Chancey Hoblyn-Bittner, a high school student from Mason City, has been selected by the Nebraska Section of the Society for Range Management (SRM) to participate in the High School Youth Forum (HSYF), a SRM sponsored youth activity held jointly during the 73rd Annual SRM annual meeting.
This year’s meeting was held in Denver, Colorado, February 16 – February 20, 2020. The meeting theme was “A New Look, Transformation and Translation”. 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 on the SRM Student Activities Committee conducted the program. Two of the six members on this committee were Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees from Nebraska, they included Mary Reece from the North Platte office and Lisa McMillan of the Broken Bow office.
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 had 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.
Thus, the goals of the HSYF are:
1) provide insight for students concerning the function and working of a professional society
2) provide opportunities to meet Society members
3) provide a format that encourages thinking and enhancement of communicative skills
4) provide an opportunity to learn about range and natural resource management and future careers through interaction with Society professionals
5) provide an atmosphere that fosters camaraderie and lasting friendships.
As one of the more important activities, each delegate to the HSYF competes in a paper presentation competition with the content covering a range-related topic. Ms. Hoblyn-Bittner’s paper topic was “Cedar Tree Encroachment in the Nebraska Sandhills”. All presentations were 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, a president is elected from the High School Youth Forum delegates to return to the next international meeting and preside over the 2021 Forum business meetings. We are proud to announce that Chancey was elected by her HSYF peers from across the U.S. and Canada to act as the 2020-2021 President. Ms. Hoblyn-Bittner will travel to Boise, Idaho in February 2021 to complete her duties while representing Nebraska.
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. Each section is limited to 3 delegates, so any high school students interested in competing for the chance to attend the 2021 SRM meeting in Idaho need to contact Chancey, and she will share with you the exciting and rewarding educational experience she had.
For further information regarding the Society for Range Management logon on to www.rangelands.org
