Final report for WPDP21-017
Project Information
In Colorado, county-based Extension agents are a vital source of information for their communities. However, these agents are counted on to cover a growing range of topics with reduced resources. In a series of needs assessments and listening sessions conducted since 2014, Colorado ranchers and other land managers have identified range management education as a fundamental need. Unfortunately, because many Extension agents do not have training in the principles of range management, this need goes unaddressed in large portions of the state. At best, questions are passed on to regional Extension Specialists, who do not have the time or resources to cover the range management education needs of the entire state. At worst, landowners are forced to make management decisions without access to accurate, science-based information. In either scenario, a crucial opportunity to improve management is lost, and Extension suffers a decline in relevance in rural areas of Colorado. With this project, we will address the identified needs of land managers by providing range management education to Extension agents across the state of Colorado. Regardless of their background or education, all participating agents will obtain the tools to effectively address range management needs within their community. We will achieve this by reviving the Colorado Range School, a highly successful range management education program that has been dormant for a decade. The curriculum will consist of a series of topical webinars, culminating in a 1.5-day workshop/field day in four regions of the state. With a target of 60 Extension agents completing the program, we expect to reach 25% of all agents in the state, including the majority working on natural resource issues in rural areas. Ultimately, this project will serve as a springboard for improved range management outreach and extension and a revived Range School for the broader public.
Objective 1: Develop and finalize the Range School curriculum by July 1, 2021. Activities: Integrate input from existing needs assessments, local Extension agents, producer-advisors, and successful programs in other states.
Objective 2: Successfully enroll 60 agents in the program by January 1, 2022. Activities: Create and distribute a 3-minute promotional video, promote program via Extension administration and regular regional and statewide meetings.
Objective 3: Increase range management knowledge by delivering five 1-2 hour topical webinars at least three times each by May 1, 2022. Activities: Design materials, schedule with enrollees, conduct webinars, record webinars.
Objective 4: Increase range management knowledge, including field-based skills, by delivering four workshops/field days by November 1, 2022. Activities: Work with local offices to schedule and organize. Conduct workshops and field days.
Objective 5: Evaluate project outcomes to improve Range School by March 1, 2023. Activities: Analyze quiz results to analyze topic choice and presentation. Distribute and analyze post-program evaluation. Integrate findings into curriculum and planning.
Objective 6: Ensure continuity of network and learning community by hosting regular Q&A sessions with statewide/regional range staff, including three Q&A events by April 30, 2023. Activities: Solicit questions for Q&A beforehand. Advertise Q&A. Host Q&A online Q&A.
PI Jablonski has a PhD in Rangeland Ecosystem Science and has taught all of the subjects covered in the program to undergraduate and graduate students at CSU. Co-coordinators Bruegger and Overlin both have master’s degrees in Range Science and have led numerous workshops, field days, and public education programs relevant to range management. The design of the webinars and face-to-face events will be based on the lessons learned from their teaching experiences.
Webinars will be a combination of lectures, videos, exercises, and “flipped classroom” education. The workshops/field days will consist of a combination of pedagogical techniques appropriate to the subject matter. For example, we are excited to incorporate “peer-to-peer” learning into the workshop using the Peers to Pros 360 model, which we think will be useful not only for education of the agents but also for modeling a technique that they can integrate into their own programming. Indeed, much of the program will be designed to model such techniques. The field days will provide hands-on experience in plant identification, assessment of soils, and ecological interpretation.
As Extension employees with existing connections across the state, we will have no trouble reaching out to Extension agents to enroll them in the program. We have already introduced the project on system-wide Zoom calls and have a list of agents who are excited about attending. PI Jablonski is one of the current leads of the CSU Extension Livestock and Range Planning and Reporting Unit, and co-coordinator Bruegger has just finished a three-year term.
The work of the project leads will be the primary inputs on the project. Additionally, there will be system-wide support from CSU Extension, from assistance in promotion from Regional Directors to planning support from local county staff. PI Jablonski is based on the CSU campus and has taught online courses, and so has extensive resources for creating and conducting the online webinars. The financial assistance from WSARE will ensure that these various resources can be most effective.
A Gantt chart that illustrates the project timeline is attached.
Education
After initial curriculum development and feedback from agents, we scheduled 5 training sessions, one in each month from January-May 2022 (see below).
We hosted one field day in 2022 on the eastern plains, and another in western Colorado in 2023. In 2024, we hosted a all day in-person hands-on workshop, an additional field day, a monitoring training and an additional in-person workshop (Objective 4), to deliver information on a pressing range management concerns and dive deeper into topics. We also hosted a follow up Q&A session, and in-person check-ins with participants to provide continued learning opportunities and continuity of the network (Objective 6).
Overall, our approach was to deliver to Extension agents a basic understanding of range science, create opportunities for more advanced learners, and build a community of practice that improves connections between campus and non-campus extension faculty and staff, including among staff with little training in range science. The webinar series offered a basic understanding, while the follow up field visits, workshops, and Q&A sessions provided in-depth information on advanced topics, like virtual fence, pinyon-juniper management, monitoring and rangeland restoration.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Provide an introduction to basic concepts of range science and an introduction to Colorado rangelands
After curriculum development, surveys and discussion to solicit feedback, and program enrollment, we held the first of 5 online training sessions on January 18, 2022. The main aim of this initial meeting was to introduce basic concepts in range science (abiotic vs biotic factors, heterogeneity, disturbance, resilience, and resistance) and describe some Colorado rangelands with which the agents may be familiar. The second aim was to continue to grow our community of practice that we established through those initial feedback efforts.
While 51 agents are signed up for the course, 32 attended this first session, with the others planning to watch the recording due to conflict. The 32 included several who had not previously signed up, as we are not strict on that. We expect attendance to continue to grow. We began the session (as we will in each) with some questions about the subject matter to gage initial knowledge. There were 5 questions, and the average score was 47% correct, with percent correct for individual questions ranging from 9% ("The ability of an ecosystem to absorb disturbance without a change in function is known as"- resistance) to 73% ("Ecological sites are determined by"- climate, soils, topography). At the end of the session we reviewed the questions and all were confident in answering all of the questions correctly.
After a 45 minute lecture plus questions, we went to regional (west/east) breakout rooms for more in depth discussion of individual range ecological sites. Then we returned for review, questions, and discussion. All in all, it was a very positive first session. The recorded session is available on the course website at https://rangemanagement.extension.colostate.edu/education/range-school-for-extension/
Introduce students to the science of grazing management while addressing misconceptions. Provide key takeaways for use when working with managers.
We held the second of the five sessions on February 16, 2022. After a brief review of session one, the subject of this session was grazing management. We began the session by describing how grass and other forage plants grow, which of course has important implications for how livestock grazing is managed. After emphasizing and describing the complexity of grazing management, we introduced four key concepts (timing, intensity, frequency, and intensity) for understanding it. We followed with four key takeaways for extension professionals. Lastly, we had a good discussion about misconceptions and common questions.
We had 23 extension staff attend the session, with a very good discussion that lasted well beyond the allotted 90 minutes. For the introductory quiz, the average score was 66%, with all attendees confident of all answers at the final review. The recorded session is available on the course website at https://rangemanagement.extension.colostate.edu/education/range-school-for-extension/.
Introduce key concepts in assessment and monitoring of rangelands.
We held the third of the five sessions on March 29, 2022. After a brief review of sessions 1-2, the subject of this session was rangeland assessment and monitoring. We began my introducing the distinct concepts of rangeland assessment and rangeland monitoring, and explaining the differences among them. We then described the process of assessing rangeland health, which is a good basis for setting objectives and creating a monitoring program. After introducing monitoring, we discussed practical approaches to rangeland monitoring for land managers, and introduced some new online tools for assisting with this. For this section, the two co-PIs described specific examples from their regions of Colorado, and invited questions and discussion.
We again had 23 extension staff attend the session. Indicative of the general lack of familiarity with these important technical approaches, for the introductory quiz, the average score was 38%. By the end of the session, after discussion, all attendees were confident of all answers at the final review. The recorded session is available on the course website at https://rangemanagement.extension.colostate.edu/education/range-school-for-extension/.
Begin to apply lessons from sessions 1-3 to key issues in rangeland management
We held the fourth of the five sessions on April 19, 2022. After a brief review of sessions 1-3, the subjects of this session were drought, invasive species, and restoration. The goal for these different topics was to begin to apply the lessons learned in sessions 1-3 to current and common issues in rangeland management in Colorado. These topics were split among the three co-PIs, each of whom has expertise in one of the topics. As always, a key goal for these different sections was to give the extension staff usable knowledge and tools to work with landowners and managers.
We had 24 extension staff attend the session. For the introductory quiz, the average score was 57%, with nearly 100% correct for some questions and <10% correct for others, indicating that some topics were better understood than others coming in. By the end of the session, after discussion, all attendees were confident of all answers at the final review. Unfortunately, a technical error led to the failure to record this session.
Introduce adaptive management, an integrated management approach that enables planning, learning, and adaptation.
We held the fifth of the five sessions on May 11, 2022. After a brief review of sessions 1-4, the subject of this session was adaptive management. We began by reviewing our key lessons learned so far: 1-Rangelands are complex and dynamic, 2- Uncertainty is huge, 3-Experience, learning, and adaptation are crucial, 4-Being clear about goals is essential. Because of these facts, we need to be sure to: 1-Capture system complexity as well as possible, 2-Minimize or integrate uncertainty, 3-Integrate all types of knowledge, and 4-Be explicit about goals. We presented adaptive management as the means to achieving these goals. We also presented the current state of understanding of the pros and cons of Holistic Management, a widely known and often successful approach to adaptive management that often includes scientifically dubious management practices and conclusions.
We had 21 extension staff attend the session. For the introductory quiz, the average score was 71%. By the end of the session, after discussion, all attendees were confident of all answers at the final review. The recorded session is available on the course website at https://rangemanagement.extension.colostate.edu/education/range-school-for-extension/.
Apply principles learned during the online sessions and learn field techniques.
On September 20, 2022 a group of 9 extension staff from eastern Colorado attended a full day field day, visiting two different ranches. They discussed grazing management and invasive plants, dug soil pits, examined and confirmed Ecological Site Descriptions, looked at research trials, clipped and measured biomass production, conducted a short Rangeland Health assessment, and had a discussion on range management in relation to the current livestock market, including commodities prices in a drought and strategies for retaining/selling cattle and effects on the range.
Extensive discussion accompanied all topics. The extension staff clearly learned a lot and the field component following the online lectures was remarked upon as being very useful.
Apply principles learned during the online sessions and dive deeper into a specific range management topic: rangeland seeding
5 Extension professionals and interns attended the day-long field day at the Colorado Plant Materials Center in July 2023, where we gained more in-depth knowledge of rangeland seeding, seeding varieties, trade-offs and seeding techniques. This was in response to one of our most common questions we get in Extension "what do I see with?" and "how can I restore degraded rangelands?" The field day was very successful for the individuals who attended. Because of the low attendance, we are planning a repeat event in 2024.
We surveyed attendees using the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research &
Education Program Outreach Survey. 100% of respondents indicated that the tour improved their awareness of the topics covered, and provided new knowledge. 50% indicated that it provided new skills, and 50% marked this as not applicable (NA). 75% indicated that the tour modified their opinions or attitudes.
Provide more in-depth and advanced information on a specific topic for Extension, agency and organizational professionals working in rangeland management.
On March 12, 2024 we hosted a day-long workshop on pinyon-juniper management, in collaboration with the Colorado Section for The Society for Range Management, and the Colorado Plateau Science and Management Forum. This workshop comes out of demand from Extension professionals and other management professionals for more information on these topics. While we are seeing woody encroachment throughout CO, we are also seeing drought-induced die off of pinyon in the southwest, and conflicting management guidelines based on the need for fuels reductions, forage, and conservation for species that depend on pinyon-juniper ecosystems. Thus, it is challenging for Extension professionals state-wide to address landowner and stakeholder questions on if/ when they should pursue brush management. In response, we hosted this day-long workshop featuring speakers from across the region who brought their expertise to Colorado. Perhaps due to the demand for in-depth information on this topic, the workshop was extremely popular, with ~80 people attending due to room capacity. With a registration list of 122, many people were put on a waitlist, and we recorded all presentations to be accessible afterwards and for those who could not attend. See: https://www.cssrm.org/2024-annual-meeting.html. This website is also listed as a product above.
We surveyed attendees using the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research &
Education Program Outreach Survey, with supplemental questions related to our learning objectives. Thirty-three people responded, resulting in a 42% response rate. 100% of respondents indicated that the workshop improved their awareness of the topics covered and provided new knowledge. Results were more mixed on skills: 62% said the workshop provided new skills, and 37% said it did not. 80% of respondents said the workshops modified their opinions or attitudes, while 20% indicated that it did not. To the question "How many people do you estimate you will share some aspect of this workshop with within the next 12 months?," individuals indicated more than 726 people (some wrote qualitative answers, such as "All my coworkers and clients." 79% of respondents indicated "yes" to the question "In the next year I am likely to use some aspect of this project in an education program that I plan or participate in." 82% indicated yes to the question "In the next year I am likely to use some aspect of this project as a resource I will make available." 100% of respondents indicated "yes" to "In the next year I am likely to use some aspect of this project to improve advice/counsel I give." We also measured specific learning objectives, such as if people were more confident in making decisions about pinyon-juniper management after the workshop (68% said yes), and if they understood more about virtual fence (100% indicated yes). Positive feedback from attendees included, "The breakout groups and synthesis felt like an impactful way to help people network and get the audience
involved and invested," and "I think the workshop was eye opening. I learned a lot about PJ and made a lot of connections. Fantastic."
Apply principles learned during the online sessions and dive deeper into a specific range management topic: rangeland seeding especially benefitting those who could not attend in 2023.
We toured the Plant Materials Center in Meeker, Colorado to dive deeper into rangeland seeding, and hear from experts on rangeland restoration. Specifically, we learned about variety selection considerations, seed bed preparation, seed mix considerations, and seeding strategies. 50 people registered for the workshop, including Extension professionals and other ag-adjacent professionals such as Conservation District employees, NRCS, Colorado Parks and Wildlife employees, Bureau of Land Management employees, and private industry consultants. This field day equipped attendees with the ability to give better advice in response to common range management and seeding questions.
We surveyed attendees using the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research &
Education Program Outreach Survey, with a few supplemental questions. 11 of the attendees responded. 100% of attendees rated their experience as "excellent." 100% indicated that the tour improved their awareness of the topics covered, provided new knowledge, and modified opinions or attitudes. 87% indicated that it provided new skills. 87% of respondents plan to use some aspect of what they learned in an educational program they plan or participate in, and as a resource they make available to producers. 100% indicated that they would use some aspect of what they learned to improve advice they give. One respondent wrote, "Excellent tour that helped raise my awareness of a resource in our area! They are doing excellent work that can positively impact many producers and acres (public and private) in western CO."
Increase depth and breadth of Extension educators knowledge and capacity to provide sound advice by providing the opportunity to learn from campus faculty research and ask questions in an interactive session.
We hosted a 2 hour in-depth range science forum where campus faculty presented on their ongoing rangeland research to extension professionals, and answered questions. Topics covered included virtual fence, grazing and wildlife, methane research, and invasive species and restoration.
Extension came away with an increased awareness of what faculty partners and US Dept of Agriculture researchers are working on, and key contacts to approach with questions.
Follow up on the monitoring webinar to teach landowners, extension and Conservation District employees how to collect data, what metrics to collect for what goals, and how to store and enter data.
We hosted 2, 1-3 day trainings for extension, landowners, and Conservation District employees involved in monitoring rangelands. 5 individuals came to the first training, and 3 came to the second. Although these are small numbers, small groups are best for ensuring methods and processes are transferred in rangeland monitoring. At the end of the trainings, 7 out of 8 individuals demonstrated competence in the methods (one individual did not complete the training due to health concerns). We conducted several one-on-one pre-and-post Q&A sessions for participants related to monitoring.
Individuals were trained in standard methods, provided resources, and where they can go for follow up questions. All individuals completed monitoring projects over the 2024 field season.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Year 1- Beginning in fall of 2021 (and with some minor covid-related delays) we began designing a curriculum with input from CSU Extension agents via surveys, polls, and in-meeting discussion. We then enrolled 51 (and growing) agents in the program, and scheduled online trainings from January-May, with plans for field days in summer 2022.
Year 2- We held the first training session on January 18, with participants improving from 47% comprehension of the main topics taught to 100% by the end of the meeting. From February through May of 2022 we delivered four additional training sessions on a variety of topics, using the curriculum designed in consultation with CSU Extension agents. From Jan-May a total of 61 unique extension staff attended the sessions, with an average of 24.6 live attendees and others watching the recorded sessions. The average comprehension on the pre-tests was 56%, with all participants confident of each answer by the conclusion of the session. The full course curriculum, with readings and resources, is permanently available at https://rangemanagement.extension.colostate.edu/education/range-school-for-extension. In 2022, we conducted 1 field day in eastern Colorado.
Year 3 - 2023. We requested and received a no-cost extension until October 2024 to provide an extension in which to host field days (Objective 4), and complete Objectives 5-6. Significant turnover and reorganization within CSU Extension made it difficult to schedule and deliver field days in 2022. However, we hosted one western slope field day in July 2023.
Year 4 - 2024. We hosted 1 in-person workshop in west-central Colorado, and and 4 field days to dive deeper into critical range management topics for 2024. The 1-day workshop was on pinyon-juniper management on March 12, hosted in collaboration with the CO Plateau Science and Management Forum and the CO Section of the Society for Range Management. We recorded the presentations, which form a permanent resource available at https://www.cssrm.org/2024-annual-meeting.html. We also hosted a field tour in northwestern Colorado at the Plant Materials Center to dive deeper into rangeland seedings (June 2024), and 2 separate rangeland monitoring trainings for Extension and other partners (Conservation Districts; landowners) in June 2024. Finally, we hosted an in-person research update for Extension in Fort Collins (Oct. 2024) and a Q&A session for extension on additional programming they would like to see.
The goal of this project was to address the identified needs of land managers by providing range management education to Extension agents across the state of Colorado. Over the course of the proposal, we learned that beyond Extension, many staff working in Conservation Districts, the BLM, NRCS, and beyond lack a strong range background and can benefit for more professional development opportunities in range science. Thus, while we were able to achieve the initial intent of this grant to improve range management competency and skill in Extension professionals, we found important gaps in range science understanding, and the need for regionally-relevant opportunities, in other agencies and groups that are responsible for rangeland management. This was particularly evident in the response to the 2024 pinyon-juniper workshop and virtual fence workshop that we hosted, and in the response to the second Colorado Plant Materials Center Tour. For the pinyon-juniper workshop, we had over 120 registrations for ~80 spots at the workshop. Similarly, we had to cap the Plant Materials Center Tour based on space on trailers used for the tour. Feedback for both workshops was extremely positive. When we asked "What is one thing we can improve upon?" responses indicated "Truly can’t think of anything. It was really great from speakers, break-outs, breaks and food!!" , "No feedback here, I think this was great," "Nothing comes to mind except for adding days for more coverage, or adding a field component," "For a one day effort I think your content is about right, no real recommendation for improvement," and practical suggestions, such as a later start time and improving room acoustics. For the Plant Materials Center Tour, we received the feedback "Excellent tour that helped raise my awareness of a resource in our area! They are doing excellent work that can positively impact many producers and acres (public and private) in western CO," "Very interesting and eye opening," and "I appreciated being invited and will def use the info." This project has opened doors to new collaborations, and venues/ events that work for ag-adjacent professionals whose work impacts rangelands, but may lack formal education in rangeland science. We are excited to build on these collaborations and what we have learned in future events and programs. Land managers, and rangeland sustainability, will benefit from having professionals in agencies, conservation groups, and beyond have a strong grasp of range science concepts and information.