The sustainability of Great Plains rangelands and their ecosystem services is under threat by woody plant encroachment and climate change. Restoring coupled fire and grazing processes through pyric herbivory and mixed species grazing can effectively support rangeland ecosystem function, services, and resilience, but the adoption and public and policy support of these practices have been limited. The aim of the Educator Cohorts of the Prairie Project was to develop agents of change in secondary and undergraduate education through faculty and curricular development and action research to promote rangeland literacy. We organized three 2-year Educator Cohorts each of which starting with an intensive summer workshop focused on current science of rangeland ecology and ecosystem services as well as current learning science and high-impact pedagogy. It was followed by monthly online meetings and individual consultations focused on professional development, community building, and supporting participants in design, implementation, and assessment of their projects. Our work on developing rangeland literacy had four foci: (1) fire and grazing are fundamental processes of rangelands, (2) ecosystem services of rangelands are essential for all, (3) woody encroachment negatively impact these ecosystem services, and (4) pyric herbivory and mixed species grazing are effective climate-smart practices for sustaining rangelands and their ecosystem services. Cohort participants developed high-impact learning modules/lesson plans related to fire and grazing, implemented them in their own classes, assessed the impact on student learning, and presented their work and findings in professional or education conferences to engage peer educators to promote awareness and facilitate adoption to broaden the impact. Pre-and post-surveys of the students in the classrooms of the cohort participants and project team members have shown significant changes in knowledge and attitudes related to rangeland literacy, especially the roles of fire and grazing in sustaining rangelands and their ecosystem services.
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