OVERCOMING PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AMONG RANCHERS IN THE WESTERN US

Rangelands, and ranching, are an integral part of the economy, culture, and ecology of the western US. The long-term health of these rangelands, and the way of life they support, however, is increasingly threatened by uncertainty associated with climate change. Working directly with ranchers, using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, we are examining how ranchers experience climate variability, how they perceive and communicate about climate change, and whether and how they are adapting to climate change on the lands they manage. We will use the findings from the interviews and focus groups to design and implement a field experiment examining how ranchers respond to climate change adaptation programs that are framed in different ways. To confirm the validity of the findings from our field experiment, we will develop and implement a one-day workshop with ranchers and program managers to review these findings and develop further recommendations for climate adaptation program design. We will use our research project as a case study in a graduate-level field course on conservation and climate change, to be conducted in the High Divide region of Idaho and Montana with students from Boise State University and Idaho State University. The long-term goal of our integrated research and education project is to promote the resiliency of western rangelands to climate change, thereby protecting the important economic, cultural and ecological benefits provided by a healthy range.