Among the branding irons, horse saddles and tack you might expect to find in a barn on a cattle ranch, today you also are likely to find plant identification books, water quality guidelines, cameras, and even videos. In an effort to improve their stewardship of California's rangeland, cattle ranchers are paying closer attention to how their animals affect the environment. The watchword is "monitoring," and a group of UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors has developed an educational kit. "Rangeland monitoring gives cattle ranchers an indication of how their management practices are affecting the land," says Glenn Nader, Lassen County farm advisor. "What we did was put together the tools to help them document changes so they can evaluate the effects of annual management goals." A collection of organized photos taken annually is one of the principal techniques recommended. The kit also shows ranchers how to conduct an inventory of plant species to read changes in the plant community. In addition to the manual, ranchers also can view a 12-minute video that gives an overview of photomonitoring.