Achievements recognized by the Texas Section Society for Range Management
Texas A&M AgriLife specialists receive top awards, leadership appointments
Employees and students of Texas A&M AgriLife and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences received top awards and recognition during the annual Texas Section Society for Range Management, TSSRM, meeting held last month in Bastrop.
“The sheer number of awards and recognition received by faculty and staff of Texas A&M AgriLife is a true testament to the impact the organization has on rangeland health across the state,” said Doug Tolleson, Ph.D., outgoing TSSRM president and associate professor and rangeland scientist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station in Sonora.
Outstanding contributions, achievements recognized
Jeff Goodwin, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, received the award for Outstanding Contributions to Rangeland Management, celebrating more than two decades of nationally recognized service and research in the field of rangeland management and conservation.
Housed in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, the Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management is part of a Texas A&M University System-wide effort to safeguard the ecologic and economic resiliency of grazing land resources and ranching operations.
The Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Steven Evans, lecturer in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station, highlighting his diverse contributions to rangeland education and outreach.
Chase Brooke, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service small acreage and wildlife management specialist, Stephenville, received the Grass Roots Award. This award recognizes excellence in on-the-ground, local, grassroots work in range management.
“These individuals seek to advance the land-grant mission on a daily basis – both in the classroom and in communities across this state,” said Roel Lopez, Ph.D., head of the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. “Through their efforts and the efforts of those like them across Texas A&M AgriLife, we are improving the lives of Texans and fostering the next generation of rangeland professionals.”
Publication awards
The popular publication award was given to “Plant Response to Seasonal Fire in the Edwards Plateau, High Plains and Rolling Plains” by Anita Hoskins, master’s student; Deann Burson, doctoral student, both with the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management; and Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., associate professor and AgriLife Extension range specialist, San Angelo.
Special publication honors went to “Plant Party: Advanced Plant Training Quarterly Webinar Program” led by Megan Clayton, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde; Charles Kneuper, Texas state rangeland management specialist, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Temple; and Tim Siegmund, private lands program leader, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Bryan-College Station.
John Walker, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range scientist, San Angelo, and Scott Kronberg, Ph.D., research animal scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Mandan, North Dakota, shared technical publication honors for “Nature, Nurture and Vegetation Management: Studies with Sheep and Goats.”
Leadership appointments and student awards
Humberto Perotto, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station, is the incoming TSSRM president and will assume the role in 2024.
Rider Combs, property manager of the Texas A&M Ecology and Natural Resources Teaching Area, Bryan-College Station, was appointed to a three-year term on the TSSRM board of directors.
Members of the Texas A&M Range Club placed first overall in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam. Christophe Peralt and Garrison Trichel, both students in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, were the top two high-scoring individuals.
The Texas A&M Range Club also placed second and third in the Rangeland Plant Identification Contest. Students Hanna Hardt, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, and Hanna Moreno, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, tied for third place individual scores.
Additional awards with Texas A&M students include:
Three-minute Thesis Contest: Deann Burson, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Outstanding Range Students: Karlie Marek, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, and Steven Lovelace, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology.
Don Pendleton Memorial Oral Presentations: Sarah Turner, first place, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology; Kelley Mundy, second place, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management; and Mycha Van Allen, third place, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Don Pendleton Memorial Graduate Student Poster Presentations: Deann Burson, first place; Erika Sullivan, second place, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management; and David Rowley, third place, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology.
