Award Nominations can be submitted anytime between now through July 1st, no need to wait until the last minute!
CSSRM has several awards to celebrate the contributions and achievements of members. Nominations are due each year by July 1st.
In keeping with our vision of a “well-trained and highly motivated group of professionals and rangeland users working with productive, sustainable rangeland ecosystems,” CSSRM recognizes excellence among our membership. Awards include: The Trail Boss Award, Excellence in Rangeland Conservation Award, Outstanding Early Career Professional (formerly Outstanding Young Professional Award), and the Outstanding Publication/Contribution Award.
Awards recognize contributions at every level, from new members to lifetime achievement in the Section. Below is a brief description of each award. Make someone’s day and nominate a high-achieving member today!
Trail Boss
This award is the highest award given to a Section member for outstanding accomplishments to the range management profession and for exceptional service to the Section. The nominee must be a member of the Colorado Section and SRM for the past five years. Past recipients are not eligible.
Excellence in Rangeland Conservation
This award is given to an individual or group that has demonstrated exceptional skill and knowledge in practicing sound management of rangelands in the State of Colorado. Membership in the Society for Range Management is not required. The recipient will be requested to attend the Section Annual Meeting to receive the award. Public announcement of the award will not be made until presentation of the award at the Annual meeting. Past recipients are not eligible.
Outstanding Early Career Professional
The Outstanding Early Career Professional Award is presented by the Colorado Section of SRM to an individual Section member to recognize outstanding service, performance, leadership, and demonstrated extraordinary potential and promise as a rangeland management professional. An Early Career Professional (ECP) is in the initial stages of their career, within 8 years of their latest degree (BSc MSc, PhD), excluding any career breaks for reasons such as family care, health, or other personal circumstances. ECPs are transitioning to or have recently moved into a professional range management role (agencies, researchers, non-profits, faculty members, consultants, etc.). ECP status recognizes the diversity of career pathways, including the challenges related to gender, culture, and socio-economic background in career advancement.
Outstanding Publication/Contribution
This award is to recognize noteworthy scholarly, literary, and aesthetic contributions, and efforts in publicizing range management practices, philosophies, and research activities. Only one Outstanding Publication/Contribution award will be given per year – not one per category. In the case of group publications, at least one of the authors should be a CSSRM member.*
*The Award Committee will accept all nominations regardless of whether an author is a CSSRM member or not and reserves the right to give more weight to CSSRM members when evaluating nominations.
In keeping with our vision of a “well-trained and highly motivated group of professionals and rangeland users working with productive, sustainable rangeland ecosystems,” CSSRM recognizes excellence among our membership. Awards include: The Trail Boss Award, Excellence in Rangeland Conservation Award, Outstanding Early Career Professional (formerly Outstanding Young Professional Award), and the Outstanding Publication/Contribution Award.
Awards recognize contributions at every level, from new members to lifetime achievement in the Section. Below is a brief description of each award. Make someone’s day and nominate a high-achieving member today!
Trail Boss
This award is the highest award given to a Section member for outstanding accomplishments to the range management profession and for exceptional service to the Section. The nominee must be a member of the Colorado Section and SRM for the past five years. Past recipients are not eligible.
Excellence in Rangeland Conservation
This award is given to an individual or group that has demonstrated exceptional skill and knowledge in practicing sound management of rangelands in the State of Colorado. Membership in the Society for Range Management is not required. The recipient will be requested to attend the Section Annual Meeting to receive the award. Public announcement of the award will not be made until presentation of the award at the Annual meeting. Past recipients are not eligible.
Outstanding Early Career Professional
The Outstanding Early Career Professional Award is presented by the Colorado Section of SRM to an individual Section member to recognize outstanding service, performance, leadership, and demonstrated extraordinary potential and promise as a rangeland management professional. An Early Career Professional (ECP) is in the initial stages of their career, within 8 years of their latest degree (BSc MSc, PhD), excluding any career breaks for reasons such as family care, health, or other personal circumstances. ECPs are transitioning to or have recently moved into a professional range management role (agencies, researchers, non-profits, faculty members, consultants, etc.). ECP status recognizes the diversity of career pathways, including the challenges related to gender, culture, and socio-economic background in career advancement.
Outstanding Publication/Contribution
This award is to recognize noteworthy scholarly, literary, and aesthetic contributions, and efforts in publicizing range management practices, philosophies, and research activities. Only one Outstanding Publication/Contribution award will be given per year – not one per category. In the case of group publications, at least one of the authors should be a CSSRM member.*
*The Award Committee will accept all nominations regardless of whether an author is a CSSRM member or not and reserves the right to give more weight to CSSRM members when evaluating nominations.
Award criteria & nomination submission information
Award nominations are due by July 1 each year but can be turned in any time
Award winners are announced at the fall annual meeting. Award criteria can be found in the PDF below and nominations can be sent to our Awards Chair by clicking the button below.
Award winners are announced at the fall annual meeting. Award criteria can be found in the PDF below and nominations can be sent to our Awards Chair by clicking the button below.
Each year at our Annual meeting we are proud to acknowledge outstanding section members for their achievements and commitment to rangelands.
2025 Section Award Winners
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Incoming President-Elect Emily Lockard (left) presents Retta Bruegger (right) with the 2025 Trail Boss Award, the Section’s highest honor, for her outstanding accomplishments in the range management profession and for exceptional service to the Section. In addition to the Trail Boss belt buckle, Retta will also receive a framed Trail Boss print.
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Matt Barnes (left) presented Anna Clare Monlezun (right) and her co-authors the award for Outstanding Publication for “Agent-Based Modeling as a Tool for Ecological Comanagement of Grazing Lands.”
Read the paper here |
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Ben Berlinger (right) presented Dixie Crowe (left) the 2025 Outstanding Young Professional Award.
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2024 Section award winner
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President Dixie Crowe (left) and Ben Berlinger (right) present Kathleen Delzell (center) with the Trail Boss award and belt buckle.
The Trail Boss award is the Section’s highest honor and celebrates many decades of Kathleen’s dedication to rangelands, range education, and service to SRM and CSSRM. Photo by Dan Nosal. |
In 2024 we only received one award nomination. Nominations can be submitted at any time before the July 1 deadline!
2023 SECTION Award Winners
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Trail Boss Emmett Jordan (left) presented by Ben Berlinger (right).
This award is the highest given to a section member for outstanding accomplishments to the range management profession and for exceptional service to the section. The nominee must be a member of the Colorado Section and SRM for the past five years. |
Excellence in Rangeland Conservation Prairie Canyon Ranch. Ben Perez (left) and Jamie Hull (center) receive the award from Dan Nosal (right).
This award is given annually to an individual or group that has demonstrated exceptional skill and knowledge in practicing sound mangement of rangelands in the State of Colorado. |
Outstanding Young Range Professional Baili Foster.
This award is to recognize outstanding performance in young men and women entering the profession of range management. It is given to an individual CSSRM member who has demonstrated extraordinary potential and promise as a range management professional. |
Outstanding Publication the Colorado Agricultural Drought Handbook with contributions by range professionals Retta Bruegger, Emily Lockard, and Julie Elliot. Get your free copy here.
This award is to recognize noteworthy scholarly, literary, and aesthetic contributions, and efforts in publicizing range management practices, philosophies, and research activities. |
Commissioner of Agriculture's Award for Conservation Excellence
Congratulations to Ben Berlinger for receiving the Conservation Excellence award from the Commissioner of Agriculture.
2019 Section awards
Trail BossAwarded to Josh Saunders (right) by Dan Nosal (left). This award is the highest given to a section member for outstanding accomplishments to the range management profession and for exceptional service to the section. The nominee must be a member of the Colorado Section and SRM for the past five years. 
Appreciation AwardAlexis Emslie (left) & Amanda James (center) accepting certification for outgoing CSU Range Club President Sarah LeVane (not pictured) from Clare Hydock (right).
Past PresidentDan Nosal (left) accepts certificate from Clare Hydock (right).
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Awarded to Nick Padilla (left) by outgoing Hailey Wilmer (right)
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Awarded to Sami Dinar (right) by Josh Tashiro (left).
Outstanding Young professionalThis award is to recognize outstanding performance in young men and women entering the profession of range management. It is given to an individual CSSRM member who has demonstrated extraordinary potential and promise as a range management professional. 
Passing the PresidencyClare Hydock (left) from Josh Tashiro (incoming president, right)
Appreciation AwardSami Dinar (left) accepting certificate of appreciation as an outgoing board member from Clare Hydock (right).
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Outstanding publication or
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