1947-1948

A committee established to write a constitution and bylaws for a professional Society. Founding meeting of the American Society of Range Management (ASRM) was held in Salt Lake City (January 29-31, 1948). The Journal of Range Management was initiated. The first issue of the journal in 1948 included an article on California annual range.

The California Section was approved on January 24, 1950, by the ASRM. The first Council meeting was held February 10, 1950, and the first regular meeting, attended by 50 people, occurred in Berkeley, March 31.  A. E. Weislander and R. E. Storie discussing the soil-vegetation survey program. The first field meeting was in Humboldt County on May 27, followed by the second in El Dorado County on August 12. The first annual fall meeting of the new California Section was held December 2, 1950, at UC Berkeley followed by a dinner-dance in Orinda. Membership had grown to 128. The need for a Section newsletter was discussed by the Council in December of 1952.

The California Section hosted the 8th annual SRM Meeting in San Jose, California starting on January 25, 1955.

Humboldt State College Board of Trustees and Chancellor approve a major in Range Management.

The “TRAIL BOSS” display plaque was presented to the ASRM at the Denver Meeting in February 1970.  The plaque was designed and constructed by personnel from the Iron Mine Conservation Camp, California Division of Forestry. William E. Marle was Forestry Superintendent.  Dr. Eamor C. Nord made the initial design suggestion and arrangements with the Division of Forestry. In 2007, Dr. Mike Smith (University of Wyoming), rescued the plaque from the SRM Office in Denver where it was about to be sent to the dump.  Dr. Smith shipped the plaque to Dr. Mel George at UC Davis.  It resided in his office for several years but was eventually taken to the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center.  The names of early California Section Presidents are listed on the back of the plaque.

The Professional Foresters Licensing Act (PFLA) was adopted, which broadly defined forestry and required a state license (Registered Professional Forester or RPF) to practice forestry.

The “Perpetual Benefit Bone” was auctioned off for the first time with a bid $25 from Humboldt State University taking the prize.  John Stechman explained that the bone was from Old No. 109, a beef cow on the Cal Poly Peterson Ranch.  The bone has been auctioned off nearly every year since generating thousands of dollars to support student teams.

The first Range Youth Camp was held on June 18-24, 1985, at the Elkus 4H Ranch near Half Moon Bay.  The name of the camp was changed to Range and Natural Resources Camp a few years later.

The Professional Foresters Licensing Committee appointed a task force to examine the role of Registered Professional Foresters (RPF) on hardwood rangeland (oak woodland, annual rangeland). The taskforce determined that state law (PFLA) required an RPF to supervise wildland management. The implication was that range managers must be licensed as a forester or work under the supervision of an RPF.

The State Attorney General rendered an opinion in 1990 that “forest” and “wildland” are synonyms, therefore, rangeland management was legally considered forestry, requiring supervision of an RPF.

In response the California Section, Society for Range Management, appointed a Panel on Certification to develop certification criteria and procedures, and to certify rangeland managers.

California Section member C. Rex Cleary (BLM) served as President of SRM.

In 1993 the California Section’s Panel on Certification finalized their program for certification. This process was presented to, and accepted by, the State Board of Forestry.

Section member C. Rex Cleary received the Frederic G. Renner Award.

After many years of effort by the California Section/Cal Pac Section of SRM, Nassella pulchra (currently Stipa pulchra) was named California’s state grass.

The official State Grass designated in 2004, is Nassella pulchra, or Purple needlegrass, as it is most commonly known. Purple needlegrass is a medium-large, long-lived bunchgrass well adapted to clay soils. It is the most widespread native bunchgrass and its growing range is from the Oregon border into northern Baja California.

The seed of this grass species was one of several used by many California Native American communities as a food source. It remains to this day as an important food source for California’s wildlife. During the period of Mexican control of California, Purple needlegrass was used for cattle grazing to support the cowhide and tallow industry. Today, this grass continues to provide forage for California’s important cattle industry.

Once established, Purple needlegrass is tolerant of summer drought and heat. It can live more than 150 years and has been used in projects such as habitat restoration, erosion, and levee control. Source: https://www.library.ca.gov/california-history/state-symbols/

Cal Pac Section hosted the annual SRM meeting in Sacramento. Section Member, Dr. Barbara Allen-Diaz received the Frederic G. Renner Award from SRM.

In 2022, Dr. Kenneth Tate was awarded the W.R. Chapline Land Stewardship Award at the SRM Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Watch the video below honoring Dr. Ken Tate!

The Chuck Jarecki Rancher Land Stewardship Award recognizes ranch operators who demonstrate outstanding rangeland stewardship and contribute to the ranching profession through local, state, and national service. In 2026, the Society for Range Management awarded Darrel and Karen Sweet (Sweet Ranch) of Livermore, California with the award. Karen was able to receive the award in person at the annual meeting in Monterey, California.

Darrel and Karen Sweet exemplify rangeland stewardship excellence through five decades of innovative conservation leadership on their fifth-generation California ranch. Operating within the intense development pressures of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sweets transformed challenges into opportunities, demonstrating that productive cattle ranching and endangered species conservation are mutually beneficial. You can learn more about their important work here!