2021 Annual Meeting
April 19-21, 2021
Virtual
Meeting Summary
Thanks to all who attended the 2021 virtual annual meeting! The meeting was attended by more than 45 participants and speakers over the three-day event. Given COVID-19 and the tremendous changes of the past year, the theme chosen for the 2021 meeting was Adaptation.
The meeting opened with the keynote talk, Resilience and Relationality: Lessons from the Field, presented by Maria Fernandez-Gimenez, Professor, Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University. Sharing her experience about social-ecological resilience and reminding us all about the importance of learning, sharing knowledge, leading by example, cooperating, strong social networks, maintaining diversity, living with change, listening to the land, traditional knowledge, and innovative/new ideas.
Updates were shared on international range activities, particularly focusing on the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), IYRP communication team, and IYRP panel at the International Rangelands Congress. Additionally, several of the RP’s RREA NFF projects provided updates including: Shrub Encroachment Project Update and Webinar Series
Following the success of the 2020 state report format, presentations were created in advance for people to view prior to the meeting so the time on the agenda was used to discuss the reports. Most people used narrated PowerPoints. The most widely discussed topic of state reports was extension work.
Rangelands Gateway has launched! This long anticipated new website replaced Global Rangelands, Rangelands West, and the membership site. All Rangelands Partnership websites are now integrated into a new, modern platform. During the meeting, the partnership toured the website, discussed the transfer of state-specific content, and the need for continued work on Topics.
The NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Grazingland Information System (RangeDocs) team presented the new RangeDocs website and demonstrated the application. A follow-on RREA NFF project will create outreach materials for the tool.
The Marketing and Social Media action group performed a needs assessment for an upcoming WSARE funded project that will help Partners learn more efficient and effective online marketing strategies. The Collections and Content Management group discussed plans to prioritize print resources to digitize and add to the Rangelands Gateway collections. The Sustainability and Membership action group brainstormed ideas for reaching out through SRM and agency meetings and building closer ties with other organizations; providing learning opportunities; and developing targeted products.
During the next year, the partnership will submit the new WERA proposal. Ashley Hall (Arizona) was elected to be the new secretary, Nancy Marshall (South Dakota) will move into the vice chair role, and Krista Ehlert (South Dakota) will move to the chair position. Retta Bruegger agreed to host the 2023 meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado. Travel awards will be available for several new members. RP Roundups will continue to be hosted in 2021-2022. We are looking forward to a productive year for the Rangelands Partnership.
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