Category: Ranch Crew

Summer 2021 Opportunities

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Funded Student Summer Experiences for 2021 Available!

Developing Long-term Ecological Monitoring Protocols for Land Practitioners in South-Central Colorado 

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The Yale School of the Environment (YSE) and Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) have 5 fully funded summer experience available during May-August 2021 for Yale students. Summer experiences will involve collaborating closely with Yale School of the Environment faculty, Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative staff, and land managers at a working ranch in south-central Colorado to assist with our Assessment and Planning phase of this 3.5-year effort to develop and test long-term ecological monitoring protocols. 

These opportunities are part of a larger collaboration between YSE and on-the-ground practitioners in the western United States that is designed to increase knowledge and understanding of working landscapes, ecological processes, and effective land management strategies for conservation in the West. This work will directly benefit the scientific field and community, practitioners, and students. 

Please read the attachment for detailed information about each available position (Data Curation, Climate and Water Availability Projections, Coordinating Collaboration and Field Investigation, Researching Other Long-term Monitoring Projects).

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with review beginning after April 5, 2021.

Western Resources Fellowship- Closed for Summer 2021

Big Sandy Lake, Wind River Range. Photo Credit: Carli Kierstead

A student-driven query involving research, an internship, or management project during the summer. 

Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative at YSE provides fellows with a financial award, logistical assistance, and mentorship to aid with a summer experience that will have a high impact on conservation, stewardship, or management of natural resources in the Rocky Mountain or High Plains regions. This program supports Yale graduate and undergraduate students completing a summer work that will provide them with practical experience, leadership skills, and/or research experience that will prepare fellows for their future careers. A financial award of up to $5,000 will be granted to each fellow. Fellows will actively participate in peer mentoring with other fellows and will receive guidance from UHPSI staff during the summer.

Read more about past fellows work: 2020 |2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016.

How to Apply
Applications are now closed for summer 2021.

Please review the PDF below to learn about expectations and how to apply.


Interested in applying? Read this PDF! Download

View 10-minute presentations by each 2020 Western Resources Fellows by clicking here.

Land Management Field Practicum – Canceled for 2021

 

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Ranch Crew: 2018 Overview — Caleb Gray (a Uni. of WY student)

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Ranch Crew was an excellent opportunity that I was able to take ahold of, but I was not entirely prepared for what all it entailed. When first glancing over the flyer for it I thought that it might be working as a ranch hand for part of the two weeks, but it was not to Read more about Ranch Crew: 2018 Overview — Caleb Gray (a Uni. of WY student)[…]

The Forks and Fire — Brendan Boepple

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Throughout our two weeks with Ranch Crew we became intimate with the Forks Ranch. Assessing ground cover and clipping grasses to measure biomass, we came to understand the natural characteristics of the ranch. We also came to appreciate the deep history of the place through our hosts Cole and Elaine Benton of Grizzly Outfitters. Cole Read more about The Forks and Fire — Brendan Boepple[…]

Changing Perspectives: The Enemy is Everywhere — Reid Lewis

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I had the pleasure of arriving to Sheridan, Wyoming via road trip. My father, recently retired, proposed to turn the drive into a camping trip, and he and I spent three great days traveling the plains and mountains of Utah and Wyoming. Passing through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, the drive was extraordinary. Coming Read more about Changing Perspectives: The Enemy is Everywhere — Reid Lewis[…]

Ranch Crew 2018: An Immersive Experience in Rangeland Ecology and Management — Lexi Smith

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June 2018 was Ranch Crew month for several students (including myself), Ucross members, and collaborating partners from ranch managers to plant ecologists. Ranch Crew is not necessarily what it sounds like. It is so much more than that. Ranch Crew is a two-week immersive experience in rangeland ecology, management, and last but not least…culture! Since Read more about Ranch Crew 2018: An Immersive Experience in Rangeland Ecology and Management — Lexi Smith[…]

Plant ID with the Ranch Crew — Katie Panek

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During the first week of Ranch Crew, we discovered the joys of Plant ID – or should I say, what is joyful to some (looking at you, Rachel Renne), and painful to others. Our first task was to gather grass from a roadside in the Bighorn Mountains just thirty minutes northwest of Sheridan, WY. The Read more about Plant ID with the Ranch Crew — Katie Panek[…]

Writing the Rapid Assessment — Jordan Skovgard

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Making the plan Leading up to our rapid assessment, our team had the opportunity to sit down and talk to many professionals with varying focuses in range management. We participated in classes over varying topics. After learning from so many people we sat down to develop a plan for our rapid assessment. To develop this Read more about Writing the Rapid Assessment — Jordan Skovgard[…]

A lesson about invasive species — Lydia Mendoza

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During the first week of ranch crew, we all hopped in the van to visit a ranch not far from Sheridan College. Brian Mealor, a professor at the University of Wyoming and the director of the Sheridan Research and Extension Center, walked us out into the field and spent less than a minute searching the Read more about A lesson about invasive species — Lydia Mendoza[…]

From Classroom to Field: A Trip to Red Canyon Ranch — Jessica Swindon

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After spending a week in Sheridan, the crew took off towards Red Canyon Ranch in south central Wyoming. Iron rich, red valleys appropriately give Red Canyon Ranch its name. Owned by The Nature Conservancy, the ranch is used for testing best conservation grazing practices and research. In addition to cattle, the area is home to Read more about From Classroom to Field: A Trip to Red Canyon Ranch — Jessica Swindon[…]

Ranch Crew Introduction — Jeremy Menkhaus

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Summer 2017 marked the inaugural Ranch Crew course and, despite the course’s nascency, it felt like anything but Ranch Crew’s first rodeo (although in its future form, hopefully its actual first rodeo event will be incorporated). Ranch Crew is a two-week rangeland practicum in August held across the state of Wyoming. Divided into two primary Read more about Ranch Crew Introduction — Jeremy Menkhaus[…]

Ranch Crew: Applied Field Practicum

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August 12-27, 2017 Do you love Western rangelands? Have you ever wondered what goes into managing livestock? Are you interested getting boots on the ground and learning how to assess and advise rangeland operations? Ranch crew is a 16-day intensive practicum based in Wyoming. The practicum is split in two parts. The first part, Rangeland Read more about Ranch Crew: Applied Field Practicum[…]