OverviewCanlivestock ranching and conservation values be compatible? Can ranchers and environmentalists work together to benefit rangelands? The answeris yes, and the proof can be found on the ground, where it counts. On New Ranches in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and elsewhere, livestock have been managed in innovative, progressive ways, and the land has responded: vegetation is more diverse and productive, soils are more stable, streams and springs have come back to life. Wildlife, watersheds, livestock and ranchers have all benefited.The New Ranch Handbook: A Guide to Restoring Western Rangelands situates the practices of these ranches in relation to recent models and knowledge in range science and ecology. The tremendous diversity and variability of arid and semiarid rangelands defy many assumptions of classical ecology. Basic processes of energy flow, nutrient and water cycling, and plant growth can be described, however, and management tailored to promote them. The New Ranches profiled here demonstrate, further, that this can be done economically and with far-reaching benefits to land, people, and wildlife.About the AuthorNathan Sayre received his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago, and is presently a post-doctoral researcher with the Agricultural Research Service-Jornada Experimental Range. He has been studying ranching, conservation, and urbanization issues in the American Southwest for the past five years and has worked extensively with the Quivira Coalition and other conservation organizations.