NMSU launches mobile-accessible web database of Navajo Nation rangeland plants

NMSU launches mobile-accessible web database of Navajo Nation rangeland plants
DATE: 04/01/2019
WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Amy Smith-Muise, 575-646-1073, smiamy@nmsu.edu
Healthy rangelands are key to the ecological and cultural well-being of the Dine’ people of the Navajo Nation.

New Mexico State University has launched a mobile-accessible web database, “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands” at navajorange.nmsu.edu, to help agricultural professionals, ranchers and others on the Navajo Nation identify typical range plants to help maximize rangeland ecology, productivity and sustainability.

Gerald Moore, Navajo Tri-State Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension agent, identified a need for updated educational resources for Navajo rangelands management.

“We had a 1981 publication ‘Navajo Nation Range Management Handbook’ from the University of Arizona, but it was not in color, or Internet accessible,” Moore said.

Moore turned to NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Innovative Media Research and Extension department to help design the new tool, “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands.”

“This website is the first of its kind with the Navajo plant name written and spoken,” Moore said.

The “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands” website includes information about 198 Navajo rangeland plants. Plants are identified by both their English and Navajo names.

They are also searchable by plant type, common name, scientific name, flower color, habitat, growing season or special concerns.

“The website includes easy to see information about each plant, such as if it is good forage or toxic to livestock and wildlife; if there are any dangers for humans, such as poisonous, or causes skin and eye irritation; or if it is invasive or noxious,” Moore said. “The page also identifies positive use of the plant in rangeland management such as stabilizes soil, drought-tolerant or prevents erosion.”

For offline use, a 378-page pdf booklet version of the database contains most of the same information and is intended for download to a mobile device for use in the field.

“I think it will be a useful tool. I wished it had been available when I was doing rangeland management workshops on the Navajo Nation,” said Nick Ashcroft, former NMSU Extension range management specialist.

“This website can be used by all ages,” Moore said. “We did a presentation to see how people responded to the website and publication, and how they would use it, how would it be most beneficial to them.”

Feedback from 44 agricultural leaders, including farmers, ranchers and land officials, indicated that 95 percent believed people in their community would use these resources. They cited images, plant name and spoken Navajo as the most useful aspect of the tool.

The group surveyed was evenly divided between those who primarily used Navajo names for plants and those who primarily use English names for plants. A small minority used scientific names and one respondent used Hopi names.

“The agricultural leaders felt the guide would be useful to their friends, children, teachers, parents and grandparents, with more than half of respondents specifying its usefulness to children,” said Amy Smith Muise, editor with NMSU’s Innovative Media Research and Extension department. “Nearly all respondents, 95 percent, felt that this guide would help the next generation and that it would support healthy rangeland management.”

This project was funded by a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension professional improvement grant.

Rangeland plant information was gathered in collaboration with Moore and Ashcroft.

Navajo botanical names were derived from a historical publication from the University of Arizona, and additional Navajo language support was provided by Varian Begay, Wilfred Big, Arnold Clifford, Cuyler Frank, Lorene B. Legah, Tennell Nez and Tom Seaton.

Agency resources personnel contributing to the project included Renee Benally, Casey Francisco, Ken Gishi, Andrea Long, Felix Nez Jr., Felix Nez, Carol Palmer, Nora Talkington, Kathryn Thomas, Judy Willeto and Lawrence Yazzie.
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DATE: 04/01/2019
WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Amy Smith-Muise, 575-646-1073, smiamy@nmsu.edu
Healthy rangelands are key to the ecological and cultural well-being of the Dine’ people of the Navajo Nation.

New Mexico State University has launched a mobile-accessible web database, “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands” at navajorange.nmsu.edu, to help agricultural professionals, ranchers and others on the Navajo Nation identify typical range plants to help maximize rangeland ecology, productivity and sustainability.

Gerald Moore, Navajo Tri-State Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension agent, identified a need for updated educational resources for Navajo rangelands management.

“We had a 1981 publication ‘Navajo Nation Range Management Handbook’ from the University of Arizona, but it was not in color, or Internet accessible,” Moore said.

Moore turned to NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Innovative Media Research and Extension department to help design the new tool, “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands.”

“This website is the first of its kind with the Navajo plant name written and spoken,” Moore said.

The “Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands” website includes information about 198 Navajo rangeland plants. Plants are identified by both their English and Navajo names.

They are also searchable by plant type, common name, scientific name, flower color, habitat, growing season or special concerns.

“The website includes easy to see information about each plant, such as if it is good forage or toxic to livestock and wildlife; if there are any dangers for humans, such as poisonous, or causes skin and eye irritation; or if it is invasive or noxious,” Moore said. “The page also identifies positive use of the plant in rangeland management such as stabilizes soil, drought-tolerant or prevents erosion.”

For offline use, a 378-page pdf booklet version of the database contains most of the same information and is intended for download to a mobile device for use in the field.

“I think it will be a useful tool. I wished it had been available when I was doing rangeland management workshops on the Navajo Nation,” said Nick Ashcroft, former NMSU Extension range management specialist.

“This website can be used by all ages,” Moore said. “We did a presentation to see how people responded to the website and publication, and how they would use it, how would it be most beneficial to them.”

Feedback from 44 agricultural leaders, including farmers, ranchers and land officials, indicated that 95 percent believed people in their community would use these resources. They cited images, plant name and spoken Navajo as the most useful aspect of the tool.

The group surveyed was evenly divided between those who primarily used Navajo names for plants and those who primarily use English names for plants. A small minority used scientific names and one respondent used Hopi names.

“The agricultural leaders felt the guide would be useful to their friends, children, teachers, parents and grandparents, with more than half of respondents specifying its usefulness to children,” said Amy Smith Muise, editor with NMSU’s Innovative Media Research and Extension department. “Nearly all respondents, 95 percent, felt that this guide would help the next generation and that it would support healthy rangeland management.”

This project was funded by a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension professional improvement grant.

Rangeland plant information was gathered in collaboration with Moore and Ashcroft.

Navajo botanical names were derived from a historical publication from the University of Arizona, and additional Navajo language support was provided by Varian Begay, Wilfred Big, Arnold Clifford, Cuyler Frank, Lorene B. Legah, Tennell Nez and Tom Seaton.

Agency resources personnel contributing to the project included Renee Benally, Casey Francisco, Ken Gishi, Andrea Long, Felix Nez Jr., Felix Nez, Carol Palmer, Nora Talkington, Kathryn Thomas, Judy Willeto and Lawrence Yazzie.
- 30 -
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Secretary Perdue Proclaims April as ‘Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month’

Secretary Perdue Proclaims April as ‘Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month’

(Washington, D.C., April 1, 2019) – Spring is a popular time to move, but unfortunately, people aren’t the only ones on the move. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today signed a national proclamation (PDF, 579 KB) to declare April “Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month,” during a critical time when damaging invasive species known as Hungry Pests emerge and can be easily spread in the things people pack and move, such as outdoor items like grills, gardening equipment, wading pools and bicycles or patio furniture.

Hungry Pests are a real problem. They attack trees, plants and agriculture, costing the United States about $40 billion each year in damages and expensive eradication and control efforts. Household moves increase the risk for the spread of these invasive species, since people can potentially transport them to new areas.

About 35 million Americans move every year, making the possibility of transporting invasive pests high. For instance, federal and state inspectors often find gypsy moth egg masses on outdoor household items and recreational vehicles in non-infested areas. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) is offering a free checklist for household moves that includes suggestions and tips for reducing this risk. The agency is also working with the United States Postal Service’s My Move program to help educate the moving public about the things they can do to help prevent the spread of Hungry Pests.

“Hungry Pests can hide inside plants, fruits, vegetables and firewood, and spread in a number of ways, like on outdoor items you move to a new home or on an RV that has been parked outside and driven cross-country,” said Kevin Shea, APHIS Administrator. “It only takes one person to start a new infestation, which is why we all need to be careful and understand how to stop invasive pests.”

Here are key ways the public can help:

• Moving to a new home. Help protect your new city and neighborhood from invasive pests by removing eggs masses and insects from your patio furniture, grills, bikes and other outdoor items – before they are loaded onto the moving van or storage pod.
• Traveling within the United States. Before doing an out-of-state trip, make sure your car, RV or other outdoor vehicle is cleaned first. Check the wheel wells, bumpers and other hard-to-see areas to make sure they are free of soil, egg masses, and insects.

In addition to moves, pests can also be spread by:

• Mailing homegrown plants, fruits and vegetables. Commercially bought goods are regulated to meet government standards, including those for invasive pests, but items grown in a home garden are not. If you live in an area quarantined for a specific pest, don’t mail produce or plants from your garden to others. Contact your local APHIS office for more information.
• Moving untreated firewood. Invasive pests like the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle burrow inside wood to lay their eggs. Don’t take untreated firewood with you, for example, on camping trips. Instead, buy certified, heat-treated firewood or responsibly gather wood at your destination.
• Traveling internationally. It’s tempting to want to return with an unusual plant, a souvenir made from plants or wood, or even a piece of fruit as a snack for the plane trip home. However, U.S. laws prohibit many of these items from entering the country because they could harbor an invasive pest. Contact your local APHIS office to find out what’s allowed. And always declare these items to U.S. Customs and Border officials when you land. Failure to do so could result in unexpected delays and fines.
• Buying plants for your garden. When buying garden items in person, be sure to ask the retailer if they comply with federal and state quarantine restrictions to ensure their plants are free of invasive pests. Before you buy plants online, check if the seller is in the United States. If they are in another country, you might need an import permit or other documents to legally bring the items into the United States. Contact your local APHIS office for more information.

Finally, learn more by going to www.hungrypests.com or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The website includes photos and descriptions of each Hungry Pest, and a Pest Tracker to find those in your state. To report a pest or contact your local APHIS office, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/sphd or call USDA Customer Service toll free at 1-844-820-2234 (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern).

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