A half-century of war on cheatgrass hasn’t reduced its dominance on the high sagebrush seas. Barry Perryman of Univ. of Nevada-Reno says old-fashioned observations and rancher communication have led researchers to a promising paradigm shift: targeting the unique biology of this biennial grass through fall and winter grazing.

Barry and Tip discuss classical approaches to field research, an admonition from Dr. Temple Grandin to pay attention to real people doing real work in the real world, and Barry's pathway to uncovering some convenient truths about cheatgrass biology through research in the Old World. They finish up with a discussion of fire ecology in the Great Basin.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2JcrkLm

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

A UN-R bulletin on grazing to control cheatgrass is available here: http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/nr/2015/sp1503.pdf

1491, a book by Charles Mann, can be purchased at https://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=1491&qid=1581963901&sr=8-1.

Most of Barry's publications are available at his university web page: https://www.unr.edu/anvs/people/perryman-barry