We will be honoring Dr. Bruce Eichhorst, our late Wildlife Instructor and Oak Lake Field Station Assistant Director for Outreach, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, 1-3 PM at the Oak Lake Field Station. Please join his family, our faculty, and staff as we celebrate Bruce's love and commitment to students and the natural world.
In the header above, you'll find links to our "Jobs and Opportunities" Facebook page and our Directory. Please visit these pages for more information.
Enjoy reading our newsletter and we will be back in touch soon.
Michele
NRM Highlights
Society for Range Management (SRM)
Spokane, WA | February 9-13, 2025
NRM faculty, graduates, and undergraduates represented SDSU at the 78th Annual SRM Meeting in Spokane, Washington. The event brought together range professionals and students from across the country to share research and innovations in rangeland management.
A major highlight was the NRM Range Team’s 5th place finish out of 23 teams in the Undergraduate Range Management Examination (URME)—a rigorous two-hour test on rangeland ecology and management.
Team members: Zane Barker, Nick Busse, Annie Feden, Allie Fischer, Sarah Hayden, Alex Johnson, Alex Medvec, Ash Morell, John Sump, and Will Werner. Coach: Tyler Geltmacher (M.S. student), with support from Dr. Lora Perkins and Dr. Sean Di Stéfano.
Assistant Professor, Dr. Krista Ehlert, and State Range Specialist, received the Outstanding Young Range Professional Award for her impactful work in rangeland education and sustainability.
Congratulations to all for showcasing our department on a national stage!
NRM faculty, graduates, and undergraduates attended the Annual AFS Dakota Chapter Meeting, a key event for networking and sharing fisheries research.
SDSU was well represented, with several participants presenting their work, and many earning awards for their outstanding contributions. Congratulations to all the awardees!
Dr. Alison Coulter:Best Professional Poster and Best Professional Presentation
Brenden Elwer (M.S. student): Best Student Presentation
The Annual Meeting of the SD Chapter of the TWS brought together wildlife professionals, researchers, and students from across the state, offering valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration, and sharing cutting-edge research. NRM students and faculty made a strong showing, and we congratulate the following NRM award recipients:
Maya Pendleton (Ph.D. student):Outstanding Wildlife Ph.D. Student & Best Open Presentation
Emily Macklin (M.S. student):Outstanding Wildlife M.S. Student
At the 2025 Wild Sheep Foundation Midwest Chapter Banquet, Jeff Tillery, M.S. student mentored by Dr. Bill Severud, was awarded the chapter’s first-ever Careers in Conservation Scholarship. Jeff’s research on test-and-remove management for Bighorn Sheep in Badlands National Park supports ongoing conservation efforts.
NRM Honors Students Present Capstone Research
Mankato, MN | March 27-29, 2025 | Minnesota State University, Mankato
Three senior NRM Honors College students presented their capstone research at the 2025 Upper Midwest Honors Conference in Mankato, Minnesota.
Sioux Falls, SD | March 12, 2025 | Southeast Tech College
Four NRM female graduate students (Mercedes Batalla, Hannah Mulligan, Maya Pendleton, and Maddy Siller)participated in the Women in STEM event, inspiring 8th-grade girls to explore science and conservation careers. At the SDSU NRM outreach table, the team led hands-on activities including “Fishing for Facts,” “Feed the Bat,” and “Guess the Animal,” sparking curiosity through wildlife trivia, species ID, and ecology-focused games.
SDSU Extension Water Resources Field Specialist, David Kringen, has launched a new video series, Northern Plains Water Voice, aimed at highlighting water-related research and conservation efforts across the region.
The first episode is now available on the SDSU Extension YouTube Channel, and features Samuel Kucia, NRM Ph.D. candidate, who shares his work on developing a decision-support tool to guide wetland restoration efforts and maximize conservation outcomes.
Stay tuned for more insights and stories from the field in future episodes!
We Greatly Appreciate Your Ongoing Support!
To contribute, please click the button below and select "Excellence Fund for Natural Resource Management" under the Designation section.
![UR119_2024_NRM HubSpot Header 24[2]](https://rabbitfood.sdstate.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/UR119_2024_NRM%20HubSpot%20Header%2024%5B2%5D.jpg?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=UR119_2024_NRM%20HubSpot%20Header%2024%5B2%5D.jpg)
-4.png?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=httpssdsu.box.coms47kqxflqs1hssgm9g8yuodfui3siak8s%20(8)-4.png)
