Fran tenBensel Benne | Agronomy and Horticulture
Normally, University of Nebraska–Lincoln students attend the International Meeting of the Society for Range Management each February. The Range Management Club, made up of students in natural resources and agronomy and horticulture, practice their range skills by participating in the plant identification contest, undergraduate range management examination, extemporaneous speaking and Rangeland Cup poster contest.
This year, the society meeting was held virtually Feb. 15–18 and the team competed in three competitions.
Kaitlyn Dozler, a junior fisheries and wildlife major, took home first place in extemporaneous speaking. The speech topic Dozler drew was to explain prescribed burns and how it affects rangeland. She spoke on the differences between wildfires and prescribed burns — how prescribed burns can help with the control and prevention of massive wildfires and can be used in the natural restoration process of a rangeland ecosystem.
Six students, including Asha Scheideler, Nick Sanders, Lydia Regier, Dozler, Brandon Jelinek and Cole Laible, competed in the undergraduate range management exam. The team’s score missed the top five by only a few points. Scheideler, Jordan Springer, Collin Eaton and Robert Witkowski also competed in the plant identification contest.
“The club is a great opportunity for students to connect with industry professionals and participate in range management activities and seminars,” said Scheideler, club president. “The club also helps to broaden students’ interests and expose them to rangeland ecosystems throughout the United States.”
Club members were busy the first week of March planting native wildflowers from seed. Members spend many hours in the greenhouses watering and tending to the plants. Throughout the month of April, the club will donate the plants to the community.
The club is advised by Cheryl Dunn, research manager herbarium curator in agronomy and horticulture, and Jessica Windh, a doctoral student in agricultural economics. Windh hopes the team will be able to attend the Nebraska Section Meeting of the Society for Range Management next fall.
