Rangeland Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was put in charge of managing native wild horses that reside on public lands in the United States. Since the passage of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses & Burros Act, the BLM has twisted the law through a series of relabeling landmass in areas where the horses reside, and then managing them differently based on the label the area was given. This has resulted in nearly half the land given the horses being removed from the program, and the remainder is managed illegally using the mandate of multiple-use in the Federal Land Policy Management Act. The twisting and creation of new regulations have been an unconstitutional act against the original intent of the 1971 Act to protect this species. The result is that the BLM claims there are too many horses when in fact the pastures have been made too small.

Rangelands are considered critical ecosystems in the Nepal Himalayas and provide multiple ecosystem services that support local livelihoods. However, these rangelands are under threat from various anthropogenic stresses. This study analyzes an example of conflict over the use of rangeland, involving two villages in the Mustang district of Nepal. This prolonged conflict over the use of rangeland rests on how use rights are defined by the parties, that is, whether they are based on traditional use or property ownership. Traditionally, such conflicts in remote areas were managed under the Mukhiya (village chief) system, but this became dysfunctional after the political change of 1990. The continuing conflict suggests that excessive demand for limited rangelands motivates local villagers to gain absolute control of the resources. In such contexts, external support should focus on enhancing the management and production of forage resources locally, which requires the establishment of local common property institutions to facilitate sustainable rangeland management.

Emphasis is on current and controversial North American and international ecological policy issues.  Primary focus is exploring the role of scientists, technocrats, elected and appointed officials, the public, and interest/advocacy groups in ecological policy analysis and implementation.  Specific topics and case studies considered are:  (1) basic principles of policy analysis;  (2) managing wildfire on public lands;  (3) balancing competing demands for scarce water supplies;  (4) managing large predatory wildlife, especially wolves, cougars, and grizzlies;  (5) recovering and sustaining wild salmon runs;  (6) determining appropriate use of genetically modified organisms;  (7) resolving multiple use conflicts in managing public forests;  (8) tackling human-caused climate change;  (9) assessing the political clashes over whaling and other marine mammals;  and (10) unscrambling conflict and controversy over marine protected areas and ecosystem management.

This thesis concerns dynamics of contemporary pastoralism in Ferlo, Senegal. Recent research sug-gests mobility to be one of the most important principles of pastoralism. However, it cannot be under-stood on its own; therefore, pastoral mobility is studied in the broader context of livelihood strategies. At the methodological level, the aim is to develop methods for collecting and understanding data on pastoral mobility. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter, a chapter called ‘research setting’, five individual papers, and a concluding chapter. While the papers can be read individually, the intro-ductory chapters, and the conclusion concern the thesis ‘as a whole’. As there has been a change of philosophical stance during the research process, these chapters are important for providing a frame-work for the thesis and for understanding the choices made.
First, implications of the ‘new rangeland paradigm’ are discussed with special emphasis on implica-tions for understanding pastoral mobility in Paper A. Pastoral mobility provides flexible utilisation of variable natural resources and can mitigate the effects of unforeseen events such as bush fires. This point has been advocated in the past, mainly by anthropologists, but with the new paradigm a coherent theory exists in which pastoral mobility as a flexible strategy can be understood. The argument is illustrated by an example from Ferlo, which shows how a development project hampered pastoral mobility. Further, it is shown how pastoralists themselves use mobility for balancing variability in natural resources.
The methodology applied for the rest of the papers is outlined in Paper B. The paper argues for a new conceptualisation of the use of rural areas, namely through the study of the relation between practice and values of individual actors. This conceptualisation emphasises a combination of methods analys-ing both quantitative and qualitative data with due consideration to the philosophical stance. The ben-efit of analysing both practice and values is shown in two examples. It is concluded that studies of practice and values of individual actors can contribute to our understanding of the use of rural areas in both developed and developing countries and hence revitalise agricultural geography.
Paper C has a dual objective; first to investigate the methodological potential of using GPS; second to discuss the analytical use of GPS data for understanding mobility. It is shown that the methodological potential for using GPS is related to quantifying mobility and characterising the mobility patterns. The paper concludes that from an analytical point of view, the GPS data can be used in combination with qualitative information to make triangulation. Qualitative information is a valuable help for interpret-ing GPS data. The GPS data can be used prior to qualitative interviews to make informed questions about mobility and they can be used after qualitative investigations to illustrate points made or show inconsistencies.
The widespread notion of Sahelian pastoralists as destitute and powerless is challenged in Paper D. It is shown how a diversity of pastoral livelihood strategies exists in Ferlo. Depending on the possibili-ties and preferences of a household, a certain strategy, or combination of strategies, is chosen and this may change from one year to another. Four ideal types of pastoral livelihood strategies are developed: ‘the traditional pastoralist’, ‘the Tabaski pastoralist’, ‘the commercial pastoralist’, and ‘the non-herding pastoralist’. These illustrate that pastoralists in Ferlo have managed to make the most of mar-ket opportunities while maintaining their ‘pastoral way of life’. Issues such as identity, ethnicity, and religion are important for the pastoral way of life and affect the different livelihood strategies.
Finally paper E provides a more complex understanding of pastoral mobility than the one offered by the new rangeland paradigm. It is argued that mobility should be analysed in the context of livelihood strategies and that attention should be paid to pastoralists’ perceptions of mobility. On the basis of the field studies from Senegal, analytical entry points for discussing mobility in a broader context are outlined. These entry points are used as inspiration for developing the so-called ‘mobility complex’.

Rangelands'  of  Ethiopia  consist  of  diverse
composition  of  vegetation  resources  mainly  natural
grasslands,  savannas,  shrub  lands,  many  deserts,  tundra,
alpine  communities,  marshes  and  wet  meadows,  a  large
number  of  economically  important  species  and  ecotypes,
sustain  millions  of  people and  home's  for biodiversity;  and
used  as  main  feed  sources  of  grazers  and  browsers.  This
appraisal  has  explored  the  rangeland  resources  and  its
current  status,  challenges  and  opportunities  in  Ethiopia.
Currently, its status in danger, seriously degrading owing to
natural  and  human-induced  factors.  Due  to  human
population  growth  and  rangeland  fragmentation,  global
climate  variability  and  changes,  invasion  of  exotic  species
and bush encroachment, occurrence of unplanned fire, and
overgrazing and recurrent drought; rangeland resources  of
Ethiopia  is  under  shrinkage  and  degradation.  Building
resilience  for  its  dynamics,  conducting  participatory  and
community-based  management  system,  rehabilitating  and
managing  invasive  species,  and  sustainable  and  integrated
rangeland  management  practices  are  some  options  for
improvement from current degradation to rehabilitation of
its potential. To conclude, this  appraisal  has indicative role
in  distinguishing  various  rangeland  resources,  its  current
status,  and  their  challenges  and  opportunities  that  seem  to
have  significant  effects  on  the  sustainable  management  of
rangeland  resources  and  its  further  monitoring  and
evaluation  tasks.  Types  of  rangeland  resources,  evaluation
of its abundance,  and appropriate conservation  mechanism
for wise uses and improvement should be focused for further
investigations;  for  sustainable  ecosystem  in  changing
environment.

Balancing the population of large herbivores, whether livestock (such as camels) or wildlife (such as Arabian Oryx) or a combination, is the single most important issue for managing a rangeland.  It is thought that most rangelands are overgrazed, leading to a lower overall capacity to support herbivores.  Evaluating the 'correct' level requires an understanding of biomass production over multiple seasons, and also of the heterogenic nature of arid ecosystems.

Adopting a systems view and regenerative philosophy can indicate how to regenerate ecosystem function on commercial-scale agro-ecological landscapes. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing management is an example of an approach for grazinglands. Leading conservation farmers have achieved superior results in ecosystem improvement, productivity, soil carbon and fertility, water-holding capacity and profitability. Their method is to use multiple paddocks per herd with short grazing periods, long recovery periods, and adaptively changing recovery periods, residual biomass, animal numbers and other management elements as conditions change. In contrast, much research on grazing management has not followed adaptive research protocols to account for spatial effects, for sufficient time to produce resource improvement, sound animal production, and socio-economic goals under constantly varying conditions on rangelands. We briefly review what management has achieved best outcomes and show how previous reviews of grazing studies were limited in scope and applicability to larger, more complex landscapes. We argue that future research can provide better understanding of how multi-paddock grazing management can improve socio-ecological resilience in grazing ecosystems, while avoiding unintended consequences of possible management options, by involving realistic scale and context, partnering with innovative land managers on real operations, applying adaptive treatments, and combining field studies with modelling approaches.

Dispersal of biota by humans is a hallmark of civilization, but the results are often unforeseen and sometimes costly. Like kudzu vine in the American South, some examples become the stuff of regional folklore. In recent decades, “invasion biology,” conservation-motivated scientists and their allies have focused largely on the most negative outcomes and often promoted the perception that introduced species are monsters. However, cases of monstering by scientists preceded the rise of popular environmentalism. The story of tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), flowering trees and shrubs imported to New England sometime before 1818, provides an example of scientific “monstering” and shows how slaying the monster, rather than allaying its impacts, became a goal in itself. Tamarisks’ drought and salt tolerance suggested usefulness for both coastal and inland erosion control, and politicians as well as academic and agency scientists promoted planting them in the southern Great Plains and Southwest. But when erosion control efforts in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas became entangled with water shortages, economic development during the Depression and copper mining for national defense during World War Two, federal hydrologists moved quickly to recast tamarisks as water-wasting foreign monsters. Demonstrating significant water salvage was difficult and became subsidiary to focusing on ways to eradicate the plants, and a federal interagency effort devoted specifically to the latter purpose was organized and continued until it, in turn, conflicted with regional environmental concerns in the late 1960s.

Bush encroachment leads to land degradation in semiarid to arid regions. Over 45 million hectares of agricultural land in Namibia are affected. This is worrisome as nearly 70% of the Namibian population depends on agricultural activities and the beef industry is the mainstay of the farming communities. This study employed secondary data sources to provide a review of the problems and benefits of bush encroachment in Namibia. The phenomenon has led to decreased biodiversity, degradation of the functions and structures of ecological ecosystems, lowering the grasslands’ carrying capacity, displacement of wildlife, as well as impacting groundwater recharge. Encroachers include species such as Senegalia erubescens, Senegalia fleckii, Vachellia nilotica, Vachellia luederitzii, Vachellia reficiens, Colophospermum mopane, Rhigozum trichotomum, Terminalia prunioides, Terminalia sericea, Senegalia mellifera and Dichrostachys cinerea. In 2018, the beef industry made at least US$ 184 million dollars. This amount could have been more, if the carrying capacity of the grazing lands was not reduced. On the other hand, the encroachers offer extra income from de-bushed wood material, including income from charcoal industry, which currently flourishing. Namibia is presently one of the main charcoal exporters and made close to US$34 million during the year 2018, putting the country on a first 1st position in Africa and 11th position worldwide. This brings a dilemma in managing the encroachers, as to whether to eliminate them and improve the grasslands or to allow them to grow for other benefits. The study concludes that while trying to improve the ecosystems by de-bushing, managing de-bushing needs to be sustainable. There is also a need for research to largely focus on evaluating the trade-offs between the problem and opportunities.

In this article we argue that stockmanship is an integral—albeit over-looked and underappreciated— part of range management. Low stress herding has been used to improve grazing distribution on large rangeland landscapes with continuous, season-long, or other relatively extensive grazing management. However, it may be that its most powerful application is in more intensive grazing management methods, either in combination with or in place of fences.
Strategic grazing management involving concentrated cattle and movement across the landscape over time—if strategically planned and adaptively managed—can have substantial benefits for rangeland health and livestock production, improving wildlife habitat, and capacity to coexist with potential predators. The higher our stockmanship skill level and the more manageable our cattle, the easier it is to undertake some form of strategic or planned grazing and, consequently, the more likely we are to do it, and the more likely it will be successful.

The world’s rangelands constitute an important global resource. Range has been defined by
the society for range management as land which supports vegetation useful for grazing on
which routine management of that vegetation is through manipulation of grazing rather
than cultural practices. Grazing systems are biological systems controlled by: a- the biotic
factors of climate and site, b- the management inputs and decisions of man, and 3- internal
regulatory mechanisms involving feedback.
General introduction for dry lands in which, most of rangelands are distributed, refer to
areas with primary productivity limited by water. They cover about 40% of the land surface
and contain about one fifth of the human population. This population is typically
convergent on areas with relatively lower aridity, further intensifying the stresses on these
marginal lands. The concept of marginality applies to these dry lands in a socio-economic
sense, where the inhabitants commonly suffer poverty and lack of resources. Anthropogenic
activities are almost entirely responsible for these factors. Included with, over-utilization of
vegetative cover through improper rangeland management, poorly planned conversion of
rangelands to croplands through irrigation schemes, and degradation of soil quality through
salinization and input of chemical pollutants. The impacts of these factors on the human
society are quite profound and often lead to trans-migration to other eco-regions as well as
social and political strife. Thus approaches for management of dry lands resources must be
viewed in the broader socio-economic context by providing the opportunities for local
communities to explore viable, alternative livelihoods while maintaining their own cultural
and societal fabric. Many approaches for managing the scarce water resources are available
and form the underpinnings of overall resource management in drylands. These include
water harvesting techniques, safe re-use of treated wastewater for irrigation, improving
ground water recharge and deficit irrigation. Newer approaches of drylands aquaculture
using brackish water and ecotourism also hold considerable promise for the future
(UNU/MAP/UNESCO, ACRDA, 2003).

Rangelands are complex systems because the dynamic relationships between their parts result in self-organization, emergent properties, and
unpredictable behavior. This panarchy of nested adaptive cycles that oscillate between order and chaos is what many land managers call “the real world.”
Considerable debate in the rangeland profession, and especially within the ranching community, surrounds our notions of the efficacy of planned grazing management to achieve plant community, livestock production, and profitability goals. A variety of rotational deferment, rest, and grazing approaches have been promoted and applied by managers from geographically disparate regions. Rotational grazing (a single herd moved through multiple paddocks) in particular has been applied in many variations (e.g., rational, high-intensity/low-frequency, short-duration, time-control, management-intensive, or cell
grazing). Often rotations are installed on a rigid calendar basis, sometimes adapted to unique on-site conditions. It is ironic that the phrase grazing “system” as popularly used tends to imply rigid application—the polar opposite of the word’s meaning in systems theory. Such grazing “systems” can be simple or complicated solutions to complex problems. Studies that compare grazing “systems” are inconsistent, and most have found little or no advantage of rotational over continuous grazing. Particularly disappointing to managers who
use rotational grazing is the apparent inability to document differences in plant growth and recovery or animal production, particularly in more arid environments. The lack of clear advantages of rotational grazing is especially apparent when pastures are small and lack plant species diversity. We have come to realize that it is especially hard to demonstrate the impacts of any grazing “system” when animal movements are applied on a rigid schedule for the sake of scientific rigor, a common conclusion of recent scientific literature.
And yet, substantial evidence is documented in scientific and case studies, and the practical experience of individual ranchers, indicating that strategic grazing management—if well-planned and adaptively managed— can have profound effects on the landscape, animal production, and ranch economics on individual landscapes. The discrepancy has been noted by scientists who suggest that our profession must do a better job of documenting range management at the landscape scale, identifying and recording the variety of factors associated with adaptive decision-making, and consider a less controlled approach to studying comparisons of grazing ”systems.”
Our classic approach to range science is still effective in isolating individual portions of ecosystems, but practical experience within the context of complexity has shown that researchers and managers must expand our frames of reference. The papers within this sponsored issue are intended to move the profession beyond debate as suggested by Brown and Kothmann in 2009 and Briske et al. in 2011.

The Fast Track Land Reform in Zimbabwe adversely affected environmental
management. The study sought to establish the presence and functionality of institutions for
rangeland management in Zimbabwe in Fast Track Resettlement areas. Data was collected
using questionnaires and interviews. A total of 30 questionnaires were administered on each
household, randomly selected to get their perspective on rangeland management issues. Key
informants were also interviewed to understand the trajectories of rangelands management. Data
from questionnaires was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
Results revealed that there was a dearth of relevant institutions for the management of
rangelands as a common property resource. It was concluded that lack of robust institutions,
particularly in Fast Track Resettlement areas was at the core of rangeland deterioration. In order
to enjoy the full benefits of the fast track land reform, robust technical support has to be availed
to reduce environmental degradation taking place in the area.
Keywords: natural resources, land reform, institutional development, rangelands, common
property resource.

This study uses Landsat data and Tasseled Cap Transformation green vegetation index (GVI) technique to assess the condition of rangeland resources in the Sahel region of West Africa. Three representative zones in the sahelian region of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger were selected for this study. Satellite data covering fifteen years period was used to assess the extent to which rangeland resources have degraded on a country by country basis between 1984 and 1999. The study results show all three countries in the study area experienced vegetation decline. However, loss of vegetation cover was most pronounced in the northern part of the study area than in the south. This decline could be attributed to changing temperature and rainfall gradients.

Animal source foods (ASF) are essential for proper human development and function. Livestock in general, and ruminants in particular, are essential components of our sustainable global food systems. Of significant worldwide impact, diets with higher-than-recommended levels of ASF can correct the symptoms of metabolic illnesses, offering hope in arresting the current worldwide epidemic of diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Most dietary policy and recommendations are based on the ill-founded belief that plant-based, high-carbohydrate diets are “healthy.” High-quality scientific evidence does not support the belief that vegetarian diets are healthier than omnivorous or animal-based diets. A Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction (TCR) lifestyle approach has demonstrated its efficacy in reversing Insulin Resistance (IR) and the non-communicable diseases associated with, or caused, by it. True sustainability is a multifaceted topic consisting of societal, economic, and ecological aspects...

Zamfara Grazing Reserve, which started as a forest reserve in 1919, was a well forested area containing various species of flora and fauna. In 1960, the Northern Regional Government, with the help of the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) selected it for the development of grazing. A combination of factors that include the 1972/73 drought, shift in national focus during the oil boom period, the advent of the Local Government Areas and massive deforestation resulted in its misuse and neglect.

Present efforts aimed at rehabilitation and management of the reserve are not yielding the desired results because of lack of coordination of such efforts, encroachment on the reserve due to the tremendous increase in population of the surrounding settlements, high level illiteracy resulting in ignorance and poverty, and the ineffective top-down decision making process that erodes confidence in and acceptability of Government development programs.

A holistic approach is imperative for sustainable development and management of the reserve. Such comprehensive and coordinated programs should include; a well defined right of use and control of the reserve, agrosilvopastoralism, mass awareness campaigns stressing self-help, self reliance and literacy, appropriate incentives based on local initiatives, and effective grazing management that would ensure adequate provision of infrastructure, control of indiscriminate grazing and ensure discipline in the use of the reserve.

“When you’re taking a product from the land… all of the energy that we make use of comes from the sun,” rancher Dennis Moroney reminded the audience at “Sustainable Rangelands Through Low-Input Grassfed Production” during the 2010 annual meeting of the Society for Range Management (SRM).  The ecological resilience, economic viability, and social sustainability of grazing lands and the livestock industry may be maximized through grassfed livestock production, which relies on biological diversity and ecological complexity with minimal external inputs. 
Grassfed livestock production keeps land in permanent vegetation, rather than annual crops harvested, trucked, and fed to animals in confinement.  Potential benefits of shifting land use from cropland and feedlots to perennial pasture include reductions in soil erosion, pesticide and fertilizer use; and increases in biological diversity, soil fertility and soil carbon sequestration.
Relative to grain-fed beef, in terms of meat and protein production, grassfed beef is more energy-efficient, and was previously shown (1981) to be more cost-efficient.  The fossil fuel consumption of grassfed meat production may be only half that of grain-finished meat production,  and Americans could still exceed their recommended daily allowance of animal protein without grain-finished meats.  And, demand for alternative livestock products, such as grassfed, local, organic, and humanely raised, has risen in recent years; for instance, organic meat sales increased from negligible in 1997 to over $600 million in 2008;  and according to a recent national survey of chefs, locally sourced meats and sustainability are the first and third ranked top food trends in 2011.
The Society for Range Management and the American Grassfed Association (AGA) held the symposium on low-input grassfed livestock production at Working Landscapes: Providing for the Future, the 63rd SRM annual meeting, on 11 February 2010 in Denver, Colorado.  The producer-oriented session involved five presentations by ranchers producing grassfed meat or genetics primarily on native rangelands of the western U.S., and one presentation by dairy-farming veterinarians, all of which can be considered case studies of the experiences and observations of the authors; as well as one scientific study, an overview of grazing management, and presentations by the American Grassfed Association and the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance.  American Grassfed Association sponsorship enabled ranchers, many of whom were not SRM members, to attend the session; those who spoke became members of SRM through Colorado Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative scholarships.  Videos of the presentations are available on the Society for Range Management website.  This article summarizes the presentations.

... arid rangelands is into a two-phase mosaic comprising shrub patches and intershrub areas, with the former acting as sinks for water and other water-conveyed resources, of which the latter act as sources ([Bergkamp, 1998], [Lavee et al., 1998], [Eddy et al., 1999] and [Galle et al ...

The causes of land degradation in the African drylands have been shown to vary. Some researchers consider climate to be the major contributor to degradation, with anthropogenic factors playing a minor role. Others reverse the significance of these two factors. A third group attributes land degradation to climate and anthropogenic factors equally. This study was undertaken to establish the factors influencing land degradation in a semi-arid environment in southeastern Kenya and the rate of change in vegetation types for a period of 35 years (1973-2007). The reduction in grassland cover was used as an indicator of land degradation. Causes of land degradation were determined by a multiple regression analysis. A log-linear regression analysis was used to establish the rate of vegetation change. The multiple and log-linear regression analyses showed: (1) woody vegetation, livestock population and cultivated area to be the main contributors of reduction in grassland cover in the area, and (2) an increase in undesirable woody species, livestock population and cultivated area had a significant (P<0.05) negative effect on grassland vegetation. Increased human population, low amounts of rainfall and drought showed no significant negative effect on grassland vegetation cover. In conclusion, human and livestock population growth and increased agricultural land have contributed to intensive crop cultivation and overgrazing in the semi-arid lands. This overuse of the semi-arid rangelands has worsened the deterioration of the natural grassland vegetation. Citation: Kevin Z MGANGA, Dickson M NYARIKI, Nashon K R MUSIMBA, Dorothy A AMWATA. 2018. Determinants and rates of land degradation: Application of stationary time-series model to data from a semi-arid environment in Kenya. Journal of Arid Land, 10(1): 1-11. https://doi.

Nomadic pastoralism has thrived in Asia’s rangelands for several millennia by tracking seasonal changes in forage productivity and coping with a harsh climate. This pastoralist lifestyle, however, has come under intense transformations in recent decades due to socio-political and land use changes. One example is of the high altitude trans-Himalayan rangelands of the Jammu and Kashmir State in northern India: major socio-political reorganization over the last five decades has significantly impacted the traditional pasture use pattern and resources. We outline the organizational transformations and movement patterns of the Rupshu pastoralists who inhabit the region. We demonstrate the changes in terms of intensification of pasture use across the region as well as a social reorganization due to accommodation of Tibetan refugees following the Sino-Indian war in 1961-1962. We focus in particular on the Tso Kar basin - an important socio-ecological system of livestock herding and biodiversity in the eastern Ladakh region. The post-war developmental policies of the government have contributed to these modifications in traditional pasture use and present a threat to the rangelands as well as to the local biodiversity. In the Tso Kar basin, the number of households and livestock has almost doubled while pasture area has declined by half. These changes have potentially negative consequences for the long-term resilience of nomadic pastoralism as well as for the survival of rare local wildlife. To increase the pastoralist standard of living, having fewer pastoralists may be the only solution, and alternative livelihood options may bring this about. Development programmes should concentrate on enhancing opportunities for herders so that there is a greater diversity of employment opportunities and potentially better chances for the persistence of biodiversity.

• The inaugural Range Practicum incorporated practical, hands-on training and demonstrations into the SRM Annual Meeting and Training, contributing to its "new look" in 2020. The Range Practicum translated stockmanship, packing, horse training, and prescribed fire, as well as agency rangeland monitoring and soils training, into practical skills. It also included rangeland monitoring, soils training, equipment demonstrations, and a small tradeshow.
• The Range Practicum incorporated the 2020 Producer Forum as the transformative Women in Ranching Forum and included a Producer Reception.
• Over 200 rangeland professionals, including students, ranchers, agency managers and specialists, and applied scientists, attended the Range Practicum. Most Range Practicum participants registered for the entire annual meeting.
• Most participants were very satisfied or satisfied with the training sessions. The most popular sessions of the Range Practicum were the handson livestock workshops, specifically the horse and mule packing and low-stress livestock handling, followed by a wild horse demonstration and a hands-on prescribed fire workshop.
• We recommend the Range Practicum be an ongoing event at future SRM annual meetings and trainings. We recommend it include experiential sessions that cannot be included in the traditional format of the annual meeting (e.g., hands-on, with live animals, fire, etc.).

Animal source foods (ASF) are essential for proper human development and function. Livestock in general, and ruminants in particular, are essential components of our sustainable global food systems. Of significant worldwide impact, diets with higher-than-recommended levels of ASF can correct the symptoms of metabolic illnesses, offering hope in arresting the current worldwide epidemic of diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Most dietary policy and recommendations are based on the ill-founded belief that plant-based, highcarbohydrate diets are "healthy." High-quality scientific evidence does not support the belief that vegetarian diets are healthier than omnivorous or animal-based diets. A Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction (TCR) lifestyle approach has demonstrated its efficacy in reversing Insulin Resistance (IR) and the noncommunicable diseases associated with, or caused, by it. True sustainability is a multifaceted topic consisting of societal, economic, and ecological aspects. The enormous suffering and financial costs of chronic illness must be acknowledged. The production of high-quality animal protein and animal fat by ruminants from feed resources humans cannot directly utilize will be fundamental to feeding a growing population. This essential food production can preserve and enhance the diverse environments where it takes place. We need a revolution in our thinking of what constitutes a healthy diet, of what causes chronic illness, of the vital role that animal product play in the human diet, and the essential nature of ruminant animal agriculture in meeting humanity's needs. This will mean overthrowing established policies and institutions, and confronting vested belief systems. We'll need an effort, analogous to the Green Revolution, to develop and deploy the knowledge and technology necessary to meet the needs of the mid-21st Century world.

In this project, we—a rancher and a conservationist—applied low-stress approaches to herding and night-penning cattle at relativelyhigh stocking density (SD) within a rangeland pasture in a larger grazing rotation. We increased herd instinct, and we used SD to increase animal impact in a target area, with benefits for rangeland forage production.
We used leading-edge methods to intensify grazing management within an existing rotation, increasing herd instinct and effective SD with low-stress herding and night-penning. We also showed that the high SDs of the night pens (comparable to SDs in very intensive rotational grazing) could make grazing use more even. The night pens also documented an example of using herd effect to increase animal impact, and positive results of that impact on rangeland forage production.

In March 2011, Rangeland Ecology & Management published
an article by Neal M. Bryan, Val Jo Anderson, and Rachel A.
Fugal entitled ‘‘Disturbance to Surface Lithic Components of
Archaeological Sites by Drill Seeding’’ (Bryan et al. 2011). The
authors present the argument that archaeological compliance
on federal lands can delay the seeding of perennial plants in
disturbed areas, thus allowing invasive species to grow. The
authors then present an experiment in which a mechanical seed
drill was used across an experimental surface lithic scatter to
quantify their stance that archaeological sites receive minimal
damage from mechanical seed drilling. They finally conclude
that ‘‘drill seeding may carry less risk to cultural sites than no
treatment at all’’ and that ‘‘it may be appropriate and
expeditious for agencies to conduct less intense surveys.’’
We feel that the article has several flaws and that the
conclusions are misleading. We have provided the following
rebuttal to clarify some of the archaeological issues.

Traditional ecological monitoring of arid rangelands is labor intensive due to large areas involved, and high spatial variation in biodiversity distribution.  The recent emergence of micro-drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) provides a new tool that has the potential to replace much of the monitoring currently done at ground level or by satellite and manned aircraft, thus reducing costs and improving outputs.  Methods such as block sampling (e.g.; photographs covering 1 km2), transects (e.g.; photographs of 0.1 x 30 km), stills and video could assist arid rangeland management in the monitoring of animal populations, animal health, plant diversity, plant biomass, and anthropogenic influences, as well as the classification of microhabitats.  The aim of this paper is to identify how the technology could be used to deliver practical results for the desert rangeland manager, and identify the tools required to collect and analyze data.