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Based on the success of our virtual 2020 Rangelands Partnership meeting, the Executive Committee and the Arizona Team have decided to hold regular virtual mini-meetings called RP Roundups. Each Roundup will focus on a theme and last about 1.5 hours. The goal is to provide Partners with a presentation on a topic of interest, followed by a breakout group work session, and finish our time together with a social.
The second RP Roundup will focus on our new website: Rangelands Gateway. Craig Boesewetter and Kim Daly, University of Arizona Communications & Cyber Technologies, will present the new website. Breakout groups will discuss state hosted sites/content transfer and the Rangelands Partnership YouTube channel.
When: September 3, 2020 | 9-10:30am HST | 12-1:30pm PDT/MST | 1-2:30pm MDT | 2-3:30pm CDT | 3-4:30 EDT (Final 30 minutes for socializing)
Where: Zoom or by phone (301) 715-8592, 94314265500
We hope to see you there!
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Partnering on Geotagging Rangelands Bibliographic Records
By Jeanne Pfander and Andrew Antaya
University of Arizona
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In July 2018, Jeanne Pfander was notified by the USAIN (United States Agricultural Information Network) Executive Council that her proposal had been selected to receive the honor of being awarded the first USAIN Research Fellows Award. The goal of the project was to explore available tools and best practices for creating georeferenced bibliographic records, with a focus on rangeland publications.
The original inspiration for the project came from a presentation at the 2018 USAIN 16th Biennial Conference held at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington where Anne Hedrich, Utah State University, gave a lightning talk titled “Mapping Research: Creating a Spatial Interface for Bibliographic Data”, describing work on the Aspen Bibliography project (Hedrich & Rogers, 2018).
The project from the beginning drew on the expertise of range science research specialists at the University of Arizona – specifically Andrew Antaya (Research Specialist) and Sarah Noelle (Research Specialist, Senior). Barb Hutchinson also contributed. At the beginning of – and throughout the project – we have searched the literature for examples of similar projects, with the primary purpose of identifying software and methodologies used to geotag articles in the environmental/field science disciplines. Not surprisingly, many such projects referenced in the literature have used ESRI’s ArcGIS Online software or other proprietary software. Nevertheless, there have been a number of open source platforms described and we decided to focus on two of those – JournalMap and LiteratureMapper.
In year one, we experimented with JournalMap, a freely available platform which enables creation, map-based display and searching of georeferenced records for journal articles (Karl et al, 2013). The lead on JournalMap is our colleague in the Rangelands Partnership. Dr. Jason Karl, University of Idaho.
We initially experimented with geotagging and mapping papers from the Arizona-Utah Range-Livestock meetings, held from 2005 to 2016. The nature of these papers (many of them PowerPoint slide presentations with little explicit reference to a geographic location) led to a shift to a different collection of publications as we explored the next platform of interest, Literature Mapper, developed by Tobias and Mandel (2018).
Using journal articles from the Society for Range Management’s JRM/REM open access collection in the Rangelands Partnership’s Global Rangelands database, we selected as our “test batch” 25 journal articles where the study took place in Arizona. We entered each journal article’s metadata (e.g., title, authors, publication date) into a Zotero collection. We read the “Study Area/Methods” section of each article and attempted to locate the study sites described in each article on an electronic map. Most of these journal articles pre-date widespread use of GPS (global positioning system) devices, so many of the study area descriptions rely on the use of place-names (e.g., Hells Canyon, Juniper Tank).
For mapping/geographic software, we used QGIS, an open-source GIS software program similar to ESRI’s ArcMap. We found that a variety of basemaps were useful to locate study sites. We also found that searching for place-names on Google Maps (in a web browser) was very helpful. Inside QGIS, we used the LiteratureMapper plugin to generate points corresponding to the study site(s) described in each article.
Our work on this project as of August 2020 continues even though the USAIN funded project is complete. Next steps will be to
- Explore options for integration with the Global Rangelands database.
- Monitor developments in JournalMap and other relevant geotagging tools/platforms.
Please contact Jeanne Pfander or Andrew Antaya with any questions you may have.
[Note: This article is modified from a presentation given at the USAIN 2020 Biennial Conference, July 22].
References
Hedrich, A., Rogers, P.C., 2018. Aspen Spatial Bibliography Presentation, USAIN 2018 Conference [Microsoft PowerPoint]. Link
Karl, J.W., Gillan, J.K., Herrick, J.E., 2013. Geographic searching for ecological studies: a new frontier. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 28, 383–384. Link
Tobias, M., Mandel, A., 2018. Literature Mapper. Version 0.3.1. QGIS Plugin. [WWW Document]. Link
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Webinar: Using Peer to Peer Learning in Natural Resource Extension
By Sheila Merrigan
University of Arizona
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Strengthening RREA Programing Through Enhanced Connections: A Web-based Conference Series
Join us in for the 4th webinar in this series | From Dissemination to Impact: Using Peer to Peer Learning in Natural Resource Extension
Date & Time: September 17, 2020 | 1:00pm EDT | Webinar Register
We, as Extension educators, know that information dissemination is not the same as education. But how do we move beyond “dissemination” to encourage stakeholders to reflect and integrate natural resource-based information for actual impact? With more than half of the forests and rangelands in the U.S. under private ownership, and most others managed through local, state or federal entities, how do we work with land managers and owners in order to support complex natural resource decisions for resource health?
This webinar will highlight:
- Dr. Sanford "Sandy" Smith, Teaching Professor in Forest Resources and Natural Resources & Youth Extension Specialist, Penn State University, Peers and Pros 360
- Dr. Eli Sagor, Extension Specialist, University of Minnesota, The Great Lakes Silviculture Library
- Retta Bruegger, Western Region Specialist in Range Management, Colorado State University Extension, Peer-to-Peer Learning in Drought
The recorded session and discussion will be posted on the series website.
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Progress on the Proposal for an IYRP
By Ann Waters-Bayer & Barb Hutchinson
CELEP & University of Arizona
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The first joint meeting of the Mongolian National Support Group (NSG) and International Support Group for IYRP (ISG) was held on 17 August 2020 with 20 participants from countries around the world. The following is a summary of the meeting, which was largely focused on the Mongolian Government’s plans for promoting the IYRP proposal prior to and during the upcoming FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG) meeting where the first formal UN vote will be take place. Another joint meeting of the NSG and ISG is planned for early September.
Mongolia update: The Mongolian Government’s proposal to FAO for an IYRP is on the agenda of the COAG meeting on 28 September–2 October 2020. Mongolia’s new Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry (MoFALI) will send letters to the 127 active country members of FAO to request support for the proposal. The NSG is planning several events in Mongolia in early September, when three ministries will explain to embassies the importance of an IYRP. The NSG also plans to promote the IYRP proposal at the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific on 1–4 September 2020. To prepare for defending the proposal to the COAG, the NSG is determining financial commitments to the IYRP from ministries and organisations, in cooperation with international donors.
Status of new letters of support: Several new letters of support for the Mongolian proposal and also letters of commitment for implementing the IYRP are coming in. It looks hopeful that government ministerial letters of support will be coming from Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan and South Africa, in addition to the letters already received from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Iran. Along with many pastoralist organisations and rangeland associations, the Rangelands Partnership submitted a letter of commitment to COAG outlining more specific planned contributions.
COAG Side Event: The NSG has proposed a Side Event at the COAG meeting but is still waiting for the FAO to approve this and allocate a time slot. As the COAG meeting will be virtual, the Side Event will also be virtual. The idea is to include video presentations with some academic inputs (from both Mongolian and non-Mongolian scholars) about the importance of rangelands and pastoralists, including local voices of pastoralists and inputs from Mongolian Ministries. Preparations for this potential Side Event are underway now. Under consideration is a new website that would provide information, testimonials, short video films and photos of rangelands and pastoralists. It would be highly visual and allow COAG representatives to see and hear pastoralists from different parts of the world. A small group was formed to define the structure and content (including languages) of the website, to clarify where it will be hosted and to collect and select materials to be posted.
Please contact Barb if you have suggestions for photos, short videos, interviews etc. that would help “tell the North American rangelands” story.
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The Art of Range Podcast
Recent Podcast Episodes
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The Art of Range Podcast provides education through conversation with some of the brightest minds in rangeland management. Tip Hudson, Washington State University and member of The Rangelands Partnership, interviews researchers, ranchers, and resource professionals to bring extended discussions on topics that are of interest to all.
SRM Symposium, Adaptive Management of Burned Rangeland. Restoring desirable native species and ecosystem function after wildfire is challenging and frequently unsuccessful. Land managers increasingly recognize the need to practice adaptive management of burned areas at both the project and regional scales. Acting on this recognition will require managers and scientists to develop a shared understanding of their roles and the challenges and opportunities they experience at each step in the adaptive management process. This symposium focused on how science for informing adaptive management of public lands is being co-produced by scientists and managers regarding the objectives of reducing exotic annual grasses, increasing desirable perennial plant communities, and reducing unhealthy fire frequency or fire size in sagebrush steppe.
Dr. Lauren Porensky, Embracing Complexity and Humility in Rangeland Science. Dr. Lauren Porensky is an ecologist interested in plant communities, herbivores, and spatial complexity. Her research focuses on balancing livestock production with conservation and restoration in semi-arid rangelands. She currently investigates the interactive effects of grazing, fire, prairie dogs, and variable weather on plants, livestock, and humans in the northern Great Plains.
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International Report | August 2020
By Barb Hutchinson
University of Arizona
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World Rural Forum (WRF) launched a new website in support of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF; 2019-2028). The focus of the UNDFF is to stimulate the development of public policies and investments in favor of family farming from a holistic perspective, unlocking the transformative potential of family farmers and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It places family farmers at the center of food systems, ensuring food security, improving livelihoods, better managing natural resources, protecting the environment, maintaining culture and achieving inclusive and sustainable development.
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2020 AGRIS Online Community Blog Report. The 2020 Annual AGRIS Community Meeting was held online from 2 to 3 July with hundreds of members of the AGRIS network in attendance, representing more than 35 countries. The virtual meeting was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) as part of the Information 4 Innovation in Food and Agriculture (I4IFA), a series of collaborative online classes pooling expertise and experience from two leading agricultural organizations focusing on increasing the quality and impact of information, knowledge management and data exchange in food and agriculture research for development.
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The COVID-19 pandemic: reflections from pastoral areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has significant impacts in pastoral areas; not least through the effects of lockdown measures on mobility. PASTRES researchers and partners offered a number of reflections on COVID-19 and pastoralism over the past months. This blog acts as a compilation of these contributions with the links to them all below. PASTRES (Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Resilience: Global Lessons from the Margins) is a research program that aims to learn from pastoralists about responding to uncertainty and resilience, with lessons for global challenges.
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