Carson City School District
Monday, February 14, 2022
Carson High School junior Chloe Crookshanks, 16, was selected by the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management to participate in the High School Youth Forum, a SRM-sponsored youth activity held jointly during the 75th annual SRM meeting.
The meeting was held in Albuquerque on Feb. 6-10.
This year’s meeting theme is “Sustainability through Culture and Innovation.” Crookshanks gave a presentation about the impact that feral horses have on Nevada’s rangeland and possible solutions. Crookshanks is also member of the Carson High School FFA chapter.
The SRM is an international organization that strives to promote public awareness of the importance of sound management and use of rangeland, the world’s largest land base. In 1966, the SRM recognized a need to involve youth with the range-related activities and education provided at this annual meeting. Since that time, the HSYF has been a highlight of the SRM annual meetings. Volunteers of the SRM Student Activities Committee conduct the program.
High school delegates to the HSYF are chosen by each of the 21 individual sections of the parent society throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, based on their high degree of interest in the range and natural resources field as well as on their exemplary dedication and effort to learn more about this particular area. While at the HSYF, they have the opportunity to meet people from many countries and get a firsthand view of what SRM is all about including its organization, goals and the role it plays on a world-wide basis.
The goals of HSYF are to provide insight for these students concerning the function and working of a professional society; opportunities to meet Society members; a format that encourages thinking and enhancement of communicative skills; an opportunity to learn about range and natural resource management and future careers through interaction with Society professionals; an opportunity to learn about the ecology and natural resources of the Annual Meeting site; and an atmosphere that fosters camaraderie and lasting friendships.
As one of the more important activities, each delegate to the Forum competes in a paper presentation competition with the content covering a range-related topic. All presentations are judged by a diverse panel of judges, with the top five papers being recognized at the SRM awards ceremony. The top paper winner is invited to return to next year’s meeting to help with the forum and present their paper to the general membership of the Society.
In addition, other activities include a local ecological field tour of the meeting site and program to enhance communication skills.
Since the number of delegates that can attend each year is limited, selection for this activity is considered a high honor for those students selected. Because of this perspective, the planners of this year’s forum are excited about the program and activities that have been scheduled and hope to provide both an exciting and rewarding educational experience for all that attend.
For information, go to www.rangelands.org.
