Fifth Grazing Lands Forum

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

Purpose and Objectives

In response to its chartered purpose of promoting cooperation for improvement of stewardship on the Nation's grazing lands, the Forum had the following objectives:

• To discuss and summarize research and education needs of those concerned about grazing lands in order to improve management, productivity, and natural resource uses.
• To develop plans for changing resource management procedures, policies, or political constraints that are barriers to the research and education needs of those concerned with grazing lands.

Agreements and Disagreements

GLF's fifth Forum reached agreement in a number of specific areas, including the following:

• the need to create new electronic data bases and expand linkages of existing data bases through new forms of communication and technology.
• the advantages of long-term funding and interdisciplinary, team approaches to grazing lands research.
• the importance of publicizing some of the more successful applications and practices in this field in order to educate the public about the importance of basic ecosystem research.
• the potential value of Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) techniques to solve public/private land use disputes.
• the educational benefits to GLF members that would be derived through observing and monitoring a CRM demonstration project.

Areas for further discussion included:

• the concept of CRM that more clearly defines tradeoffs between private rights and public expectations in grazing land management.
• the top three messages that GLF members would like to communicate to the general public about the research and education needs of U.S. pasture and range.

Forum discussion was organized into six groups to consider issues identified by the full body of participants. Each of the groups dealt with a separate topic, but all were to respond to three questions:

1. What is a clear statement of the ISSUE?
2. What STRATEGIES would best solve the problem?
3. What PLANS or steps are needed to achieve the desired result?

A summary of each working group's findings is presented below.

ISSUE:

Environmentally sustainable integrated management systems are needed that include soil, water, plant, and animal requirements and are socially, economically, and culturally acceptable.

Environmentally sustainable systems for grazing lands will result in:

• Enhanced productivity and/or profitability
• Improved environmental quality
• Reduced conflict between owners and users, and
• Management alternatives that are economically acceptable, and
• Renewed professional credibility.

STRATEGIES:

three strategies were identified for solving this problem:

1. Apply Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) procedures to identify, plan, implement, and monitor research, education, and management needs.
2. Encourage members of interest groups to develop legislative and budget initiatives and program reviews.
3. Develop interdisciplinary and systems approaches for integrated ecosystem research, evaluations, and management.

PLANS:

1. Data Base Linkage -- Actively promote linkages and cross referencing of data bases to enhance the relevancy and quality of research.
2. Basic Research Applications -- Publicize some of the more successful applications of basic research to increase public awareness of the importance of basic ecosystem research.
3. CRM Training and Application -- Encourage federal agencies to initiate CRM training of field staff and use CRM techniques for research needs identification -- starting in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

ISSUE:

Appoximately 1 billion acres of grazing lands in the U.S. are vulnerable watersheds that are not being optimally managed to produce adequate quantity and quality water required to meet current and future demands of the American people.

Several impediments limit management success:

• Financial and human resources are becoming increasingly inadequate which may severely restrict technology transfer and research.
• Federal, state, and private efforts in research and delivery of technological approaches are uncoordinated.
• Management approaches are usually directed at watershed segments not whole hydrologic units, including riparian and upland systems.
• The private sector is not adequately involved in planning, policy development, and management of grazing lands.
• States do not have all the appropriate and necessary water quality standards and monitoring to determine if standards are met.
• Policy makers often make decisions based on popular opinion rather than science.
• A lack of continuity in methods for data collection, research and demonstration limits federal effectiveness and credibility.
• A lack of public awareness and interest among the public limits management success.

STRATEGIES:

five strategies were developed to solve this problem:

1. Identify gaps in research knowledge and help initiate coordinated research to fill those gaps. Gaps are especially significant in ground water systems.
2. Continually improve the assessment of grazing land conditions and the use of models for predicting the quality and quantity of water.
3. Initiate Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) procedures to involve interested parties in setting priorities.
4. Market grazing lands as the most valuable asset for the production of water quality and quantity.
5. Use a variety of organizations and media to transfer new technology to users.

PLANS:

1. Underground Biomass Research -- Focus attention on the critical need for research on the role of underground biomass on water quality and quantity.
2. Water Quality and Quantity Models -- Encourage model development to assist in data collection, analysis, and forecasting.

ISSUE:

An unstable economic environment in the agricultural sector often contributes to the degradation of the natural resource base and consequently to social and community costs when producers must operate on the margin.

STRATEGIES:

three strategies were developed to solve the problem:

1. Stabilize the economic environment by assisting producers in diversifying their economic base.
2. The most local vehicle should be used to educate and distribute the research information to producers and support service people.
3. Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) procedures should be used to solve economic instability resulting from multiple ownership problems.

PLANS:

1. Diversity Research

   Recommend the Grazing Lands Forum (GLF) Executive Committee coordinate a joint public/private effort (lead by the Society for Range Management and the USDA Cooperative Extension System) to assemble a package of existing (past and current) research on compatibilities of multiple species grazing for diversity purposes. The package would include identifying the grazing and eco-system compatabilities of cattle, sheep, goats, deer, elk, and other pasture and range animals.

   Encourage land grant colleges and universities to identify gaps in grazing land animal diversity knowledge, communicate the needs, and lead in initiating future research efforts.

2. Information Delivery

   Package of existing grazing animal diversity research information channelled from the Grazing Lands Forum Executive Committee to a select group of Soil Conservation District Boards for distribution to District Conservationists and SCS Range Conservationists. Recommend that these packages be distributed to groups of operators in a general public meeting, target specific individuals who may be in financial distress, bankers, other federal (such as BLM, FS) agencies.

3. Coordinated Resource Management (CRM)

   Recommend a joint public/private effort (lead by the Society for Range Management in conjunction with NACD, SWCD, USDA Cooperative Extension System). Recommend monitoring one pilot project to educate agencies and operators on the CRM process. Pilot project initiated either in Utah, Colorado, or Wyoming. Pilot project to be completed by October 25, 1991 (pre-GLF VI).

ISSUE:

The inadequate transfer of technology from research, demonstration, and experience to specific users results in an unnecessary reduction in production, environmental degradation, economic deprivation, and conflict.

Opportunities to improve the flow of information from discovery to application includes breaking institutional barriers and providing more aggressive communication linkages and data base access.

STRATEGIES:

three strategies were developed to solve the problem:

1. Motivate clientele to adopt technologies by involving them in Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) procedures.
2. Improve the competence of technical support personnel by targeting various programs to undergraduate, continuing education, and skills certification students. Provide these groups with access to appropriate data, results, and state of the art tools.
3. Strengthen the linkage of information at the research- extension interface by improving support for regional, long term research and demonstration projects, improving the quality of advisory groups, and providing awards to integrated team achievements.

PLANS:

1. Awards

   Increasing governmental agency support for regional, long-term research and demonstration projects through an awards program that rewards integrated teams that achieve a high level of demonstrated success.

2. Advisory Group Participation

   Have GLF members strive to improve the quality of input to research and extension programs by participating in advisory groups.

3. Coordinated Resource Management Adoption and Training

   Recommend that EPA, USDA, and other agencies with similar programs adapt CRM, provide training, and encourage demonstration projects.

4. Education

   Improve the distribution of student-trainee, workstudy, and similar programs. Support the Registry of Environmental and Agricultural Professionals (REAP) and other attempts by professional societies to recognize professional competence through continuing education.

ISSUE:

The general public is often misinformed and lacks understanding of grazing lands, their uses, values, management needs, and priority for attention and funding.

STRATEGIES:

three strategies were developed to solve the problem:

The first involved gathering factual information and developing some short, concise messages. These messages will be packaged in a variety of forms and directed to various audiences. Examples being considered include posters, Public Service Announcements, videos, and brochures. Proposals for the funding and distribution of these messages will be prepared.

Current Situation:

1. Identify and agree on short concise messages.
2. Gather factural information.
3. Package informaton in a usable form.
4. Use appropriate media for targeted audience.
5. Present message in an attention getting style.

Target Groups:

1. General public
2. Youth groups
3. School kids (k-8th grade)
4. Interest groups (reasonable ones)
5. Elected officials
6. Internally among our own organizations.

Barriers:

1. Communication among Task group and GLF participants.
2. Agreeing on only three message statements.

PLANS:

GLF Approval -- Obtain approval from GLF to solicit needs from GLF participants via two mailings at the 1990 annual business meeting in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Membership Poll -- Poll GLF participants to identify the top three message statements they would like to see presented to the general public concerning grazing lands by March 1, 1991. >Ranking -- Send a consolidated list of the recommended top priority message statements to GLF participants for ranking and comment by May 1, 1991.

Draft Messages -- GLF task group will draft proposed message statements and format for delivery (eg., poster, brochure, video, radio spot message ...) and bring before the GLF for final approval at the 1991 annual meeting.

ISSUE:

Basic research is often lacking, fragmented, or perceived to be unusuable by resource managers, user groups, and the general public.

Management of grazed ecosystems requires basic information that provides the tools for understanding and evaluating processes and interactions among biotic and abiotic components. The consequences of using grayed ecosystems in the absence of the knowledge may lead to: unacceptable risks, environmental degradation, decreased productivity, and a loss of product quality.

The direct beneficiaries of basic ecosystem research will be resource managers and the general public. In order to obtain their information and insure transfer to appropriate uses, new methods must be used and impediments, both real and perceived to basic research, must be removed. Such impediments include: lack of public awareness of research in this area, no long-term funding structure, and little interdisciplinary team research.

STRATEGIES:

three strategies were developed to solve the problem:

1. Emphasize the use of "state of the art" technology - tools, systems, and applications - to link researchers and informational users.
2. Encourage funding for new equipment and facilities to attract and maintain qualified personnel interested in basic ecosystem research.
3. Increase public awareness of the importance of the issue.

PLANS:

1. Sharing Funds

   Foster and maintain long term data bases and monitoring of ecosystem resources by unifying priorites and sharing funding.

2. Interdisciplinary Teams

   Remove impediments to interdisciplinary research by encouraging funding to interdisciplinary teams and by giving appropriate recognition to team members.

3. Data Bases

   Develop new or improved data bases linked to information retrieval systems.

4. Publication

   Develop a publication that highlights the incorporation of basic research into successful management systems.

Tentative topic for GLF VI is "Environmental Impacts on Grazing Lands" at the Hilltop House in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on October 21-23, 1991. Organizations or individuals interested in participating should contact one of the Forum's officers (see above)

Last updated November 27, 1995.