Milestones in Range Management

Abstract

RANGE management has just reached one of its most important milestones -the formation of a professional society. In fact, this organization with its own printed journal represents far more than an ordinary section marker or even a township corner post. It is better compared with the setting up of a base line which will orient and guide range managers for all time. We have been a long time in organizing the society considering that our job is concerned with half of the United States -more than 700 million acres in the West and 200 million acres or more of forest and open range in the South. It is high time range men were banding together to attain nation-wide recognition as a professional group. May we grow strong and take our rightful place with other technical groups such as ecologists, foresters, agronomists, and animal husbandmen, and with organizations of ranchers and stockmen. Although our organization is new, the profession of range management already has a long history. This is an appropriate time to review the milestones that have been reached. Some of these are: 1) attaining control of range lands, 2) early development of principles and improved practices, 3) coordinating grazing with other land services, 4) research to develop scientific knowledge, 5) extension to disseminate research results to stockmen, 6) action programs to get good management into practice, 7) working for stability of range use, and 8) developing educational facilities to train range managers. These accomplishments were made by practical range managers, researchers, and educators working together. This brief article does not allow space to cite all names and references for a full account. For the latest general compendium of range management information see Stoddart and Smith's text (3), and for details on research see The History of Western Research (5). For the most complete information on the extent and condition of ranges as of 1935, see The Western Range (4).