New Edition of NRCS Plant Book at Press

The revised version of the book, Common Rangeland Plants of the Texas Panhandle, will soon be available according to John Crowell, Resource Conservation and Development coordinator of the North Rolling Plains RC&D in Pampa. Distribution of the book is slated for Feb. 1, 2008.

The updated version is being reprinted to the meet the demand. This popular book has not changed in content and showcases the same species of grasses, forbs and legumes, and woody plants, as it did before. Only a few updates of scientific names have been made.

“Supplies of the publication were exhausted due to its popularity,” says publication editor Clint Rollins, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) rangeland management specialist. “We want to make it available again to fulfill the requests that the North Rolling Plains RC&D has received.

“With 200 species featured, users find it helpful in developing their plant identification skills,” Rollins says. “A total of 75 grasses, 75 forbs and legumes, and 50 woody plants make up its content. Eighty percent of the grasses and legumes found in the book are common across the state, while many of the forbs are predominant to the panhandle region.”

Interest in the book continues to grow after its fourth year in print. Universities, colleges, and high schools in the region have used the book extensively to supplement their curriculum and to help train their plant identification teams for contests.

Environmental science professors, teachers, and vocational agricultural instructors on the High Plains region and beyond; including Texas A&M University, have requested copies for their students and used the information as a teaching tool.

Texas Tech University Professor Ron Sosebee, certified range management consultant says, “I have provided the plant books to my students in range land ecology, range improvements, range inventory and analysis classes. The information complements the course studies and provides a basic foundation to general plant identification.”

Sosebee has been contacted by several colleagues around the state requesting the book and compliments the efforts of those responsible for putting it together.

NRCS, working through the North Rolling Plains RC&D, provided some of the first copies printed to the universities, colleges, and high school libraries in the High Plains region.

“High school vocational agriculture teachers and environmental science professors have requested copies of the book for their students every year since it was published,” Rollins says. “It is a good feeling knowing our public information program has helped so many people.”

The book has also been widely used by landowners, NRCS employees, and other conservation partners.

Crowell says, “We are receiving orders daily and anticipate more being made through the local soil and water conservation districts throughout Texas.”

This project has been made possible by grants from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) educational grant and the RC&D statewide grant program in partnership with the Texas Association of RC&D Councils. Contributing organizations include the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) and High Plains RC&D Council of Texas.

Also helping to sponsor the book are the soil and water conservation districts in the Lesser Prairie Chicken EQIP emphasis area, which includes Donley County, Gray County, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Roberts Salt Fork, Wheeler County, and Salt Fork.

According to Rollins, this concludes the updates for the book. “We have finalized the collection in this version to give landowners, educators, and the public an overall view of the common species found in the Panhandle and throughout the state,” he says.

The information will be available on CD and in full color paperback format. This style of book has a hinged paperback binding called “Perfect Bind.” Wear and tear should be minimal for the avid users. There will be 416 pages with a finished size of 6-inches by 8-½ inches by 1-½ inches thick.

“We’ve received numerous thank you notes for the development of the book and we hope it continues to be a helpful guide in years to come,” Rollins says.

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