Information ranging from soil and forest issues to septic systems and growing local food is offered in a guide for Wyoming landowners written by Wyoming resource experts.
Wyoming Rural Living Resources is available for free at University of Wyoming Extension, conservation district, weed and pest, and Wyoming State Forestry Division offices. The guide also is available free online at www.barnyardsandbackyards.com. The link to the guide is under New!
The 76-page guide is produced by the Small Acreage Issue Team, a collaboration of UW Extension personnel and resource group representatives in Wyoming.
“The guide is a convenient, user-friendly source of practical information on common areas of interest for those living on rural acreages,” says Jennifer Thompson, team coordinator with UW Extension. “The guide can help you keep your land healthy, help maintain or add to its value and help residents enjoy their rural lifestyles.”
The guide, specific to Wyoming, includes information about water-wise landscaping, water rights, water quality, soils, grazing, and wildlife, defensible space to reduce wildfire risks, windbreaks, weed management and growing one’s own food.
Natural resource experts with diverse backgrounds and experiences from around the state wrote the articles.
“They are written from a practical, hands-on perspective in hopes of providing readers applicable information to assist with land management issues or concerns,” says Rachel Mealor, UW Extension range specialist and team chair.
Thompson says the Barnyards and Backyards group has considered publishing a resource guide for some time.
“People in local communities had communicated a need for such a resource,” she says. “We finally sat down and got to it. In part, it is a product of seven years of experience and work thinking about useful information for Wyoming landowners and the resulting 'Barnyards & Backyards' magazine articles, and other project activities that came out of the process.”
