Yet many landowners and even agency rangeland managers may not be aware of how to utilize GEP and GIS tools to develop land management and monitoring plans. Maps also provide a valuable tool for communicating between ranchers and land management partners. Having this information at their fingertips could help ranchers manage rangelands more efficiently and sustainably. Multiple layers of geographic information are available that can be imported to GEP, including land management boundaries and grazing allotments, fire history, core sage-grouse breeding and brood-rearing habitat, and other key wildlife habitat. Google Earth Pro (GEP) is a free web-based program that enables users to view satellite imagery of rangeland, no matter how expansive or remote. Today’s Geographic Information System (GIS) technology offers tools to help manage and monitor private and public rangelands more efficiently. In addition, after implementing changes in grazing practices, managers need to be able to monitor the effects of those changes to determine whether they are achieving their objectives for production and rangeland health. Yet knowing the condition of the resources and grazing effects is essential to maintaining healthy rangelands and viable livestock operations. Keeping tabs on the vegetation, water resources, and invasive species over these vast expanses can be daunting. Western landowners and range managers often oversee hundreds or even thousands of acres of range.
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