Rangeland Monitoring and Wildlife Populations

Abstract

The capability of agricultural producers to monitor the condition and trend of the rangelands on which they operate should not be limited to plant communities. The purpose of this article is to underscore the importance of monitoring wildlife populations and their critical habitats. Agricultural producers should be aware of the many wildlife species that inhabit public and private rangelands. Wildlife species should be part of their range monitoring program. Agricultural producers and their employees are present on specific rangelands more often than the state and federal employees that are mandated to manage the variety of resources on those rangelands. This presence, along with the observations and development of good note taking skills and documentation, will lead to a better understanding of the condition and trend of wildlife populations on various habitats. Such knowledge will benefit the resource as well as the agricultural operation. The objective of this monitoring program is to communicate with the various entities (state, federal, special interest) what you have learned and to help better understand the complexity associated with wildlife species and their habitats. This will improve the chances of making better management decisions on rangelands and integrated agricultural operations.