Becoming a skilled rangeland manager starts with a solid understanding of ecology. Those who manage, conserve, and restore natural landscapes mush understand how soil characteristics, succession, grazing, fire, and climate change affect plant communities. Ecology is the engine that rangeland managers harness to accomplish management goals such as creating sustainable livestock enterprises, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and wild open spaces.

To prepare students for careers in rangeland management, the Department of Rangeland Ecology offers degrees in Rangeland Ecology and Management, Range Livestock Management, and Fire Ecology and Management. Students choose a career track to further define their degree option.

Rangeland managers secure careers with a variety of private individuals or organizations and government agencies.

• Federal land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service hire range managers to oversee the use of public rangelands.

• State agencies charged with managing publicly owned lands, such as state departments, agriculture, or lands, also hire range managers. State wildlife management agencies also hire range managers to manipulate wildlife habitat.

• Private landowners also employ land managers to manage livestock operations, enhance hunting programs, and manage forage resources through fire or herbicide use.

• Biological assessment companies require the careful measurement and assessment of vegetation resources; therefore, they often hire rangeland professionals. Some range management careers focus on gathering information for environmental impact statements, environmental assessment, and rangeland monitoring programs.

• A growing number of rangeland professionals work as natural resource facilitators to bring user groups together to agree on appropriate rangeland uses and management. For example, facilitators may bring groups concerned with rangeland preservation together with livestock producers to craft plans for environmental stewardship.

• The US Governments (Office of Personnel Management) Classifies the "Rangeland Management Specialist" as professionals that "require primarily professional knowledge and competence in rangeland management to perform work involving the preservation, development, and management of rangelands. This includes the ability to analyze and protect the natural resources, to develop programs and standards for rangeland use and conservation, and to advise State officials, and private and Indian landowners in rangeland management practices." (GS-0400 - Biological Sciences Group)

• The Rangeland Management Specialist is designated as the GS 454 Series -  which "covers positions that manage, supervise, lead, or perform professional or scientific work that involves conserving, developing, and managing rangelands. Rangelands are public or private lands on which the native plants are predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, herbs, or shrubs."  (www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0400p.pdf - page 28)

• Rangeland management involves "analyzing and protecting natural resources, developing programs and standards for rangeland use and preservation, and advising officials and landowners on rangeland management practices. Rangelands include grasslands, savannas, shrub lands, riparian properties, pastures, hay lands, deserts, tundra, alpine communities, coastal marshes, and wet meadows."(www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0400p.pdf - page 28)

• Rangeland management has a "large ecological component. Rangeland management specialists provide technical recommendations on managing public and private rangelands for ecological improvement consistent with objectives set forth in land use planning documents. They manage rangelands and their various resources to meet the present and future needs of the public. Resources include vegetation, soil, water, timber, minerals, wildlife habitats, historic and prehistoric resources, wilderness, scenery, open space, and a rural way of life. Use of rangelands include (www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0400p.pdf - page 28):

  • livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, recreation, water, timber production, and mineral development;

  • producing forage for domestic and wild grazing animals, including wild horses and burros;

  • protecting threatened and endangered plant and wildlife species; and

  • various recreational activities.

• Rangeland management specialists "prepare both short- and long-range land use plans in consultation with Federal and non-Federal agencies and the public. The plans provide an in-depth analysis of the environmental, economic, and social effects of each proposed alternative action. Plans are subject to detailed scrutiny by Federal agencies and various public interests, including diverse interest groups that often have diametrically opposed goals and objectives. Other rangeland management specialist responsibilities include

  • developing conservation plans, designing technical surveys, and supervising construction;

  • developing contractual agreements between agencies and private landowners and/or contractors;

  • submitting reports to Congress;

  • protecting cultural resources; and

  • working with Federal, state, and local conservation agencies.

• To carry out their responsibilities, rangeland management specialists apply knowledge of sciences, such as plant, animal, and soil sciences; watershed, habitat, and wildlife management; ecology; animal husbandry; economics; hydrology; agronomy; soil conservation and management; livestock management; recreation management; and forestry (www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0400p.pdf - page 28).

Basic Requirements according to the Office of Personnel Management
(http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/IORs/gs0400/0454.htm)

1. Degree: range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows:
   • Range Management--At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning.
   • Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences--At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable.
   • Related Resource Management Studies--At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management.
   OR
2. Combination of education and experience--at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

The Society for Range Management administers a program to certify individuals who have the professional credentials required to plan and implement sound management of rangelands as a means of improving the standards of professional expertise used in managing public and private rangelands. Granting of the status of "Certified Professionals in Rangeland Management" by the Society for Range Management signifies that the individual so designated has met the basic qualifications to do professional work in this field and has not been found to engage in unprofessional conduct. (http://www.rangelands.org/cprm_public/).

Education

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree, preferably in range science/management or closely related field.

• Completion with a grade of “C” or better in the following subjects:
  » Rangeland plant identification
  » Rangeland vegetation management
  » Rangeland animal management
  » Rangeland ecology
  » Plant physiology
  » Rangeland or natural resource policy and planning
  » Rangeland vegetation measurement
  » Basic soil science (at least one course that includes some taxonomy)
  » Range economics or microeconomics plus natural resource/environmental economics
  »  Interpersonal communications and discussions

• The educational requirement must be completed prior to accumulation of qualified experience.

Experience

At least five years of full-time experience is required. Only work directly related to rangeland management or administrative duties directly related to rangeland management will be counted toward the experience requirement. Qualifying experience may consist of employment in ranching, land management agencies, consulting, teaching, research, extension or technical assistance, or other types of rangeland
resource management/ use. Qualifying experience is defined as activity demonstrating professional competence in the science, art and practice of effectively managing and using, for human benefit the natural resources that occur on and in association with rangelands. At least one course should be taken in each of the following areas:'

• Vegetative Management – use of grazing or other biological agents, chemical or mechanical methods, or fire to control vegetation structure/composition or for revegetation.
• Animal Management – grazing systems or other practices to control numbers, distribution and timing of grazing to reach a natural resource or animal production objectives.
• Planning and Policy – development of rangeland management plans and analysis of laws and policy pertaining to them.
• Measurement and Assessment – classifying, mapping, measuring and interpreting the characteristics and ecological condition/health of rangelands.
• Economics – analysis as it relates to sustainable rangeland management.
• Communication – effectively transmitting information about rangelands to users and other professionals.

Qualifying experience must begin after the completion of the educational requirements listed above. Education towards a M.S. or PhD degree in a field closely related to rangeland management may be substituted for up to 2 years of experience as determined by the Certification Committee. The Committee will evaluate the evidence of education and experience submitted by each applicant. The Committee may, at its discretion, accept other combinations of experience, education and grades as
meeting these requirements. (For example, experience and/or performance on the written exam could be substituted for course requirements if the Committee decides that the required subject matter content is met, or completion of courses approved for continuing education units could be substituted for some educational requirements.)

Complete list of requirements and procedures can be found at the Society for Range Management Website: http://www.rangelands.org/cprm_public/