Rangeland Ecology and Management

The Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Ecology and Management at the University of Idaho prepares you to restore and conserve natural Western landscapes, including grasslands, woodlands, shrublands and deserts.  With a degree from one of the first universities in the world to offer a bachelor’s degree focusing on rangeland management, and one of only nine universities accredited by the International Society for Range Management, your skills and expertise will be highly sought by land management agencies and organizations.

As a student in the rangeland ecology and management program, you will engage in a wide variety of classes and field experiences to learn how to manage the dynamic natural ecosystems of rangelands. You will study topics such as biology, ecology, riparian areas, soils, restoration, botany and land management. You will also learn field technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and habitat assessment. Graduates are specially trained with the expertise and tools to address the following questions:

• How does grazing or fire affect plant communities?
• What environmental factors affect sustainability of rangeland ecosystems?
• How do soil characteristics affect plant growth?
• What management approaches keep rangelands healthy and productive?

In addition, the range program provides ample opportunity to broaden your knowledge and skills in other areas of natural resource management, such as:

• Wildlife management
• Forestry
• Watershed management
• Recreation
• Soils
• Agricultural economics
• Animal science
• Restoration

You will have many opportunities for hands-on learning and undergraduate research, including field trips, lab activities and summer internships. The program also facilitates travel to professional meetings and workshops that address topics of rangeland management, arid land ecology and ecological restoration.

Prepare for Success

If you enjoy wild spaces and want to work outdoors with nature, then a career in rangeland ecology and management is for you. Successful students enjoy studying ranching, restoration, plant identification and land management and are also competent in biology, chemistry, math and environmental science.

Your First Year

During your first year in the program, you will complete introductory rangeland courses designed to expand your understanding of natural resources and introduce you to the basic ideas of rangeland management. You will also participate in a nine-day field trip to develop plant identification skills. Introductory courses include:

• Exploring Natural Resources
• Opportunities in Rangeland Ecology & Management
• Principles of Range Resource Management
• Wildland Field Plant Identification

You will also begin building your foundation in basic science, communications and natural resources. Courses include:

• Introductory biology and chemistry
• Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• Principles of Economics
• College Writing & Rhetoric
• Pre-calculus, Algebra & Analytic Geometry
• Ecology

Students can complete this degree in four years. Most students require five years if they change majors along the way, decide to seek a double major or add a minor to their rangeland degree.

What You Can Do

With a Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Ecology and Management, you will be prepared for a variety of career tracks. You may become a:

• Restoration ecologist
• Wildland soils specialist
• Wildlife habitat manager
• Range livestock manager
• Watershed/riparian ecologist
• Wildland fire manager
• Field botanist
• Invasive plant manager
• Geographic information systems (GIS) specialist
• Environmental consultant
• Tribal land manager
• Rangeland economist

You may opt to seek an advanced degree and continue vital research and teaching in the rangeland management field. Students interested in pursuing a master’s degree or doctorate have several degree and course options at the College of Natural Resources, including:

• Master of Natural Resources
• Master of Rangeland Ecology and Management
• Doctor of Philosophy

Opportunities

The rangeland field offers a variety of diverse and dynamic career options, with many opportunities for specialization. For example, some range managers specialize in managing land to produce high-quality wildlife habitat. Others focus on livestock production, and some specialize in working with people who use rangeland for recreation or preservation.

Over the last three years, nearly 100 percent of our graduates are offered a position before or soon after completing their degree. Graduates are employed by:

• U.S. Forest Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• National Park Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Tribal Organizations
• State Land Departments
• State Department of Agriculture

Opportunities for employment also exist in the private sector through:

• Environmental consulting firms
• Companies specializing in disturbed land reclamation
• Agricultural lending and appraisal firms
• Ranches and preserves
• Land trusts and conservation agencies

As a rangeland professional, you may:

• Oversee the use of public rangelands for federal land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service
• Manage wildlife habitat for state or federal agencies
• Manage livestock operations, enhance hunting programs and manage forage resources through fire or herbicides for private land owners
• Conduct biological assessments for companies and consulting firms
• Gather information for environmental impact statements, environmental assessment and rangeland monitoring programs
• Work as a natural resources facilitator to bring user groups together to agree on appropriate land uses and management

Current Research

University of Idaho faculty research in rangeland ecology and management is designed to understand the nature and ecology of rangelands. Major research projects focus on interactions between plants and soils and plant communities and rangeland animals, including both wildlife and livestock. Other research addresses rangeland planned communities and habitats. Research projects are accomplished primarily with the creative energy and fieldwork of graduate students. 

Faculty members also conduct research on ecological forces including fire, grazing and invasive plants that mold and change landscapes and their habitat values. The department examines methods to restore plant communities after disturbances such as highway construction, wildfire or weed invasion. Research project topics include:

• Ecophysiology
• Fire ecology and management
• Invasive plant management
• Grazing ecology
• Wildland restoration
• Landscape ecology and remote sensing

Learn more about faculty research publications.

Activities

• University of Idaho Range Club 
• Society for Range Management
• Ecological Society of America

 

Hands-On Experience

As an undergraduate student in rangeland ecology and management, you will have numerous opportunities for hands-on learning, including field trips, lab activities and summer internships. The department also facilitates travel to professional meetings and workshops that address topics of rangeland management, arid land ecology and ecological restoration.

Breakthroughs & Discoveries

SageSTEP Project: Steve Bunting, professor of rangeland ecology and management, is one of more than 20 scientists and their students from five universities who are working on a five-year study exploring ways to restore and manage sagebrush communities in the Great Basin. Research involves collaboration with scientists from four federal natural resource agencies and with the land managers who will apply their findings to improve land management decisions. The project is unique in that it represents one of the most substantial, multi-disciplinary projects that has ever been undertaken in rangeland management.

Facilities

Rangeland students study in classrooms, laboratories and the outdoors. College of Natural Resources facilities include:

• University of Idaho Experimental Forest
• University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
• Remote Sensing and GIS Research Laboratory
• Remote Sensing/GIS Teaching Laboratory
• Forest and Range Measurements Laboratory
• Guernsey Outdoor Classroom
• Taylor Wilderness Research Station
• Idaho Stable Isotopes Laboratory
• Inland Empire Tree Improvement Cooperative
• Intermountain Forest Tree Nutrition Cooperative
• University of Idaho Laboratory for Ecological, Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics
• Landscape Dynamics Laboratory
• Lee Sharp Experimental Area
• McCall Field Campus
• Policy Analysis Group

Online & Outreach

Rangeland courses at the University of Idaho have evolved and adapted to a world of new technology. Our department now offers six online courses:

• Ecology
• Wildland Restoration Ecology
• Rangeland Ecology
• Graphic Information Systems (GIS) Applications in Natural Resources
• Principles of Vegetation Measurement and Assessment
• Plant Ecophysiology

Most of the department faculty members teach at least one online class. These classes provide an opportunity for off-campus students, including those in other countries, to study rangeland topics through the University of Idaho.  

Faculty Involvement