Professional Activities
Synergistic Activities
Editor-in-Chief Rangeland Ecology & Management, 2008–2015: Responsible for all academic aspects of publishing the premier international journal addressing global rangeland issues. Activities include management of the editorial board (26 members with a strong international presence), coordination with the managing and production editors at Allen Press, and numerous aspects of Journal promotion. The Journal receives over 200 submissions from authors world-wide and publishes 720 pages per year.
Academic Coordinator for USDA Rangeland CEAP, 2007-2011: Academic coordinator for the Conservation Effects Assessment Program (CEAP) of the USDA-NRCS Resource Inventory and Assessment Division. The goal of this national program is to provide an evidence-based assessment of the effectiveness of major rangeland conservation practices on environmental quality and ecosystem services. The current program involves nine academic teams, totaling 36 scientists. Recommendations of this initiative will inform policy makers of science-based priorities to effectively allocate funds to rangeland conservation systems in the current and subsequent Farm Bills.
Invited Presentations
International
Re-envisioning global rangeland stewardship: an ecosystem services framework. International Grassland and Rangeland Congress, Nairobi, Kenya, October 2021 (virtual).
Rangeland management in the 21st century. X Congresso Internacional de Manejo de Pastizales, Durango, Mexico, February, 2021 (virtual).
Rangeland Management: Anticipating and responding to 21st century challenges. VIII Argentinian Rangeland Congress, Chamical-Olta, Argentina, May 2018.
Rangeland goods and services: Identifying challenges and developing strategies for continued provisioning. Plenary presentation, X International Rangeland Congress, Saskatoon, Canada, July 2016.
Rangeland Management: assessing the past to create the future. Annual meeting of the Mexican Society for Range Management, Mexico City, Mexico, September 2013.
Range Management: Evaluating intensive versus extensive strategies. Patagonian Rangeland Sustainability Workshop, Chilean Agricultural Research Service (INTA), Punta Arenas, Chile. June 2012.
Management and policy options for Inner Mongolian grasslands: a social-ecological perspective. Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot China. August 2009.
Management and policy options for Inner Mongolian grasslands: a social-ecological perspective. International Symposium on Regional and Global Network of Grassland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, August 2009.
Information and technologic needs for global rangeland monitering: what do they need to address?. (Keynote address) International Grassland Rangeland Congress, Hohot China, July 2008.
Texas warming and rainfall manipulation (T-WaRM) project: growth form contrasts in oak savanna. Joint U.S.-European Union Global Change Workshop sponsored by TERACC and NSF, Elsinore, Denmark. May 2006.
Vegetation responses to grazing: have unifying principles emerged? Symposium presentation at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. February 2006.
Increasing precision in describing ecological thresholds, drivers and indicators. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Montreal, Canada. August 2005.
National
Global rangeland stewardship needs transformational change. International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists Symposium, Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Boise, ID, February, 2023 (virtual).
Replacing the rangeland marginalization narrative with one of planetary value. International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists Symposium, Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Albuquerque, NM, February, 2022 (virtual).
Vulnerability of Great Plains grasslands, beef cattle production and rural economies to climate. The Nature Conservancy, July, 2021 (virtual).
Vulnerability of beef cattle production to future climates in the Great Plains. Symposium presentation, Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Denver, CO, February 2020.
Unpacking the equilibrium-nonequilibrium debate: Lessons learned and future perspectives. Symposium presentation, Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Minneapolis, MN, February 2019.
Ecological models underpinning rangeland systems: Equilibrium, nonequilibrium and beyond. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, New Orleans, LA, August 2018.
A rangeland odyssey: From equilibrium to nonequilibrium and beyond. Leu Lecture Series, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, November 2017.
Resilience and resilience-based management derived from long-term vegetation records. Symposium presentation, Annual Meeting US-International Association for Landscape Ecology, Asheville NC, April 2016.
Background, limitations and recommendations for NRCS Prescribed Grazing Standard. Invited presentation, NRCS Grazing Land Science and Technology Strategic Planning Week. Federal Center, Fort Worth, TX, March 2016.
Conceptual advances that have transformed the rangeland profession during the past 25 years. Symposium presentation, Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Corpus Christi TX, February 2016.
Knowledge sources, flows and challenges. Symposium presentation, Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Sacramento CA, February 2015.
Managing knowledge, people, and natural resources to provide ecosystem services. Symposium presentation, Americas Grassland Conference, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, September 2015.
Integrating adaptive management into rangeland research: looking forward. Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Spokane WA, February 2013.
Adaptation strategies to sustain ecosystem goods and services with climate change. Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, Spokane WA. February 2012.
State-and-transition models: current status and future direction. Plant and Wildlife Science Department, Brigham Young University, Provo UT. October 2011.
Grasslands in a Global Context, symposium celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Konza Prairie LTER Program and 40th Anniversary of Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas State University, Manhattan KS. September 2011.
Can the current rangeland research agenda resolve future challenges? USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins CO. June 2011.
Rangeland CEAP: The next generation of rangeland conservation practices. Annual Meeting of the Society for Soil and Water Conservation, Washington DC. July 2011.
Rangeland CEAP briefings with members of the USDA National Program Staff. Washington DC. July 2011.
Rangeland CEAP: Status Report. Briefing to representatives of the NRCS, BLM, USFS and EPA, Washington DC, June 2009.
Rangeland CEAP Findings. Briefing to the USDA Resource Conservation Act (RCA) Program to inform the 2013 Farm Bill, Washington DC, May 2010.
Rangeland CEAP Literature Synthesis: Conclusions and Recommendations. Annual Grazing Land Conservation InitiativeMeeting, Reno NV, December 2009.
Development of comprehensive grazing policy guidelines: context and objectives. Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Albuquerque NM, February 2009.
Conservation effects assessment program rangeland literature synthesis: prescribed grazing. Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Albuquerque NM, February 2009.
Grass and juniper responses to modified precipitation seasonality and warming. Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Louisville KY, February 2008.
State-and-transition models: recommendations for resilience-based application. Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management, Louisville KY, February 2008.
The detection of catastrophic thresholds: perspectives, definitions and methods-Synthesis and conclusions. Ecological Society of America Meeting, Memphis TN, August 2006.
State-and-transition models and ecological thresholds; bridging theory and application. State-and-transition model theory workshop, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR, August 2006.
Impact of altered precipitation distribution and warming on tree and grass life forms in oak savanna. Principal Investigator Workshop, National Institute for Global Environmental Change-Department of Energy, Tulane University, New Orleans LA, June 2005.
State-and-transition models and ecological thresholds: bridging theory and application. Leu Distinguished Seminar Series, Center for Grassland Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. October 2005.