Higher active young professional membership, continued exchange Of valuable knowledge

1. The Future of the Society of Range Management. Where do we go from here and how do we get there? Spencer Otto, Scott Steiner, Paula Wagner ,1Dennis Phillippi. 2 Northwest College, Powell ,WY1. Certified Range Management Consultant, First Vice-President, Society of Range Management.2 Introduction As new students entering the Range Management field, we feel there are two areas that the SRM could improve. They are retaining young professional members by maintaining interaction with experienced members after entering the workforce and creating better sources of understandable information for the public. We had difficulty obtaining information on the SRM without being members and we feel that there needs to be an improvement in the programs available to young members. There also needs to be more accessible resources for Information on the website and the SRM’s publications that is more understandable at an entry level. Abstract The Society for Range Management is a professional group dedicated to protecting our range lands and providing scientific ecology information. The future of the SRM depends on its membership, and making ecology information available to the public. To this end, more effort is needed to maintain active membership and improve accessibility to ecology techniques through their website and Rangelands magazine. These changes will increase active participation in the SRM and better public understanding of rangeland management technology and practices, and protecting our Rangelands for future generations. Transition Threshold Higher active young professional membership, continued exchange Of valuable knowledge and experience. Develop Interactive Programs To Provide Continuing Education and Exchange Of Experience for the Young Professional in the Workforce. Current State • Membership declining • Losing young professionals in • the workforce • Less knowledge & experience • from older members being • passed on Increased public interest In rangeland ecology practices and improved exposure to reliable information. Improve website to be more informative to the public with Rangelands articles available to draw interest in membership • Current lack of public exposure • Information usually presented in • scientific format Our research indicates a lack of available information about the SRM without membership. Need to have more exposure of the purpose of SRM. Increased availability of easily understood, science based rangeland ecology information. Downhill trend continues until the demise of the SRM Conclusion The sustainability of the Society for Range Management is dependant on the ability to attract and retain membership. To retain membership, there has to be support and interaction between the younger generation and the more seasoned members in the workforce. There also needs to be more information available in print and on the website for public use. It is better to get it from the SRM than from some of the unreliable resources available today. By using the outlined steps above, the SRM will continue to be a respected organization that provides trustworthy information to it’s members. Resources Society for Range Management. Vol.28. Issue 5.(October2006). Society for Range Management. http://www.rangelands.org/srm.shtml November,19,2006. Membership and involvement show minor improvements or are maintained at current level