Tierra Seca students take home high honors and jobs from annual meeting of the Society for Range Management.

Tierra Seca, the University of Arizona Student Chapter of the Society for Range Management (SRM), attended the 62nd Annual SRM Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico from February 8-12, 2009. Seven undergraduates from the School of Natural Resources participated in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME), where they competed against 173 students from 22 universities from across North America. The team, coached by Dr. Larry Howery, consisted of Ashley Shepherd, Andy Habgood, Teressa Van Diest, Steve Bluemer, John Hall, Brandon Bishop, and April Barron. The U of A team placed 6^th overall, with Teressa Van Diest placing 2^nd individually. As a result of her high placement, Teressa is now a Certified Range Management Professional. Ashley Shepherd placed 19^th and John Hall placed 29^th, helping the team secure the 6^th place finish. Eva Osmer, a Rangeland Ecology and Management graduate student, presented a poster on her graduate research and competed in the Graduate Poster Competition.

 

In addition to their success in the URME competition, five students were offered jobs at the SRM Agency On-the-Spot Hiring Job Fair. Andy Habgood received a SCEP position with the US Forest Service in the Coronado National Forest, AZ. Eva Osmer and Steve Bluemer accepted positions as Rangeland Management Specialists with the US Forest Service in the Douglas District, Coronado National Forest, AZ. John Hall accepted a position as a Rangeland Management Specialist with the BLM in Yuma, AZ. April Barron received a position as a Rangeland Management Specialist with the US Forest Service in the Mammoth Lakes District, Inyo National Forest, CA. Professionals at the meeting were very impressed by the strong showing of the U of A range students in both the student competitions and the job fair.

 

The students raised funds for their travel through bake sales, shirt sales, and a contract for rock dam construction on the Santa Rita Experimental Range; as well as donations from the CALS Alumni Association, Arizona Section of the Society for Range Management and a variety of private individuals.

 

Congratulations to these students for their hard work, and for the many contributions of Tierra Seca to SNR.