The Cultural Heritage of Family Ranches

Abstract

On the Ground • Historic family ranching is a uniquely American cultural heritage that should be considered a cultural resource when managing rangeland. • Public land agencies need to consider the effects of land management decisions on the cultural continuity of historic ranching families and communities. • Ranching communities maintain and transmit cultural heritage, including folk stories and local ecological knowledge, through their interactions with historic working landscapes. • Experiential learning forges emotional ties to the land and community necessary for cultural continuity. • Local ecological knowledge is useful for adaptive comanagement, monitoring, and conservation. • Continuity of local ecological knowledge is a significant factor in the resilience of ranching culture, rural pastoral economies, and working landscapes.