On Wednesday, February 21st, volunteers from the Southern Arizona chapter of Quail Forever joined the UA, Santa Rita Experimental Range, UA Wildlife Ecology and Management program, and representatives of the Arizona Game and Fish Department to conduct the first SRER scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) population survey. Scaled quail are an important indicator species for grassland health in southeastern Arizona and can be found in dispersed populations on the SRER. The survey will be repeated annually with results used to inform conservation efforts aimed at improving rangeland health and habitat for a variety of native plant and animal species. This project serves as a prime example of the value and necessity of collaborative conservation efforts. We truly appreciate the support and contributions of all those who took the time to assist in the survey and look forward to next year.
Exploring the Boundaries of VF: Comparing Vendors & Rancher Insights
Santa Rita Ranch (Green Valley, AZ)
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Virtual fencing (VF) is a hot topic in rangeland management. This emerging precision livestock management technology has the potential to revolutionize grazing systems by allowing dynamic control of livestock distribution and duration while also reducing the cost of wire fence replacement. But, like any new technology, it can be very complicated.
A free workshop was held at the Santa Rita Ranch on November 16 to better understand virtual fencing. Participants learned about VF components and the differences between vendors. Ranchers using VF at the landscape scale shared their experiences and perspectives and the art and science of collaring livestock and placing base stations were discussed.
The 19th annual Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium was held on the University of Arizona campus on Saturday 21 October 2023 with 67 people attending the event.
Download posters and presentations from the RISE website and visit RISE Symposia for more information on the 2023 edition.
The workshop series was hosted at the Santa Rita Experimental Range by the Conservation and Resource Adaptation Toolbox (CART), the Gornish Lab, the UA Santa Rita Experimental Range, the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, the Las Cienegas Watershed Partnership, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the Pima County Natural Resource Conservation District.
Additional details can be found on the flyers below.
In recognition of their continued collaboration with the University of Arizona implementing adaptive management of rangelands on the Santa Rita Experimental Range and for their contributions to the science of range management, on February 6th, 2023, Andrew and Micaela McGibbon (Santa Rita Ranch) were awarded the "2022 Range Manager of the Year" by the Arizona Section of the Society for Range Management during the 2023 annual conference at the Maricopa Agricultural Center.
See below the presentation given to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Santa Rita Ranch.
From the left, Brett Blum (Southern Arizona Experiment Station) and Micaela and Andrew McGibbon (Santa Rita Ranch).
AZSRM
The 18th annual Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium was held on the University of Arizona campus on Saturday 5 November 2022 with over 80 people attending the event.
Download posters and presentations from the RISE website and visit RISE Symposia for more information on the 2022 edition.
Tierra Seca Seminar Series
Alessandra Gorlier - The new website for the Santa Rita Experimental Range: 120 years of research fully available online, 9/27/22
SNRE Seminar Series
Brett Blum: The Santa Rita Experimental Range: Opportunities in Ecology, 9/14/22
The 2022 NEON Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) flight window over the SRER was 8/28/22 – 9/11/22. Daily flight reports posted by the NEON’s AOP team are available at https://www.neonscience.org/data-collection/daily-flight-reports.