Range Management at Colorado State University Extension
Colorado’s rangelands are vast, and not only are they a critical part of the history and culture of our state, but they also provide us many ecosystem services like clean water and recreation, and serve as the economic base in many rural communities.
Colorado State University Extension provides education and resources to assist land managers. Contact your local extension office, or one of our regional range specialists for questions on these topics, and more:
Pasture management | Stocking rates | Plant identification | Seeding feasibility
Weed management | Wetland & fire rehabilitation | Vegetation trend & site potential
Soil health | Water holding capacity | Grazing for recovery & optimizing production
More about us
Retta Bruegger, Western Colorado, Regional Specialist in Range Management, Grand Junction, CO
Contact: Retta.Bruegger@colostate.edu | (970) 988 -0043
Retta Bruegger is regional specialist in range management for CSU Extension in Western Colorado since late 2016. She is originally from western Colorado. Her journey to range management started when she had the opportunity to live and work for 2 years in Mongolia. Living with herders and seeing the interaction of soil, plant, grazing animal and human, prompted her to study range management in the US, graduating from the University of Arizona in 2012. Her MS thesis focused on targeted grazing as a tool for mitigating fire risk and herder observations of rangeland change in Mongolia. After graduation, she worked as a researcher in northwestern Colorado on a study called Learning from the Land, which focused on integrating local knowledge of ranchers and managers, data collection, and analyses to address relevant questions for managers in the region.
Her specialties include rangeland monitoring and assessment, collaboration on rangelands management on public and private lands, and drought planning on rangelands. Her job with CSU Extension involves site visits, monitoring implementation, educational programs on animal health, drought, soil health, and more, and responding to educational interests of producers on the western slope.
Annie Overlin, Eastern Colorado and the San Luis Valley, Regional Specialist in Range Management, Pueblo, CO
Contact: Annie.Overlin@colostate.edu | (719) 545-1845
Ms. Overlin began her career with the US Geological Survey (USGS) in Moab, UT as a botanist/soil scientist with an interdisciplinary team of geomorphologists and soils scientists mapping the vegetation of Escalante National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, and the Great Basin. Since working with the USGS, she ran her own business focusing on the restoration of agriculturally converted pastures, rangelands, and wetlands in California and northern Nevada. She worked as a researcher in rangeland restoration at the University of Nevada and is now ecstatic to be home in Colorado serving as the new Peaks to Plains Regional Range Specialist for CSU Extension since 2018.
Annie Overlin is part of a 6th generation ranching family in south central Colorado and continues to work with her family who are heavily involved in land preservation and water issues in the Arkansas River Valley.
Annie Overlin’s program responsibilities for managing healthy rangelands span the spectrum of improving soil health, utilizing annual cover crops for grazing, and financial farm/ranch management for women.
