Among the branding irons, horse saddles and other tools of the trade you might expect to find on a cattle ranch, today you are also likely to find plant identification books, cameras, and videos and a "how to" manual on monitoring rangeland resources. Cattle ranchers realize that improving their stewardship of California's rangeland makes good business sense. To help them achieve that goal, a group of UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors in Northeastern California has developed an educational kit. "Rangeland monitoring gives cattle ranchers an identification of how their management practices are affecting the land," says Glenn Nader, Lassen County farm advisor. "Monitoring is rapidly becoming essential to show government agencies that ranchers are doing a good job managing their natural resources. This kit shows ranchers how to document changes so they can ensure the rangeland remains productive over the long haul." A collection of organized photos taken annually is one of the principal techniques recommended in the kit. In addition to the manual, ranchers also can view a 12-minute video that gives an overview of photomonitoring.