History of the Utah Section, Society for Range Management 1979-1984 Max Robinson 1985-1993

Jim Brown

2002

John Malechek

2001

A large contingent of Utah Section members attended the 2001 Annual Meeting in Kona, Hawaii, and enjoyed a great meeting, as well as a tropical paradise location.

Summer Tour, June 14 and 15, Monticello area.

Organized and led by Paul Curtis, Monticello BLM, approximately 30 people enjoyed two days of educational and scenic visits, discussing CRP lands, sage grouse habitat, a local elk ranch, and uranium mill tailings clean-up. A steak dinner was provided by members George Cook and Jim Brown with local entertainment. The second day included a visit to the Comb Wash area west of Blanding, followed by a visit and discussion of Forest Service management issues on the Slickhorn Allotment.
Annual Winter Meeting, Vernal, UT, Nov. 8&9, 2001

President Elect Jim Brown organized and presided over an interesting and well-attended meeting where issues such as potential T&H listing of sage grouse was discussed in-depth by a panel of scientists and managers. Tim Munns was named Rancher of the Year and Eve Davies of Pacificorp accepted the award for

Range Excellence.

D. Major Section Business Activities

Perhaps the item having the greatest near-term impact on the future of the Utah Section was the successful awarding by the parent Society of the hosting of the 2004 Annual National Meeting by the Utah Section. The meeting is scheduled for the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City for January 23-31, 2004. Dr. Durant McArthur will be the General Chairman of the meeting, with Dr. Douglas Johnson as Co-chair.

Steve Monson

2000

Jerry Goodman

1999

The National meeting in Omaha was well attended by Section members. The Student chapters were active in the competitions and did well. We also had two students that participated in the High School Youth Forum. Eight members of the Section received awards or national recognition.

Our summer meeting, held at the Great Basin Environmental Center, was one of the best we have had in several years. The meeting/tour was a joint venture with the American Society of Forestry. It was well attended and well organized, and we were joined by some members that have not participated with us in recent years.
In July the Utah Section hosted and cosponsored a tour in conjunction with the Statewide Grazing Land Conservation Initiative Committee. Approximately 85 state congressional and other state and community leaders participated, and viewed habitat restoration, pasture management, noxious weed management, wildfire rehabilitation, and CRP projects. Again we were able to reach and explain current issues to a group that we normally have not reached in the past.
Each year the Utah Section hosts a week-long Natural Resources Field School for high school students. This event took place at the Great Basin Environmental Center and we had 24 participants. In addition to hosting the event, the entire program was reviewed in 1999 and a new “work plan” or charter was developed to deal with current issues.
In conjunction with the annual meeting, the Section offered a training workshop on Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plants. The workshop was attended by more than 80 participants. The theme of the general meeting was the “Management and Preservation of Open Spaces to Sustain Diverse Resources.” Our National President, Kendell Johnson was the keynote speaker at the banquet where we presented 2 Range Manager of the Year Awards and recognized our Rancher of the Year and Range Excellence recipients. Approximately $2600 was raised through the annual auction to support the Sections’s endowment fund, which currently supports 2 scholarships for our University students studying range science. In addition our “Dutch Oven Crew” raised approximately $5000 for the endowment fund, providing meals to a variety of meetings and tours throughout the year. These events not only bring in much needed funding, but they are also an excellent advertisement for SRM.
Hopefully, the Utah Section has turned the corner on declining membership. As of the end of November our membership rose slightly to 206, an increase of 9 members over 1998, and the first year we have seen an increase since 1991. During this past year, our Membership Committee sent letters to agency heads including mid-management, suggesting the value of SRM membership and attendance at meetings. Selected members and past members were also targeted, reminding them of the value of SRM and our need for their participation.
Based on the recommendation of the President, the Section’s Council considered and approved several organizational changes for the coming year. Committees will report directly to one of the three Directors. With all the duties of the President, this will hopefully focus more attention and help to the various committees. The use of an Executive Secretary was also approved.

In summary, the Utah Section had a very busy and productive year, achieving one of my primary goals, which was to provide a quality service or product for our membership. Some needed organizational changes have also been adopted in both the Natural Resource Field School, as well as the Section as a whole.

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