Dr. Alan Beetle is a pioneer in our understanding of sagebrush (Artemisia).  his 1960 publication, "A Study of Sagebrush-Section Tridentate of Artemisia" (Wyo. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. B-779), although out of print, is a classic still used by land managers and researchers concerned with the conservation of sagebrush, arguably the most important plant species on rangelands in the western United States.

"New Hampshire native, Alan Beetle, received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, a master's from UW, and a PhD from the University of California-Berkeley.  Beetle returned to UW in 1946 where, over the next 32 years, he achieved many accomplishments.  He was an organizer and charter member of the Society for Range Management and established the Wyoming association.  He helped developed one of the country's best grass collections with more than 10,000 specimens from around the world.  The Beetle Herbarium houses a collection of grasses from Mexico second only to the Smithsonian's.  In 1985 the Society for Range Management honored Beetle with the Frederic G. Renner Award, the highest award given by the society.  Beetle created and managed the Rangeland Reference Collection, which remains one of the best collections of books and reprints on grasses and range management existing today."