- Join a committee. Working on an SRM Committee is one of the best ways to get involved in the Society and an excellent way to get in touch with the people who share your interests. Visit the committee webpage for a committee list, including points of contact for each.
- Attend the 64th Annual Meeting in Billings, MT, February 5-11, 2011: Transcending Borders: Landscapes and Legends. Register now – online registration closes January 23.
- The New Member Coffee will be held Monday, February 7 at 7:30am. This is a FREE event for all new (and returning) members to learn about the structure and organization of SRM, hear tips for navigating the Annual Meeting, and learn about how to get involved in the Society. Coffee and pastries will be provided and all new members will receive a FREE one year online subscription to Rangelands.
- The JOB Fair, held Sunday, February 6 from 10:00am – 6:00pm will be the place to be for those exploring career options or thinking about the next step. JOB Fair booths are FREE and employers should submit a registration form no later than January 14, 2011.
- Check out An Evening in Montana while at the meeting for local food, flare, and entertainment. The event will take place Wednesday, February 9, at 7:00pm.
- Attend networking events, such as Tapping the Top Mixer, and Agency and University Socials.
- Visit the Trade Show to see the latest and greatest in rangelands today.
- And much more! Check out the Annual Meeting Pre-Convention Trailboss to start planning your week in Billings.
- Renew your membership using the new cafeteria-style dues structure. Base rates are now $70 regular, $25 student and international, with additional charges for online and printed subscriptions to journals. For a full explanation of the new dues structure, click here.
- Did you know SRM has an apprentice membership category? A special $50 apprenticeship rate is available for the first five years after graduation to former student members. All you have to do is renew your membership before it lapses, and you are eligible for the reduced apprentice membership rate.
- Attend the International Rangeland Congress meeting in Rosario, Argentina, held April 2 – 8, 2011. Diverse Rangelands for a Sustainable Society.
- Become a fan of SRM on Facebook and receive pertinent updates right to your newsfeed.
- Attend your local Section meetings and tours. SRM Sections are the best place to start networking and take your membership to a new level. Section events (as well as other events of interest) are updated regularly on the SRM webpage as well as on the Section websites.
- Get on the Action Update Call each month to hear from SRM leadership and staff and make your voice heard. The Action Update Call takes place the second Thursday of every month at 11:00am MST. Dial-in number: 1-213-416-6650, Access Code: 012010#.
- Get certified! SRM offers two certification programs: Certified Professional in Range Management and Certified Range Management Consultant Program.
Showing posts with label Certification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Certification. Show all posts
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year from SRM
Happy New Year from the Society for Range Management! Wondering how to get involved in 2011? Here are some helpful hints from the Society:
Friday, December 3, 2010
SRM Spotlight: Matt Wagner, Texas Section
By Julia Workman, SRM Outreach Intern
“Don’t be afraid to go in a direction that’s outside your comfort zone, your area of expertise,” says Matt Wagner, Deputy Director for the Wildlife Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He has always loved being outdoors—first fishing, then hunting—and learning about the plants and the wildlife there.
So it was that he became involved in Range Management at Texas A&M University and joined SRM, and later (after a brief stint of working on ranches in Texas) received his Master’s degree in Range Management at Montana State University. Matt moved back to Texas with his wife after three years in Montana and began his professional career at the Texas A&M Experimental Station. He has now been with Texas Parks and Wildlife for 22 years, and received his Ph.D. in Regional Planning, with an emphasis in Developmental and Water Planning, from Texas A&M in 2005.
Matt says he still enjoys hunting and fishing, as well as reading (especially about conservation) and getting together with his large family in Texas. After almost 30 years in SRM, Matt has served on various section committees and as section Director. A little over a year ago, he took on the duties of Second Vice President of the Texas section and in January will assume the role of President of the largest section in the Society for Range Management. He says it’s important to be involved in a professional society for the networking, continuing education, and professional development—especially the opportunity to become a certified professional.
Overall, though, networking is one of the aspects he has found to be most valuable throughout his involvement with SRM. He has met many inspiring people, young and old: especially, he says, “the newer ones who are really hungry for information and whose energy rubs off on some of us old guys.”One aspect of networking in the Society that Matt feels is particularly important is getting long-term members—those with experience—to mentor the newer generations. He comments that the constant communication younger generations now experience, with friends and colleagues, is distracting and creates an expectation that things should happen quickly. They have to learn that anything takes time when dealing with the natural environment. He suggests that the Internet, as a tool with which young people are very familiar, could be employed to organize a mentoring system in SRM.
However, current practices such as the Annual Meeting mixers and especially local field days and tours are great ways for the two groups to come together. He says that younger members can learn a great deal by interacting with older generations at these functions when they turn their cell phones off and are unafraid to introduce themselves to professionals.
Another important shift in the Society today involves incorporation of new viewpoints and reaching out to people in “nontraditional” areas such as policy, human dimensions, and social relationships. The multidisciplinary approach to managing rangelands, Matt says, will retain its importance as the profession moves forward. Rangelands are the largest system in the world so we will always need people with specific training in rangelands, but these people will have to be able to work with other aspects as well. And, says Matt, just as range managers now have to deal with a broader range of factors for successful management, they also have to deal in broader scales. Technology such as Google Earth allows land managers to see their parcels in the context of the surrounding landscape, and integrate the bigger soil and water properties. Matt would like to see larger organization within SRM based on larger landscape details such as watersheds or large ecological areas.
Matt also talked about the changing US and global economy. He admitted that it doesn’t look so bright, but added that by the time today’s college student reaches retirement age, we will have seen natural resources management and the economy merge. “It’s based on scarcity—the economy will follow demand. Natural resource management is the next growth industry.” He foresees a future where natural resource managers become national leaders and hopes that SRM will become more visible to the people “on the land, managing the land” as this change takes place.
“Don’t be afraid to go in a direction that’s outside your comfort zone, your area of expertise,” says Matt Wagner, Deputy Director for the Wildlife Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He has always loved being outdoors—first fishing, then hunting—and learning about the plants and the wildlife there.So it was that he became involved in Range Management at Texas A&M University and joined SRM, and later (after a brief stint of working on ranches in Texas) received his Master’s degree in Range Management at Montana State University. Matt moved back to Texas with his wife after three years in Montana and began his professional career at the Texas A&M Experimental Station. He has now been with Texas Parks and Wildlife for 22 years, and received his Ph.D. in Regional Planning, with an emphasis in Developmental and Water Planning, from Texas A&M in 2005.
Matt says he still enjoys hunting and fishing, as well as reading (especially about conservation) and getting together with his large family in Texas. After almost 30 years in SRM, Matt has served on various section committees and as section Director. A little over a year ago, he took on the duties of Second Vice President of the Texas section and in January will assume the role of President of the largest section in the Society for Range Management. He says it’s important to be involved in a professional society for the networking, continuing education, and professional development—especially the opportunity to become a certified professional.
Overall, though, networking is one of the aspects he has found to be most valuable throughout his involvement with SRM. He has met many inspiring people, young and old: especially, he says, “the newer ones who are really hungry for information and whose energy rubs off on some of us old guys.”One aspect of networking in the Society that Matt feels is particularly important is getting long-term members—those with experience—to mentor the newer generations. He comments that the constant communication younger generations now experience, with friends and colleagues, is distracting and creates an expectation that things should happen quickly. They have to learn that anything takes time when dealing with the natural environment. He suggests that the Internet, as a tool with which young people are very familiar, could be employed to organize a mentoring system in SRM.
However, current practices such as the Annual Meeting mixers and especially local field days and tours are great ways for the two groups to come together. He says that younger members can learn a great deal by interacting with older generations at these functions when they turn their cell phones off and are unafraid to introduce themselves to professionals.
Another important shift in the Society today involves incorporation of new viewpoints and reaching out to people in “nontraditional” areas such as policy, human dimensions, and social relationships. The multidisciplinary approach to managing rangelands, Matt says, will retain its importance as the profession moves forward. Rangelands are the largest system in the world so we will always need people with specific training in rangelands, but these people will have to be able to work with other aspects as well. And, says Matt, just as range managers now have to deal with a broader range of factors for successful management, they also have to deal in broader scales. Technology such as Google Earth allows land managers to see their parcels in the context of the surrounding landscape, and integrate the bigger soil and water properties. Matt would like to see larger organization within SRM based on larger landscape details such as watersheds or large ecological areas.
Matt also talked about the changing US and global economy. He admitted that it doesn’t look so bright, but added that by the time today’s college student reaches retirement age, we will have seen natural resources management and the economy merge. “It’s based on scarcity—the economy will follow demand. Natural resource management is the next growth industry.” He foresees a future where natural resource managers become national leaders and hopes that SRM will become more visible to the people “on the land, managing the land” as this change takes place.
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