a>.  Executive summaries are provided as is information about the national survey conducted at the outset of the project.</li> <li>Based on user feedback, the redesigned RP website will provide improved navigation and accessibility of user-driven information.</li> <li>Significant steps taken toward the achievement of the primary vision of the RP to be a premier website for dissemination of scientific information on rangeland ecology andmanagement.</li> <li>The Rangelands Partnership is increasingly recognized as an authority on rangelands that has led to many fruitful collaborations on grants and targeted projects.    </li> </ul> <h1>Challenges of the Past Year:</h1> <ul> <li>Intensive workload for redesign of Rangeland Partnership websites.</li> <li>Recruiting new members when retirements or position changes occur.</li> <li>Consolidating and reorganizing content on websites as part of redesign process.</li> <li>Engaging Partnership members actively in updating topics and other website content, as well as Action Group objectives.</li> <li>Tracking and maintaining quality output from the many grants the Partnership members have received.</li> <li>Continuing to build and expand unique state rangelands websites with locally-specific content – and adding metadata records for that content to the RP database with limited time and</li> <li>Maintaining productivity for engaging, relevant, and educational social media posts.</li> <li>Continuing to assess options for long-term sustainability and funding</li> <li>Helping to gain an IYRP designation within often unclear UN procedures.</li> </ul>   In Process / Next Step Activities:   <ul> <li>Incorporate feedback received from the Partnership in the redesign of the suite of websites; relaunch later this year.</li> <li>Continue to work with IT/web design experts in development of the redesigned website.</li> <li>Continue to keep Partnership members engaged in redesign and Action Group responsibilities.</li> <li>Encourage members to identify the RP in publications, posters, and presentation.</li> <li>Continue to develop collaborative grant proposals that specifically identify connection to the RP.</li> <li>Continue to pursue harvesting rangelands records from institutional repositories; create a toolkit for members to use for setting up harvesting</li> <li>Review and finalize the new mission and vision statements.</li> <li>Develop templates to assist members in including the RP in grant proposals and other outreach activities.</li> <li>Develop a succession plan for key</li> <li>Encourage members to contribute to social media and marketing locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to highlight the partnership.</li> </ul>

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 08/15/2021

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 04/19/2021 - 04/21/2021
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2020 - 09/30/2021

Participants

Participants in the 2021 annual meeting were:
AK: Jodee Kuden; AZ: Jocelyn Beard, Craig Boesewetter, Nathan Brawley, Andrew Brischke, Amber Dalke, Ashley Hall, Barb Hutchinson, Sarah King, Sheila Merrigan, Mary Miller, Sarah Noelle, Jeanne Pfander, Matt Rahr, William Rutherford, George Ruyle, Julia Sittig, Ashley Wright: CA: Susan Marshall; CO: Retta Bruegger; HI: Mark Thorne; ID: April Hulet, Jason Karl, Jeremy Kenyon, Barbara Petty; KS: Walt Fick, Livia Olsen; NE: Dana Boden, Mitch Stephenson; NV: Amy Shannon; NM: Casey Spackman; ND: Nicole Juve, Miranda Meehan; OR: Sergio Arispe; SD: Krista Ehlert, Nancy Marshall; TX: Carolyn Jackson; UT: Beth Burritt, Mark Larese-Casanova, Eric Thacker; WA: Tip Hudson; WY: David Kruger, Kristie Maczko

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of the Annual Meeting (April 19-21, 2021, held virtually via Zoom):

Due to travel restrictions in place by many participating instructions and ongoing concerns related to COVID-19, the annual meeting was held virtually for the second consecutive year. Given COVID-19 and the tremendous changes of the past year, the theme chosen for the 2021 meeting was Adaptation.

Monday, April 19

The meeting began with opening and welcoming remarks from Livia Olsen, RP Chair, Barb Hutchinson, and Barbara Petty. The first day featured a keynote talk, Resilience and Relationality: Lessons from the Field, presented by Maria Fernandez-Gimenez, Professor, Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University. Sharing her experience about social-ecological resilience and reminding us all about the importance of learning, sharing knowledge, leading by example, cooperating, strong social networks, maintaining diversity, living with change, listening to the land, traditional knowledge, and innovative/new ideas.

Day one also included updates international range activities, particularly focusing on the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), IYRP communication team, and IYRP panel at the International Rangelands Congress. Additionally, several of the RP’s RREA NFF projects provided updates including: Shrub Encroachment Project Update and Strengthening RREA Programing Through Enhanced Connections: A Web-based Conference Series.

Tuesday, April 20

State Report Highlights:

Pre-recorded state reports focusing on extension rangeland work were shared with attendees prior to the meeting. During the meeting, participants then discussed the reports.

Alaska – State does not have a rangeland or extension expert working on this project. The Arizona team moved state content to the new platform and added photos of Alaskan tundra and range taken by Jodee Kuden (librarian).

Arizona – Workforce shortage is a critical issue and the legislature has a bill to find UA Cooperative Extension to start an agriculture internship or training program. The Extension Cooperative Monitoring program has expanded. Virtual meetings and workshops have been used as an adaptation to COVID-19 with higher turnout in some cases than in the past.

California – At Humboldt State University, significant events including personnel changes, HSU’s transition to a third “Cal Poly” university, and grants that will impact their range program. In addition, UC Rangelands brings together scientists and educators across the University of California and Cooperative Extension (https://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/). In addition to the website, UC Rangelands is on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Major initiatives are Ranch Water Quality Planning Program and Working Rangelands Wednesdays, a bi-weekly webinar series.

Colorado – Drought has been a main concern for the state and has been a focus for programming, including an adaptation of drought workshop to a one-on-one workshop format. In addition, drought workshop information was formatted for Facebook. Other activates have included updating factsheets and research projects on compost irrigated pasture and RestoreNet.

Hawaii – Content from the Hawaii state site has been moved to the new Rangelands Gateway format. This is the final year of the RREA web-based conference series. All can be viewed at: https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/webinars. Education efforts and information for both ranchers and the public on the Spittle Bug continue to be important efforts. Extension outreach initiatives were developed as a result of COVID-19 (pau hana sessions, virtual field day, Hawaii Livestock Extension YouTube channel, newsletter).

Idaho – The NRCS CIG Grazingland Information System (RangeDocs) has been a major project. JournalMap 2.0 is an app and database that has potential to work with other systems, including the Rangelands Gateway. Youth education programs center on IROAM or the Idaho Rangeland Outdoor Adventure Mobile (https://idrange.org/iroam/).

Kansas – In addition to the in-person adult range management schools, virtual platforms including Twitter, podcasts, and YouTube are being used to advertise events and share information. Phone calls and emails are also important ways to connect with producers. KSU’s Hale Library has reopened following a 2018 fire. Librarians are promoting the use of freely available open educational resources for course textbooks. The state website has been moved to the new Rangelands Gateway platform.

Nebraska – ADOBE Spark is being used as an online platform to share research and information. It allows users to link back to pages, and allows flexibility in adding pictures to text, The BeefWatch newsletters and podcast are being used to bring together information. Infographics and fact sheets make data accessible, and webinars reaching a broader clientele.

North Dakota – The livestock water quality program works to improve the quality of livestock water sources and reduce losses. A webinar series on integrated crop livestock systems reached nearly 1,000 participants. The format of the virtual DIRT Workshop was unique (https://www.ndsu.edu/soilhealth/dirt-workshop/). Videos, podcasts, and social media led to an increased virtual presence. The ND Reclamation Conference was moved to a successful webinar series.

Oklahoma – The development of several new factsheets, a plant ID website, and an increased social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were highlighted (@OklahomaLands). Lessons learned include less text, the importance of visuals, paring research with interesting visuals, and the importance of having content shared.

Oregon – Shared information about the various Extension experts in Oregon and their work related to rangelands.

South Dakota – The BFRDP Grant from USDA is being used to run two programs, beefSD and a new program, AgritourismSD, that’s designed to help producers’ diversify their income source. Other projects highlighted included Beaver Believers and the SDSU Native Plant Initiative. A Professionals Range Camp with the theme of Black Hills ecology is planned for 2021.

Altar Valley Conservation Alliance – This group was formed when neighbors and stakeholders came together around shared environmental concerns. The Alliance helps people to see the area as a whole, to look to the future, and to engage young people in this effort.

Following the state reports, there was session on the Rangelands Gateway. This long anticipated new website replaced Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, and the membership site. All Rangelands Partnership websites are now integrated into a new, modern platform. During the meeting, the partnership toured the website, discussed the transfer of state-specific content, and the need for continued work on Topics.

Wednesday, April 21

The final day of the meeting focused on the work of the RP action groups and RP businesses meeting.

The Marketing and Social Media action group performed a needs assessment for an upcoming WSARE funded project that will help Partners learn more efficient and effective online marketing strategies. The Collections and Content Management group discussed plans to prioritize print resources to digitize and add to the Rangelands Gateway collections. The Sustainability and Membership action group brainstormed ideas for reaching out through SRM and agency meetings and building closer ties with other organizations; providing learning opportunities; and developing targeted products.

Business Meeting:
During the next year, the partnership will submit the new WERA proposal. Ashley Hall (Arizona) was elected to be the new secretary, Nancy Marshall (South Dakota) will move into the vice chair role, and Krista Ehlert (South Dakota) will move to the chair position. Retta Bruegger agreed to host the 2022 meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado. Travel awards will be available for several new members. RP Roundups will continue to be hosted in 2021-2022.

Accomplishments

Community Building <ul> <li>Successful virtual annual meeting of The Rangelands Partnership (April 2020). Attendees (43 virtual). Positive financial return.</li> <li>Recruited two new range specialists to represent Oregon in the Partnership.</li> <li>RP Executive Committee and Arizona technical team hosted 4 RP Roundups. These quarterly virtual learning and networking sessions focused on rangeland issues in the west and great plains. Sessions consisted of three sections: 30-minute talk, 2 30-minute breakout sessions, and a 30-minute networking session.</li> <li>Strengthened relationships and information sharing among rangeland professionals, librarians, and technology specialists in Western and Great Plains states through multiple communications outlets (i.e. listserv messages, monthly e-newsletter, social media posts), RP Roundups, and annual meeting.</li> <li>Several RP members contributed to progress on efforts to get approval from the U.N. for an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).</li> </ul> Technology Significant steps have been taken toward achievement of the vision of the Rangelands Gateway to be a premier website for dissemination of scientific information on rangeland ecology and management. <ul> <li>Launched Rangelands Gateway, a redesigned website that merged the Partnership’s Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, and Member websites and resources together in one location. This refocused attention on the benefits and accomplishments of the Partnership, particularly for the western United States; streamlined and modernized the website design; improved navigation and accessibility of user-driven information.</li> <li>Increased quantity of peer-reviewed rangeland information and resources to meet the needs of a broad range of users and audiences from around the world. Total number of resources in the database is currently 25,370 (an addition of 1156 records).</li> </ul> Grants The Rangelands Partnership continues to be recognized as an authority on rangelands that has led to many fruitful collaborations on grants and targeted projects.  <ul> <li>Completed a two-year RREA National Focus Funds project “Strengthening RREA Programing Through Enhanced Connections: A Web-based Conference Series”. While this project was geared toward forestry and range Extension professionals, any interested parties were welcome to attend the webinars. The purpose of the series was to increase capacity among renewable resource Extension professionals as a result of the cross-pollination of ideas, approaches, technology use, and methodologies that will lead to more informed, better served stakeholders and a stronger RREA program. Across all nine webinars there were 1069 registrations and 649 participants (58% of registrations). More than 59% of the participants worked in Extension while 41% worked in other fields including academia, public agencies, and private natural resource services. Nearly every land grant institution was represented across all nine webinars. Webinar three, Engaging local Communities to restore Fire adapted Ecosystems had the highest number of participants at 174 including individuals from Australia, Spain, Guatemala, Columbia, Slovakia, Canada, Brazil and Jordan. Overall, 96.2% of survey respondents indicated that it was somewhat to very likely that something they heard during the webinars would enhance their existing Extension programing. Information on the webinars, as well as the recordings and discussions, may be viewed at <a href="https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/webinars">https://globalrangelands.org/rreasp/webinars</a>.</li> <li>Continued work on the NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant “A National Grazingland Information System: Expanding GlobalRangelands.org Through A Grazingland Thesaurus and Mobile Content Access”. Launched RangeDocs (<a href="https://docs.rangelandsgateway.org/">https://docs.rangelandsgateway.org/</a>), an innovative tool which allows rangeland professionals and producers to locate paragraph-level information in key documents, store documents in RangeDocs reading lists, and access those documents offline. Approved for a one-year no-cost extension on the grant through September 2022.</li> <li>The University of Arizona and Colorado State University received funding for a two-year WSARE Professional Development Program project “Increasing the Online Communication Toolbox for Sustainable Rangeland Management: A Train-the-Trainer Program” (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2023; WSARE Project #WPDP21-026)</li> <li>The University of Arizona, Colorado State University, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and University of Idaho received funding for a two-year RREA National Focus Funds project “Expanding Extension Capacity Through RangeDocs: Searchable Rangeland Science” (September 1, 2021 – August 30, 2023; USDA NIFA NFF 2021-46401-34740).</li> <li>Washington State University received funding for a RREA National Focus Funds project “Big landscapes meet big data: informing grazing management in a variable and changing world” (starting September 2021)</li> </ul> Communication <ul> <li>Continued distributing information and updates via RP social media and the RP Newsletter.</li> <li>Continued increases in newsletter subscription and engagement. The electronic newsletter, managed through MailChimp, is sent monthly to 206 recipients (Partners, rangelands professionals, and key university administrators). The newsletter focuses on RP related updates and articles written by RP members. Majority of newsletter recipients review the newsletter on a desktop (59.2%). Fifty-seven percent of recipients are highly or moderately engaged and open and click Partnership newsletter articles.</li> <li>Continued increases in RP social media activity. The RP Facebook increased page likes to 1,143 as of December 2020. Plant identification related FB posts were popular with the largest reach for an individual post being 767. The Global Rangelands YouTube channel featured 299 videos in 25 playlists (some videos in more than one playlist). The RP Twitter page currently has 641 followers.</li> <li>Continued increases in RP website usage. The Global Rangelands website usage has increased steadily from 41,480 in 2016 to 145,154 users in 2020. Page views increased from 282,995 in 2017 to 563,588 in 2020 with 179,446 sessions documented in 2020. Thirty-seven percent of users were from the U.S., with the other 63% from 215 different countries.</li> </ul>   Challenges of the Past Year: <ul> <li>Intensive workload for redesign of Rangeland Partnership websites.</li> <li>Consolidating and reorganizing content on websites as part of redesign process.</li> <li>Engaging Partnership members actively in updating topics and other website content, as well as Action Group objectives.</li> <li>Tracking and maintaining quality output from the many grants the Partnership members have received.</li> <li>Continuing to build and expand unique state rangelands websites with locally-specific content and adding metadata records for that content to the RP database </li> <li>Recruiting new members when retirements or position changes occur.</li> <li>Continuing to assess options for long-term sustainability and funding.</li> <li>Maintaining productivity for engaging, relevant, and educational social media posts.</li> <li>Helping to gain an IYRP designation within often unclear UN procedures.</li> </ul>   In Process / Next Step Activities: <ul> <li>Continue to work with technology experts to identify and correct issues related to the transition to Rangelands Gateway.</li> <li>Continue to keep Partnership members engaged in Rangeland Gateway and Action Group responsibilities.</li> <li>Encourage members to identify the RP in publications, posters, and presentation.</li> <li>Continue to develop collaborative grant proposals that specifically identify connection to the RP.</li> <li>Continue to pursue harvesting rangelands content from institutional repositories; create a toolkit for members to use for setting up harvesting</li> <li>Develop a succession plan for key Partners and recruiting strategy for new members.</li> <li>Encourage members to contribute to social media and marketing locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to highlight the Partnership.</li> </ul>