Abstract Ranching communities in 10 Western states self‐organized to create conservation organizations affiliated with state livestock associations and supporting conservation efforts compatible with agricultural production. These “rangeland trusts” collectively conserve over 2.7 million acres through conservation easements. We identify these efforts as a type of community‐based conservation based on the collective nature of the efforts and the balance between community needs and conservation. They differ from traditional CBC efforts with ties to industry groups and a focus on private lands that provide public goods. A coalition of rangeland trusts formed in 2006, leading to a form of multilevel governance that establishes operating principles and actively advocates for ranch land conservation. We suggest that existing industry structures can assist to scale out conservation, bridging organizations can facilitate novel interactions and policy change, and tensions on the meaning and implementation of conservation must be navigated at each scale of interaction.

Private lands provide important habitat for biodiversity and are critical to many conservation efforts. With increasing awareness of the importance of private lands, a broad suite of strategies to engage landowners in conservation is emerging. The success of these strategies is contingent on a skilled workforce of conservation practitioners that can scale-up these efforts and meet both ecological and livelihood objectives. Although professional capacity building is an acknowledged priority in the conservation community, the knowledge and experience of conservation practitioners (e.g., individuals working at land trusts and government agencies) has not been widely assessed. Here, we surveyed practitioners in the United States to gauge their familiarity with seven approaches to private lands conservation in different landscape contexts. Most practitioners were familiar with only two conservation tools, conservation easements and direct payment programs (e.g., Farm Bill programs), and familiarity varied among different types of organizations. Although these tools were perceived to restrict residential development and restore habitat, respectively, they had limited reported impact on climate change mitigation or relevance to urban areas. Widespread reliance on just two tools also raises important questions about the vulnerability of private lands conservation efforts to political and institutional changes and the ability to meet multiple conservation objectives in a world undergoing rapid climate and land use change. We argue for targeted efforts to enhance the professional capacity of conservation practitioners to expand the toolbox and achieve multiple conservation goals on diverse private lands.

Dictionary of genetics, including terms used in cytology, animal breeding and evolution , Dictionary of genetics, including terms used in cytology, animal breeding and evolution , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

Exurban development, defined as residential development outside of cities and towns, occupies nearly five times more land in the United States than urban and suburban development combined. Understanding the effects of exurban development on biodiversity thus has important and wide-ranging implications for the planning, construction and stewardship of sustainable communities and surrounding rural lands. To assess the impact of exurban development on mammalian habitat use, wildlife cameras were placed along a unique gradient of landscape permeability through varying densities and configurations of housing development in a rapidly growing rural region of Colorado. Multiple-season species occupancy and relative activity levels were measured in summer and winter seasons. The impacts of exurban housing on mammals were species specific and varied along the development gradient. Bobcats (Lynx rufus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and coyotes (Canis latrans), showed decreased activity and occupancy levels in more developed areas, whereas red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) occurred more frequently in these areas. Other species did not show significant responses to exurban development. In addition, black bears (Ursus americanus) used embedded greenbelts more frequently in high-density exurban subdivisions. Using our development gradient provides ecologically relevant insight into how mammals respond to residential development, and our results demonstrate that some species respond positively to residential development, but that others decline or disappear as the development gradient intensifies. Incorporating well-designed and naturally vegetated open spaces into development projects and minimizing human disturbance could mitigate impacts to mid-large sized mammals in regions undergoing exurban expansion. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Irrigation has increased agricultural productivity in the arid American West, and has greatly altered the natural landscape. This study sought to identify the hydrologic processes linking irrigation canals and reservoirs to wetlands. We mapped wetlands within an irrigation company service area in northern Colorado, measured groundwater levels, and used stable oxygen isotopes to identify groundwater sources. We related vegetation composition in study wetlands to environmental variables to identify the types of wetlands supported by leakage from irrigation conveyance and storage structures. Ninety-two percent of wetlands were visually connected to the irrigation infrastructure. Wetland water tables varied with adjacent canal flow, and isotopic data indicated that wetlands within the study area were recharged solely by canal leakage. Wetland vegetation composition was related to both soil salinity and groundwater depth. Salt flats formed in areas with high salinity, marsh communities in areas with low salinity and higher standing water, and meadow communities in areas with low salinity and water tables near the ground surface. Though land conversion and water diversions have led to dramatic reductions in historic wetland area in some places, it is clear from our study that current agricultural landscapes create wetlands that rely on irrigation water.

•The Art of Range is an educational podcast designed for rangeland practitioners, including ranchers, rangeland professionals, and researchers. Rangeland management is both art and science; the practice of any art depends on mastery of science, a body of knowledge. Rangeland science, as a truly integrative discipline that encompasses soils, plants, animals, people, and economics, invites lifelong learning and cross-cultural learning.•True education is a science of relations; this requires communicating with depth and breadth. The structure of modern life in the developed world promotes thin communication, continuous partial attention, and personal and ideological isolation even as moderns are hyper-connected through digital communication devices. A conversational podcast permits deeper exploration of important topics and promotes synthesis and application to one’s own physical and cultural context.•The Art of Range podcast in 2019 explored a variety of specific topics, such as rangeland management fundamentals, ecosystem monitoring, targeted grazing, managing rangelands for resiliency to climate uncertainty and risk, and understanding and valuing ecosystem goods and services.

Rangelands and Ecosystem Services: Economic Wealth From Land Health? DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v33i5_knight

The Rocky Mountain West is experiencing rapid land use change in the form of residential development. Public land managers, like the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service are increasingly concerned with ecological and management implications of private land use adjacent to public lands. Using fine-grain land use data, collected from high resolution aerial photographs, we quantify human land use composition, patterns, and trends at the interface of public and private land in the Southern Rocky Mountain Ecoregion (SRE) of Colorado. We developed two metrics for assessing land use impacts. The first quantifies the amount of land cover modified (HMc) by human land use and the second estimates the amount of wildlife habitat that is functionally modified (HMfd). In 2005, we estimate that human land use modifies 8% of the total land cover in the Colorado SRE and that 13% of the study area was functionally modified. Agriculture had the greatest impact in terms of area of modified land cover (282,305ha). Residential (exurban) land use had a smaller footprint (HMc) but the close proximity to public lands, dispersed spatial pattern (high HMfd), and rapid increase in rural and exurban housing density observed in the SRE have important implications. This research demonstrates how fine scale land cover data can be used to examine land use pattern and composition as well as track land use change.

Effective conservation requires building strong collaborative relationships. In hundreds of watersheds and communities across the United States, conservation is being reinvented and invigorated by collaborative efforts between federal, state, and local governments working with non-governmental organizations and private landowners, and fueled by economic incentives, to promote both healthy natural communities and healthy human communities.Conservation for a New Generation captures those efforts with chapters that explain the new landscape of conservation along with case studies that illustrate these new approaches. The book brings together leading voices in the field of environmental conservation - Lynne Sherrod, Curt Meine, Daniel Kemmis, Luther Propst, Jodi Hilty, Peter Forbes, and many others - to offer fourteen chapters and twelve case studies that demonstrate the benefits of government agencies partnering with diverse stakeholders; explore how natural resources management is evolving; discuss emerging practices for conservation, including conservation planning, ecological restoration, valuing ecosystem services, and using economic incentives; and, promote cooperation on natural resources issues that have in the past been divisive.Throughout, contributors focus on the fundamental truth that unites human and land communities: as one prospers, so does the other; as one declines, so too will the other. The book illustrates how natural resources management that emphasizes building strong relationships results in outcomes that are beneficial to both people and land.

Conservation BiologyVolume 24, Issue 1 p. 345-348 Potential Effects of United States-Mexico Border Hardening on Ecological and Human Communities in the Malpai Borderlands NATHAN F. SAYRE, NATHAN F. SAYRE Department of Geography, University of California-Berkeley, 507 McCone Hall #4740, Berkeley, CA 94720-4740, U.S.A., email [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRICHARD L. KNIGHT, RICHARD L. KNIGHT Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 102 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author NATHAN F. SAYRE, NATHAN F. SAYRE Department of Geography, University of California-Berkeley, 507 McCone Hall #4740, Berkeley, CA 94720-4740, U.S.A., email [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRICHARD L. KNIGHT, RICHARD L. KNIGHT Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 102 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author First published: 15 January 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01381.xCitations: 7Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Literature Cited Brown, J. H., and A. Kodric-Brown. 1996. Biodiversity in the borderlands. Natural History 105: 58–61. Christen, D. C., and G. R. Matlack. 2009. The habitat and conduit functions of roads in the spread of three invasive plant species. Biological Invasions 11: 453–465. Cole, E. K., M. D. Pope, and R. G. Anthony. 1997. Effects of road management on movement and survival of Roosevelt elk. Journal of Wildlife Management 61: 1115–1126. Curtin, C. G. 2002. Integration of science and community-based conservation in the Mexico/U.S. borderlands. Conservation Biology 16: 880–886. Forman, R. T. T., and L. E. Alexander. 1998. Roads and their major ecological effects. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29: 207–231. Forman, R. T. T., et al. 2003. Road ecology: science and solutions. Island Press, Washington , D.C. Frair, J. L., E. H. Merrill, H. L. Beyer, and J. M. Morales. 2008. Thresholds in landscape connectivity and mortality risks in response to growing road networks. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: 1504–1513. GAO (Government Accountability Office). 2008a. Secure border initiative fiscal year 2008 expenditure plan shows improvement, but deficiencies limit congressional oversight and DHS accountability. GAO-08-739R. GAO, Washington , D.C. GAO (Government Accountability Office). 2008b. Secure border initiative: observations on deployment challenges. GAO-08-1141T. GAO, Washington , D.C. GAO (Government Accountability Office). 2009a. Department of homeland security: billions invested in major programs lack appropriate oversight. GAO-09-29. GAO, Washington , D.C. GAO (Government Accountability Office). 2009b. Secure border initiative fence construction costs. GAO-09-244R. GAO, Washington , D.C. Harrison, S., C. Hohn, and S. Ratay. 2002. Distribution of exotic plants along roads in a peninsular nature reserve. Biological Invasions 4: 425–430. Havlick, D. G. 2002. No place distant: Roads and motorized recreation on America's public lands. Island Press: Washington , D.C. Sayre, N. F. 2006. Working wilderness: the Malpai Borderlands Group and the future of the western range. Rio Nuevo Press, Tucson , Arizona . Shepard, D. B., A. R. Kuhns, M. J. Dreslik, and C. A. Phillips. 2008. Roads as barriers to animal movement in fragmented landscapes. Animal Conservation 11: 288–296. Van Langevelde, F., C. Van Dooremalen, and C. F. Jaarsma, 2009. Traffic mortality and the role of minor roads. Journal of Environmental Management 90: 660–667. Citing Literature Volume24, Issue1February 2010Pages 345-348 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Domestic dogs (Canisfamiliaris) are frequent visitors to protected areas, but little is known about how they affect wildlife communities. We studied the effects of dogs on wildlife communities by comparing the activity levels of wildlife in areas that prohibited dogs with areas that allowed dogs. We measured wildlife activity on trails and up to 200 m away from trails using five methods: (1) pellet plots, (2) track plates, (3) remote triggered cameras, (4) on-trail scat surveys, and (5) mapping prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) burrow locations. The presence of dogs along recreational trails correlated with altered patterns of habitat utilization by several species. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) activity was significantly lower within 100 m of trails in areas that allowed dogs than in areas that prohibited dogs. Small mammals, including squirrels (Sciurus spp.) and rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.), also exhibited reduced levels of activity within 50 m of trails in areas that allowed dogs when compared with areas without. The density of prairie dog burrows was lower within 25 m of trails in areas that allowed dogs. The presence of dogs also affected carnivore activity. Bobcat (Felis rufus) detections were lower in areas that allowed dogs, and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) detections were higher. These findings have implications for the management of natural areas, particularly those that allow dogs to be off-leash.

Conservation BiologyVolume 21, Issue 6 p. 1397-1398 To Save the Earth or to Save a Watershed: Optimism versus Hope Richard L. Knight, Richard L. Knight Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, U.S.A., email [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Richard L. Knight, Richard L. Knight Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, U.S.A., email [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 18 December 2007 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00838.xCitations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume21, Issue6December 2007Pages 1397-1398 RelatedInformation

Why the private land matters when we think about public lands grazing. DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v29i3_talbert

Ranchers as a keystone species in a West that works. DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v29i5_knight