Rangelands and grasslands are highly productive and valuable perennial-based ecosystems that provide a multitude of benefits for society. Yet they are highly threatened throughout the world which was the impetus for the UN designating 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. In North America alone, these ecosystems have contracted by 60-80% due to conversion to intensive agriculture, urbanization, power development, and other causes. While causes of loss vary, wide agreement exists that these biomes are undervalued by society despite their ecological, socio-cultural, and economic significance. This has led to increasingly urgent calls for wide-reaching education campaigns to raise awareness among the public and policymakers, and spur action to stop and reverse losses. In response, we look to the approach of Indigenous Peoples who have and continue to use art as a means of educating and are designing and deploying a pilot mass communication effort. Specifically, we aim to "go beyond the choir" and use "more than facts and figures" by developing 25+ creative, multi-media public exhibits to test the efficacy of arts-based education. We will use a mixed methods research design to evaluate the effectiveness of art in public settings (specifically variables of exhibit venue, media type, and mess aging strategies) to increase awareness and knowledge, and drive behaviour change regarding support for rangelands and rangeland communities. We assembled a team of 30+ professionals across 12+ US western states and the Pacific Islands, Canada and Mexico who will help to recruit, design, and deploy content and exhibits. Content will be digitized and curated in collaboration with the Rangelands Partnership and key subject matter specialists including land stewards, Indigenous communities, rangeland scientists, Extension professionals, an evaluation researcher, and artistic directors. Outreach efforts are a key need identified by diverse groups working and living in rangelands and a clear guide for where limited resources will be most effective will be a critical factor in helping to preserve these lands.
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