Newswise — As public concern grows about preserving open rangeland for future generations, it becomes clear that those future generations must be taught to manage and appreciate the land themselves. Educating today’s youth about their natural environment is the best way to ensure stewardship of public lands for tomorrow. The 4-H program can provide a platform for this.
The October 2010 issue of the journal Rangelands contains an article evaluating 4-H range management programs. 4-H is a youth development program administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More than 6 million young people in the United States participate in 4-H.
Researchers used questionnaires to collect information from all 50 states about range management education offered by the 4-H. This article reports that 12 states, all located in the West, currently offer such programs within 4-H. Educational material from the Montana 4-H, At Home on the Range, is most often used in their endeavors.
To better educate youth who are literate about the natural environment, many 4-H directors expressed a desire for age-appropriate web-based materials. The authors suggest that linking with Rangelands eXtension, an online world where university content providers gather to produce new educational resources, may help meet this need.
Additionally, having state or district range specialists with youth education responsibilities offers a critical opportunity to engage the interest of young people. Increasing participation in the 4-H National Range Judging Contest is another way to raise youth awareness and attention toward rangeland management.
Rangelands are important for their open space, grazing, and minerals as well as for recreation, wildlife, and aesthetic value. Rural land fragmentation and residential development are threatening to disrupt wildlife habitat, migration patterns, and access to public lands. Management of federal rangelands into the next century will have to integrate all these demands on and beliefs about our land.
Today’s youth will become tomorrow’s voters and leaders. Making sure they have a connection with nature, as did previous generations, will ensure that environmental issues such as public land use remain in their focus.
Full text of the article, “Assessment of 4-H Range Management Programs in the United States,” Rangelands, Vol. 32, No. 5, October 2010, is available at http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/rala-32-05-32-36.pdf
About RangelandsRangelands is a full-color publication of the Society for Range Management published six times per year. Each issue of Rangelands features scientific articles, book reviews, and society news. Additionally, readers may find youth, technology, and policy departments. The journal provides a forum for readers to get scientifically correct information in a user-friendly, non-technical format. Rangelands is intended for a wide range of individuals, including educators, students, rangeland owners and managers, researchers, and policy leaders. The journal is available online at www.srmjournals.org. To learn more about the society, please visit www.rangelands.org.
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