Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

W-1192 Business Meeting Notes 8 December 2008 Reno, Nevada (In conjunction with Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts) Introductions and Last Year's Minutes: Introductions of all attending members read and last years minutes were read and accepted. Report from Administrative Advisor (Don Snyder): Like last year, state reports are critical this year because we will be in a third year review. Dr. Snyder encouraged W-1192 members to report multi-state and multi-institution work as well as any Cooperative Extension work. Dr. Snyder also handed out a paper listing the objectives and underlying hypotheses for W-1192. Members of W-1192 should send paragraphs addressing applicable objectives and hypotheses to Tom Folke. Tom Folke will draft a memorandum for Don Snyder. Report from USDA Advisor (Fen Hunt): Dr. Hunt discussed issues and changes in the Farm Bill. The CSREES has changed to the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Dr. Hunt announced there may be changes in NRI. Given the change in Presidential administrations, there may be new changes with the appointment of a new Secretary of Agriculture. The policies of the new Secretary will be announced later. State Reports: (Wyoming and New Mexico submitted written reports. Other states gave oral accounts of activity.) Wyoming: Tom Folke and Tex Taylor gave the Wyoming state report. Work in Wyoming the past year has centered on forest planning for two national forests. Studies research impacts of communities adjacent to forest lands. The University of Wyoming is working to collect sheep price data that will later be used in a sheep ranching linear programming model. Given that the updated Census of Agriculture at the state level will be published in February, the University of Wyoming will update their agricultural sector impacts reports. They would like to work with other states that are members of W-1192 to develop additional text. Oregon: John Tanaka gave the Oregon state report. Dr. Tanaka announced that he will be leaving Oregon State University to be chair in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Tanaka will seek a person at Oregon State to be a member of W-1192. Dr. Tanaka addressed how the Sage STEP project has been incorporated into W-1192 objectives. The Sage STEP work investigates the economics of cheat grass and wildfires in the area. Dr. Tanakas ranch level linear programming model is currently being incorporated into a regional impact model by Tom Harris in Nevada. This is a joint cross-state effort. New Mexico: Allen Torell gave the New Mexico State report. Dr. Torell continues ranch value work in New Mexico. Dr. Torell continues work with ranch livestock prices (cattle and sheep). These price series will be used for multi-year cattle and sheep ranch level analysis. Rhonda Skaggs at New Mexico State continues work with BLM and ARS to collect ranch level data as to number of purchases. Idaho: Neil Rimbey gave the University of Idaho report. Investigating conflicts between domestic sheep and big horn sheep. Work continues to develop a sheep ranch level linear programming model. Additional work with cull cows going through auction to determine factors influencing sell price. J.D. Wulfhorst made a presentation on his work in Idaho. He developed a survey of large landowners as to wildlife habitat in southwest Idaho. Nevada: Tom Harris gave the University of Nevada, Reno report. Work continues in developing an integrated ranch level and Social Accounting Matrix model to estimate economic and distributional impacts of changes in public range grazing. Also, a supply determined interregional SAM model has been developed. A paper is being developed to estimate the distributional impacts of reduced public land grazing in rural Nevada on rural and urban Nevada. Alaska: Representatives from the state of Alaska could not make the meeting; however, they provided a state report of their activities. Alaska investigated the potential direct conflict between the states Intensive Management statute and enabling legislation for certain federal land management scenarios. Completed an analysis and peer reviewed journal article on why state agencies continue to violate certain statutes and risk they are taking. Regulatory changes to Fish and Wildlife Service are suggested. Investigated inconsistencies in Marine Mammal Protection Act regarding Native Alaskan hunting exemption and suggested approaches to clarify the act for Native Alaskan hunting. Lastly, examined assisted migration given endangered flora and fauna from global warming. Other Items: John Tanaka discussed the Western Rangelands Partnership Project and the sustainable rangelands round table. Don Snyder discussed that with the retirement of Bruce Godfrey, he would look for someone on the faculty at Utah State to join W-1192. John Tanaka discussed a BLM project that many members of W-1192 are also members of. He discussed how to complete the study and other activities to be completed. Election of Officers: A vote for Vice Chair and Secretary for W-1192 was made. J.D. Wulfhorst from University of Idaho was elected Vice Chair and Tom Harris from the University of Nevada, Reno was elected Secretary. The date and location for the next annual meeting was discussed. The next meeting will be held in either December or January in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Adjourn

Short-Term Outcomes: Results of Nevada public land grazing and mining studies have been accepted by Elko County Commissioners. Study has been accepted by BLM offices for incorporation into rangeland plans. In addition, study and procedures are being incorporated into Rangeland Five studies. Work done in Alaska may keep federal land managers from running afoul of the law and risking expensive and time consuming legal challenges. Should provide federal land managers with a clearer understanding of their duties and responsibilities and provide state managers with a better understanding of the laws that constrain their federal counterparts. This work will be of interest to all federal land and wildlife managers who deal with migratory birds, particularly in Alaska. The work related to the Marine Mammal Protection Act will be of interest to those agencies that manage marine wildlife under the statute, as well as to the native communities and organizations that depend on marine mammals for subsistence, economic, and cultural purposes. As the concept of Assisted Migration becomes a hot topic in conservation biology circles it will be useful for scientists, conservationists, and advocates to understand the legal regime in which such a program would have to operate. From New Mexico, Major variables found to influence land value included the amount of public and state land included with the ranch sale, ranch location, elevation and scenic appeal, distance to town, and the time of sale. Ranch values were found to increase over the 2003 - 2005 period and then they flattened out. In Oregon, the results from the multi-period ranch models used to evaluate economic and management alternative impacts were incorporated in peer reviewed publications and professional presentations. Economic impacts related to juniper control and cheatgrass control are being used to design management options and additional research on alternatives. Through the development of the ranch models, we have been able to determine more accurately how a yearlong beef cattle ranching operation should respond to policy and ecological changes given random weather and cattle prices. We were also able to learn about the different levels of responses for ranches in different parts of the western U.S. The main policies studied related to changes in public land grazing and those impacts on cattle ranches. Participation in the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable has fostered an increase in understanding of the complex relationships among economic, sociological, and ecological components of the rangeland system. While we have some knowledge of each component, the roundtable has allowed discussion and learning of the interactions among the components. The survey of rangeland professionals about rangeland science education was published and the information is being used in university accreditation processes conducted by the Society for Range Management as well as by individual departments in evaluating their undergraduate degree requirements. The survey related to rangeland science education has stimulated broad discussion among rangeland practitioners and educators. Activities: Nevada: Development of an interregional fiscal social accounting model has been completed. This model derived impacts of reduced public land grazing in rural Nevada and accompanying impacts to urban Nevada. Also development of an integrated linear programming/Social Accounting Model continues. The procedures follow studies by Everett and McCarl (1978), Brink and McCarl (1974), and Bowker and Richardson (1981). The interregional fiscal SAM model follows procedures outlined by Kilkenny (1998). Later procedures will be developed to incorporate a ranch level linear programming model into a county computable general equilibrium model. Alaska: An examination of the potential for direct conflict between the states Intensive Management statute and the enabling legislation for certain federal land management agencies. After an analysis of the applicable statutes and case law was completed it was clear that the conflict in question is impairing the Park Service's ability to meet its statutory goals and the Park Service should preempt these rules on Park Service lands. An analysis of the Fish and Wildlife Service's failure to meet its obligations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to provide regulatory guidance to agencies on the matter of incidental takes. This work analyzes why agencies continue to violate the statute, what they are risking, and suggests regulatory changes for Fish and Wildlife that could correct this regulatory gap. An examination of several inconsistencies in the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act regarding the native Alaskan hunting exemption and the meaning of the term "waste." An analysis of the relevant case law, statutes, and policy statements has been conducted. An examination of the issue of Assisted Migration, a method of dealing with increasingly endangered flora and fauna in a time of climate change, which is currently being debated by Conservation Biologists. An analysis of the existing legal support and legal obstacles to such a course of action has been completed. New Mexico: Data for 383 recent New Mexico sales were entered into a database and hedonic models were developed. Initial models including parcels less than 2 sections and others targeted for development predicted poorly with ranch-related variables and these small sales were deleted from the analysis. Complete data were available for 274 ranch sales negotiated between April 2002 and March 2008 and with a good distribution of sales across the state and across the Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs) within the state. Model results were similar and included similar explanatory variables to earlier hedonic models published for New Mexico and the Great Basin. In these models, the dependent variable is defined to be $/total acre (including state and federal land acreage). Two new variables were added to the model. Google Maps were used to calculate the distance from the ranch headquarters to a paved road. As would be expected, increased dirt road distances to the ranch decreased ranch values. The second variable added was for ranches with perennial streams with fishing in northern New Mexico. As expected, having a stream with fishing access on the ranch was found to substantially increase ranch value. The R2 of the model was 94%. Dr. Rhonda Skaggs has continued work on developing a socio-economic database for individual BLM grazing allotments in SW New Mexico. Preliminary model development and results indicate that allotment turnover is strongly related to grazing conditions (e.g., high turnover is correlated with increased woody plant coverage and reduced grazing capacity). Data collection for this research project continues. Idaho: Rimbey continues to work on a regional research project dealing with the factors that influence ranch values in western states. We have updated ranch sale databases for New Mexico and the Great Basin with recent sales. We are attempting to bring in water rights and other variables into the models. Torells RANVAL website contains the models, publications, etc. associated with this project: http://ranval.nmsu.edu/. Large, 5 year, regional project funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (USDA and USDI) dealing with vegetation management issues related to the sagebrush biome, with particular emphasis on cheatgrass and juniper invasion. Tanaka (OSU) and Rimbey are providing the ranch-level analysis for this project. We will be enhancing GAMS models developed through WCC55/W1192 in this project that deals with Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and Utah scientists. Faculty at Nevada are providing regional analysis and non-market benefits and costs. Sage-STEP website provides more information on this large, regional project: http://www.sagestep.org/. Rimbey has been assisting a team from Idaho and California looking at the factors that influence the price of cull cows (both beef and dairy). Visual observations on factors like body condition, ambulatory nature, surgical evidence and others are made on cattle going through saleyards in Idaho and California. Coupled with this is hard data on cattle weights, prices. Over 19,000 head were entered into a database from sales this spring and fall (2008). The project will be completed this winter, with analysis and report to the Beef Council. Regression techniques are being used to determine the factors that influence value, as well as incidence of quality issues. Due to concerns about the IDL Grazing Program losing money, a Task Force was created to look at the issue. Rimbey is serving as the Academic Representative, along with livestock producers, Land Board and IDL staff. We met on about a monthly basis between December, 2005 and last winter. At that time, the Land Board created a grazing subcommittee that is looking at the departments grazing program. The Livestock Group is still meeting and providing input to IDL and the subcommittee. We have developed policy recommendations for dealing with conflicted leases, improvement credits, grazing management and staffing issues that are currently being considered by the Land Board. Rimbey also performed regression analysis on the lease rate calculation formulae with the addition of 14 years of new data. He is also working with Utah Trust Lands on developing a fee formula for updating their lease rates. A regional proposal submitted to BLM to determine the staffing and use of social and economic impact analysis within the agency was funded this past year for about $134,000. Wulfhorst and Rimbey are working with colleagues in Oregon, Wyoming and New Mexico. We have interviewed BLM social science staff (according to BLM, they number fewer than 25 out of the 11,000+ in BLM), critically reviewed selected management plans, EISs and other planning documents in terms of the use of social science techniques and impact assessment within the BLM. A telephone survey of BLM staff and managers was conducted by SSRU last winter and we are currently interviewing subgroups of BLM clientele (via Resource Advisory Councils) divided into Public-at-Large, Commodity and Conservation. A final report to BLM will be submitted during the winter of 2008-09. Wulfhorst and Rimbey were asked to conduct focus groups for the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission (IRRC). We completed 6 of the sessions around the state. Purpose is to gain input from IRRC constituents (those that pay the bills) on existing programs and future direction and issues of the commission. Final report is available at: http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/aers/PDF/AEES/AEES07-03.pdf . Since Wulfhorst was on sabbatical leave for portions of 2007-2008 some of the product extensions from this data are still forthcoming. These data also provided the basis for development of several survey questions submitted as part of a partnership project with Idaho Preferred, a state-based program emphasizing sustainable and local agricultural production/consumption. These data will be used as pilot data to support a rangelands proposal anticipated to WSARE in coordination with producers and IRRC in 2009. Wulfhorst is working with an interdisciplinary team from Washington State University on a CEAP-Rangelands project focused on watershed health in southeastern Washington. The salmon-habitat impacted by overgrazing in this watershed with highly-erodible soils is critical and much effort has been oriented toward trying to alter best management practices among ranchers in the area with little success. Data collection will include qualitative interviews with key informants as well as a general public survey related to the multiple use aspects of the watershed and whether a more collaborative process could be devised to incentivize best management practices. Oregon: During most of the previous year, John Tanaka was on sabbatical leave as the Interim Executive Vice President of the Society for Range Management. While on leave, he was a co-organizer of the Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts Conference and Workshop held in Reno, Nevada from December 9-11, 2008. This conference drew 309 attendees. Information is on the website at http://rangelands.org/deserts. A grant was submitted and funded from the USDA-CSREES to lead the development of the Rangeland Stewardship and Health eXtension website in cooperation with at least 13 land grant universities. This project is just getting underway. The eXtension website will include information on all aspects of rangelands including ecology, economics, social systems, policy, and educational materials for adults and youth. (Objective 5, H1). Tanaka has continued involvement with the Western Rangelands Partnership that is responsible for the http://RangelandsWest.org website. The partnership has been designated as WERA-1008 and will be coordinating with the eXtension website listed above. (Objective 5, H1) Tanaka has continued involvement with the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable, serving on its steering committee and leading its research objective. During the year, Tanaka served on a writing group to develop a book on rangeland ecosystem goods and services and worked with the National Agricultural Statistics Service to extract data from the Census of Agriculture for the Oregon Multi-Agency Pilot Project on economic and social indicators. (Objective 1, H1; Objective 2, H1) Large, 5 year, regional project funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (USDA and USDI) dealing with vegetation management issues related to the sagebrush biome, with particular emphasis on cheatgrass and juniper invasion. Tanaka (OSU) and Rimbey (UI) are providing the ranch-level analysis for this project. We will be enhancing GAMS models developed through WCC55/W1192 in this project that deals with Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and Utah scientists. Faculty at Nevada are providing regional analysis and non-market benefits and costs. Sage-STEP website provides more information on this large, regional project: http://www.sagestep.org/. (Objective 2, H2) A regional proposal submitted to BLM to determine the staffing and use of social and economic impact analysis within the agency was funded this past year for about $134,000. Tanaka is working with colleagues in Idaho, Wyoming and New Mexico. We have interviewed BLM social science staff (according to BLM, they number fewer than 25 out of the 11,000+ in BLM), critically reviewed selected management plans, EISs and other planning documents in terms of the use of social science techniques and impact assessment within the BLM. A telephone survey of BLM staff and managers was conducted by UI last winter and subgroups of BLM clientele (via Resource Advisory Councils) divided into -Public-at-Large-, -Commodity- and -Conservation-. A final report to BLM will be submitted during the winter of 2008-09. (Objective 5, H1) Hannah Gosnell was funded by the USGS and Institute for Water and Watersheds at OSU in 2007-2008 to study the emergence and evolution of place-based, collaborative conservation efforts on ranch landscapes in the Upper Klamath Basin, and the ways in which social and ecological outcomes were related to various place-specific factors, including degree of ownership fragmentation. The team hypothesized that ownership fragmentation, which varies significantly among the three major tributaries to Upper Klamath Lake (the Wood, the Williamson, and the Sprague) was a contributing factor, along with other factors, to social fragmentation and conflict over natural resource management. Results are still being analyzed. Gosnell also submitted a grant proposal to the USDA CSREES with Bruce Weber and Junjie Wu (OSU AREC) to analyze the critical mass of farmland required to sustain local agricultural economies, and to determine whether there might be a -tipping point- related to farmland conversion and agricultural economic viability in the suburban and exurban West. The proposal was not funded. (Objective 1, H1 and H3; Objective 4, H1) Milestones: Progress is being made in all proposal areas, though some not as quickly as prolposed due to funding constraints. Milestone #1 was only partially successful due to a limited number of proposals accepted, though much more state-level funds were accessed through various sources that did allow progress. Milestone #2 was accomplished. Milestone #3 has been accomplished, though more will be coming out from the various project participants.

Ciciliano, Dylan, Thomas R. Harris, Danny Taylor and Dirk van Zyl. Analysis of Economic and Occupational Skill Impacts of the Hard Rock Mining Sector on the Elko Micropolitan S.A. Economy. UCED 2008/09-04, 2008. Fadali, Elizabeth and Thomas R. Harris. An Economic Description of the Agricultural Sector in Lincoln County. UCED 2007/08-07, 2008. Harris, Thomas R., Alevy, Jonathan E., Kim, Man-Keun and Fadali, Elizabeth. Development and Initial Application of an Integrated Linear Programming/Social Accounting Matrix Model: Rangeland Livestock Application. Selected Paper, Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, February 2008. Torell, L.A. and N.R. Rimbey. 2008. Cattle-Fax" Beef Price Database and Update Procedures. New Mexico State University Agr. Exp. Sta. Research Report 762. Data available online at ftp://agecon.nmsu.edu/Beef_Prices. Report available at http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/research/economics/RR762.pdf. Skaggs, R. Ecosystem Services and Western U.S. Rangelands Choices 2nd Quarter 2008 23(2) pages 37-41. Blevins, A.L., K. R. Jensen, S. Kane, N. Rimbey, J. Tanaka, D.T. Taylor, L.A. Torell, and J.D. Wolfhosrt. 2008. Bureau of Land Management Social Science Information Needs and Capabilities Assessment. Draft Report to BLM. Rimbey, N. 2008. Economic Considerations of Wildfire. in: Miller, E. and Narayanan, R. eds. Great Basin Wildfire Forum: The Search for Solutions. University of Nevada, Agricultural Experiment Station. Reno, NV. Available on-line at: www.cabnr.unr.edu/naes/wildfireforum.pdf Torell, L.A. and N.R. Rimbey. 2008. Cattle-Fax" Beef Price Database and Update Procedures. New Mexico State University Agr. Exp. Sta. Research Report 762. available online at http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/research/economics/RR762.pdf Wulfhorst, J.D., B. Foltz, S. Kane, K. Peterson-Papineau, P. Salant, and J. Van Gerpen. 2008. Engaging the Idaho Farm Community in the Biofuels Era. Under Review as a Research Bulletin, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho. Wulfhorst, J.D. and N.R. Rimbey. 2007. Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission: 2007 Membership Focus Groups Final Report & Data Summary. Agricultural Economics Extension Series, No. 07-03. University of Idaho. Moscow, ID. Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission: 2007 Focus Group Update, with N. Rimbey (presenter), 2/08, Salmon, ID (Lemhi Co. Beef School). Rimbey, N. R. and J.D. Wulfhorst. 2008. The Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission: A Solution to Subdivisions? Presentation at the Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Louisville, KY, January 26-31. Maher, A.T. 2007. The Economic Impacts of Sagebrush Steppe Wildfires on an Eastern Oregon Ranch. M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 171 p. Rimbey, N.R., L.A. Torell, and J.A. Tanaka. Why Grazing Permits Have Economic Value. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 32(2007):20-40. Tanaka, J.A., N.R. Rimbey, L.A. Torell, T. DelCurto, D. Bailey, K. Walburger, D. Taylor, and B. Welling. 2007. Grazing Distribution: The Quest for the Silver Bullet. Rangelands 29:38-46. Brunson, M.W., and J.A. Tanaka. Economic and Social Impacts of Desert Fires and Invasives. Paper presented at the Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts Conference and Workshops, Society for Range Management Center for Professional Education and Development, Reno, Nevada, 2008. A.T. Maher, J.A. Tanaka, and N.R. Rimbey. The Economic Impacts of Sagebrush Steppe Wildfires on an Eastern Oregon Ranch. Paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting, Society for Range Management and American Forage and Grassland Council, Louisville, Kentucky. 2008. Tanaka, J.A. Pilot Project Socio-Economic Indicators, Selection Process and Connection to Sustainability in the Multi-Agency Oregon Pilot Project: A Roadmap for Indicator-based Rangeland Assessment Symposium. Paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting, Society for Range Management and American Forage and Grassland Council, Louisville, Kentucky. 2008. Child, R.D. and J.A. Tanaka. Rangeland Ecosystem Services: Valuation Methods and Potential Incentive Programs. Paper presented at the 60th Annual Meeting, Society for Range Management, Reno, Nevada. 2007. Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey, and J.A. Tanaka. Grazing Permit Value. Paper presented at the 60th Annual Meeting, Society for Range Management, Reno, Nevada. 2007. Satyal, V., J. Tanaka, D. Lach, D. Pyke, and P. Doescher. Economic and Social Impacts: Costs and Acceptability. Paper presented at the 60th Annual Meeting, Society for Range Management, Reno, Nevada. 2007. Foulke, Thomas, Chris T. Bastian, David T. Taylor, Roger H. Coupal, and Desiree Olson. Off-road Vehicle Recreation in the West: Implications of a Wyoming Analysis. Accepted by: The Western Economic Forum. Fall, 2008. Foulke, Thomas, David T. Taylor and Roger H. Coupal. Small Feet, Big Tracks: The Potential Economic Effects of Critical Habitat Designation on the Economy of Southeastern Wyoming. In New Perspectives on Agri-Environmental Policies; a Multidisciplinary and Transatlantic Approach. Taylor and Francis Books. Forthcoming. David T. Taylor, BenjaminS. Rashford, Roger H. Coupal and Thomas Foulke. An Economic Analysis of Predator Management in Wyoming: First Year Results Report. For the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board. Cheyenne, WY. July, 2008. David T. Taylor, Thomas Foulke and Roger H. Coupal. An Economic Profile of the Shoshone National forest: Prepared in support of the Shoshone National Forest plan revision process. For the Shoshone National Forest. May, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/Shoshone.htm . David T. Taylor, Roger H. Coupal, Thomas Foulke, Benjamin Rashford and Desiree Olson. An Economic Profile of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Phase II final report. For the Bridger-Teton National Forest, USDA. February, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/BridgerTeton.htm David T. Taylor and Thomas Foulke. Fremont County, Wyoming: A Socio-Economic Profile. Bridger-Teton Region, County Profile Series. For the Bridger-Teton National Forest. February, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/BridgerTeton.htm David T. Taylor and Thomas Foulke. Lincoln County, Wyoming: A Socio-Economic Profile. Bridger-Teton Region, County Profile Series. For the Bridger-Teton National Forest. February, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/BridgerTeton.htm David T. Taylor and Thomas Foulke. Sublette County, Wyoming: A Socio-Economic Profile. Bridger-Teton Region, County Profile Series. For the Bridger-Teton National Forest. February, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/BridgerTeton.htm David T. Taylor and Thomas Foulke. Teton County, Wyoming: A Socio-Economic Profile. Bridger-Teton Region, County Profile Series. For the Bridger-Teton National Forest. February, 2008. Available from: http://agecon.uwyo.edu/EconDev/BridgerTeton.htm Cook, D., R. Coupal, J. Hamerlinck, J. Heerman, D. Hulmes, S. Lieske, and D. McLeod. Impacts of Wyoming Water Development Commission Regional Water System Projects on Land Use: An Analysis of Two Case Studies, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources Research Project  Final Technical Report, University of Wyoming, October 2008.