This webinar examined risks to power systems on public and private forests and rangelands, as well as evaluating how proper management can improve electricity reliability and mitigate wildfire danger. Panel moderator: Anne Beard, Manager, Vegetation Management and T&D Asset Management, Public Service Company of New Mexico. Panelists: Randy Miller, Director, Vegetation Management, PacifiCorp; Reggie Woodruff, Energy Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service; Tom Sullivan, Audit Committee Chair, Right-of-Way Stewardship Council. Watch, download presentation slides.
This webinar examined the economic and environmental impacts of wild horses and burros on western rangelands, as well as responsible and humane management of those populations. Panel was moderator: U.S. Representative Chris Stewart (UT-2). Panelists: Kathleen Clarke, Director, Utah Public Lands Coordinating Office; J.J. Goicoechea, Eureka County Commission Chair, Eureka County, NV; Callie Hendrickson, Executive Director, White River & Douglas Creek Conservation Districts in Rio Blanco County, CO; Tammy Pearson, Commissioner, Beaver County, UT; Dr. Eric Thacker, Professor of Wildland Resources, Utah State University. Watch, download presentation slides.
This webinar examined new developments for increased resilience to the threats posed to western rangelands by invasive species, drought, wildfire and other stressors. Panel moderator: Jeremy Maestas, Sagebrush Ecosystem Specialist, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service. Panelists: Chad Boyd, Rangeland Ecologist, Research Leader, Burns, Oregon, USDA-Agricultural Research Service; Brian Mealor, Director, University of Wyoming Sheridan Research and Extension Center; Jay Kerby, Southeast Oregon Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy. Watch, download presentation slides.
This webinar examined the causes and effects of litigation over federal natural resource decisions, and the potential to use alternative dispute resolution in concert with (or in lieu of) traditional litigation. Moderator: David Dreher, President, Foresight LLC; Panelists: Jim Riley, Principal, Riley and Associates; Laura Ziemer, Senior Counsel and Water Policy Advisor, Trout Unlimited; Susan Jane Brown, Wildlands Program Director and Staff Attorney, Western Environmental Law Center; Chris French, Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, U.S. Forest Service. Watch
This webinar examined a cross-boundary effort for cooperative grazing management between a variety of federal and state agencies in Idaho. Moderator: Curtis Elke, State Conservationist for Idaho, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service. Panelists: Karen Launchbaugh, Director, University of Idaho Rangeland Center; Dustin Miller, Administrator, Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation; Chris Black, Chair, Board of Directors, Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission, and June Shoemaker, Idaho State Director for Resources, Bureau of Land Management. Watch, download slides
Prescribed fire is a tool for land managers to address wildfire mitigation needs, combat invasive species and improve wildlife habitat. However, prescribed fire is often underused due to concerns about visible smoke, legal liability and possible effects on state implementation plans for air quality. The webinar examined challenges facing the use of prescribed fire and opportunities to expand the use of prescribed fire as an element of responsible land management. Watch, download slides
This webinar examined aspects of water quality and land management practices on western forests and rangelands in the wake of wildfires. These included pre- and post-wildfire practices that reduce impacts on water quality and ecosystem health and models for addressing forest health and water quality issues through public-private partnerships. Watch, download slides.
This webinar examined innovative ways for federal land managers to form collaborative, cross-boundary partnerships with local tribes. A case study highlighted work done with the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands. Moderator: Susan Johnson, Regional Tribal Relations Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service; Panelists: Governor J. Michael Chavarria of Santa Clara Pueblo; Dan Svingen, District Ranger, Ft. Pierre National Grasslands; Dr. Shaun Grassel, Wildlife Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Department, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe; and Robert Sloss. Watch the webinar, download slides.
This webinar provided an overview of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) tools — facilitation, mediation, arbitration and collaboration — and how they can be used to improve outcomes in forest planning and decision-making processes and avoid litigation. Moderator: Dan Adams, Principal of The Langdon Group. Panelists: Paul De Morgan, Senior Mediator, RESOLVE; Susan Hayman, Senior Associate, Enviroissues; and Scott Horngren, Attorney, Western Resources Legal Center. Watch, download slides.
