The sagebrush biome is the largest native ecosystem in North America and one of the most at risk. Altered fire regimes, expanding juniper and invasive annual grasses have made management more difficult across Oregon and the West.
By improving workforce readiness, strategic planning and field safety, OSU Extension, the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA and local partners help agencies and employers reduce risk, strengthen stewardship and make better use of public investments in rangeland and wildlife management.
Addressing those threats requires a science-based workforce with strong field skills. But natural resource agencies have struggled to hire enough well-prepared graduates for rangeland positions.
Many students and new professionals have limited opportunities to spend extended time in sagebrush country learning practical field techniques in the ecosystems they are expected to manage.
That gap affects both land management and worker safety. Supervisors report that online training is not enough for field tasks involving vehicles, equipment, navigation and remote work in open rangelands.
These needs created demand for practical, field-based training to better prepare students and early-career professionals to manage rangelands, protect wildlife habitat and work safely in the field.
In response, faculty and staff in the Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences — representing both the OSU Extension Service and the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station — collaborated closely with colleagues at the OSU Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local nongovernmental organizations.
Together, they developed and delivered a series of field‑based training programs hosted at the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range in Harney County.
These programs included the Rangeland Ecology and Management field course for natural resource professionals, Science in the Sagebrush Steppe for undergraduate students and two new 2025 workshops: a Wildlife Field Skills camp and a Field Safety workshop.
The rangeland programs included modules on sagebrush ecology, soils, wildlife habitat, invasive annual grass control, juniper ecology and management, grazing management and fire ecology.
Participants also worked in teams to build management plans based on real-world scenarios and broad land management goals. They applied field lessons at landscape scale by using remotely sensed data to develop strategic planning approaches for sagebrush landscapes.
The new safety training focused on practical tasks such as changing a truck tire, tying down equipment, packing for remote fieldwork or camping, off-road driving, hitching and hauling trailers and working safely in open rangelands near cattle.
The wildlife field skills camp was a four-day training that included hands-on instruction in vehicle and wildland fire safety, navigation, wildlife trapping and vegetation sampling.
Training reaches learners
Since 2014, more than 142 participants from eight universities have completed Science in the Sagebrush Steppe. Students reported that the course helped them connect complex ideas, work in teams and prepare for careers in natural resources.
In the professional course, 161 students and professionals gained hands-on experience in strategic, landscape-scale planning for rangelands.
The 2025 field safety course drew 30 participants. The wildlife field skills course drew 40 participants from across Oregon, especially Western Oregon, where many attendees had little prior experience in sagebrush or desert ecosystems.
Results improve readiness
Among natural resource professionals in the rangeland ecology course, 94% said they were likely to apply what they learned in their daily work and 81% said they were likely to use the remotely sensed conservation approach in their jobs.
The field safety training also produced immediate workplace benefits. Supervisors reported that four seasonal employees were later able to change a tire safely and independently without help.
No safety issues or accidents were reported in the 2025 field season among field safety course participants. Supervisors also said two attendees described the training as one of the highlights of their summer technician experience.
Among wildlife field skills participants who responded to the evaluation, 91% said they were likely to use something from the course in their current or future job. All respondents said the training would help them and their co-workers operate more safely in the field.
One Oregon State wildlife student said the workshop directly influenced their decision to add a minor in rangeland science.
Public value
These field camps help Oregon build a stronger natural resource workforce by giving students and professionals the practical skills they need before they are responsible for public lands, wildlife habitat and field crews.
By improving workforce readiness, strategic planning and field safety, OSU Extension, the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA and local partners help agencies and employers reduce risk, strengthen stewardship and make better use of public investments in rangeland and wildlife management.
