Dr. John C. Buckhouse, professor emeritus at Oregon State University, beloved husband, father,
step-father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor, neighbor and friend, has passed away at the
age of 80.

2025 marks 50 years of John’s connection to Oregon State University. Along the way, he
influenced the lives of thousands of students, wrote over 250 scientific papers, and in many
ways, shifted the paradigm for riparian grazing management. He spent a half century in what he
called the “radical middle” helping people realize that you could create land conditions that were
simultaneously good for the environment and good for cattle grazing. The idea that
grazing—when done with care and science—could actually help the environment was indeed
radical. He collaborated with ranchers and researchers to be the first to scientifically address
water quality and quantity associated with juniper encroachment. This large-scale experiment
led to restoring water flows in two watersheds in the High Desert of Eastern Oregon.

Dr. Buckhouse was recognized for exemplary lifetime contributions in range management
research and education with the highest awards in his field from the 1980s through 2024. He
was a leader in his field, serving as president of the International Society of Range Management
(SRM) and as the National Program Leader for Rangelands for USDA CSREES in Washington,
DC. Throughout his career, he never gave up on the power of education, whether at OSU, the
Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, the Warm Springs Reservation, or in Tunisia.

After retirement he stayed active in SRM, worked for Food Alliance to certify sustainably raised
beef, and led eco-tours to raise funds for the Albany Library and Women of Vision. Through the
end, he was a teacher. Just a few months ago, he spoke on the podcast, “The Art of Range,” to
help inspire future leaders by sharing his point of view and addressing some of the most critical
and controversial topics in natural resources policy and management.

He was a life-long teacher and a life-long learner. Watching him teach in the classroom,
you could get a sense for his love of education. He seemed as excited as his students
when he introduced a new concept and his eyes would widen as he explained what this
would mean to our understanding of the world. Watching him in the field, however, was
to see John Buckhouse at his full power. He could read the rangeland like others might
a book. He could bring people together who started the day identifying as ideological
adversaries and yet, after just a few hours walking the field with John, they would soften
their expressions and almost always start to see some possibility (however slight) of common
interests. It’s hard to deny the presence of common ground when you’ve spent several hours
walking on it.

Over the last few months, John received notes and calls from friends and former
students who almost universally described the experience of spending time with him in
the field as life-changing.

On his field trips he would end his lessons with a circle, in which everyone had a chance
to share something they had learned. If you are reading this now and you knew John,
then please circle up with us one more time, and share with someone you care about
something you’ve learned from John or something you learned today. John would have
loved that.

Written by Jim and Amy Buckhouse.