Linkages Between Rangeland Indicator Efforts: Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable and

Heinz Center Programs

Duncan T. Patten

Montana State University

Need for common understanding of changing conditions of the nation’s

ecosystems.Too many “players” and too many approaches• U.S. Forest Service• Natural Resource and Conservation Service• Bureau of Land Management• Environmental Protection Agency• National Park Service• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service• U.S. Geological Survey• State Departments of Natural Resources• State Departments of Wildlife (fish and game)• Local resource agencies• And more……

Diversity of Grassland and Shrublands

Examples: • Tall, mid- and shortgrass prairies• Sagebrush steppes• Florida grassland/scrub• Chaparral and savannas• Deserts• Tundra• Mountain grasslands• pastures

Indicator Concept

“measurable characteristics of the environment, both abiotic and biotic, that can provide quantitative information on ecological resources”

EPA - EMAP

Ecosystem Coverage

Heinz Program• Grass/Shrubland• Forest• Farmland• Freshwater• Coastal• Urban/Suburban

Sustainable Rangeland• Rangeland

Themes or Working Groups

Heinz Program• Extent: system

dimension• Chemical/Physical

Conditions• Biological Condition• Human Use

Sustainable Rangeland• Ecological Health and

Diversity • Soil and Water

Conservation• Productive Capacity• Economic Criteria• Social Criteria• Institutional Criteria

Indicator Development Process

Heinz Program

* Oversight Design Committee

• Small Working Groups• Several Meetings• Comparison With Other

Working Groups• Internal Review• External Review

Sustainable Roundtable

* Planning/organizing Committee

• Large Working Groups• Many Meetings• Delphi Process• Comparison With Other

Roundtables and Indicator Development

• Review

Audience

Heinz Program• National Decision-

makers• National Resource

Managers

Sustainable Roundtable• State and National

Resource Managers• Rangeland Managers

at All Levels

Plan on attending the Heinz Center Program: “Rangeland

Indicators from the State of The Nation’s Report”

Monday, February 18, 2002

At 1:00 pm