Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative-Professionals Training

Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative-Professionals Training

Summary

The Western SARE Grant Project titled “Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative-Professionals Training” (CRMI Training) had a great year and is preparing for a training and follow-up webinar.  As the new Project Manager, I am getting up to speed on the success of the practicums this past year, as well as working with key leaders from stakeholder organizations such as the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado State University Extension, BLM and NRCS in setting dates for trainings to take place this year.  I have also been in the process of ordering supplies and materials that will be used at the upcoming CRMI training course.

Objectives/Performance Targets

We originally set objectives over having four target area for workshops: NorthWest Colorado, SouthWest Colorado, West Central Colorado and Eastern Colorado.  We have achieved our goal in the workshops since Fall 2014.  We are now trying to set up follow-up webinars in the area where we held the workshops in order to remind participants of information from the workshop or to gain participants that were not able to attend the workshops.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Training was held in Salida at the end of January last year with strong help from the U.S. Forest Service.  The workshop focused on methodology for monitoring, provided landowners and managers with key resources to be successful and an in depth tutorial on the CRMI database.  There were 12 producers, 5 Forest Service, 2 BLM and 2 state representatives in attendance.  There was great feedback about all in attendance, especially commenting how they benefit by a hands on training, and in some cases, a refresher course. 

CRMI Workshop_Salida Jan 29 — Example agenda from workshop.

In April, we held a similar workshop in Conejos, CO with over 25 attendees (20 ranchers, 3 BLM, 2 Forest Service, 2 state, 1 Colorado State University Extension Agent, 1 environment group representatives).  Topics covered were rangeland monitoring tools, hands on plant identification and transect techniques, monitoring methodologies and indicators and an in depth explanation of the CRMI database.  In this workshop, we tried to stress the importance of methodological recording (methods of CRMI) of range as opposed to visual and personal observations.  It is also helpful to have both ranchers and agency personnel in the same room, learning similar techniques.  If they are trained similarly, then there should be little conflict in practice.

Example agendas and fliers for workshops

 At the end of June, we held a range monitoring field day in Craig, CO (See attached pictures).  Participation and attendance were great with participation from the forest service and local extension offices (6 producers, 4 representatives from the environmental community, 3 state).  The workshop was similar to the previous two. 

Photos from the range monitoring field day in Craig, CO

The end of July, we held a similar workshop in Fairplay, CO with the exclusively the Forest Leadership (about 20 USFS representatives) for all Colorado Forests.  We had the opportunity to address the group on CRMI and training on the program.  Overall, we had a successful year of trainings and interest among  forest service employees.  This was a unique opportunity to get most of Colorado forest service field representatives trained and briefed on the methodology and field training on CRMI.  It continues to be a challenge in gaining interest from other stakeholder groups, but opportunities like this, helped gain interest from stakeholder agencies.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

As I begin planning for a workshop and follow-up webinars this year, the uncertainty of weather continues to be an obstacle.  In order to avoid this, we are planning on having our first workshop in late spring.  I started as assumed Project Manager in October 2015.  I am coming up to speed on the progress over the past year and plan to continue the success that the workshops have seen thus far.  The goal of the project continues to be to have more rangeland professionals trained in all aspects of the Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative, as well as informed about the benefits of CRMI.   Those professionals will then take that information and pass it down to landowners and land managers to implement on their properties.  Overall, we have seen an increase in awareness and knowledge for the program and hope to continue to get stakeholder agencies informed.    

Collaborators: