History of Rangeland Management

Summary

El guion del video ofrece una visión general de la historia y políticas que han moldeado la gestión de los pastos en los Estados Unidos. Aborda desde las prácticas de los nativos americanos y exploradores, hasta la legislación como el Acta Taylor y la Ley de Conservación de Suelos, pasando por la era de políticas ambientales y la formación de organismos como el BLM. Destaca la importancia de la gestión sostenible y el equilibrio entre el uso múltiple y la protección de la naturaleza.

Takeaways

• 🌿 La gestión de los pastizales tiene una larga historia que se puede dividir en varias eras, desde los nativos americanos hasta las políticas ambientales actuales.
• 🐎 Los nativos americanos utilizaban el fuego para controlar los pastizales y aumentar la disponibilidad de plantas deseadas, lo que influye en la gestión de tierras actuales.
• 🦆 Los exploradores y tramperos introdujeron el ganado mayorero en América del Norte y establecieron las bases para el desarrollo posterior de las tierras.
• 🚂 La construcción de la ruta transcontinental llevó a un auge en la producción de ganado, lo que eventualmente causó la tragedia de los recursos comunes y la degradación de los pastizales.
• 🏞️ El Acta deposesión de 1862 permitió a los ciudadanos estadounidenses obtener tierras públicas, lo que influyó en la expansión y la gestión de las tierras del oeste.
• 💧 El agua es un factor clave en la gestión de tierras y en la supervivencia, siendo esencial para la irrigación, el ganado y la vida humana.
• 📜 La Ley de Tierras de Morill de 1862 dedicó tierras para universidades, lo que influenció la misión de las universidades de enseñanza y investigación en la gestión de tierras.
• 🔥 La 'Gran Quema' de 1910 fue un evento crucial que llevó a políticas de supresión total de incendios y la creación del mensaje de Smokey el Oso.
• 🌱 La ciencia del pastizal es una disciplina relativamente nueva, con Arthur Sampson considerado el padre de la ecología de pastizales y cuyas investigaciones siguen siendo relevantes hoy en día.
• 🏛️ La gestión de tierras públicas comenzó temprano en la historia de EE. UU., con varias agencias y leyes que han evolucionado para abordar la gestión sostenible de los recursos.
• 📋 Las políticas ambientales desde los años 60 hasta la actualidad, como la Ley Nacional de Política Ambiental y la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción, han tenido un impacto significativo en la gestión de los pastizales y la conservación de la naturaleza.

Q & A

¿Qué significa 'manejo de pastizales' y qué aspectos históricos se discuten en el guión?

El manejo de pastizales se refiere a la gestión sostenible de las tierras aptas para el pastoreo. El guión aborda la historia de este manejo, destacando eras y eventos clave como la influencia de los nativos americanos, exploradores y tramperos, los colonizadores y pioneros, y el desarrollo de la ciencia de los pastizales.

¿Cómo utilizaron los nativos americanos el fuego en el manejo de los pastizales?

Los nativos americanos utilizaban el fuego para aumentar la disponibilidad de plantas deseadas, mantener hábitats para animales que utilizaban como alimento y para cazar presas durante las cacerías. También influyó en la forma en que las tierras son utilizadas hoy en día.

¿Qué papel jugaron los animales domésticos en la introducción de ganado en América del Norte?

Cortez y Coronado, al recorrer el suroeste de América del Norte, fueron los primeros en introducir el ganado en el continente. Esto tuvo un impacto significativo en la fauna local y en cómo se manejaban las tierras.

¿Cuáles fueron los objetivos principales de la expedición de Lewis y Clark?

Los objetivos principales de la expedición de Lewis y Clark eran explorar y mapear el territorio recién adquirido por los Estados Unidos, así como estudiar la flora, la fauna y la geografía de la región y establecer comercio.

¿Cómo influyó el Homestead Act de 1862 en la expansión hacia el oeste y el manejo de tierras?

El Homestead Act de 1862 permitió que el gobierno entregara tierras públicas a ciudadanos estadounidenses que se comprometieran a cultivar y mejorar la tierra por al menos cinco años. Esto llevó a una gran expansión hacia el oeste y a la creación de caminos y senderos que facilitaron el desarrollo de la región.

¿Qué conflictos surgieron debido a las prácticas de pastoreo durante el período de la 'tragedia de los comunes' en los pastizales?

Durante la 'tragedia de los comunes', se observó una degradación significativa de los pastizales debido a la falta de manejo y responsabilidad por parte de los ganaderos. Esto resultó en una sobrepastoreo que afectó negativamente la sostenibilidad de los recursos naturales.

¿Qué es el Acta de Enlargement del Homestead y cómo cambió el manejo de tierras en el oeste de EE. UU.?

El Acta de Enlargement del Homestead de 1909 aumentó las 160 acres originales a 320 acres, lo que permitió a los colonos poseer más tierra y, en consecuencia, influyó en el manejo de las tierras y la producción agrícola en el oeste de EE. UU.

¿Qué es el Acta Morrill de 1862 y cómo afectó a las universidades estadounidenses?

La Acta Morrill de 1862 dedicó tierras específicas, secciones 6 y 36 de cada township, a las universidades como parte de la misión land-grant. Esto permitió a los estados vender esa tierra y utilizar los fondos para apoyar las misiones educativas de estas instituciones.

¿Cómo cambió la percepción y el manejo de las políticas de incendios después del incendio de 1910?

El incendio de 1910, conocido como 'El Gran Quema', resultó en una política de supresión total de incendios, lo que llevó a la creación del mensaje de Smokey the Bear. Sin embargo, con el tiempo se reconoció la necesidad de una gestión sostenible de los incendios como parte integral del ecosistema.

¿Quién es Arthur Sampson y qué contribuciones realizó al estudio de la ecología de los pastizales?

Arthur Sampson es considerado el padre de la ecología de los pastizales. Fue el primer ecologista de pastizales en América, el primero en escribir un texto universitario sobre el manejo de pastizales y el primer ecologista de pastizales contratado por el Servicio Forestal. Su trabajo fundacional ayudó a comprender estrategias y técnicas de manejo que se utilizan hasta el día de hoy.

¿Qué es la Ley de Manejo de Tierras Públicas de 1976 y cómo influye en la gestión de las tierras federales?

La Ley de Manejo de Tierras Públicas de 1976 proporcionó orientación sobre cómo manejar para múltiples usos, lo que incluye la recreación al aire libre, el pastoreo, la madera, las cuencas hidrográficas y la vida silvestre en las tierras federales.

¿Cuáles son las implicaciones de la Ley de Política Ambiental Nacional (NEPA) de 1969 para la gestión de tierras y la participación pública?

La NEPA de 1969 requiere que se consideren múltiples acciones antes de tomar decisiones de manejo de tierras y manda una revisión pública, lo que permite a los ciudadanos comentar y contribuir a las decisiones de manejo, tanto positivas como negativas.

¿Cómo se define y se maneja la protección de los caballos y burros salvajes según la Ley de Caballos y Burros Salvajes Libres de 1971?

La Ley de Caballos y Burros Salvajes Libres de 1971 ofrece protección, manejo y control de los caballos y burros salvajes en tierras públicas, lo que significa que están protegidos de captura, marcaje, acoso y muerte. También establece un proceso para manejar poblaciones excesivas, que puede incluir esterilización o control natural de la población.

¿Qué es el Acta de Aguas Claras de 1977 y cómo afecta la calidad del agua en los pastizales?

El Acta de Aguas Claras de 1977 estableció la estructura básica y regulación para los contaminantes en el agua en los Estados Unidos y reguló los estándares de calidad para las aguas superficiales. En los pastizales, el principal contaminante es el sedimento, que se produce después de eventos de erosión, por lo que se busca mantener ecosistemas saludables para minimizar el flujo de sedimentos.

¿Qué es el Acta de Mejora de Pastores Públicos de 1978 y cómo influye en el manejo de los pastizales?

El Acta de Mejora de Pastores Públicos de 1978 reafirma la política y el compromiso de los Estados Unidos para inventariar y identificar las condiciones y tendencias actuales de los pastizales, lo que es importante para mantener y mejorar las condiciones de los pastizales públicos y garantizar la sostenibilidad de los recursos naturales.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Introducción a la Gestión de Pastizales

April Hewlett, de la Universidad de Idaho, nos presenta una visión general de la historia de la gestión de pastizales. Se menciona que abordará eventos importantes a lo largo de diferentes épocas, comenzando con los nativos americanos y los árabes, pasando por exploradores y tramperos, hasta los colonizadores y pioneros. Se destaca la formación del gobierno federal en lo que respecta a la gestión de tierras y la ciencia de pastizales. Se menciona la influencia de los nativos americanos en la gestión de pastizales a través de la caza, la recolección y el uso de fuego para manipular hábitats.

05:00

🐎 Exploradores, Tramperos y Colonizadores

Se explora la introducción de ganado por parte de Cortés y Coronado en el suroeste de Norteamérica y el papel de la expedición de Lewis y Clark en el estudio de la flora, la fauna y la geografía de la región. Se habla de la llegada de 400,000 colonos a través de la Senda de Oregón y sus impactos en el oeste de los Estados Unidos. Además, se menciona el Acta de Asentamiento de 1862, que otorgaba tierras públicas a ciudadanos estadounidenses, y cómo la escasez de agua y la insuficiencia de tierras eran factores clave para la supervivencia en estas áreas.

10:01

🏞️ Conflictos y Cambio en la Propiedad de Tierras

Se discuten los conflictos por los derechos de agua y la propiedad de la tierra en el oeste de los Estados Unidos, con énfasis en la importancia de las aguas para la vida y la producción agrícola. Se menciona el papel de John Wesley Powell en la promoción de una mayor cantidad de tierras para el asentamiento, así como la influencia de leyes como el Acta de Asentamiento Ampliado y el Acta de Asentamiento para Criadores de Ganado. También se aborda la historia de los conflictos entre pastores de ovejas y vacas, y cómo estos conflictos diezmaron a las poblaciones de ovejas.

15:03

🔥 Políticas de Incendios y Cambio en la Gestión de Pastizales

Se narra la historia del Gran Incendio de 1910 y su impacto en las políticas de incendios y la gestión de pastizales. Se destaca la evolución de las políticas de supresión de incendios y la importancia de la gestión de combustibles y el papel del fuego en los ecosistemas. Además, se menciona el trabajo pionero de Arthur Sampson en la ecología de pastizales y su contribución a la comprensión de estrategias y técnicas de gestión.

20:04

🏞️ Organizaciones y Leyes que Influyeron en la Gestión de Pastizales

Se describe el surgimiento y la función de diversas organizaciones como el Servicio de Parques Nacionales, el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de EE. UU., el Servicio de Tierras de EE. UU. y la Agencia de la Tierra Bureau of Land Management (BLM) en la gestión de pastizales. Se abordan leyes como el Acta de Pastizal de Taylor, el Acta de Conservación de Suelos y la Ley de Manejo de Tierras Públicas, que han influido significativamente en la gestión sostenible de pastizales y la protección de especies y hábitats.

25:04

📜 Actuaciones Recientes y Futuro de la Gestión de Pastizales

Se revisan las directrices y ordenanzas recientes que afectan la gestión de pastizales, incluyendo la conservación del gregorio del salvia y la exploración de petróleo y gas en tierras federales. Se destaca la importancia de la historia y las políticas pasadas en la dirección actual y futura de la gestión de pastizales, con énfasis en la necesidad de equilibrar la conservación y el desarrollo sostenible.

Keywords

💡Gestión de pastizales

La gestión de pastizales se refiere a la administración y el cuidado de las tierras destinadas al pastoreo. Es el tema central del video, ya que aborda la historia y las políticas que han moldeado esta práctica. En el guion, se menciona cómo la gestión de pastizales ha evolucionado desde la época de los nativos americanos hasta la era moderna, con el surgimiento de políticas federales y la ciencia del pastizal.

💡Nativos americanos

Los nativos americanos son los pueblos indígenas originales de América del Norte. En el contexto del video, se destaca cómo estos grupos utilizaron el fuego para gestionar los pastizales, aumentando la disponibilidad de plantas deseadas y manteniendo hábitats para la fauna, lo que influenció las prácticas de gestión de tierras.

💡Exploradores y tramperos

Los exploradores y tramperos jugaron un papel crucial en la introducción de ganado mayorero en América del Norte y en la creación de caminos y senderos que facilitaron el desarrollo posterior. En el guion, se menciona a Cortés y Coronado como pioneros en la introducción de ganado, y a la expedición de Lewis y Clark como ejemplo de exploración y estudio de la fauna y la flora.

💡Colonizadores y pioneros

Los colonizadores y pioneros se refiere a las personas que se trasladaron hacia el oeste de América del Norte en busca de nuevas tierras y oportunidades. El guion menciona el Oregon Trail y cómo fue utilizado por aproximadamente 400,000 personas entre 1840 y 1860, lo que llevó a la expansión y al establecimiento de nuevas comunidades en el oeste.

💡Acta de Tierras para Asentamientos (Homestead Act)

La Acta de Tierras para Asentamientos de 1862 fue un acto legislativo que otorgaba tierras públicas a ciudadanos estadounidenses que se comprometían a cultivar y mejorar la tierra. El guion destaca cómo este acto influenció la expansión hacia el oeste y cómo se relaciona con la gestión de tierras y los derechos de agua.

💡Conflictos por los pastizales

Los conflictos por los pastizales, o range wars, surgieron debido a la competencia por los recursos en las tierras del oeste. En el guion, se describe cómo los pastores de ovejas y los ganaderos tenían intereses opuestos, lo que llevó a conflictos violentos y la destrucción de recursos.

💡Incendios forestales

Los incendios forestales son un fenómeno natural que también puede ser causado por actividades humanas. El guion menciona el incendio de 1910, conocido como 'El Gran Burn', que marcó un punto de inflexión en las políticas de prevención y gestión de incendios, llevando a la creación de la figura de Smokey Bear y políticas de supresión de incendios.

💡Ciencia del pastizal

La ciencia del pastizal es una disciplina que estudia los pastizales y sus prácticas de gestión. Arthur Sampson, mencionado en el guion, es considerado el padre de la ecología de pastizales y su trabajo influenció las técnicas y estrategias de gestión de pastizales que se utilizan hoy en día.

💡Políticas ambientales

Las políticas ambientales son leyes y regulaciones que buscan proteger y conservar el medio ambiente. El guion aborda varias políticas, como la Acta de Agua Limpia de 1977 y la Ley de Endangered Species Act de 1973, que tienen un impacto directo en cómo se gestionan los pastizales y se protegen las especies en peligro y sus hábitats.

💡Administración de tierras públicas

La administración de tierras públicas se refiere a la gestión de tierras propiedad del gobierno por agencias como el Servicio de Administración de Tierras (BLM) y el Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos. El guion describe cómo la creación de estas agencias y las políticas asociadas han influido en la gestión sostenible de los pastizales a lo largo del tiempo.

Highlights

History of range management is discussed through various eras, from Native Americans to environmental policies.

Native Americans used fire to manage rangelands for hunting and grazing, influencing land management practices.

Early explorers and trappers, like Cortez and Coronado, introduced livestock to North America, impacting rangelands.

Lewis and Clark's expedition contributed to the understanding of the new territory's ecology and set the stage for development.

Settlers and pioneers used the Oregon Trail for westward expansion, affecting rangeland usage and management.

The Homestead Act of 1862 provided land to settlers, shaping land ownership and management in the West.

John Wesley Powell suggested larger land allocations for settlers due to the West's harsh living conditions.

The Morrill Act of 1862 dedicated lands to universities, influencing land-grant missions and rangeland management.

The Transcontinental Railroad's completion in 1869 boosted livestock production and rangeland usage.

The tragedy of the Commons on rangelands led to overgrazing and degradation due to unregulated cattle sales.

Range Wars in the 1880s and 1890s were conflicts over resources and land usage between different groups.

The 1910 fires shaped fire policies and the U.S. Forest Service's approach to rangeland management.

Arthur Sampson's foundational work in range ecology contributed to modern grazing management practices.

The birth of public land management in the U.S. is traced back to early historical acts and organizations.

The Taylor Grazing Act and Soil Conservation Act were pivotal in managing grazing rights and soil erosion.

Environmental policies from the 1960s to present have significantly impacted current rangeland management practices.

NEPA requires consideration of multiple actions and public review, influencing land management decisions.

The Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 protects these animals on public lands.

The Endangered Species Act aims to protect and recover imperiled species and their ecosystems.

The Clean Water Act regulates water quality, impacting rangeland management to minimize sediment runoff.

The Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 emphasizes the importance of maintaining and improving rangeland conditions.

Recent secretarial orders provide additional guidance on rangeland policies and practices, particularly regarding sage-grouse conservation.

Transcripts

hi my name is april hewlett with the

university of idaho and today we get to

talk a little bit about the history of

range management we can't talk about all

of rangeland management history today

but we can highlight some of the major

events that happened we're gonna break

it down into various different eras as

we work through a timeline we're gonna

start with the arab native americans and

then we're gonna move to explorers and

trappers will then go into settlers and

pioneers followed by rangeland science

throughout these times we also can start

to see the formation of the federal

government concerning land management

following range science we have the

birth of land management where we have

the taylor grazing act and the soil

conservation act we also can see that

the BLM is being formed we then move to

an era of environmental policies and

we're gonna say that's from about 1960s

up until now

we're going to break those airs down

into smaller units starting with the

Native Americans here you can see a list

of tribes in Idaho they've really

focused on survival that means hunting

and gathering are you and they heavily

used on natural products Native

Americans had horses they brought horses

in and the horses grazed the rangelands

the effects of this influence how

immense lands now as well as then Native

Americans used fire they aspire to

increase the availability of desired

plants maintain habitats for animals

used as food and to drive game during

hunts this painting depicts fire being

used to hurt Buffalo on the Prairie but

it also is used for other game in the

western US such as for hunting rabbits

and deer early and explorers and

trappers were known for several

different things Cortez and Coronado

came up through the southwest or the Sea

of Cortez and were the first to

introduce livestock into North America

300 or so years after Cortez in Coronado

we have the Lewis and Clark expedition

Lewis and Clark had two main objectives

one to explore a map newly acquired

territory and two to study the area's

plants animal life in geography and

established trade these lands were

largely unmanaged and this exploration

led way to roads and trails being

created and set the stage for

development following the explorers in

the trappers settlers and pioneers made

their way to the west the Oregon Trail

and its many offshoots were used by

about 400,000 settlers between 1840 and

1860 these settlers were looking for new

land and opportunities on the frontier

they included farmers and miners

ranchers and business owners and their

families only about 80,000 and

up in Oregon many broke off on the route

and ended in Wyoming or Idaho or

traveled to California in Utah

the gold rush brought about a hundred

thousand miners to California some of

these ended up in Idaho between 1861 and

1862 Idaho nearly 24 million dollars

worth of gold was found in the Boise

basin mining area this led to Boise

being named the capital city of Idaho as

people continue to establish in the West

the Homestead Act of 1862 was

established this is the interesting Act

especially considering that it was

issued during the Civil War in this act

the government gave public land to the

West usually a hundred and sixty acres

to u.s. citizens that were willing to

sit along and burn the land for at least

five years US citizens were considered

anyone who had not taken up arms against

the US government had it could include

freed slaves and they had to be at least

21 years old or at least the head of the

household it's kind of interesting to

look at the expansion into the West but

also consider the politics that are

going on with the Civil War so imagine

for a second that you were you are

participating in the Homestead Act what

is one of the factors that you would

consider when you are going to establish

a homestead hopefully you thought of

water water is essential to life water

is needed to irrigate the land water is

needed for livestock water is needed to

sustain our own lives when we look at

land ownership and management naps no

matter where we are throughout the West

here's one for Idaho we can see that

private pieces of land here indicated in

orange are often adjacent to Springs and

streams this becomes really important

especially when we start thinking about

how we manage landscapes today if our

private land

is around the water where do you think a

lot of our wildlife species are located

right also on private lands so with the

Homestead Act they got 160 acres but

this soon proved to be not enough land

to support a livelihood John Wesley

Powell was one of the first explorers to

map the West and to really state that

this is not going to be enough land to

sustain life in the West he suggested

that it should be larger and in fact he

suggests a two thousand five hundred and

sixty acres so quite a bit larger than

their original 160 acres as you can see

here and this quote John Wesley Powell

also identified one of the major

conflicts that we see in the West and

that is water rights and water water is

definitely the limiting factor in most

of our ecosystems over time we started

to see an increase in the amount of

acres that were given in 1909 we have

the enlarged Homestead Act which

increased the acres from six 162 320

acres followed by that we have this

stock raisers Homestead Act in 1916 and

this increased acres to 640 as long as

you have more than 50 head of cattle

another act that's influenced how we

manage Range lands today in the West is

the Morrill Act of 1862 the Morrill Act

dedicated lands specifically section 6

and 36 of every Township to universities

as part of the land-grant mission and

Idaho the University of Idaho is our

land-grant College if you look at the

map you can see that there's a

checkerboard pattern between state of

Idaho lands there's some checkerboard

and private lands basically the morel

act allowed States to sell that land and

to collect the funds and put them in an

endowment to support the land-grant

missions if you click on the hyperlink

the boiler bytes you could learn more

about the morel act with the

Transcontinental run of being completed

in 1869

to the west became easier my name and

the railroad initiated markets for

livestock production

hence livestock production boomed

livestock were put on open ranges or

areas that were good for grazing but

were never claimed under the Homestead

Act primarily because there was no water

source with this increase in livestock

production we ultimately faced the

tragedy of the Commons on rangelands and

basically what that's referring to is

when land stewardship was non-existent

people just wanted to be the first to

get their animals to the open range

regardless of the impact they had on the

sustainability of the natural resources

so we saw a lot of rangeland degradation

or over grazing during this time period

one of the factors that contributed to

the tragedy of the common was the fact

that cattle were sold by the head and

not the pound following the Civil War so

if you think about that how would that

influence cattle ranching essentially

the beef was a byproduct more

importantly the hides were sold off to

the leather industry for belts for

industrial machinery in the east so

these cows cause massive daggered

degradation on the range today cows are

sold by the pound

livestock must be in good condition to

be sold so we already have seen a shift

and a reversal in what caused the

tragedy of the Commons but 1886 drought

low cattle prices and several bad

winters pretty much ended the open range

of livestock their open range led to

range Wars and particularly in the 1880s

and 1890s rangelands have a rich history

of range Wars and conflict there were

multiple kinds of range worse here's a

science from eastern Idaho where they

talked about armed cattlemen at war with

settlers who wanted to plant crops they

both wanted the same resources and they

wanted to use them differently hence

they have conflicts one that you're

probably familiar with is the sheepmen

versus the cattlemen - think about this

one we have two

that are a few different things at this

time why were sheep considered such a

nuisance on the land

how does hurting that sheep differ from

the cattle all of this played into the

part of played a factor in these range

worse so unlike cattle sheep stay

together for the most part those fences

are not always needed and the herders

can move them around to the best places

to graze most efficiently cattlemen

could not do this Calvin have a claim

areas for their ranches hence when

treatment would come and use their

resources they felt threatened and they

felt like they would have a loss which

they probably would

so cattlemen I killed a lot of sheep men

during this time and they poisoned

millions of sheep there were losses on

the cattle side as well but the shipment

definitely were more impacted the 1910

fires are one of the most important

events in history for fire policies and

for the u.s. Forest Service and

rangelands in two days this fire storm

burned three million acres and caused

over 85 fatalities if you click on the

top on the link that's the big burn of

1910 you'll be taken to a short video

it's less than five minutes but it's

worth watching because it describes what

this event was like and you can imagine

what it was like in fire in 1910 with

limited fire suppression techniques at

least nowadays we have a lot more

options this led to complete fire

suppression policies and eventually

smokey the Bears message that only you

can prevent forest fires although the

time it's understandable why you would

want a complete fire suppression

policies we know in the long run that

fuel management and fire is a natural

part of our ecosystem and has to be

managed for in range we face a lot of

fuel buildup because of these

suppression policies as well and they

also experience that and porous

rangeland science is a fairly new

science and one of the first scientist

was Arthur Sampson and he is often

considered the father of rangeland

ecology he had

at first he was the first person in

America to be called a range ecologist

he was the first to write a college text

on range management

he was the first range ecologist hired

by the Forest Service and he did a lot

of the foundational work that helped us

understand different management

strategies and techniques that we use

today especially concerning grazing plat

succession and erosion it's always

interesting to look at some of the early

work of these early scientists in ranch

ecology and Arthur Sampson it's a really

interesting work that is still intact

today and you can actually go visit some

of his research plots there have signs

and postings of what happened this

example is in Ephraim Canyon which is in

central Utah so basically they had a lot

of erosion in and the town of Ephraim

and you can kind of get a sense of that

on the picture of the on the left and

the question is is why are we getting

this erosion how can we stop it they

also had high numbers of sheep at the

time and so Arthur Sampson did a pretty

basic study but still a study that has

influenced a lot of how we manage

rangelands today he basically set up two

different exclosures one he removed

grazing and one he didn't remove grazing

and he looked at vegetation

characteristics in these two different

exclosures and looked at the runoff and

erosion that occurred due to different

grazing practices and strategies and

obviously he found that when we over

graze we increase them out of bare

ground we lower our vegetation and our

erosion potential increases he also

looked at terracing as you can see in

the picture on your right in a strategy

to maintain water in different areas and

again to reduce the risk of erosion

potential so basic studies but

influenced a lot of our grazing

management practices today so the birth

of public land management happened early

on in US history and you don't remember

the

but it's kind of interesting to see the

order and the the way that these

organizations were put together and how

they're functioning today so the

Department of Defense has over fourteen

point four million acres of military

land not all of this land is rangeland

but there is a significant chunk

especially here in Idaho Idaho that is

rangelands the Bureau of Indian Affairs

was established in 1824

it has over 55 million surface acres of

land some of which is rangeland and also

has significant amounts of mineral

States the US Forest Service was

established in 1905 they managed over

193 million acres of national forests

and grasslands the National Park Service

was 19:16 lived over 84 million acres of

national parks US Fish and Wildlife

Service was actually put together in

1940 sometimes people suggest that this

was a little bit earlier but actually

the US Fish and Wildlife Service is a

con was formed when they combined the

Bureau of fisheries with the Bureau of

Biological surveys and when that formed

we have the US Fish and Wildlife Service

the Bureau of Land Management was formed

in 1946 and similar to the US Fish and

Wildlife Service it was two different

offices that were merged together to

create the Bureau of Land Management and

those offices were the general Land

Office and the US grazing service the

BLM is always unique we often just think

about it on the surface area and that's

about 200 and over 245 million acres

they manage but they also manage over

700 million acres of subsurface minerals

and so that's a huge component of the

BLM the Nature Conservancy was

established in 1951 and it's one of the

most influential organizations or

non-government organizations that manage

lands in Idaho Department of Lands they

have over 2.4 million acres right now in

Idaho many of which are Range lands

since the 1860s grazing by sheep and

cattle was free and it was pretty

uncontrolled as we saw when we looked at

open range in the range Wars the Taylor

grazing act provided a mechanism to

manage grazing by doing two different

things one in assertive federal

management of grazing practices and two

it established a system of grazing

rights and fees this essentially ended

homesteading in order to stop injury in

the public land permits and fees were

now required cattlemen promoted the

Taylor grazing act as we know from the

range Wars they retired as sharing

resources with sheepmen who had more

flexibility and could roam where it's

cattlemen couldn't do that leases on

these public grazing lands often went to

ranchers who could provide hay and water

on nearby private lands so again

removing some of the grazing from public

land to prevent over grazing and soil

deterioration in the long run a lot of

sheep operators at this time were forced

out of business and/or many ranches were

converted from sheep to cattle like the

Taylor grazing act the Soil Conservation

Act has probably had the most impact on

the conservation of rain plants its aim

was to reduce soil erosion and this came

after the Dust Bowl or the dirty

thirties and I recommend reading the

worst hard time it's one of my favorite

natural resource books it's super

interesting so I thought or that in but

anyways the Soil Conservation Act was

the birth of the Soil Conservation

Service which is now the Natural

Resource Conservation Service or the

NRCS as mentioned before the Bureau of

Land Management was formed in 1946 when

the General Land Office merged with the

u.s. grazing service since then and

throughout the 50s and 60s and even

today listing great improvement in our

rangeland health we're seeing less over

grazing we're seeing water developments

invasive plant control we can reseed

after disturbances and we've had a lot

of

dances in the science of range ecology

along with advances in the science of

range we also have a lot of policies

that started to happen in the 1960s to

now one of them is the multiple use

sustained yield Act in 1960 essentially

this act defined what multiple use was

and and stated that we need to manage

for things like outdoor recreation range

timber watershed and Wildlife following

this act we have the federal land policy

and Management Act of 1976 this provided

guidance on how to manage for multiple

uses in 1964 we have the Wilderness Act

this X represents the nation's highest

form of land protection it means that

you can't have roads we can't on

vehicles or permanent structures in

these designated wilderness areas in

Idaho we have multiple designated

wilderness areas as you can see in this

map these wilderness areas are managed

by Forest Service Bureau of Land

Management and the National Park Service

here's a list of the ones in Idaho and

you can click on the wilderness connect

link to go to maps of where they are

specifically many of you have probably

heard the term NEPA or the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 this is

a policy that it still influences a lot

of the management decisions we make

today it has many positive and negative

attributes to it some of the positives

are that it requires you to look and

consider multiple actions before you

make any kind of management decisions on

the land so you have to weigh the pros

and cons and the options that you have

to really decide what's going to be the

best for that area it also mandates that

you have a public review period and I

would encourage you guys to google NEPA

that are occurring around the area that

you're in and get involved and make

public review this is a chance to

comment positive things as well as

concerns that you might have

the wild free-roaming horses and burros

Act of 1971 it's still an act that

influences a lot of the management

decisions we make on public lands today

you can see in this quote that Congress

found wild free-roaming horses and

burros to be symbols of the historic and

pioneer spirit of the West they said

that they offer diversity of life forms

and that we don't want to see these

horses and burros disappear from the

American scene in this act

it essentially offers protection

management and control of wild

free-roaming horses and burros on public

land this means that it protects them

from capture branding harassment and

death it also explains a little bit

about what to do if you have excessive

animals the first things you have to do

is one inventory how many animals you

have you then have to set the

appropriate management level to maintain

the multiple resources on that rangeland

the third thing is that you have to

develop strategies to achieve that

management level this could mean that

you might have to use sterilization or

some kind of natural controls on

population levels the Endangered Species

Act is one of the acts that you might be

more familiar with this was issued in

1973 and it's designed to protect and

recover imperiled species and the

ecosystems upon which they depend so not

only is it concerned with individual

species but also the ecosystem or the

habitats at which they depend this

became a pretty big issue for multiple

different species one of the most recent

ones in the West is the sage-grouse in

2015 ESA was no longer warranted for the

sage-grouse and it was not listed as a

candidate species this can change but

hopefully with the conservation

partnerships that have occurred across

the western United States we can keep

the bird from being listed the Clean

Water Act in 1977 may be an act that

you're somewhat familiar with in this

act it established the basic structure

and regulation for pollutants in the

water in the United States and also

regulated quality standards

surface waters on rangeland our main

pollutant is sediments which occur

following runoff events so we want to

make sure that we have healthy

ecosystems where we minimize sediment

flows or erosion runoff as much as

possible the public Ranger Improvement

Act of 1978 reaffirms the nation's

policy and commitment to inventory and

identifying current rangeland conditions

and trends this is important because it

shows that we want to maintain and

improve our conditions on our public

rangelands so that we can maintain and

sustain the natural resources that we

need to meet society's need it also

reaffirms the need to protect wild

free-roaming horses and burros and

charge a fee for public grazing public

grazing is calculated on a yearly basis

and a few of the things that go into

that calculation include the current

private grazie LAN lease rate beef

cattle prices and the cost of livestock

production it has also other factors

that if you're interested in you can go

into the act and find in 2017 the AUM or

an animal unit month is a dollar eighty

seven this is a little bit lower than it

was in 2016 in 2016 it was two dollars

and eleven cents in recent years it

seems like we get more and more

secretarial orders that help us

understand different rangeland policies

and practices secretarial orders are

decisions on important topics that come

from the Secretary of the Interior or

the Secretary of Agriculture for example

here are three in recent years that have

affected how we manage Range lands quite

significantly secretarial order 336 came

from Secretary Jewell in January 2015 in

this order it talks about rangeland fire

prevention prevention management and

restoration and it all kind of circles

around sage-grouse and the habitat that

sage-grouse has it gives us action steps

that we can take and helps us interpret

some of the past policies and practices

three three five three and three three

five four are really recent orders they

came in June and July of 2017 from

Secretary's Enki three three five three

revolves around sage grouse conservation

and the cooperation

western states we saw a great or a lot

of conservation partnerships which have

been really positive in July 2017 they

ordered three through five eight and

this looks at oil and gas exploration on

federal lands and if you remember when

we think about the BLM and that it

manages over 700 million acres of

mineral estates this is really an

important secretarial order these are

all linked to different PDFs so if you

click on them you can read these orders

they're very short two or three pages

but they just provide extra guidance so

that was a really really brief look into

some of the history and the policies

that dictate how we manage Range lands

today it is obviously a very complex

subject and we barely skim the surface

of many of the acts that we talked about

if you're interested in any of them I

would encourage you to go and look at

these acts they're very fascinating and

also consider the history when we're

trying to manage different things we

have to understand where we came from

it's important to remember what open

range where it's important to realize

that there was a time when we had over

grazing but we have taken corrective

action since then and we're definitely

on a positive trajectory for our

rangeland health

it's an exciting future we'll continue

to have policy change as we go forward

but I think there's good things ahead so

whatever you think whether it's good or

bad it all depends on what your

philosophies are for land management and

I would encourage you to critically

think about the things that we talked

about and to think about how that would

influence how you've managed the land in

the future