Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting of the W192 Regional Project Meeting began at 8:45 am. Rimbey opened the meeting w/ a review of the agenda and suggested introductions. Those in attendance included: John Tanaka (Oreg. St. Univ.), Tim Darden (New Mex. Dept. of Ag), Tom Harris (Univ. of Nev. @ Reno), Julie Lurman, (Univ of Alaska @ Fairbanks), Don Snyder (Utah St. Univ.), Tex Taylor, (Univ. of Wyoming), Neil Rimbey (Univ. of Idaho), Allen Torrell, (New Mexico St. Univ.), and J.D. Wulfhorst (Univ. of Idaho). Kim Rawlins (Univ. of Nev. @ Reno) and Allison Davis (Univ. of Nev. @ Reno) also attended for a portion of the meeting. Minutes from December 2003 were read and approved. One correction was noted: Colorado should not have been included under Hedonic price models (3ci, p3). Chair of the Committee was then transferred from Rimbey to Taylor. Administrative Advisory Report (Snyder) The western region requires a review of all regional projects at the 3rd yr mark. The review includes a Mid-term Evaluation Report and an external review. The Mid-term Report submitted to NIMSS, was distributed and includes four areas: 1) address personnel to assist in the areas of legal/policy aspects and the termination of PACWPL; 2) performance and possible merger with WCC-55; 3) current activities affected by changes in personnel; 4) future of the project. The periodic external review by the Western Ag Experiment Station Directors was more vocal with concerns, but identified many of the same issues that the W192 group has grappled with, i.e., 1) whether to merge with WCC55 and 2) address gaps in personnel for some key disciplinary areas. At this point, W192 can decide to: 1) let the project terminate; 2) try to renew the project as is; or 3) try to modify & maintain the project. Snyder also reported that the WCC Regional projects will experience a name change to Western Education Research Activity, or WERA and reviewed the basic structure for these. Torrell added that when W192 elected to eliminate the PACWPL objective, which some had seen as the main project, this may have led to a lack of clear direction. Some discussion followed about whether to merge WCC-55 (Rangeland Economics) and W192, the latter of which currently expires in Sept. 2006. Joint Fire Science Program Update Kim Rawlins and Allison Davis, of Univ. of Nevada  Reno provided an update on the new Joint Fire Science Program centered @ Univ of Nevada. Rawlins explained the basic outline and plans for the 5 year project, funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (FS, BLM, NPS, &) to address increasing risks of fire cycle change, with potential large-scale ecosystem changes to cheat grass and Pinon-Juniper monocultures. The project focuses on: 1) ecological thresholds to look beyond feasibility of restoration; 2) fuels management strategies; 3) mechanical removal, burns, and herbicidal removal. This will occur as an experimental design on three different biomes as well as across a range of fuel accumulations. Similar project that have previously done work like this have been deficient on social science, thus the emphasis on this project to include stronger economic analyses. Harris, Rimbey, and Tanaka are involved with this. Rawlins explained the teams plan to provide more decision-analysis with an emphasis on preemptive strategies of altering the risk(s) associated with fire in order to begin changing the odds of catastrophic fire events through reduced fuel loads. The livestock part is just one part of the project. There is also a Regional Impact analysis. From a land-use management perspective, the BLM wants to understand better what decisions they are faced with. Also, the project will include a non-market valuation study which incorporates costs & benefits to drive the optimization model and assess best uses of limited funds to allot to fire management. The group found out on 12-10-04 that the project had been funded. Harris suggested the Joint Fire Project will provide links to W192. Rimbey & Tanaka are working on adapting their ranch-level model for this project. Julie Lurman Background Lurman attended the W192 meeting as a representative from Alaska, and adds a legal/policy analysis component to the project. Lurman attained her B.S, in Natural Resources Management, an M.S. in International Environmental Policy, and a Law degree in Natural Resources Law. Lurman worked with John Echeverria at Georgetown University on takings, private lands, and ESA issues. Some of her research findings concluded the private landowners are not entitled to compensation as many people think in some cases because wildlife is considered public trust. Private individuals must tolerate wildlife as pre-existing conditions on the land. Lurmans current interests include Revised Statute 2477 relating to road issues across federal lands that can get constituted as highways. Lurman noted federal supremacy is an issue here. Lurmans appointment is Asst. Prof. of Natural Resources Law and Policy in the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Resources Management at the University of Alaska  Fairbanks. A recent article of her work can be found in the Tulane Environmental Law Journal (2003). More discussion on Future of W192 The group discussed the idea of adding more sociologists and legal/policy experts as well as more nonmarket oriented economists. Several noted that the W1133 project focuses on nonmarket values of natural resources already and that domain appears covered. The group agreed to pursue further contacts at area institutions (ex. Peg Petrzelka, USU  Rural Sociology) to identify additional interest for participation in the group, regardless of whether W192 merges with @WC55. Torrell suggested the group consider merging. Discussion followed, with a focus on whether to merge this into a research committee with the intent to build symposia @ the SRM meetings. There was general agreement for the need to have a broad set of concerns being addressed by this group, whether split, or merged and with an emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the work to address complex community and environmental needs. Taylor motioned to continue W192 until termination, with the intent to merge with WCC55 at that point. The motion was not seconded. State Reports Rimbey, Tanaka, Harris, Taylor, and Torrell presented reports for their respective states. See attached appendices for the full reports from the five states. Lurman also reported on the courses she teaches at UA  Fairbanks and her research program interests. The meeting broke for lunch at noon and resumed at 1:00pm. New Business Discussion continued to update the group on future plans to complete the GAMS documentation and optimization model for ranching operations. The group discussed providing an example for completion of this. Also, this was supposed to be published under PACWPL  but this will now change to be a Western Regional Publication. Further discussion reiterated recruiting Larry Van Tassell (UI) to help finish the work. Discussion continued on the topic of the W192 group generating a regional, multi-institution proposal within the next year (i.e., USDA-NRI, etc.). There is a need for flexibility re: the focus on this, but a number of topics could be addressed related to land-management, community well-being, and environmental policy. One particular topic of interest to the group appears to be studying compensation for wolf depredation and losses. Harris suggested some additional nonmarket work may develop win the Joint Fire Science project. Taylor polled the group for other issues of interest and the following were mentioned: recreation/ORVs, endangered species, energy development, resource values of rangelands not related to grazing, noxious weeds/invasive species, property rights, costs/benefits of rural-urban interface development. The group made tentative plans for all those present at the Feb. 2005 SRM meetings to meet in the p.m. of 2/8, Tues @ Tanakas presidential suite in Fort Worth. The group also agreed to try and design an SRM symposium for Vancouver 06. Election of Officers This actually occurred at the beginning of the meeting. Chair of the group was transferred from Rimbey to Taylor. Next Meeting The next meeting is planned for early Fall 2005 in Fairbanks, Alaska with planned topics on property rights, RS 2477, fire, and other resource issues in Alaska. The meeting adjourned at 2:30pm.

The research committee worked very hard to include an Alaska participant, since Alaska has the largest number of public land acres in the U.S. Dr. Julie Lurman joined the group from Alaska and her interests were discussed relative to the project. A decision was made to drop Objective 4 of the original proposal due to the deans' decision regarding the Policy Analysis Center for Western Public Lands. Multistate work has continued in the area of ranch and regional policy with models being developed simultaneously by several of the participants (input-ouput, computable general equilibrium, and various linear programming models).

Bartlett, E. Tom, L. Allen Torell, Neil R. Rimbey, Larry W. VanTassell and Daniel W. McCollum. 2002. Valuing grazing use on public land. J. Range Mgt. 55(5):426-438. Bartlett, E.T., L.A. Torell, N.R. Rimbey, L.W. Van Tassell, and D. McCollum. 2002. Methodological Issues in Valuing Forest Service Grazing and Range Use. U.S. Forest Service, General Technical Report. Darden, Tim D., Neil R. Rimbey and J. D. Wulfhorst. 2003. Regional Economic Impact Model of Owyhee County, Idaho and the Four County Area Including Ada, Canyon, Elmore, and Owyhee Counties. Dept. of Ag. Econ. and Rural Soc. Univ. of Idaho. AEES No. 03-06. available at: http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/aers/publications/AEES_2003/aees2003.htm Porath, M.L., P.A. Momont, T. DelCurto, N.R. Rimbey, J.A. Tanaka and M. McInnis. 2002. Off-stream Water and Trace Mineral Salt as Management Strategies for Improved Cattle Distribution. J An. Sci. 80(2) 346-356. Rimbey, Neil R., Tim D. Darden, L. Allen Torell, John A. Tanaka, Larry W. Van Tassell, and J.D. Wulfhorst. 2003. Ranch Level Economic Impacts of Public Land Grazing - Policy Alternatives in the Bruneau Resource Area of Owyhee County, Idaho. Dept. of Ag. Econ. and Rural Soc. Univ. of Idaho. AEES No. 03-05. available at: http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/aers/publications/AEES_2003/aees2003.htm Stillings, A.M, J.A. Tanaka, N.R. Rimbey, T. DelCurto, P.A. Momont, M.L Porath. 2003. Economic implications of off-stream water developments to improve riparian grazing. J. Range Manage. 56:418-424. abstract available at: http://uvalde.tamu.edu/jrm/Sep03/stillings.htm Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey, L.W. VanTassell, J.A. Tanaka and E.T. Bartlett. 2003. An evaluation of the federal grazing fee formula. J. Range Management 56(6): 577-584. abstract available at: http://uvalde.tamu.edu/jrm/ Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey and L. Harris, eds. 2004. Current Issues in Rangeland Resource Economics. Proceedings of a symposium sponsored by Western Coordinating Committees 55 and 40. W. Regional Publication. USU Ag. Exp. Sta, Research Rep. 190. June, 2004. Logan, UT. Available on-line at: http://www.agx.usu.edu/ Tanaka, J.A., N.R. Rimbey and L.A. Torell. 2004. New Faces: What does it mean for sustainable rangeland management. in: Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey and L. Harris, eds. 2004. Current Issues in Rangeland Resource Economics. Proceedings of a symposium sponsored by Western Coordinating Committees 55 and 40. W. Regional Publication. USU Ag. Exp. Sta, Research Rep. 190. June, 2004. Logan, UT. Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey, O.A. Ramirez and D.W. McCollum. 2004. New faces and the changing value of rangeland. in: Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey and L. Harris, eds. 2004. Current Issues in Rangeland Resource Economics. Proceedings of a symposium sponsored by Western Coordinating Committees 55 and 40. W. Regional Publication. USU Ag. Exp. Sta, Research Rep. 190. June, 2004. Logan, UT. Torell, L.A., N.R. Rimbey, and O.A. Ramirez. 2003. New Mexico Ranch Values: RANVAL. New Mexico State University, Dept. of Agr. Economics, Available online at http://ranval.nmsu.edu. Torell, L.A., J.A. Tanaka, N. Rimbey, T. Darden, L. VanTassell, A. Harp. 2002. Ranch-Level Impacts of Changing Grazing Policies on BLM Land to Protect the Greater Sage- Grouse: Evidence from Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. Univ. of Idaho Policy Analysis Center for Western Public Lands (PACWPL), PACWPL Policy Paper SG-01-02. Available online at http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/aers/r_natres.htm. Wulfhorst, J.D., Neil R. Rimbey and Tim D. Darden. 2003. Social and Community Impacts of Public Land Grazing Policy Alternatives in the Bruneau Resource Area of Owyhee County, Idaho. Dept. of Ag. Econ. and Rural Soc. Univ. of Idaho. AEES No. 03-07. available at: http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/aers/publications/AEES_2003/aees2003.htm Wulfhorst, J.D., N. Rimbey, and T. Darden. Sharing the Rangelands, Competing for Sense of Place. American Behavioral Scientist (in review). Foulke, T., R. Coupal, D. Taylor, 2004, The Potential Economic Impact on the Economy of Southwestern Wyoming from Designation of Critical Habitat for the Prebles Meadow Jumping Mouse, Western Regional Science Association, 43rd Annual Meeting, Maui Hawaii, February 2004. Taylor, D., R. Coupal, T. Foulke, 2004, The Potential Economic Impact on the Economy of Southwestern Wyoming from Designation of Critical Habitat for the Prebles Meadow Jumping Mouse, Final Report to the Governor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming, March 2004. Foulke, T., R. Coupal, D. Taylor, 2004. The Trouble with Prebles, Reflections, College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming. Taylor, D., R. Coupal, T. Foulke, 2004, The Economic Importance of Livestock Grazing on BLM Land in Fremont County, Wyoming, Project Report, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming, October 2004. Foulke, T., R. Coupal, D. Taylor, 2004, 2003 Payments in Lieu of Taxes to Wyoming Counties (23 county fact sheets), University of Wyoming, Cooperative Extension Service, B-1154AL  B-1154WE, February 2004.