The Society for Range Management (SRM) has established a program intended to:

• Support attendance at the Annual Meeting by rangeland scientists or managers from countries other than the U.S. and Canada.

• Foster international exchange about advances in rangeland ecology and management.

Submit your ITF application materials (application directions) to the address below by Sept. 30,  2012 via email to Leslie Stewart-Phelps or by post [please include a disk copy with all materials in a single file in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Rich Text Format or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format] to:

Leslie Stewart-Phelps
U.S. Forest Service
125 N. Main St.
Chadron, NE 69337
lstewartphelps@fs.fed.us     

Awards will be announced before Nov. 1, 2013.   Click Here for the Application Directions.

 
Rangeland residents are often challenged with all kinds of catastrophes, from fire and drought and even here and there a flood. While in the "Big Picture" these disturbance events may often rejuvenate senescent systems, for their individual components (organisms) they sometimes pose an immediate existential challenge. Our question today is what critter do we see here, and on what plant is it seeking refuge? Is this an example of an adaptive behavior in the face of climate change?
 

Go to http://rangelandnews.org/range_photo_quiz.html to tell us what you think! 

Disturbance is a natural process that can drive rangeland vegetation dynamics. However, dramatic changes in frequency or severity of disturbance may result in the need to actively reestablish desirable vegetation on disturbed sites. Historically, many non-native plants were used to rehabilitate drastically disturbed rangelands, but more current efforts have emphasized the use of native species. The selection and use of plant materials that will successfully establish, persist and restore ecological function to disturbed sites is a crucial decision in any restoration project.

1)      Discuss the debate regarding whether native or non-native plants are better-suited for use in rangeland restoration projects. Is there consistent biological evidence that native plants are superior to non-native plants for revegetating disturbed areas? Are there situations where non-native plant materials may be more appropriate than native species?

2)      Develop a process that rangeland managers can use to select plant materials for rangeland restoration projects. Your process should consider ecological characteristics of restoration sites and socioeconomic goals for long-term management of the disturbed site. Describe your process in detail and explain any pitfalls which may be encountered in the implementation of the process.

*Use logic and literature to support your conclusions for your poster.

** 2013 Additional task: Produce a digital video describing your project above to be displayed on the internet and as part of the meeting in Oklahoma City. Teams that produce a video will receive 5 additional total Rangeland Cup points.

To register your team send an email to including your school/university, names of team members and mentor, contact information (email, phone, address) of at least one team member. Contest guidelines and regulations may be found at http://www.rangelands.org/RangelandCup/index.shtml or by emailing the address above. We look forward to the strong competition and creative ideas on this challenging topic. Good luck!

Registration DEADLINE for 2013 SRM meeting in Oklahoma City: November 2nd 2012

Hello Everyone!
 

The SRM Awards Committee wishes to send a sincere note of thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate someone for an SRM Honor Award this year. For the last few years we have received an overwhelming response to the call for nominations. While this is wonderful, due to committee guidelines on the number of awards in each category, we are unable to present each nominee with an award at the 2013 SRM Meeting and at most annual meetings. So, if your nominee was not selected for an award, please don't get discouraged.  It is common for a nominee not to be selected upon initial submission, but to be recognized in a subsequent year upon resubmission of the nomination. Due to the large number and quality of award nominees the past few years, we urge you to please re-examine your nomination packet, strengthen it as much as possible, and resubmit it next year! There are a lot of deserving individuals that the Society would love to recognize!

 

Sincerely,

Melissa Teague

Chair, SRM Awards Committee

OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD  

EARLY CAREER UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD

Do you know someone who teaches undergraduate Range Science courses that is a truly excellent teacher? Was or is there a college/university Range Science teacher who inspired you in your preparation to become a Range Science professional? If so, please consider nominating that person for one of the Range Science Education Council's teaching awards. A copy of the guidelines and procedures for nominating a teacher for each of the RSEC-SRM Teaching Awards plus a copy of the Nomination Form can be found on the RSEC website: http://www.rangelands.org/RSEC/RSEC.htm.

Please note that a single hardcopy plus an electronic copy on CD (pdf files) must reach the chair of the RSEC Awards Committee by Nov. 1, 2012:

Walt Fick, Chair

RSEC Awards Committee

3016C Throckmorton Hall

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 66506 

785-532-7223 (voice)

785 532-6094 (fax)

whfick@ksu.edu

As many of you know, our old friend Bill Hurst (retired Regional Forester, Southwestern Region and Past President of SRM) has long been concerned about the status of the Kaibab Squirrel in Arizona. This tassel-eared, white tailed sub-species of the Aberts Squirrel is found only in the Ponderosa pine forests north of the Grand Canyon in Arizona on the Kaibab National Forest and the Grand Canyon National Park. Bill believes that the Kaibab Squirrel population is declining and may not survive in the long run if specific habitat requirements are not maintained and if predation both natural and human caused is not held in check. While he served as Regional Forester he was able to exert enough influence concerning the squirrel's habitat needs and predator impacts to be reasonably assured that its needs were being met. In recent years however, he feels the situation has changed for the worse.
 

To assure that Bill is not alone in this effort, some of his friends have joined together to form an organization called, "Friends of the Kaibab Squirrel" (FKS). This is a unique, non-profit group whose sole purpose is to help assure the perpetuation and long-term survival of this beautiful little animal. FKS does not advocate listing the squirrel under provisions of the Endangered Species Act and does not intend to be a pressure group. Rather, it wishes to be a support  group encouraging the organizations responsible for the animal - the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, and for management of its habitat - US Forest Service and the National Park Service, to actively redeem their responsibilities in the squirrel's behalf. 

It is easy to become a member of Friends of the Kaibab Squirrel. The organization has no dues, holds no meetings and uses the Internet as its prime method of communication. The more members FKS has, the more it is apt to be listened to. Please log onto www.kaibabsquirrel.org and sign on.