Contact: Brenda Smith,
brenda.smith@oregonstate.edu
Students interested in learning more about rangelands and
their management participated in three and a half days of hands-on experiential
learning at the 5th annual High Desert Youth Range Camp (HDYRC) held
at the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range just outside of Riley, OR.
This year 24 students had the opportunity to meet with some of the members of the Pacific Northwest Section of the Society for Range Management who were on hand at their summer meeting as camp got underway on June 17th.
Once camp is set up, students spend three of their days
learning about soil health, rangeland botany, invasive plants, fire effects,
fuel management, wildlife habitat management, the ability to use grazing as a
tool, cattle feed requirements and other issues that affect ecological balance
in the sagebrush steppe. Students hike,
learn field methods and are quizzed on rangeland botany basics. HDYRC offers
students not only an in-depth look at rangeland ecology, but also an
opportunity to appreciate the complex rangelands surrounding them. Of course, it is not all work… students also
participate in cooking Dutch oven desserts, a selfie scavenger hunt, and
rangeland bowling. Camp culminates on
Saturday morning with a hike to the top of the Butte (the landmark of this
property) and students presenting their management plans to their peers and
field experts. With successful
completion of camp, students are eligible to receive two free college credits
in field studies from Treasure Valley Community College.
In addition
to earning college credit, Oregon high school students have the opportunity to
earn the “Top Camper” award. The Top
Camper receives an all-expense paid trip to the Society of Range Management
annual conference to represent the Pacific Northwest Section in the High School
Youth Forum (HSYF). The students present
a professional paper on a rangeland related issue, tour area ranches and areas
of natural resource management. In Jan.
2016 the meeting will be held in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Pacific Northwest Section of Society for Range
Management sponsors their entire trip.
This year’s overall Top Camper chosen to attend the HSYF is Tyler
Thomas, a senior at Burns High School from Hines, OR.
The Trail Boss award recipient, given to the top camper of any age from any state, is Annalisa Peer, a senior at Crook County High School from Prineville, OR.
Since its
inception, 96 campers have attended HDYRC.
The HDYRC is conducted with staff from Eastern Oregon Agriculture
Research Center, Burns, OR USDA-Agriculture Research Service, Oregon State
University, Treasure Valley Community College, The Nature Conservancy, Adrian High School, Burns High School, Bureau
of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Harney County Watershed
Council.
If you’d like more information about the High Desert Youth
Range Camp, please call Brenda Smith at 541.573.4084 or email her at brenda.smith@oregonstate.edu