What a privilege to be asked by West Texas Rangelands to write a short article about “Five Characteristics of a Rangeland Steward!” My range career started in the seventh grade when I participated in my first 4-H Rangeland Evaluation Contest in Junction, Texas. However, I didn’t learn about rangeland stewardship until I was a junior in high school while attending the Texas Section Youth Range Workshop. Since the inception of YRW, the rangeland stewardship component has been a fundamental component. So important that we start and finish each day with STEWARDSHIP. The following five characteristics of a rangeland steward are in no particular order for I feel that the whole is greater than the parts.
- Rangeland stewards feel that they are “Part of something bigger than themselves.” They are the +H (Human) part of SWAPA (Soil, Water, Air, Plants, and Animals). The steward feels that he/she is part of the system, not master of the system.
- Believing that “The Creation is Good,” as we are told numerous times in Genesis, is another important characteristic of a rangeland steward. It’s inspiring, liberating, and sometimes frustrating to admit that every part of creation has a good component. The rangeland steward seeks ways to exploit the good attributes of often misunderstood plants for the benefit of the whole.
- Rangeland stewards ”Know and Appreciate Plants.” Once you know the name of a plant, you can learn about that plant. Then, you will appreciate the role that plant serves in the ecosystem. This characteristic holds true to learning a person’s name. Once you learn their name (plant or person), you can build a relationship them. (Fun fact: I correctly identified only two plants at that first contest about 40 years ago).
- Knowing that “Rangelands are Sustainable” inspires rangeland stewards. I enjoy listing to Dr. Tip Hudson’s podcast, The Art of Range. Hudson often talks about how rangelands, when managed correctly, can provide multiple services to multiple communities without the degradation of the rangeland resource. Rangeland livestock enterprises have been sustainably managed over 300 years in parts of the United States. When grazed correctly, rangelands can produce food (beef, lamb, venison), clean water, fiber (wool and mohair), and wildlife habitat for previous generations and numerous generations to come.
- Rangeland stewards are “Lifelong Learners.” There is always something to be learned. Whether you learn from reading quality research papers, observing the plant community’s response to disturbances, how animals perform under different management, or listening to another person’s perspective on management, you should always be learning. (Fun fact continued: I don’t know how many plants I know now, but it’s not enough).
Submitted by Lee A. Knox, Associate Professor, TCU Ranch Management Program