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CSU range students place 2nd in international competition

Updated March 10, 2009

A team of undergraduate students from the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship placed second overall in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME) Competition at the International Society for Range Management meeting last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Team members included:

• Ben Wissinger, Rangeland Ecology
• Marcos Roybal, Natural Resources Management
• Heidi Knudsvig, Forestry
• Heather Messick, Rangeland Ecology
• Kristen Oles, Rangeland Ecology
• Will Vieth, Rangeland Ecology

Their composite score was only 6 points lower than the first place team.

Approximately 170 students competed in this year’s URME. Four of the six CSU team members placed in the top 10% and all 6 placed in the top 25% overall.

Students were coached by Roy Roath and assistant coach Paul Meiman, faculty members of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship in the Warner College of Natural Resources.

The exam consists of multiple choice questions divided into six categories:

• Range Ecology (60 points),
• Grazing Management (60 points)
• Range Improvement (60 points)
• Range Regions (30 points)
• Range Inventory and Analysis (60 points)
• Multiple-Use Relationships (30 points).

In addition, problems are given in the grazing management, range improvements, and range inventory and analysis sections.

Questions are selected from material submitted by university faculty members, government agency personnel, industry personnel and ranchers.

Rangelands include natural grasslands, savannas, shrublands, many deserts, tundras, alpine communities, marshes and meadows. These are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses, grass-like plants forbs and shrubs and are managed as natural ecosystems.

View more about this year's International Society for Range Management meeting.
View the Society for Range Management website.

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Pictured (from left to right): Marcos Roybal, Will Vieth, Heidi Knudsvig, Ben Wissinger, Kristin Oles, Paul Meiman, Roy Roath.

Not pictured: Heather Messick.

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Contact: Sonya Le Febre
E-mail: slefebre@mail.colostate.edu
Phone: (970) 491-1907