SAGEBRUSH
CONSERVATION GATEWAY

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The Carbon Security Index: A Novel Approach to Assessing How Secure Carbon Is in Sagebrush Ecosystems within the Great Basin
June 17, 2024
Assessing Conservation Readiness: The Where, Who, and How of Strategic Conservation in the Sagebrush Biome
June 17, 2024

Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action

Technical Transfer is Critical to Conserving Cores

Key Findings: Technical transfer empowers land managers to use technical information – including but not limited to the science and tools behind the Sagebrush Conservation Design - to improve land management outcomes. This paper provides a roadmap for effective technical transfer and an example of applying the "defend and grow the core" concept at the local level.

Read the Paper

Authors

Andrew Olsen *

Intermountain West Joint Venture, Missoula, Montana

Katherine Wollstein

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University, Burns, Oregon

Megan Creutzburg

Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Portland, Oregon

Brian A. Mealor

Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems, University of Wyoming, Sheridan, Wyoming

Mariah McIntosh

Intermountain West Joint Venture, Missoula, Montana

Jeremy D. Maestas

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, West National Technology Support Center, Portland, Oregon

Dylan O'Leary

Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Lindy Garner

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sagebrush Ecosystem Team, Great Falls, Montana

*Lead Author

Abstract and Keywords

Abstract: The rangeland science discipline has produced innovative science, datasets, maps, and tools to support rangeland conservation and management, such as those presented in this issue. Yet, there is a persistent gap between science production and on-the-ground implementation of conservation and management actions, and many managers remain in “information overload” while struggling to integrate technical products into management applications. Technical transfer seeks to overcome these barriers and empower land managers to address their land management challenges. We present a principle-based process for conducting effective technical transfer based on the collective experience of a network of technical transfer professionals and highlight an example of this process with Threat-Based Strategic Conservation workshops. We describe how much of the work of technical transfer occurs before any actions are taken, provide best practices for conducting technical transfer, and suggest steps to take after an effort to learn from and perpetuate technical transfer work. We provide considerations and insights for conducting effective technical transfer to support conservation and management in rangelands and beyond.

Keywords: Extension; Rangelands; Sagebrush; Science integration; Technical transfer

Citation

Andrew Olsen, Megan Creutzburg, Mariah McIntosh, Dylan O'Leary, Katherine Wollstein, Jeremy D. Maestas, Lindy Garner, Brian Mealor, "Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action," Rangeland Ecology & Management, Volume 97, 2024, Pages 178-186, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.008

Related Resources

Article Contributor Affiliations

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So much of this work is about people. That’s true in conservation broadly, and in tech transfer it’s absolutely true also. Having those relationship with both the science production community and the end users who influence land management—to be that bridge that’s both ways. You can have the best science in the world, and if people can’t access it, interpret it, and apply it, it’s not helpful.

- Andrew Olsen

Explore the Research

The special issue of Rangeland Ecology & Management is broken into six themes outlined below. Each theme includes several articles. Navigate through the articles using the layout below by hovering and clicking on the dots at the bottom of each block (each dot is linked to an article that falls within that theme). A complete list of the articles (with links) is also included on the Explore the Research page.

START HERE: THE STATE OF THE SAGEBRUSH

THEME 1
Business-As-Usual Won’t Work to Save the Sagebrush Sea

THEME 2
Better Spatial Targeting Can Improve Outcomes

THEME 3
Conservation Planning is Needed to Develop Realistic Business Plans

THEME 4
Targeted Ecosystem Management: Monitoring Shows Managing for Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Working

THEME 5
Maintaining Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Ecologically Relevant

THEME 6
There is Only Hope if We Manage Change

The State of the Sagebrush: Implementing the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Save a Biome
Closing the Conservation Gap in the Sagebrush Biome: Spatial Targeting and Exceptional Coordination are Needed for Conservation Efforts to Keep Pace with Ecosystem Losses
Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity
Well-connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines from 2001-2021
A Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management to Defend and Grow Sagebrush Cores
A Strategic and Science-based Framework for Management of Invasive Annual Grasses in the Sagebrush Biome
Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands
Will It Burn? Characterizing Wildfire Risk for the Sagebrush Conservation Design
An Assessment of Conservation Opportunities within Sagebrush Ecosystems of U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
An Interactive Tool to Promote Stepping Down the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Local Conservation Planning
From a Bird to a Biome: Do Sage Grouse Initiative Efforts Contribute to Conservation of the Sagebrush Ecosystem?
Using Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Shrubland Vegetation Responses to Largescale Juniper Removal in the Northern Great Basin
Cooperative Conservation Actions Improve Sage-Grouse Population Performance within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment
Evaluating the Sagebrush Conservation Design Strategy through the Performance of a Sagebrush Indicator Species
Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits Rangeland Birds
The Carbon Security Index: A Novel Approach to Assessing How Secure Carbon Is in Sagebrush Ecosystems within the Great Basin
Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action
Assessing Conservation Readiness: The Where, Who, and How of Strategic Conservation in the Sagebrush Biome
Where Do We Go from Here with Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?
There is No Hope Without Change: A Perspective on How We Conserve the Sagebrush Biome

START HERE: THE STATE OF THE SAGEBRUSH

THEME 1
Business-As-Usual Won’t Work to Save the Sagebrush Sea

THEME 2
Better Spatial Targeting Can Improve Outcomes

THEME 3
Conservation Planning is Needed to Develop Realistic Business Plans

THEME 4
Targeted Ecosystem Management: Monitoring Shows Managing for Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Working

THEME 5
Maintaining Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Ecologically Relevant

THEME 6
There is Only Hope if We Manage Change

The State of the Sagebrush: Implementing the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Save a Biome
Closing the Conservation Gap in the Sagebrush Biome: Spatial Targeting and Exceptional Coordination are Needed for Conservation Efforts to Keep Pace with Ecosystem Losses
Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity
Well-connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines from 2001-2021
A Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management to Defend and Grow Sagebrush Cores
A Strategic and Science-based Framework for Management of Invasive Annual Grasses in the Sagebrush Biome
Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands
Will It Burn? Characterizing Wildfire Risk for the Sagebrush Conservation Design
An Assessment of Conservation Opportunities within Sagebrush Ecosystems of U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
An Interactive Tool to Promote Stepping Down the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Local Conservation Planning
From a Bird to a Biome: Do Sage Grouse Initiative Efforts Contribute to Conservation of the Sagebrush Ecosystem?
Using Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Shrubland Vegetation Responses to Largescale Juniper Removal in the Northern Great Basin
Cooperative Conservation Actions Improve Sage-Grouse Population Performance within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment
Evaluating the Sagebrush Conservation Design Strategy through the Performance of a Sagebrush Indicator Species
Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits Rangeland Birds
The Carbon Security Index: A Novel Approach to Assessing How Secure Carbon Is in Sagebrush Ecosystems within the Great Basin
Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action
Operationalizing Strategic Conservation: A Multi-level Framework to Identify Opportunities and Actions
Where Do We Go from Here with Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?
There is No Hope Without Change: A Perspective on How We Conserve the Sagebrush Biome