ESD Florida Workshop - Registration Opens Monday, September 26, 2011!

The Ecological Site Applications Workshop

Lake Placid/Venus, Florida

November 15-17, 2011

Don't be late!  Registration for the upcoming Ecological Site Applications Workshop in Florida opens this MONDAY, September 26 at 8:00am MDT

The Interagency Ecological Site Applications Workshop will encompass three days (includes time in the field each day) with content tailored to take advantage of local conditions and issues.  The Workshop will focus on foundational knowledge, skills and understanding of Ecological Site Descriptions, state-and-transition models and interpretations; how to determine ecological sites and ecological states in the field; the utility of ESDs for conservation planning, assessment and monitoring; and the framework for understanding and participating in the move from first to second generation ESDs.  The agenda aims to establish a basis for collaboration among participants and introduce them to the local experts who will be able to assist them in the future when developing projects and working with ESDs.  Workshop content will illustrate the current state of ESD development and implementation in the local area as well as act as a launching pad for additional collaborative efforts. 

Workshop Objectives:

• Enhance foundational knowledge, skills and understanding of Ecological Site Descriptions, state-and-transition models and their interpretations.
• Provide the framework for moving from first to second generation Ecological Site Descriptions.
• Showcase the utility of Ecological Site Descriptions as a working and dynamic tool used to document ecological knowledge and assist in applied conservation and management.

Workshop Details:

• Workshop will be held at the Archbold Biological Station (http://www.archbold-station.org) in Venus, Florida (just outside of Lake Placid, Florida).
• Registration is open to anyone that is interested and will allow a maximum of 40 participants.
• Encompasses 3 days (includes time in the field each day) with content tailored to take advantage of local conditions and issues.
• Registration:
• $150 for employees of sponsoring agencies (ARS, BLM, NRCS)
• $150 for current Society for Range Management members
• $250 for all others
• Other sponsoring agencies/groups may be added in time, so please check the ESD website for current information prior to registering. Due to the remote location of this workshop, registration will include all training materials, field trip transportation and most meals including 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners.
• Features KEYNOTE speaker Dr. Hilary Swain, Director of the Archbold Biological Station, on Ecosystems of Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge
• Workshop instructors include some of the world’s leading experts on ESDs including: Dr. Brandon Bestelmeyer, Dr. Joel Brown, Greg Hendricks, Homer Sanchez, Pat Shaver, and others.

For questions about the workshop, please contact:
Aleta Rudeen
SRM Director of Outreach and Leadership Development
arudeen@rangelands.org
(303) 720-2715

 Registration and details about this workshop will be posted on the SRM ESD website: www.rangelands.org/ESD

Ecological Site Applications Workshop - Summary Report

Brandon Bestelmeyer, Joel Brown, Justin Derner and Aleta Rudeen

Nunn, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming

August 23 – 25, 2011

“[The workshop was] …very well done and it is among the best workshops I have ever attended on any topic.” – Rob Alexander, workshop participant

The first regional Ecological Site Applications workshop was held at the Shortgrass Steppe Research and Interpretation Center near Nunn, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 23 – 25, 2011.  The workshop focused on how to use and interpret Ecological Site Descriptions (ESD) and also helped SRM and agency partners identify methods to successfully implement future ESD workshops and training.

The workshop hosted 40 registrants from a variety of organizations and a wide range of skills and experience with ESDs.  Workshop participants represented federal and state agencies and private organizations: NRCS (30%), BLM (25%), universities (17.5%), USFS (10%), ARS (5%), and other (12.5%) including BIA, NPS, county and state agencies and the private sector.

The first morning of the workshop was comprised of a series of informative presentations.  Dr. Bill Lauenroth provided an overview of the regional ecology, driving variables (temperature and precipitation) and the soil and plant responses to these in the Great Plains and specifically for the shortgrass steppe.  Dr. Brandon Bestelmeyer presented a comprehensive overview of Ecological Site history, basic concepts and status.  Finally, Rick Peterson presented a good description of the work underway in moving to the next generation of ESDs.

 The afternoon of the first day and the full second day of the workshop were spent in the field.  Field exercises focused on the principles of ecological site inventory, techniques for determining ecological sites and states, and the influence of management practices.  Of particular interest on the second day was a visit to the High Plains Grasslands Research Station, where Drs. Jack Morgan and Dana Blumenthal showcased the application of ESDs and influence of increasing atmospheric CO₂ and climate change to conservation planning and assessment in the field for northern mixed grass prairie.  Other highlights included a trip to the Medicine Bow National Forest to demonstrate the principles of ESDs in forested ecotones.

Workshop participants enjoyed dinner and entertainment both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.  Tuesday night, the Weld County Cattlewomen hosted a Cream Can Cookout in Slayton pasture, followed by Cowboy Poetry presented by Dick Hart.  Wednesday night, participants traveled to Bit-O-Wyo, The Horse Barn Dinner Show, for food and entertainment.  Evening dinner activities gave participants the opportunity to spend time networking and continue conversations from the day.  Additionally, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks were provided as part of the workshop.

 

In order to address lingering questions about ESDs and participant comments from the first two days of the workshop, organizers revamped the third day of the workshop to address remaining questions.  In the morning, SRM President Jack Alexander gave a thorough presentation of the components of a newly developed (second generation) ESD giving participants a better idea of the proposed ESD format.  Participants then broke into small groups for a field exercise designed to demonstrate site delineation.  During this field activity, participants identified soils and determined which site descriptions were applicable,  then proceeded to identify the state based on vegetation and existing ESDs provided.  During the final afternoon session, participants joined groups to discuss topics of interest that deviated from the overall workshop objectives, but were of significance to certain attendees (policy, current status, history).  Finally, participants reconvened for the final workshop synthesis before heading home.

The Ecological Site Applications workshop was very successful, though it was not without its surprises.  Since this workshop was the first of its kind, it was difficult for organizers to know in advance which areas would need more or less elaboration, and what order would best meet the learning objectives for the week.  In order to achieve the objectives of this first workshop, organizers paid close attention to comments on daily evaluation forms and redesigned portions of the workshop in order to address uncertainty and respond to outstanding questions.  Thus, future workshops will embrace participant feedback and comments about what was most effective for each day of the workshop.  Additionally, instructors have a better sense of what types of questions might arise during the training and how to most efficiently communicate ESDs to a diverse audience.

Ultimately, participants left the Ecological Site Applications workshop with a better understanding of how to interpret ESDs, the similarities and differences of first and second generation ESDs, and how to use ESDs in the field.  Participants also gained a better understanding of how ESDs intercept with their work and their relationship with existing classification systems and data.  Additionally, the flexible framework and adjustments to the workshop made it possible to tailor the workshop to the specific audience on-site.  Organizers intend to build this flexibility into future workshops to ensure success with all training groups.

The next ESD workshop will be held at the Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid, Florida, November 15-17, 2011.  Registration information will be posted on the SRM website: www.rangelands.org/ESD.  There will also be two ESD workshops at the SRM Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington, January 29 – February 3, 2012.  Information about both of these workshops is available on the Annual Meeting website: www.rangelands.org/spokane2012.  Future ESD workshops are also scheduled for Reno, Nevada in June 2012 and again in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Nunn, Colorado in August 2012.

Questions about this or future ESD workshops, please contact Aleta Rudeen: arudeen@rangelands.org

Cowboy Poet's Corner: "Welcome Rain" by Stan Tixier

Welcome Rain

By Stan Tixier, SRM Utah Section Member

A cowboy and an eastern dude,

A most unlikely pair,

Were flyin' 'cross the country,

Assigned, by chance to share

The last two seats in tourist class

On some big jet airplane,

The conversation that they had

Was mostly 'bout the RAIN.

It'd been a-pourin' steadily

For several days or so,

Across a bunch of western states,

And in New Mexico,

Where they were headin' on their flight

Most every pond and tank

Was full, the creeks and rivers there

Were runnin' bank to bank.

The dude had come to play some golf

And tennis, don't you know,

The cowboy, to participate

In some big rodeo,

So each one was affected by

Excess precipitation,

And neither of 'em could adjust

A pre-made reservation.

The eastern dude was most perturbed,

And anxious to complain

How his vacation would be spoiled

By that confounded rain,

He fumed and fussed and swore a lot

And said it wasn't fair,

They'd advertised a desert

And now a swamp was there.

The cowboy'd be impacted too

By breaks that he'd been given,

'Cause ropin' in arenas dry

Was how he made his livin',

Yet he seemed sorta' unconcerned,

Not tryin' to be rude,

He set out to explain some facts

To that frustrated dude.

He said, "You ought to understand,

This country's mostly dry,

We need this moisture to survive,

There's lots of reasons why,

So mister, don't get too upset,

Let's try to be more lenient,

'Cause RAIN is always welcome here,

But seldom is convenient!"


From the book:
A Good Lookin' Horse: Cowboy Poetry and Other Verse (1993) by Stan Tixier
_________

Want more cowboy poetry?  Poetry books and CDs by Stan Tixier are available for purchase from Western Heritage Company, 1-800-303-5703.  And don't worry, Cowboy Poet's Corner will continue to post to the SRM blog in coming months.

Maggie's Final Report

By Maggie Haseman, Outreach Intern

Maggie with her boyfriend Reid before seafood dinner in Corpus Christi, Texas

My experience as the Society for Range Management’s first in-office intern was always exciting, interesting, diverse and awesome. I had many goals I hoped to achieve through this internship program. Some of these goals were more personal things I wanted to develop such as communication, my social network, time and project management, and organization. Other goals were direct projects I knew I wanted to help with during the summer like populating the SRM social media, working on streamlining the Annual Meeting planning process, and assisting Aleta Rudeen with outreach efforts.

When I was growing up I was always somewhat shy and soft spoken toward people I did not know and I would cringe at the thought of something as mundane as ordering a pizza if it meant I had to talk to someone on the other end of the phone. It has been a personal goal of mine to improve my communication skills when conversing with people even before applying for this internship. I knew I’d have many opportunities to work on communicating because as the Outreach Intern there is plenty of interfacing with membership and other people. I learned to present myself professionally towards all people I came into contact with during my work hours and noticed myself acting more professionally outside of work hours as well.

Something that really helped me to feel more comfortable communicating with people I don’t know was surprisingly when I was the most uncomfortable: my ranch visits. I was outside of my knowledge base spending all my time with people I just met. Before I left for my first ranch visit I was nervous. My boyfriend told me that the best way to learn is when you put yourself into an uncomfortable situation. Turns out he was right; I guess it’s bound to happen on occasion.

Along with learning better communication skills I hoped to build my social network including professionals in the range community. I know that this goal is a continual process that will last a lifetime, however through this internship I got the opportunity to meet the Board of Directors, communicate with section leadership and heads of SRM committees and converse through email, over the phone and in person with many members whose names and faces I now recognize. I am very excited to practice my communication skills with my new acquaintances at the Annual Meeting in Spokane, WA next year.

One of my goals was to develop time and project management skills in order to complete multiple objectives. This goal was probably the easiest to work on because it was sub-consciously accomplished. Throughout this internship I was sometimes forced to oversee my own time and manage an inbox of projects and email that flowed like Niagara Falls. I quickly built a barrel to help me float above the flow and learned how to compartmentalize these overwhelming circumstances and complete projects in a timely manner. Another goal was to increase my organizational skills in my workspace. Something I discovered about time management is that you can’t get anything done if your workspace is not organized.

I also hoped to improve my writing organization. I have always loved writing; I used to write short stories, and essays and research papers have always been a big help to keep my grades up. However, I sometimes have more thoughts running around my head than I can put into understandable sentences. This internship gave me the opportunity to publish my writing onto the SRM Outreach Blog for anyone to read that just so happens to stumble upon it. This forced me to learn how to think in writing in order to more efficiently get my thoughts onto the page.

I recently took a journalism class at Colorado State University on professional writing so I had the basics on how to write professional letters, emails etc. (I think that’s why Aleta hired me; she didn’t have to teach me much) yet, there is always more to learn on this subject, therefore it was another goal of mine to expand my professional writing abilities in all genres. I accomplished this right off the bat when Aleta asked me to draft a letter on the first day of my internship. Throughout I have written multiple blogs, dozens of letter and about a trillion emails. The tricky part was learning the style of SRM, and writing to a bunch of people with diverse backgrounds who share similar interests in a way that didn’t offend or mislead the audience.

I have not been a member long so my knowledge of the society was limited before starting this internship, I was therefore curious about the internal workings of SRM. This took a little time to work out, like doing a puzzle; every once and a while I would learn something new. At the beginning it was a mess, nothing connected and my perception was all mixed up, as the summer has gone on though, pieces of information have begun to form something like a picture. I don’t think I have the whole picture of a society that has been around for almost 65 years, after only three month, but I’m getting there.

Something that was very important to me to take home from this internship is that I have left my mark on SRM somewhere, somehow. I think that this was accomplished in a couple of ways. I spent a lot of time in the front yard this summer trying to keep all of the plants (or most of them) alive this summer. I hope that when I am gone people will continue to enjoy the beautiful yard. I also hope that when people look at the wonderfully organized archived journals in the back room they will think, “Maggie Haseman organized these for us. She spent a full day in the dust and piles of dead bugs and mouse poop pouring herself into these shelves and enjoying a bit of history.”

Overall this internship has been a really awesome experience in every way I can imagine. I didn’t know what to expect coming in and I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming atmosphere and the respect I received from those I worked with. I felt like people cared about my opinions while I was working here. I believe I was truly lucky to have stumbled onto such a great group of people working together in a fabulous organization.

Report on Arizona Section Society for Range Management, Summer Meeting 2011

Doug Tolleson, Arizona Section President-Elect/Meeting Coordinator

Wednesday August 3

The forecast called for scattered showers as we headed for the high country of Mahan Park on the east end of the University of Arizona’s V Bar V Ranch for the Arizona Section Summer Meeting. Folks started showing up around 1pm as the registration cabin, dining fly, plant ID contest, and shop/classroom were readied for the 3-day event. Across the Verde Valley and the other side of Mingus Mountain, about 35 of us were touring the upper Verde River, led by Al Medina from the Rocky Mountain Research Station.

 

After a membership meeting that evening we were fed hamburgers, hotdogs and all the fixings by the Natural Resource Conservation Workshop for Arizona Youth (NRCWAY) committee. This meal was sponsored by Cargill Animal Nutrition and was a fund raiser to help send students to the national High School Youth Forum. Thunderstorms to the west made for a spectacular sunset, sky-lighting the big Ponderosa Pines near the main cabin in purple, pink, and orange. Bill Inman from the Navajo’s Padre Mesa Demonstration Ranch spoke to us about his ranching educational programs there as the rain came down and we all packed in under the dining fly. You could tell this was a bunch of range and ranch people cause nobody complained about the rain. We scrapped “movie night” though, it would have been too loud in the shop under a tin roof to hear them anyway.

Sunset Behind Pine Trees

Thursday August 4

The Tierra Seca Range Club from University of Arizona served up a great breakfast and got the day started off right. Iric Burden from the Coconino National Forest and George Ruyle from the U of A officially welcomed the group. We stayed right there at the ranch summer headquarters for the morning program. Dave Schafer, Resident Director of the ranch experiment station described the ranch, it’s management and 15 years of animal breeding, animal nutrition, and adaptive grazing research and educational work conducted here. Doug Tolleson, range specialist for the ranch followed up with the range related research and extension programming he has been involved in during his 4 years on staff. High school students (Dan Sullivan, Savannah McReynolds, Garret Fish, and Amber Lee) who have participated in NRCWAY and Range Rocks! told the group about some of the skills they have learned such as: wildlife water tank escape ramp construction and installation; tablet PC, VGS software, and pace quadrat vegetation transects; and real-time grazing animal diet quality assessment using portable near infrared spectroscopy. Jim Sprinkle, U of A Area Livestock Specialist and Bryan McMurray, Beef Marketing Manager with Cargill showed us some innovative research equipment designed to monitor individual animal mineral supplement consumption on rangelands and told us about mineral nutrition for livestock in Arizona and how that is different from surrounding regions.

Don and Jim sitting in the folding chairs under the dining fly

After lunch, we drove northeast about an hour to hear Duane Coleman, manager of the Hopi 3 Canyon Ranch describe a brush management/grinding project he has ongoing there. A little farther east we stopped to see a pinon/juniper area included in a prescribed fire/grazing project on the Bar T Bar Ranch. Iric Burden of the USForest Service and Bob Prosser of the Bar T Bar described how the project got started, how it has been carried out and what they planned to accomplish in the future. At this location we also learned about two different cattle/elk interaction studies that had been done on pinon/juniper range on the V Bar V and in the pine vegetation near there. Larry Howery, Range Specialist for the U of A and Bill Miller, Wildlife Professor for Arizona State University detailed their work on forage use, techniques to assess potential competition, and management of these sympatric species. Duane Coleman then took us over to look at Clear Creek Canyon before we headed back to the V Bar V. It was definitely worth the trip.

When we arrived back at the ranch headquarters, Bopper Cannon and his crew had one of his classic chuck wagon suppers ready for us. Tri-tip beef, ranch potatoes, dutch-oven biscuits, beans, and salad, topped off with dutch-oven cobbler. We had a short follow-up business meeting and then saw a video of the V Bar V Ranch history created by Deb Pearson, ranch business manager. We also saw a video re-cap of this summers NRCWAY at Mingus Springs Camp. It has become sort of a tradition to have a little live music at our summer meetings with the “band” named after some local place. This year was no exception as the “Happy Jacks” took center stage under the dining fly to wrap up the evening. A couple of rattlesnakes in camp just added to the excitement.

Friday August 5

Coyotes and elk woke us up early and we packed up, left the cool pines and headed down the hill (about 30 miles and 3500 ft in elevation) to the old Beaver Creek Ranger Station. The Range Club from ASU cooked up some wonderful breakfast burritos and we needed them since we had a little hiking to do this morning. Down the road a few miles at Wickiup Draw, we walked in to see the headcuts and erosion which has been a problem there for a number of years. Amina Sena who is the Watershed Specialist for the Coconino on the Red Rock district presented a little history of the draw and outlined the many factors affecting that ecosystem. Then it was back out to the road and a stop at Scared Mountain for some agricultural archaeology presented by Peter Pilles, archaeologist for the Coconino National Forest. He gave a great explanation of how the Sinagua harvested water and farmed the “rangeland” we were standing on. By now it was getting hot so it was good to move on to the V Bar V Heritage Site (former ranch headquarters now a historical site operated by the USFS) to see some of the best petroglyphs in the southwest under some big old shade trees. Ken Zoll and Jerry Ehrhardt, both members of the Arizona Archaeological Society educated the group on the rock art and historical trails used by native and US military people in the area.

Amber and Anastasia holding their prizes for the plant ID contest

Back at the Beaver Creek Station for lunch and we wrapped up with a presentation prepared by Jerry Mundell (USFS retired) on historical grazing in the Beaver Creek Watershed. Verde Natural Resource Conservation District presented information about their projects to provide wildlife escape ramps and “no-trace” fire pits. Doug Tolleson summarized the meeting and challenged the attendees to look at rangelands with new eyes after learning about historical uses of the land and how this will affect what we are able to do management-wise now and in the future. Jamie Wages and Andrew Brischke from the Young Professionals Committee announced the Plant ID contest winners which were: 2nd place Amber Dahlke and 1st place Anastasia Rabin. Prizes awarded were a lighted hand lens and a Trail Boss belt buckle respectively. Some of us hung around and visited after the meeting, some went on a trip to see more archeological sites and some went swimming. The number of attendees each day ranged from 60 to 80. Plans are already underway for the winter meeting, tentatively scheduled for Tucson in mid January.

3R Ranch Visit

By Maggie Haseman, SRM Outreach Intern

3R Ranch is located 22 miles southwest of Pueblo, Colorado. It is 11,000 acres of land partially in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, partially flat plains. The ranch is managed by Reeves and Betsy Brown. Part of my internship program this summer was to visit this ranch, and spend two days learning about the way it is run. After my time at Chico Basin Ranch late last month I thought I was somewhat prepared for another ranch visit. However, these two ranches differ vastly; I was just as inexperienced as I had been two weeks prior when I arrived at Chico Basin Ranch. Reeves would later tell me that I could visit every ranch in the state, and not find two that run things in the same way.

Eating Hay

During my stay, Reeves Brown gave me a detailed description of the management program used on 3R Ranch. They manage using a Holistic Management plan. This grazing plan was developed by Allan Savory who came to America from Zimbabwe to get the idea more recognition. His book about holistic management is called “Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making." Reeves told me that holistic management is all about the connection between the water, energy and nutrient cycles. Plants require water from precipitation, energy from sunlight and nutrients from the soil to grow. When they are synchronized the plants are most productive and in turn animals are too. When animals graze the land they cycle the nutrients back into the soil more quickly than if the land were left alone. The animals eat the above ground plant material before grasses go to seed; the grass then produces more above ground material. If the plant were allowed to go to seed it would then go into a dormant period, adding the grazing cycle into the ecosystem allows the plant to produce more.

Very Dry

He also talked about keeping a balance in finances, happiness, sustainability and productivity in order to meet a set goal. Each decision should be evaluated based on whether it will help them meet their goal. They ask if they have the fiscal ability to do the action, if it will make them and their workers happy so they have the mental and physical ability to do the action, will the action improve productivity, will the action improve the resource. They graze a pasture for a maximum of five to seven days, and then give the land a long rest period. The plan is much more in depth than this, and this is simply my understanding based on what Reeves talked to me about. I think this management plan really makes sense, especially the way Reeves explained it. I haven’t had much experience with herbivory in my classes at Colorado State University yet so I haven’t heard much about grazing plans, I think this specific one is very interesting.

The Ranch

My adventure began on August 1st at 5:00pm, when I pulled up to the building that would be my quarters based on my emails from Betsy Brown and got out to stretch my legs. I walked across an irrigation ditch on a small foot bridge, as instructed in my email, to Betsy and Reeves’ adobe home. When I rang the doorbell I was greeted by the barks and scratching at the door of a small fluffy dog I later learned was named Angel. Then Betsy came to the door and invited me in. We sat on the porch, enjoyed the breeze, chatted and drank lemonade.

These cows thought we brought them food, very disappointing for

them to find out otherwise

That evening, Betsy asked if I would accompany her to check on some cattle. We (including Angel) hopped in the Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) with Angel and head off on a dirt road. The countryside was beautiful; the sun was setting behind the Rocky Mountains. It started to rain but we were comfortable in the UTV. Betsy talked to me about the way they run the ranch and we chatted about other things as well. Betsy recommended a movie called Temple Grandin after hearing about my sister, Erica’s interests. She said between the two of us the movie would be a perfect balance. My sister graduated from CSU with a degree in music therapy and wants to work with autistic children, and I, as you may know by now am currently majoring in rangeland ecology. This movie is about the woman it is named after: she is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, she is also autistic. The movie shows the obstacles she overcame to be successful. I haven’t seen it yet but it came highly recommended.

Injured Bull

On the way back to headquarters we collected eggs from the chicken coop. When we got back to the Brown’s house for dinner, Reeves was home. We had tasty taco salads on the side porch followed by homemade peppermint ice cream. Being an ice cream fanatic, as is Reeves, we chatted over a bowl each. I was amazed at how good it tasted, I don't think I've ever had ice cream that tasted so good. They asked what my favorite flavor of ice cream was and I responded cinnamon gelato from Gelazzi, a gelato cafe in Fort Collins, CO.

Checkup

The next morning, I woke up in time for 6:30am breakfast at the Brown’s: hot cakes, yummy. On the first day Betsy and I went to give a bull with a bad knee some water and food because he was unable to walk. Reeves, Betsy, two ranch hands Ken and Kenneth and I (Angel too) also put salt, mineral, and hay out in a pasture for the cattle. Another bull was also hurt, probably from jumping over a fence. Marvin, the Brown’s veterinarian, arrived to check on the bull. I watched Betsy and Marvin help the bull into a holding contraption where Marvin conducted the checkup. According to him, the bull was no longer a bull, which was bad news for Betsy and Reeves who were counting on him for breeding. It was also sad for the bull who was now only worth the price of a hamburger patty.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, watching the rain fall and talking while Betsy fixed dinner. I found a recipe for gelato for her to use in her ice cream machine. For dinner we had meatloaf and squash from the garden. Of course there was home-made ice cream for dessert: this time banana nut. Note to self: get an ice cream maker.
After breakfast (hot cakes) the next day, Reeves took me up in the mountain to the place where Reeves and Betsy’s son Kelly is building a hunting facility for them. Reeves showed me around the area and then got to work on the hole he was digging for a water tank. Later, Reeves and I drove around the mountain to check on the herd of cattle they had grazing up there. When we got back, I helped him level the hole using my limited surveying experience from a previous course at CSU.

Beautiful Architecture for Hunting Facility
Built by Kelly Brown

When we’d finished eating lunch from their favorite local pizzeria, Kelly, Reeves and I drove down to Colorado City. They had to meet the truck driver who was delivering the water and septic tanks and show him the way to the hunting facility. Lining up the tanks in the holes took the rest of the afternoon.

Spanish Peaks

I had a wonderful couple of days with Reeves and Betsy Brown. They are very sweet people and I appreciate everything they did for me during my stay. I hope to keep in touch with them and see them again soon. I learned a lot about these two kindly people, holistic management, ice cream, cattle, bull injuries, and myself during my two day adventure in southern Colorado.

Nebraska Youth Range Camp 2011

By Shelly Taylor, Director of the Nebraska Range Camp

The Nebraska SRM Section’s 48th Annual Youth Range Camp was held June 13 – 17, 2011 at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp, located in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey. Range Camp is designed to be a blend of educational, team-building, and recreational activities, with the primary emphasis being on range, livestock, and ranch management. Each Camper received a notebook of reference materials as well as priceless experience coming from both the classroom and the field. Thirty-nine high school students from across Nebraska and eastern Colorado participated in this weeklong educational activity. This premier Section Activity is successful because of the long-term support we have from a wide array of professionals involved in rangeland management.

Ranch Tour at the Reed Hamilton Ranch

Nine adults contributed a week of their time to be crew leaders and Camp support. Crew Bosses included: Ben Beckman (UNL Graduate); Daryl Cisney (Board of Educational Lands and Funds); Karla Jenkins (UNL Assistant Professor and Specialist); Justin Lemmer (Twin Platte NRD Range Technician); Jess Milby (UNL Graduate Student); Casey Lancaster, Lisa McMillan, Jeff Nichols, and Shelly Taylor all of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Shelly served as Director for the Camp.

The financial support of sponsoring ranches is an essential part of Range Camp’s success. Many of these ranches have been supporting this program through ranch crew sponsorship for more than 35 years. Currently, 11 Nebraska Ranches support Range Camp.

Livestock Judging Clinic

Range site portion of the Range Judging contest

Additionally, 13 of Nebraska’s most respected and dedicated leaders, teachers, and professionals from various agencies, colleges, and universities supported Range Camp by leading tours and providing presentations on range related information. They represented: a local ranch, Chadron State College, West Holt High School, Mitchell High School, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Scottsbluff High School, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the US Forest Service.

We provide the top ranch crew or team awards annually. This year’s winning ranch crew was the Steerhead Crew – Kelly Ranch LLC. The Crew Boss or team leader was Justin Lemmer.

We work hard, but we play hard too!

The top individuals are scored on plant identification, range site identification, ranch planning, a comprehensive range exam, notebooks and attitudes. These Campers are offered the opportunity to represent Nebraska at the International SRM Meeting by competing in a range related presentation contest at our Annual Nebraska Section SRM Meeting.

The top two first year campers received belt buckles. The top returning Camper received a plaque that includes the ranch sponsors brands and the SRM medallion. Top First Year Campers received the Weeds of the Great Plains book. Top Returning Campers received the Weeds of the West. There are also awards for placing high on Range Sites, Plant Identification, and the Comprehensive Exam. Those individuals were awarded the Grassland Plants of South Dakota book.

2011 Top First Year Campers

The Sandhills Task Force and the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition continue to be invaluable sponsors and supporters of our Camp.

The staff or Crew Bosses unanimously decided to offer the opportunity to represent the Nebraska SRM Section at the Spokane, Washington International SRM Meeting to all Campers. We had another year of outstanding young people; our future in natural resources continues to be bright!

Tour of prescribed burn on Forest Service property

The Nebraska Youth Range Camp has a new Facebook page where you can view photos from this year’s Range Camp, find information about upcoming Range Camps and other associated events, and network with past Campers and supporters. Please “Like” us so you can receive our updates!

Range Camp is one of the Nebraska SRM Section’s most important annual activities. Continued success is dependent upon the support, dedication, and active involvement of Section Members. The support of Nebraska ranchers, professionals, and other sponsoring organizations is also essential for a successful Camp. The 2012 Nebraska Youth Range Camp is scheduled for June 11-15, 2012. This will be our 49th Range Camp. Additional information on Range Camp is available by contacting current Director, Shelly Taylor, by visiting the Nebraska SRM website, or by “Liking” the Nebraska Youth Range Camp page on Facebook.

The whole crew