[SRM] Welcome Back to Students in the Ecology, Management and Restoration of Rangelands (EMRR) Program! -- please read :)

[Larry Howery]

Dear Students in the Ecology, Management andRestoration of Rangelands (EMRR) Program: 

Welcome all EMRR Students!  On behalf of the EMRR Faculty, the SNRE Director, and the SNRE Academic Advisor andGraduate Coordinator(all c-copied here) we are looking forward to helping each of you achieve youracademic and professional goals.  
These continue to be challenging times for us all. However, please know that your faculty continue to work hard to prepare anddeliver the best learning experience possible regardless of the mode ofclassroom delivery.  Duringthese times let's all do our best to be patient and supportive of oneanother.  Despite the challenges ahead there is much good news toreport!  In fact, it is a great time to involved in the EMRRprofession for a number of reasons!

First, our EMRR student numbers remain at historically highlevels.  According to the latest data from KatieHughes (SNRE Academic Advisor and Graduate Coordinator), the EMRR Program lists35 undergraduates and 8 graduate students (all of you are receiving thismessage).  There are a few undergraduates who have not yet enrolled forthe spring term.  If you need helpgetting enrolled, please feel free to contact Katie or me and we will be morethan happy to assist you.  Despite all ofthe ongoing challenges of 2020-2021, the EMRR Program continues to have thehighest number of undergraduates that the program has seen in > 3 decades!

Second, and importantly related to my first point, EMRR studentsget jobs!  Although Range Programs are inherently smallat most universities, there are more jobs than range students projectedover the next decade!  In fact, according to recent data from theBureau of Labor Statistics, students with range degrees are projected to have ahigher probability of landing a job over the next decade than in any othernatural resource field.  I can confidently report to you that our studentsthat want jobs usually find jobs in the rangeland profession.  An excellent way to find a job is to getinvolved in the Society for Range Management (read more about this in point #7, below).  Moreover,the EMRR curriculum gives you maximum autonomy to uniquely tailor your academicpath towards your own personal goals and objectives as you seek ways to makeyourself more "employable" so that you can consider a broad range ofnatural resource careers after graduating.

Third, the work that you will learn to perform while earningyour degree within the EMRR Program will be critically important to societyafter you graduate!  Rangelands are thelargest land type in AZ and throughout the entire world.  They will continueto be essential to society for a variety of social, political, economic, andecologic reasons including, but not limited to, providing: water quantity andquality, carbon sequestration, critical habitat for threatened and endangeredspecies, hunting and recreation opportunities, solar, wind, and energy development,forage and habitat for wild and domestic animals (including birds, reptiles,mammals, microbes), as well as countless opportunities for resource planning,vegetation management, and restoration/rehabilitation projects across broadspatial and temporal scales.

With that as just a little background/introduction, following are 8 pieces ofinformation along with some friendly “free advice” that I hope you will findboth encouraging and useful.  

1. Senior Degree Check

Are you planning to graduate this semester (May 2021)?  Be sure and complete a Senior Degree Check and graduationsurvey.  You should start by filing for a degree check in your UAccessStudent Center under "Next Steps."  Please do not wait too longbefore starting this process.  Katie Hughes (SNRE Academic Advisor andGraduate Coordinator; khughes at email.arizona.edu) is agreat source for helping you understand how to navigate the survey -- feel freeto contact her directly if you have questions.  She will be happy toprovide more details so that you stay on track to graduate. 

2. Meet with your EMRR Faculty Advisor

Do you know who your EMRR Faculty Advisor is?  If not, please contact me (lhowery at ag.arizona.edu) or Katie Hughes (khughes at email.arizona.edu). Regular meetings with your advisor will help you complete youracademic program more efficiently and give you unique insights into employmentand the many career development opportunities that could be available to you afteryou graduate.  If you are a graduate student, please stay in regularcontact with your Major Professor to ensure that you are making good progresstowards your coursework and research project.

3. Tierra Seca (TS) Range Club

Are you ready to have some fun while learning how tonavigate the EMRR program and extracurricular activities during your time atthe UA?  The Tierra Seca (TS) Club could be the placefor you!  The TS Club is the student club of the Arizona Society for RangeManagement (aka SRM).  The International SRM "parent society" isthe premiere international organization devoted to the profession of rangelandecology and management.   At last year's AnnualSRM meeting, the UA "Range Team" garnered 1st place honors out of >30 competing North American range teams. If you talk to any EMRR alum they will likely tell you that SRM is themajor conduit through which they landed internships, summer jobs, and ultimately,full-time employment.  I cannot emphasizeenough how your experience at the UA will be enhanced by becoming a TSmember.  Faculty advisors are great resources (see point #2) but yourfellow students can truly help you to get the most out of the EMRR Program. The TS Club provides a social network and a strong support group made up ofyour fellow students where you will discover how to enrich your academicexperience, build your resume, and have lots of fun along the way!  In fact, I would encourage ANY UA student who has an interest in naturalresources to check out the first TS meeting next Wednesday (1/27/21) afternoon at5:30pm (see complete meeting schedule for the spring semester, below).  Here you will meet your fellow students in astress-free environment and learn about events and opportunities on thehorizon, including how to find an internship, a summer position, or a permanent job!  Ifyou want more information before the first meeting, feel free to email TSPresident Jacob Brown at jacobbrown64 at email.arizona.edu.  Here is the TS bi-weeklyZOOM meeting schedule for this semester:

Tierra Seca ZOOM Meetings -- Wednesdays, bi-weekly, at 5:30 PM
Jan 27, Feb 10, 24, Mar 10, 24, Apr 7, 21, May 5
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81279071101?pwd=Wjl1Z0lnVE5TdGIvL20xcnVIQk1Ddz09
Meeting ID: 812 7907 1101
Passcode: Grazed

4. Ecological Restoration Club

TheEcological Restoration club is a group of graduate and undergraduate studentsinterested in the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes.  The club meetsbi-monthly to hear about restoration jobs and opportunities, make seed ballsand install pollinator gardens and eat pizza.  This semester, meetingswill be via zoom.  All are welcome.  If you would like to be addedonto the club listserve and hear about upcoming meetings, please email Dr.Elise Gornish at egornish at email.arizona.edu.

5. SRM Email Listserve

There is an email listserve (srm at list.cals.arizona.edu) which is used to broadcast announcements aboutmeetings, jobs, field trips, and many other topics.  If you want to stay up-to-date on job andinternships, student club activities, and field work, the SRM listserve is amust!  It truly is the best and most efficient way to monitor everythingthat is going on in the EMRR program as well as in the rangeland ecology andmanagement profession (e.g., jobs!).  I will be happy to add anyone to thelistserve (with your permission).   Soif you want to receive email notifications from the SRM listserve just send mean email and your email will be quickly added.

6. Rangeland Management (RAM) Courses offered for Spring 2021

Thereare 5 RAM Courses offered this semester (see brief descriptions below).  All of these coursesexcept for RAM 382 still have available seats. The following link provides important information about policies anddeadlines for UA courses:  http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and-administrative-drop

Dr.Aaron Lien teaches Rangeland Plant Communities of the West (RAM382).  This course covers the structure and function of western U.S.range land plant communities focusing on vegetation dynamics and anthropogenicinfluences. The lab will include classroom and field identification ofcommunities and plant species.  This 3-unit,Live Online course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-11:50; therequired lab meets Live Online Thursdaysfrom 3:30-6pm.

Dr.Benedict Colombi teaches Natural Resource Management in Native Communities (RAM441A/541A).  This course covers basic issues and concepts in naturalresource management and the environment in Native communities using integratedcase studies that survey all the major varieties of environmental issues inIndian Country in the 21st century.  This3-unit, Live Online course meets on Wednesdays from 3:30-6pm. 

Dr.Jeff Fehmi teaches Management and Restoration of Wildland Vegetation (RAM 446/546). This course explores general techniques for managing, reclaiming, andrestoring vegetation on rangelands and woodlands with a focus on local andregional management. Students will work to develop solutions through chemical,biological, mechanical, and cultural land treatments.  This 4-unit, Live Onlinecourse meets M W F 10:00-10:50am and has a required Flex In-Person lab.  

Dr. Fehmi also teaches RangelandManagement Plan (RAM 487) which requires students to conduct a fieldinventory, develop management alternatives, and provide environmental andeconomic analyses of alternative management proposals in a written plan.  This is a writing-emphasis, 2-unit course thatmeets Live Online Wednesdays from 2:00-4:50pm; it also has occasionalrequired all-day field days and labs.  

Dr.Steve Archer teaches Ecology of Savannas, Shrublands, and Woodlands (RAM619).  This is a 3-credit, graduatelevel, Live Online course that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:45pm.  It explores the functional ecology anddynamics of biogeographically diverse savanna, shrubland and woodlandecosystems.  Interactions amongco-occurring life forms and growth forms is emphasized within the context ofclimate, soils and disturbance.

7. Possible Ways to Use Your 26 Elective Units 

If you are an undergraduate student, please click here and then click on "Ecology, Management, andRestoration of Rangelands" to discover how you might use 26elective units to meet educational requirements for at least 14 differentcareer paths.  This collection of career paths is not acomprehensive list but is intended to stimulate your thinking about the myriadof career choices you could pursue after you graduate with a degree in the EMRRoption, including qualifying as a Range Management Specialist with a federalland management agency (i.e., 0454 Series).  The EMRR Faculty, under Dr.McClaran's leadership as previous EMRR Program Chair, worked hard to create ahighly flexible natural resources curriculum designed to provide maximumbenefit to you as an EMRR student.  The EMRR curriculum gives you maximumautonomy to tailor and personalize your academic path towards your career goalsand objectives.  Please meet with your faculty advisor (see point #2) to discussthese and other career paths that could meet your personal interests and guideyou towards your "dream job."  You may want to explore the EMRR checksheet and the EMRR 4-year plan/potential career paths prior to visitingwith your advisor.

8.  Additional UA Resources

Below are a few additional links to UA Resources that you maywant to explore.  They may assist you inimproving your performance in your classes and enhance your overall UAexperience: 

·       Think Tank

·       Thrive

·       Disability Resources

·       SALT 

·       Campus Health

·       Deanof Students 
Wrapping things up

Again, welcome!  I wish all of you the best of luck thissemester!  If you have any questions about anything in this welcomemessage or the EMRR Program, feel free to contact me.  For those that havenot yet enrolled in courses this semester I would love to hear from you even itis just to check in to casually visit about how you are doing. Stay safe, mask up, and bear down!
Sincerely,

Larry Howery

lhowery at ag.arizona.edu

Chair, Ecology, Management, and Restoration of RangelandsProgram

Professor/Specialist of Rangeland Management

The University of Arizona

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