RANGELANDS WEST: AGRICULTURAL GEOSCIENCE ON THE WEB

Rangelands, or land that is vegetated predominately by grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs, comprises about 40% of the land mass of the U.S. as well as significant portions of Western Canada and other parts of the world. The Western Rangelands Partnership, a unique alliance of Range Scientists, Librarians, and Extension personnel affiliated with land-grant universities, maintains a website that consolidates important information pertaining to Rangelands ecology and management. This website (http://rangelandswest.arid.arizona.edu or http://rangelandswest.org) is used by professionals and practitioners for management of both public and private land for the sustainability of western rangelands.

Although the website's content is largely agricultural, significant portions concern geoscience topics including state by state descriptions of soils, water, climate, drought and wildfire; inventory, monitoring, and assessment techniques; land management practices; and policy issues such as mining, fossil fuel extraction, and watershed and riparian management. In addition, each state's delegation adds content and web links for locally relevant material. For example, the Montana segment includes a digital archive of a noted Range Scientist's field notes, photographs, and papers. Other state specific additions include several links to geospatial and climate websites, mineland restoration activities, topical bibliographies, and lists of academic theses.