 What are rangelands? It depends who you ask, but one definition would be grasslands and shrublands, but they can also occur in deserts, tundra, forests, and high mountain meadows. What we call parks in Colorado, like North Park or our friends in Wyoming call holes, like Jackson Hole. Some folks consider rangelands to be where livestock and wildlife graze. They can be on public or private lands, and cover about 50% of the world. Many of these areas aren’t suitable for crop production, and have a diverse native plant community adapted to low precipitation. These plants help hold soil in place. We also look at how much carbon they sequester. In grasslands, our upside down forests, a lot of carbon is stored in plant roots. In arid grasslands, there are soil microbes that oxidize methane before it goes into the atmosphere. They really are amazing places that you can get to know through a favorite plant, a flower, wildlife or birds, and even cattle. I even love hiking through them! #rangeandlivestock #respectontherange #iloverangelands #grasslands#prairie #shrubland #hikingcowgirl 
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