Our group has led two workshops—bringing together ranchers, academics, and non-government organizations—to share knowledge regarding best practices in grazing lands management within the western U.S., and to identify community needs for cost-effective soil sampling and rangeland health monitoring.
2021 – Bozeman, MT
Learning about landscape history, soils, and range management at the bison-grazed Green Ranch, CO. photo by Jennifer Watts.
Over 70 participants joined for a two-day workshop on the Montana State University (MSU) campus. Topics covered included range productivity, soil sampling, and remote sensing-enabled tracking of plant and soil health. Field tours were hosted by the Turner Green Ranch and MSU’s Red Bluff Ranch.
2023 – High Lonesome Ranch, CO
Group discussions during the workshop at High Lonesome Ranch. photo by Andrew Mullen.
This invitation-only event hosted practitioners, NGOs, Foundations, and Federal managers for discussions around climate impacts on range health and productivity, and how regenerative management might improve land resilience, increasing carbon and water storage. Other highlights included learning about adaptive grazing practices happening at High Lonesome Ranch, a crash-course on “rangeland needs to action” with a focus on policy and communication, and perspectives from our graphic recorder, Heartwood Visuals.
Graphic summary of topics discussed at the 2023 High Lonesome Ranch workshop in Colorado. illustration by Carrie van Horn/Heartwood Visuals.