Teaching Resources

This is a resource for anyone helping people learn about rangelands. Share and share alike. We are working on a searchable database of resources, but till then here’s a list. Add a ideas or suggestions below.

Principles of Rangeland Management ~-~-~

Rangeland Principles course by Karen Launchbaugh and April Hulet, University of Idaho, with video lectures, PowerPoints, note guides and suggested readings and activities. Topics include: Resources & Uses, Rangeland Plants, Range Animals, Ecosystems, Ecology & Management. Tests are available to teachers upon request, contact raange@uidaho.edu.

Measuring Rangeland Plant Communities~-~-~

Vegetation Measurement and Monitoring* Online learning modules providing an in-depth introduction into rangeland vegetation monitoring and assessment. Each module includes subject-specific learning modules with video presentations, learning guides, and self-check activities. Topics include: Introduction, Sampling Principles, Sampling Design, Monitoring, Indicators & Descriptors, Density, Frequency, Cover, Vegetation Height & Structure, Biomass & Production, Utilization, 12 Composition/Diversity/Similarity, Remote Sensing for Veg Monitoring, Assessment & Monitoring Programs. Material developed by Laurie Abbot, New Mexico State University, and advanced and maintained by Jason Karl, University of Idaho.

Vegetation Sampling VIDEOS. This list was started by Patricia Johnson, South Dakota State University. If you have have some other good videos, list them in comments below
» Why Do We Monitor Rangelands? (youtu.be/M5qhFkS-6JE)
» Ecological Sites (youtu.be/76pfB5eA0po)
» Variability in Rangelands (youtu.be/HiNeBjz4F3k)
» Estimating Utilization of Forage (youtu.be/TYJDVHMXXZI)
» Estimating Ground Cover (youtu.be/t-jkjsRzYFM)
» Measuring Species Frequency (youtu.be/iedNciZ2ynM)
» Photo Monitoring on the Santa Rita Experimental Range (youtu.be/GHjmM2iAD6s)
» Rangeland Monitoring (youtu.be/cq8NOL0FI8s)

Rangeland Plant Identification ~-~-~

Wildland Plant Identification course by Karen Launchbaugh and Jason Karl, University of Idaho. Resources includes PowerPoint Files of major plants in the Great Plants, Southwest, Intermountain, Pacific, and Great Basin. (This site is continually under construction)

Wildland Plant FlashCards in Quizlet -These are flash card used in the Plant Identification Class at the University of Idaho. You can copy these cards and use them in classes or at least get an idea of how this works.https://quizlet.com/class/2465044/

Digital Herbaria. Most modern herbaria have scanned their collection and made it availble to plant lovers, students and researchers. Here are a few herbabia to get plant specimens.
» Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria
» SeiNet Portal Network Inventory Project – Arizona & New Mexico
» Intermountain Region Herbarium Network
» Consortium of California Herbaria

Rangeland Management ~-~-~

Integrated Rangeland Management course by Karen Launchbaugh, University of Idaho, with video lectures, PowerPoints, note guides and suggested readings and activities. Topics include: Resources & Uses, Rangeland Plants, Range Animals, Ecosystems, Ecology & Management. Tests are available to teachers upon request, contact raange@uidaho.edu.

Exploring and Understanding Range Ecosystems~-~-~

World Rangeland Exploration* or “Wrangle” is a media-rich learning portal overviews grasslands, shrublands, woodlands and savannas across the globe. Includes short videos of resource challenges facing people and the land.

Rangelands on Gigapan – A great way to explore rangleands is to explore the landcapes on gigapan. Look for human uses of land, wildlife and plants. Student can even share what htey find with “snapshots.” Check these out and share more in the comment box below:
→ Santa Rita Experimental Range by Mary Nichols
→ Oak Woodlands by Mel George
→ Mixed Prairies with Sand Sage and Wind Turbines by Mel George
→ Sage-Steppe in Idaho by Sean O’Connor

*Made possible through a USDA NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant entitled “Repositioning Rangeland Education for a Changing World.” (Award # 2010-38411-21370)