Scholarships Available: Western Ranch Management & Ecosystem Stewardship Field Course

Western Landowners Alliance Scholarships

Contact Jennifer Lind: jlind@westernlandowners.org
Applications due June 16, 2019

 

 

Western Landowners Alliance is pleased to announce the availability of $1,500 scholarships to those in need of financial assistance to attend the Western Ranch Management and Ecosystem Stewardship 2019 summer field course being offered by the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University (CSU). For more information about the course, please visit the course website:

https://sites.google.com/view/csu-western-ranch-management/home.

Western Landowners Alliance recognizes the inherent value of human diversity, broadly defined, and seeks to encourage this diversity within the field of land and natural resources management. Preference for the scholarships will be given to women and other individuals from groups underrepresented in ranch management in the American West, including ethnic and racial minorities. Eligible applicants include undergraduate and graduate students from CSU or any other academic institution, as well as non-degree seeking students who intend to pursue a career in ranch management.

Supplemental financial support may be available on a limited basis through CSU to defray out-of-state tuition costs for individuals selected for this scholarship opportunity. For further information on eligibility and supplemental assistance, please refer to the course website and check with the program coordinator.

Course Overview

In this field course, students will be introduced to:

• Different grazing strategies developed for cattle and bison, and see how grazing plans are designed to help protect biodiversity, enhance soils and conserve water resources.
• Ecology of western forests and see how they are managed for timber, wildlife habitat, fire risk and carbon sequestration.
• Collaborative partnerships with state and federal wildlife agencies to re-establish and protect threatened and endangered wildlife, such as bighorm sheep and the Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
• Riparian habitat restoration projects designed to protect critical headwaters and understand how water rights influence land-use decisions.
• Long-term conservation planning through easements, carbon cap-and-trade, and other programs and incentives.
• Methods on vegetation sampling techniques used for monitoring response to management treatments and natural processes, such as grazing and fire.
• Basic elements of hunting programs and game management strategies, agricultural practices to conserve water, alternative energy development and mineral rights, ecotourism and guest services, ranch financial operations, and more.

The course is designed to introduce students to the variety of ways in which ranches address similar challenges. Students may not become experts in all covered topics, but they will be exposed to established practices and emerging ideas to build a toolbox of techniques and programs that will help them have successful careers working with western ranches. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of the range of career paths available in ranch management.

Basic Details

Dates: July 14 – July 23 and July 28 – August 6, 2019 (attendance to both sessions is required).

• Course Number: F 480A1
• Available for degree and non-degree seeking students
• 4 credits
• Food, lodging and transportation included

To Apply

Please download the application and send the following materials to Jennifer Lind (jlind@westernlandowners.org) with the subject line “Summer Field Course Scholarship”:

1. Completed application form.
2. A one-page cover letter describing your interest and experience in ranch management, and why you are a good candidate for the scholarship.
3. Your resume.
4. Three professional references with current contact information.

To be considered, applications must be received no later than June 16, 2019. Scholarships will be distributed directly to students halfway through the course. Send any questions to Jennifer Lind: jlind@westernlandowners.org.

Apply Now

 

Read the brochure

 

Western Landowners Alliance (WLA), is a landowner-led network dedicated to the health and prosperity of the American West by working to advance policies and practices that sustain working lands, connected landscapes and native species.

www.westernlandowners.org