Nevada and Great Basin Workshop for Big Sagebrush State and Transition Models, Accuracy before Precision Sherman Swanson, University of Nevada, Reno Co-convenors, Joel Brown, Gary Brakley Pat Shaver, and George Peacock NRCS

We can be better than our reputation, 4 but we cannot be better than our principles

Principle of economics – 4 Invest for the best marginal reaction

A useful management objective 4 Achievable, 4 Measurable, 4 Worthy of cost to achieve and measure it

Ecological thresholds are big -- REALLY BIG! 4 Fire frequency, 4 Intensity, 4 Invasive weeds, 4 Unnatural grazing, 4 other disturbances,

Principle of negotiations – 4 be hard on problems, –Be easy on people –Get the language right –Be hard on the problems –Get the science right

Reorganize what we know 4 to learn what we must.

Where Clements applies, 4 Use it correctly.

Where it does not, 4 Describe other transitions -- 4 before they become history.

Our society makes decisions 4 that require substantial investments and 4 achieve trivial results.

Until we put our thinking right, 4 we cannot persuade others 4 to make essential investments in rangeland management.

After we put our thinking right, 4 Society will fund rangeland management. 4 Any other course of action will seem silly.

Range people know a lot 4 Only some is recorded in a format useful for 4 focused prioritized decision making,

The symposium on the NRCS National Range Handbook 4 Ecological Sites 4 Vegetation 4 Thresholds 4 Accuracy before Precision

To get there, UNR, NRCS and GLTI held a workshop. 4 We focused on STMs 4 For Sagebrush sites 4 Great Basin 4 Intermountain West

Pooling our knowledge to 4 Record the ideas as accurately as possible 4 Before intensive investments.

We invited selected range ecologists from 7 States: 4 NRCS 4 FS, 4 BLM, and 4 Univ.

Reviewed STMs – Joe Brown, George Peacock etc. 4 Reviewed Sagebrush Ecology – Alma Winward 4 Looked at examples – Gary Brackley and Stan Boltz

Formed teams: Artrt, Artrv, Artrw, Artrw-sandy 4 Describe the States 4 Describe the Transitions 4 Present the models 4 Refine the models

What did we learn: 4 Terms need definition 4 Standards need protocol 4 Process in flux 4 Not 100% agreement 4 Much common thought 4 We’ll hold more workshops.

Until we put our thinking right, 4 we cannot persuade others 4 to make essential investments in rangeland management.

After we put our thinking right, 4 Society will fund rangeland management. 4 Any other course of action will seem silly.

Bad news 4 NV fires 1,600,000 acres 4 $42,000,000.

Good news 4 $42,000, Focused on thresholds 4 First chance for economical transition 4 Last chance to not cross a threshold 4 Creates resistance against next threshold 4 We didn’t burn more -- no seed