Quarterly Newsletter

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We are hiring!

We are searching for a Ph.D. level soil scientist with a passion for working land stewardship and collaborative conservation.

We are looking for one more field technician to join our summer sampling team. If you are a hardworking individual interested in ecology and land management, check this position out!

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NEW FACES OF WLC

Welcome Dr. Kendall Beals to the WLC Team! She is a fabulous soil ecologist specializing in plant-soil interactions, microbial ecology, and soil carbon cycling. Check out her full bio:

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2023 Annual Report

We put together Working Lands Conservation’s first annual report! We included updates on projects, data, grants, and outreach activities.

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Event Highlights

The WLC Team traveled to Spark, NV for the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting.

WLC co-sponsored a three-part symposium “Co-laboring in the West”. Both our main projects were featured in a Q&A with producers and partners.

Megan gave two talks on her work in Eastern NM.

The WLC Team participated in the trade show.

A big thank you to our producer partners who travelled out to share their stories.

Kris and Katie took a trip down to St. George, UT to participate in the Soil Health in the West Conference.

Kris presented on carbon markets and rangelands.

WLC also had a booth at the trade show.

Katie attended the High Divide Storyteller’s Workshop in Dillon, MT, to learn about the power of stories.

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Social Media

Follow us on social media for updates, educational content, and behind-the-scenes of Working Lands Conservation.

2024 SRM Symposium: Co-Laboring in the West

Working Lands Conservation is excited to be a partner for the Co-Laboring in the West Symposium at the 2024 Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. If you are heading to Sparks, NV this January, come listen to the stories of ranchers and partners co-laboring (collaborating) to advance economically viable rangeland stewardship.

After the symposium, join us for appetizers and drinks at our Greet and Graze reception to thank rangeland stewards who work every day to sustain working lands, connect our landscapes, and preserve native species through their care of the land and their livestock. Let’s talk until the cows come home!

2023 Young Rancher Workshop

Written by Katie Siesel, Outreach Assistant, Working Lands Conservation

Workshop attendees on a field tour of the Tavaputs Ranch.

Butch Jensen (left) sharing his family history on Range Creek.

There is nothing quite like cowboy storytelling. Standing 5,000 feet above Desolation Canyon in the Book Cliffs, Butch Jensen, the patriarch of the Tavaputs Ranch, can tell you every detail about the land- trails his ancestors blazed moving cattle through deep canyons, when fuel treatments were completed, and love stories of where he fell in love with his wife, Jeanie. Butch and Jeanie’s ancestors settled the canyons and vistas at the turn of the 20th century. The couple, along with their daughter Jennie, son-in-law Jeff, and grandchildren Jax and Jett, welcomed Working Lands Conservation, the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, and workshop attendees to their six-generation ranch to host our Young Rancher Workshop. Producers gathered from all corners of the state to discuss various topics, from virtual fencing to ranch succession. 

One thing about ranching- it’s a family affair. Throughout the weekend, folks narrowed in on one central question: how can you manage your operation to sustain this way of life for the next generation? The reality of ranching is ruthless. Most couples both work full-time jobs to financially support their operation. They worry if their kids will be able (or desire) to continue the family business. Changes in the agricultural industry threaten the existence of family ranches altogether. The game has changed- now, ranching families must balance honoring traditions while adapting to a changing future.

Workshop attendees gather in the dining room before supper.

Our hosts, Butch and Jeanie, echoed these sentiments. As a partner on projects with Trout Unlimted, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Jensens have worked tirelessly to innovate land, water, cattle, and wildlife management. They view these management aspects as interconnected facets of their operation. The Jensen’s stewardship efforts have been recognized by prestigious distinctions, including the Leopold Conservation Award. Tavaputs website highlights this quote from Aldo Leopold himself: “The landscape of any ranch is the owner's portrait of himself”. From the pictures above the fireplace to the windows overlooking the vistas, it’s not hard to see the Jensens have a beautiful family portrait.

“The landscape of any ranch is the owner’s portrait of himself”

— Aldo Leopold

Malachi Peterson presents on running a successful family ranching operation.

During the weekend, workshop attendees challenged themselves to view their self-portraits by taking a hard look at their operation. By learning from agricultural experts and other ranchers, workshop attendees left with new ideas for managing their operations. Folks commented that their biggest takeaways were strategically managing livestock, such as AI timing, keeping financial records, and managing a business as a family. Additionally, attendees met other young ranchers who were in similar positions. We spent a lot of time around the campfire laughing and sharing stories. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to attend this workshop. This was the first of many Young Rancher Workshops- we are so excited to continue collaborating with the Utah Grazing Improvement Program to offer more of these opportunities for young producers.

Making memories at the Tavaputs.

The Sagebrush Poet

Written by Katie Siesel, Outreach Assistant, Working Lands Conservation

People and places spark artistic inspiration. The Lake District in the UK is famous for its art from the greats like William Wordsworth, who later became known as one of the “Lake Poets”. While not regarded as an artists’ escape, the rangelands of Randolph, UT are stimulating- maybe a little less since the mosquito population has finally dwindled. This past week, I took pen to paper on my lunch break to sharpen my writing chops.

I feel very grateful to be on a field crew this summer. As a recent college graduate, the whirl of activities, clubs, classes, and work has dwindled. Communal life is built into the structure of university life but is often absent in the post-grad working world. I have been grateful for long days with friends, cowboy romance movie nights, and family dinners. While not as serious as famous English poets, writing silly poetry reflects my sentiments towards the mission of our work, the place where we work, and the people we work with. Maybe someday, in dusty English literature classrooms, I’ll be hailed as one of the “Sagebrush Poets”... 

Original Working Lands poetry, by me:

An Ode To Soils Crew

Soils crew, soils crew

If thy were a color

Thy would be

The most beautiful hue

The way thy auger

Strikes the dirt

Reverberates through

This beautiful high desert

Hanging out in the uplands

All day long

Thy laughter carries down

To the streams like a song

Soils crew, soils crew

The fairest of them all

I long to return to the field station

So we can all have a ball

Meet the 2023 Field Crew

Written by Katie Siesel, Outreach Assistant, Working Lands Conservation

This spring in Northern Utah has been eventful- our record snowpack has progressively melted into spring runoff, resulting in high water and flooding. With many of our stream-side study sites underwater, riparian sampling is on hold until late June. In the meantime, we are still hard at work! We talked to students at Rich High School about the Three Creeks project, relationships between grazing and rangeland health, and career opportunities in natural resources. For the first time in a while, waders were necessary on our first water sampling trip of the summer. We also have four new faces on the WLC team! Our summer crews are busy processing soil samples from New Mexico and setting up monitoring infrastructure on our upland sites.

Two of our exclusion cages on Big Creek were perched on the banks last year… now they are in the channel!

We are thrilled to have these four field techs joining our soil and vegetation projects. Summer crews are incredibly vital to the success of our projects- gathering accurate data is the bottom-up control that influences the analysis, interpretation, and implementation of our findings. They are also fantastic company during long days out on the range. Come say hello if you see us out and about this summer!

Taylor Jacobson

Taylor is a seasoned veteran at WLC and is returning for her second field season- we are so excited to have her back! As a Randolph native, she intimately knows and appreciates the landscapes we work on. Even in a brief conversation with Taylor, her love for the community and public lands of Randolph is apparent. She is currently attending Utah State University studying Rangeland Ecology and Management and Wildlife Ecology and Management.

Anthony Villalobos

Anthony has a kind, welcoming personality that has integrated into our team dynamic seamlessly. Growing up in the forested playground of the Wasatch Front fostered a deep passion for the outdoors; you can find Anthony out and about on Utah’s public lands birding and identifying plants. He is currently attending Utah State University pursuing a degree in Conservation and Restoration Ecology.

Paige Lewis

When first meeting Paige, you will be greeted with the biggest smile and lively conversation. This Colorado Native attended Colorado State University, graduating with a BS in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and a minor in Construction Management. She was introduced to rangelands while working in sagebrush steppe and shortgrass prairie ecotypes in Wyoming. Since then, she found a particular affinity for soils working as a soils lab technician at CSU. As our own soil program continues to expand, we are very excited to have Paige on our team as the Soils Crew Lead!

Katie Siesel

After graduating from Utah State University in the spring, I was hired as an Outreach Assistant to collaborate with different partners to spread the word about the benefits of working lands. During this field season, I will split my time working with the vegetation crew on Three Creeks and developing WLC’s outreach program. I’m excited to meet folks in the Randolph community and immerse myself in place-based work.