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Item Our Future Forests: Beyond Bark Beetles(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2014) Heim, Morgan; Ostlind, Emilene; Voos, AaronThe Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests contracted the Ruckelshaus Institute to produce public outreach materials that would help forest visitors understand the bark beetle outbreak. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, we produced ten short films exploring how the bark beetle outbreak affects fire, water, recreation, and other aspects of the forest.Item Pole Mountain Road System Videos(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2015) Freedman, Kit; Ostlind, EmileneTo help the road planning process for the Pole Mountain Unit, five short videos show Forest Service staff members describing how the road system on the Laramie Ranger District of the Medicine Bow National Forest interacts with the surrounding ecosystem and the types of public input they were looking for.Item Research and Devlopment Concerning Coalbed Natural Gas(2008) Ruckelshaus Institute of Environmental and Natural ResourcesDealing with produced water quantity and quality arguably has been the most difficult of the issues surrounding coalbed methane development. This is a report on the findings of a DOE-NETL funded project focused on coalbed methane produced water management.Item Research Needs and Management Strategies for Pallid Sturgeon Recovery(2007) Harold L. Bergman, Ann M. Boelter, Katelyn ParadyThe workshop reported here demonstrates commitment to reversing the pallid sturgeon's historic decline in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, identifies and prioritizes research and management actions to contribute to recovery and outlines some of the challenges that remain.ÂItem Impacts of Wyoming Water Development Commission Regional Water System Projects on Land Use: An Analysis of Two Case Studies(2008) David Cook, Roger Coupal, Jeffrey Hamerlinck, Jenna Heerman, Diana Hulme, Scott Lieske, Donald McLeodThe central message from this report is the need to better link local and state water planning efforts, and to identify mechanisms to chart a new course toward sustainable land and water development. The economic benefits of better coordination between water development and land use planning should also be considered.Item Conservation Easements and Bison Restoration on the Wind River Indian Reservation: Exploring Opportunities, Challenges, and Alternatives(2023) Alyson White Eagle, Kate Gamble, Jacy Rudloff, and Temple StoellingerConservation easements—voluntary legal agreements between a landowner and an organization to permanently limit certain uses of the land—have long been a powerful tool for protecting land and natural resources. But their use on Tribal lands has been limited because their application in the unique context of Native American land ownership and Tribal sovereignty is poorly understood. This report analyzes several different scenarios to explore the challenges and opportunities of using conservation easements to support bison restoration and land conservation on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The findings can inform future efforts to use conservation easements for similar purposes in other Tribal contexts.Item MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program: 2022-2023 Program Update(2023) Not ListedAn update on the first four years of the MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program, covering student engagement, research projects, and outreach efforts led by members of the program, or students and postdoctoral fellows working closely with the group.Item Water, Drought and Wyoming's Climate(2006) American Heritage Center, University of WyomingProceedings of a workshop on "Water, Drought and Wyoming's Climate," to communicate understanding of climate variability related to water, discuss needs of water managers and other stakeholders and facilitate discussion and future collaboration surrounding water in Wyoming.ÂItem Direct Marketing Lessons from Glenn Elzinga(2021) Kate RasmussenIn 1993, Glenn and Caryl Elzinga began their direct-to-consumer business by selling conventionally raised beef in retail stores, restaurants, and farmers’ markets. Glenn admits these outlets were not financially profitable but were invaluable learning opportunities that would pay off later when the couple began selling beef products online. “Selling in farmers markets helped me understand not only my customers but also what their interests are and helped me conceptualize how they wanted the product presented,â€� Glenn said. The Elzingas learned there was a demand for organic, grass-fed beef raised on sustainably managed land and that selling locally wasn’t going to pencil out.Item Keeping Wolves Away with Interns and In-herding(2021) Kate RasmussenWhen the Alderspring Ranch began summering cow-calf pairs in their BLM and Forest Service leases outside of May, Idaho, they needed to figure out how to manage the impact of their cattle on the landscape and keep wolves from taking a toll on their bottom line. Melanie Elzinga and her father Glenn, founder of Alderspring, hauled horses and riders to their 48,000-acre public range every day hoping the human presence would be enough to keep the wolves away. Their effort helped with their wolf issue but the time and resources it took didn’t pencil out. In 2015, Glenn launched a new approach to the challenges they faced on the remote allotment by starting a range riding program.Item Agreement Flexibility Allows Young Rancher to Benefit from Conservation Easement Sale(2021) Kate RasmussenBryant Jones bought the Willow Basin Ranch in southwest Montana shortly after graduating college. He soon began exploring the possibility of selling a conservation easement to help pay down the loan he took out to buy the property. Although a number of entities specialize in conservation easements, Bryant quickly settled on The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Ninety five percent of his ranch in the foothills of the Blacktail Mountains is sage grouse habitat. TNC has a primary interest in preserving sage grouse habitat and was eager to work with Bryant on an agreement to keep the Willow Basin grassland intact forever.Item Agricultural Land Easements Workshop - Rising to the Challenge(2023) Drew Bennett, Travis Brammer In January 2023, the Ruckleshaus Institute and the Intermountain West Joint Venture hosted a discussion-based workshop focused on actionable items to increase the pace and scale of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The facilitated discussion helped participants identify several key action items to improve the implementation of ACEP-ALE: 1) Capacity to implement programs, build relationships between land trusts and the NRCS, and leverage funding using existing models. 2) Information sharing to increase collaboration around and support for conservation easements. 3) Importance of Certified Entities in accelerating easement closings.Item Enhancing Brucellosis Vaccines, Vaccine Delivery and Surveillance Diagnostics for Elk and Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Area(2006) United States Animal Health Association Special Committee on Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone AreaProceedings of a working symposium held in Laramie, Wyoming, of technical experts from around the world assembled with the specific task of addressing the brucellosis vaccine, vaccine delivery and diagnostic challenges of bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area.Item Landowner Perspectives on Big Game Migration Corridor Conservation in Wyoming(2019) Drew Bennett, Nicole GautierResearchers at the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources interviewed landowners and agency personnel with a stake in migration corridor conservation to capture local attitudes and opinions towards big game migration corridor management and conservation.Item Agricultural Water Users' Preferences for Addressing Water Shortages in the Colorado River Basin(2023) Drew Bennett, Max Lewis, Hallie Mahowald, Matt Collins et. al.Researchers in the MacMillan Private Land Stewardship Program and the Western Landowners Alliance surveyed 1,020 agricultural water users throughout six states in the Colorado River Basin to understand their perspectives on the water shortage crisis, their current water conservation practices, and their preferences for strategies to address water shortages going forward. They also conducted qualitative research to capture preferences for local approaches to managing water and provide additional context on dynamics in the Colorado River Basin, including interviews with 12 agricultural producers and water experts and a focus group with 10 agricultural water users in Colorado.Item Cows or Condos: Rancher and Land-Use Outcomes Following Compensated Federal Grazing Permit Waivers(2022) Drew Bennett, Tessa WhittmanResearchers at the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources analyzed outcomes for livestock operations and land-use following compensated waivers of public lands grazing permits.ÂItem Wind Development and Wildlife Mitigation in Wyoming(2012) Anne JackleThis publication draws from scientific, working, and statutory knowledge to provide a survey of current wildlife mitigation practices for wind energy projects—both in Wyoming and outside the state. It also explores what might be next for wildlife mitigation and wind as development moves increasingly to federal lands.ÂItem Natural Gas Development and Wildlife Mitigation in Wyoming(2012) Anne JackleThis primer lays an informational foundation and understanding of terminology for mitigation stakeholders. It outlines the mitigation process (avoidance, minimization, and compensation) and sets the stage for wildlife mitigation triggers and guidelines surrounding natural gas development in Wyoming.ÂItem Market-based Wildlife Mitigation in Wyoming(2013) Kristi Hansen, Anne Jackle, Mary HogartyThis publication contextualizes payment for ecosystem service markets and explains mitigation banking, conservation banking, and habitat exchanges and how these markets might work in Wyoming.Item Governor's Task Force on the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan Final Report(2024) Temple Stoellinger, Steve Smutko, Melanie Armstrong, Birch Malotky, Weston Eaton, Kate Blythe Gamble, Selena Gerace, et al.In 2023, the Bureau of Land Management released its Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rock Springs Field Office in Southwest Wyoming. In response, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon assembled a task force representing diverse Wyoming interests and charged the task force with developing consensus recommendations for revising the Draft RMP to meet the needs of Wyoming stakeholders. Those consensus recommendations, which include 24 agreements in principle and more than 100 management prescriptions, were submitted to governor and to the BLM as a comment on the Draft RMP.