Slow and Steady

Southern Arizona ranchers Walt and Francie

Meyer weren’t always interested in the numbers

of the Sonoran Desert Tortoise populations on

their ranch, located in Pinal County just

southwest of Winkelman. Walt recalls seeing the

reptiles regularly during his younger years

growing up in the area but didn’t pay them much

attention, that is, until the late 1970’s when

Jojoba seed oil (see Plant of the Week article) became valuable. The Meyer’s observed

many charred tortoise shells in campfires left from illegal “nut pickers” who were

hungry and ill prepared to survive in the desert. Walt, being of curious mind, admits he

wanted to know more about the tortoises and had no idea his curiosity would lead him

and his family on a 35 year journey studying the Sonoran Desert Tortoise.

Owning a ranch and being in the cattle business, the Meyer’s wanted to find a

way to make a living while promoting the habitat and stewardship of the Sonoran

Desert Tortoise. As many ranchers are all too familiar with, many interest groups are

adamantly opposed to cattle ranching and are firm standing in the belief that ranching

and conservation don’t mix. The Meyer’s are disproving that theory by adopting a

proactive and voluntary approach working with agencies to actively conserve the

Sonoran Desert Tortoise and its habitat; an effort that needs to be recognized.

For that reason, I will only give you the meat and taters version of the study protocol as

well as an overview of key topics found in the Best Management Practices guide, and

focus more on championing the Meyer’s passion for successful cohabitation among

domestic animals and wildlife and showing that YES, IT CAN BE DONE!

Curiosity Leads to a Study

As a result of his curiosity on the creatures, Walt began amassing data in the following

years and generated several reports and presentations with the help of Dr. Phil Ogden,

a world renowned Range Scientist who, at that time, was a professor at the University

of Arizona. A formal study was started in 1980. The Meyer’s selected a 23 square mile

sampling area in the San Pedro River Valley that included a range of elevations,

vegetative and geologic units, topographic reliefs and across three different grazing

regimes in order to further study the tortoises. The study had two goals: to find out how

Inside this issue:

July 2015

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R I Z O N A , S C H O O L O F N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

Sonoran Desert Tortoise Study: 35 Years in the Making

2-3

Chris’s Hot Topic of Range: # Rangenerd, a Social Media Campaign

4-5

Plant of the “Week” 6-8

AZSRM Summer

Meeting

9

The View From the

Rim

10

Just Me Talking 10

The Rimrock Report

“.. ranchers can

be and often

are, pro-active

and

collaborative

when it comes

to

conservation..”

Volume 8, Issue 3

Sonoran Desert Tortoise Study: 35 Years In The Making

The Rimrock Report

Sonoran Desert Tortoise Study: 35 Years In The Making ….continued

Page 2

many tortoises were in the study area and what the distribution of

tortoises were within the study area. Interestingly, no telemetry was used;

encounters with tortoises were completely random. Oh yeah, did I

mention the study was SELF FUNDED? Now that’s dedication!

Walt has a PhD in Range Management from the University of

Arizona and as such, he was adamant about using proper monitoring

techniques and recording data as accurately as possible. He enlisted the

aid of their local Game and Fish biologist as well as several University of

Arizona wildlife biology and range science professors. It turns out

tortoises are not easy specimens to study. Walt noted it took them nearly

four years to really learn how to spot tortoises and even today, after 35

years of intensive study and data collection, he feels they still do not have

answers to all of their questions, yet they know more than they did in the

beginning and that’s a pretty good start.

From 1980, the Meyer’s tortoise adventures were strictly out of

curiosity and concern and they had no idea of how that would change in

the future. In 2008, WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds

submitted what was viewed as a flawed petition to list the Sonoran Desert

Tortoise as an endangered species; a decision that they believe to be

unwarranted, that will jeopardize livestock grazing (their way of life) and

will harm the Sonoran Desert Tortoise in the long run. The proposed

petition data suggested low Sonoran Desert Tortoise numbers while the Meyer’s data indicated just the opposite:

thriving populations. The Meyer’s, working with Lamar Smith, George Ruyle, Doc Lane, Phil Ogden and the

Winkleman NRCD, collected and submitted their data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in hopes of

preventing the Sonoran Desert Tortoise from being listed. Since 2008, their efforts have been a conscious, pro-

active effort to support this cause.

A Guide For Ranchers

Wanting to put their data to good use, the Ranching and Sonoran Desert Tortoise Working Group was formed in

2011, and compiled years of tortoise observational data and experience gained by Walt and the agency folks

along with the life-long ranching experience of its rancher members to create the Best Management Practices

For Ranching In Sonoran Desert Tortoise Habitat In Arizona document (https://

aznrcd.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sdt-bmp-draft-for-review20140205.pdf) which helps facilitate the

implementation of conservation measures to protect the Sonoran Desert Tortoise on livestock ranches in

Arizona. The manual was the idea of then NRCS Range Conservationist Steve Barker, which became a WNRCD

document written by the Meyer’s, local Ranchers Bill Dunn (chairman of the WNRCD) and Stefanie Smallhouse

(from the Redington NRCD), along with NRCS, BLM, USFWS and AZGFD. The manual includes the

taxonomy, physiology, behavior, habitat, diet and shelter requirements of the Sonoran Desert Tortoise.

Additionally, the Ranch Planning sections cover conservation methods and practices specific to NRCS

programs, potential resource effects to the Sonoran Desert Tortoise and their habitat, as well as ranch

management activities and grazing systems that help promote a safe habitat for the Sonoran Desert Tortoise.

Furthermore, the guide also serves as a template for identifying and implementing conservation measures for

other species also found on rangelands. (In my teacher lingo we’d call that “cross curricular,” that is, a lesson in

Volume 8, Issue 3

Sonoran Desert Tortoise Study: 35 Years In The Making ….continued

one subject area that could be incorporated into another

subject area.)

The Best Management Practices guide is an

objective treatment of the subject. It discusses how

roaming livestock can effect Sonoran Desert Tortoise

habitat in several ways, including destruction of vegetation

and burrows, alteration of soil and competition for food.

Now, I’m not saying that livestock, especially cattle, are

either totally responsible or free from blame; just that

effective and responsible land management falls heavily on

the shoulders of the land managers. The systems and

practices they decide to implement can significantly benefit

or harm the environment and their ranching operation. As wild and domesticated animals are sharing the same

land and resources, overlap is inevitable; and the Meyers’ are showing that overlap can be achieved and be

successful. The guide outlines specific measures that can be taken to ensure both tortoise and livestock habitats

are managed as responsibly as possible in order to promote healthy populations of both groups.

Balance, collaboration, and proactivity: It Can Work!

Have you heard the tale of the tortoise and the hare? Well, slow and steady wins the race and the Meyer’s

(along with the collaborative efforts of local folks and the Winkelman NRCD) have faithfully been working on

finding a balance between monitoring and promoting healthy tortoise populations while continuing to utilize

the land resources in a responsible manner while making a living as ranchers.

Often we do not like to toot our own horns, but the diligent work that the Meyer’s have done, in

conjunction with the Winkelman NRCD and the University of Arizona, needs to be shared. The Meyer’s story

may be more common than we think, yet we don’t hear of rancher’s proactive efforts in the news nearly as

much as we hear the negatives. Much like business owners will tell you “consumers are more likely to point

out negative customer service experiences then positive ones.” Ranchers are so quickly, and often falsely,

accused of being careless in their management and unconcerned with the biological diversity of their lands,

and as a result receive an unfair rap.

So this is me, shining the spotlight on the Meyer’s efforts and giving them a nudge onto center stage.

On behalf of all range folks, we thank you for your hard work and all your efforts to bridge the gap between

conservation ideals and the ranching way life.

The dictionary defines “proactive” as (of a person, policy, or action) creating or controlling a situation

by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.

I’m still wondering why the Meyer’s pictures aren’t there yet…

Article by Lisa Page

(with a lot of help from Francie Meyer…)

Page 3

Chris's Hot Topic of Range……#Rangenerd, a Social Media Campaign

The Rimrock Report

"Every Monday for the past month we’ve been sharing

memes published by the Rangelands Partnership. This is

part of their #RangeNerd Monday social media campaign,

which is all about promoting awareness of Rangelands,

showing the diversity that exists within Rangelands, and

showcasing the various tasks and humor of the Rangeland

World. If the places and people look familiar to you it is

because they probably are. I am a member of the

partnership’s marketing task force and I have been actively

participating in this campaign, including making a few of

these memes, so odds are you’ll recognize the landscapes or

maybe even know the people in the meme (Or maybe

recognize yourself in the meme, in which case…

Surprise! :D ). The campaign just started, but so far it has

been extremely successful. The first meme had 14,000

views, 708 likes, and 113 shares.

So what exactly is a meme? Well, an internet meme is a themed post, video, or idea that spreads from person

to person, often with some mimicry as it is spread; Think Ice Bucket Challenge, Grumpy Cat, and the Success

Baby. We chose to go with the internet meme for several reasons. First, society likes them. These types of

posts are good for a quick laugh and a share, often spreading much farther than initially anticipated. Second,

we’ve found that the most successful posts are fun photos and jokes. We post a variety of content; science

articles, news clips, workshops, job posts, jokes, and action photos of field activities. The majority of our

posts might get several hundred views, but the jokes and photos can reach over a thousand. So we felt it

would be good to build on that popularity.

We chose to start with two memes; “You might be a #RangeNerd if”

and “We are Rangelands”. “You might be a #RangeNerd if” is an

open ended fill-in-the-blank joke that has a lot of possibilities.

These Range Nerd jokes are entertaining since we’ve all had

moments where something was Range Nerdy; perhaps interpreting

the rangeland condition along a random highway, pointing out all the

invasive plants on a family hike, or insisting on native grasses in a

wedding bouquet. These are fun conversation pieces and make for

great memes that we can all participate in. These are the main meme

being posted every week as “#RangeNerd Monday”.

“We are Rangelands” is a little different in that it is not focused on

humor. Rather, it is about showcasing the beauty and variety that

exists on our Rangelands. There is a lot more to Rangelands than the

public knows about and we’d like to exhibit that diversity here. These are simple and we collectively have

some of the best photographic examples of our Rangelands. There’s no set themed date for posting these, we

will just post them randomly as we make them. We’ll still post these under the hashtag #RangeNerd to keep

Page 4

Chris's Hot Topic of Range…...continued

Volume 8, Issue 3

the campaign tied to a consistent theme.

We Need Your Help

We need your help generating content for these memes and in

promoting the campaign. The Rangelands Partnership will post

these memes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and possibly a few

other outlets. What we need you to do is to like and share them to

get them to as large an audience as possible. If every member shares

these posts we would have a massive audience. To assist in the

coordinated effort we’ve come up with the hashtag #RangeNerd.

Please use it when you share the posts as it ensures that the global

conversation is all tied together. The Rangelands Partnership also

has #RangePartners, and the Society for Range Management has its

own #RespectOnTheRange.

As for content, so far we have enough for the next two months but if we want

this campaign to continue we’ll need a lot more material. We are hoping to

have our friends from around the world use their unique experiences and

locations to make their own memes. Creating a meme is rather easy; they just

require the headline, the photo, and the punchline. We’ve even created a

power point template, downloadable here, where all you have to do is add the

photo and adjust the punchline or photo location as you see fit. We’ve also

left a place in the bottom right where you can add your organization’s logo if

you would like.

When you create your meme please email them to me at

cbernau@cals.arizona.edu and I’ll schedule it to be posted on a

future Monday. Or you can post them yourself on your own

social media outlets. If you do post it yourself please tag the

Rangelands Partnership in the post so They’ll be alerted and

can share it and please remember to use the Hashtag for the

campaign (#RangeNerd) and consider including the tags for the

Rangelands Partnership (#RangePartners) and the Society for

Range Management (#RespectOnTheRange). Thank you for

your help!

Page 5

The Rimrock Report

Plant of the “Week” by Guest Writer Matthew Kilford

Plant: Simmondsia chinensis

Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) is an evergreen shrub native to Arizona and occupies the majority of the

Sonoran desert with an elevation range of ~2000 to 4000 feet. In North America jojoba occurs in California,

Arizona, Utah, Baja California, Sonora, and small isolated pockets of New Mexico (SEINet.org). I picked

Jojoba because of its unique characteristics and importance to rangeland management and desert livestock

production. There are many uses for jojoba including year-round browse in deserted units, especially

essential for deer, javelina, bighorn sheep, and livestock (Matthews 1994). Jojoba is also the Sonoran Desert’s

second most economically valuable plant and has produced a large industry since the mid 1970’s in producing

oil from the fruit which was similar to that of sperm whale oil (desertmuseum.org).

Importance and management:

Jojoba is a drought tolerant plant and while it is not a main vegetative indicator of desert ecosystems the

Page 6

Plant of the “Week”...continued

Volume 8, Issue 3

foliage is an important forage

selection for livestock and

wildlife. The plants new-growth

stems may provide the best

forage quality available within its

range due to the lack of

herbaceous plant availability and

moisture (Matthews 1994).

Jojoba is also highly palatable

and highly nutritious for

livestock and may be the sole

source of forage on a range. It is

also known that when the shrub

is actively growing, the new

growth tends to be higher in

nutritional quality than that of

mature growth (except from

December to March) (Matthews 1994).

For management purposes the critical period of survival for jojoba is seedling to juvenile stages. It has been

determined that the majority of seedling mortality is caused by physical factors like extended drought, dry soil

or harsh freezing winters and not by predation of grazing (which accounts only for a small percentage), if

managed properly (Matthews 1994).

Identification:

Jojoba is a shrub that is tightly branched and can be anywhere from 1-3 m tall with a life span of 100 to 200

years (Matthews 1994). The new-growth stems are a greenish tan pubescent and age to a reddish brown to

gray. The branches and leaves have a unique characteristic of arching upward in erect stance to help aid in

exposure to the sun. The bark is smooth and internodes are anywhere from 1.5-4 cm long. The leaves

(glabrous) are opposite, simple, and slightly lancelet (0.8 to 1.6 in long) and consist of a dull green color to

dark brown depending on precipitation. Jojoba is dioecious which means containing male or female parts on

separate plants and considered to be a wind dispersed pollinator. The fruits are dehiscent green to brown acorn

-like capsules containing 1-3 seeds and will flower on current summer’s new growth (Matthews 1994).

Page 7

The Rimrock Report

Plant of the “Week”...continued

Simmondsia chinensis is a wonderful shrub and an important browse species for certain pastured areas.

Livestock and land managers know of its significance and use it to achieve similar management goals,

direction, and decisions.

-Matthews, Robin F. 1994. Simmondsia chinensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory

(Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2015, June 25].

-http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/simchi/all.html

-http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3313

Page 8

Volume 8, Issue 3

AZ Section SRM

Summer Meeting

August 5 - 7, 2015

Lynx Lake The Arizona Section SRM summer meeting will be held from Wednesday, Aug. 5th

through Friday, Aug. 7th in beautiful Prescott, AZ. We will set up camp and have a

membership meeting on Wednesday evening, have a full program Thursday and an

evening meal catered, and then a half day program on Friday. The Eagle Ridge and

Peregrine group campsites at Lynx Lake have been reserved for those that would

like to camp out. These facilities can accommodate up to 100 campers and there is

a ramada, picnic tables, bathrooms, and running water. There is a great hiking trail

that circles the lake. There are also numerous hotel options in Prescott. The meet-

ing agenda is still being prepared, but we plan to have a session on grazing sys-

tems, and the membership has requested a session on archeology and how surveys

are conducted for projects. A session on pronghorn antelope and some of the habi-

tat improvement treatments that are being done is also under consideration. There

is still lots of room on the agenda, so drop Chris Thiel (catthiel@fs.fed.us) an

email if you have any suggestions.

Page 9

Just me talking...

The University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment V Bar V Ranch 2830 N. Commonwealth Drive Suite 103 Camp Verde, AZ 86322

Phone: 928-554-8991 Fax: 928-554-8996 Cell: 928-821-3222 E-mail: dougt@cals.arizona.edu Web: http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/vbarv/ Note: Please email me if you would like to be added to the “mailing” list for this newsletter.

The view from the Rim

Till next time,

Doug

The English word “Rodeo” is derived from the Spanish verb “rodear” meaning “to surround”,

or in common use among cattlemen, “to round up”. Despite arguments from our friends in

Pecos TX and Payson AZ (among others), Prescott AZ claims to have the World’s Oldest

Rodeo. The Tolleson family has attended the Prescott Rodeo on July 4th since 2008. Looking

forward to it again this year. July 4th is the unofficial start to monsoon here in central AZ. It

usually rains on us before, during, or after the rodeo.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the lead article from Lisa Page and Francie Meyer about the Meyer’s efforts to study and

conserve the Sonoran Desert Tortoise. I had met Walt and Francie and their family pretty early on when I came to

Arizona. I had heard them talk about the tortoises in conversations at SRM meetings and such, but not until they gave a

presentation about them last year at the state NRCD meeting in Prescott was I aware of the extent to which they had

gone to get good sound scientific data about these critters. Data to inform and support realistic management decisions. I

thought this was a story the world needed to know; so I asked the Meyer’s if we could feature them in the Rimrock

Report. If you know them, you know that they were excited to get the information out about the tortoise’s and all the

people who worked on the project, but a little reluctant to take credit for it. What a great story and a great example of

collaboration to come up with a practical solution to solve a natural resource issue. And it started with a ranching family

and their concern for what was happening on the ranch. This is the kind of thing that makes extension work rewarding.

My hat is off to all who contributed and are still contributing to this project. Just got back from the Western Section,

American Society of Animal Science meetings in Ruidoso New Mexico. The grad student paper competition was again

the highlight of these meetings. Jim Sprinkle and his committee put on a good extension symposium, Colt Knight did a

good job presenting his GPS collar/animal movement data from the V Bar V. We had a couple posters; one on using

fecal NIRS to detect external parasites in Sonora Texas and one on using NIRS to scan cattle brands and detect

increasing time since application. Talking to Temple Grandin about this project was a lot of fun. She always has some

insight that you did not think of. We have been collecting range and cow data for the continuation of Colts research at

the ranch this summer. Making plans for several workshops and field days in July-August. I will be heading up to Chinle

and Shiprock soon to do drought planning presentations for the Navajo Natural Resource Fairs. Chris is out monitoring

with just about everybody and Lisa is doing follow up evaluations on the

drought workshops we did this past winter and spring. Cows were AI’d at the

ranch last week. We have had a very unusual May and June, mostly wet and

cool till just recently. Looking forward now to getting wet at the Prescott

Rodeo and the “real” monsoon. Got the chance to support the horse industry in

Ruidoso last week with some animal science friends. Ask Glenn Duff about a

horse called “Beer Belly Buddy”. Not exactly the second coming of Seattle

Slew…