Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability (SWCRS)

A unique education, outreach, research and interdisciplinary demonstration center with the goal of sustainability and revitalizing rural communities bound by pinon-juniper rangelands.

Justification

In New Mexico, the 2005 income of rural residents averaged 20% less than their urban counterparts. In the last six years, rural population growth has increased nearly 1 percent, whereas the metropolitan areas have increased over 10%. These two statistics highlight the economic stagnation experienced by rural communities. One of the factors contributing to an economic stand still is degradation of the landscape by encroachment of shrubby woodlands. New Mexico has over 30% of the total juniper woodlands found in the West. Communities located within juniper woodlands are often tied to traditional natural resources and agricultural businesses and thus struggle with economic revitalization. Development of new markets will provide for asset creation and innovation. Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability is a prime laboratory to provide a repertoire of alternative enterprises for rural communities that can impact New Mexico. We propose to demonstrate integration of new revenue generating ventures into production-sized units employing long-held rangeland uses of natural resources for livestock, wildlife, and other productive uses. With a high degree of control; land owners may undertake improvements by managing encroaching shrubs and timber for energy generation and positively altering watersheds. Recreational business enterprises growing income from big game hunting require coordination with landscape improvements. This project will implement a variety of coordinated practices to diversify the traditional sources of revenue in rural communities, to complement ongoing state and federal programs.

Project Description

NMSU is providing important research and education at the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center (CRLRC) to facilitate rural economic revitalization. The CRLRC facility is the leading field laboratory in the United States for discovering solutions for natural resource, livestock, and wildlife managers in a coordinated integrated endeavor. Distinctive to this facility is the unique collaboration of 20 scientists forming a seamless integration of disciplines (including range science, grazing behavior, brush management, economics, hydrology, wildlife management, fee hunting, livestock management, rumen microbiology, animal nutrition, animal reproduction, extension, sociology, wind energy generation, and water quality improvements) with the specific objective of enhancing sustainability of rangeland bound communities. This multidisciplinary team allows the CRLRC to serve as a model of integrated natural resource management for land managers. The appropriation of needed capital funds will provide for an integrated, large, and complex research/demonstration effort unlike any in the United States.

Project Highlights

• Address emerging regional land and water use issues. Best practices for managing pinon-juniper will be developed and conveyed to ranchers, small businesses, traditional rural community members, and new urban relocated residents.
• Develop and demonstrate alternative means to enhance water and energy production from rangelands. Diversification can occur via energy production. Implementation of small-scale desalination can improve quality of life for residents.
• Discover and disseminate new technologies vital to rural economies. Scientists working at this facility have and will develop novel lower cost management methods.
• Extend outreach to all natural resource concerned groups by generating and providing sound scientific information. The shared exchange of established and new information, ideas and needs between NMSU scientists, land agency conservationists, Game & Fish managers, stockmen, and residents will have a productive outcome.

Description of the Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability

• Meeting room/educational
  1. Designed to optimize contact of participants with speakers
  2. Multiple electronic screens, satellite, internet capable, video conferencing
  3. Lap top connections to accommodate 50 student participants
  4. 100 in row seating

• Digital data collection

  Real time access to digital data recorders and remote sensors located across ranch monitoring soil, vegetation, moisture, weather, wildlife, livestock, power generation, water quality improvements etc.

• Library /Small group meeting area

  1. Small offices for research, writing and management
  2. Collection of CRLRC publications

• Detached laboratory for demonstrations and research

  1. Demonstrations and hands on learning*
  2. Sample handling and temporary sample storage*
  3. Analytically procedures*

• Demonstration of domestic desalination water treatment

  1. High quality water for rural families (with Water Resources Institute)
  2. Potential to produce livestock and wildlife water

• Demonstration of domestic scale electrical generation via wind energy

  Creation of an adjacent wind energy tech park (with WERC at NMSU)

Round Table Arrangement

With a multifunctional floorplan that opens up to the covered porch adding even more functionality.

Lecture Arrangement

Ideal for continuing education and classes.

Row Seating Arrangement

Ideal for seminars and field days, facilitating maximum atttendance

Seminar Arrangement

Ideal for seminars and table top discussions, enhancing one to one communication.

For more information about or find out how you can help support the Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability please use the contact information below.

Shad Cox, Manager
P.O. Box 392
Corona, New Mexico 88318
Phone: 575-849-1015
Fax: 575-8491021
Email: shadcox@nmsu.edu
URL: Corona.nmsu.edu