The rangeland in the Intermountain West urgently required a scientific basis for its management, especially after the great mid-1800's livestock buildup, and then the plant die-off following the severe winters and droughts of the late 1800's (Stoddart and others 1975). After examining the Western ranges, Jared G. Smith (1895), an agrostologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wrote that the perennial species were being overgrazed and were disappearing and were being replaced by weedy annuals. He maintained that no more livestock should be put on an area than could safely be carried through a poor season. Gaining public and livestock owners' acceptance of this concept has been a problem ever since (Stewart 1936).