It has been a 
busy time settling into my new position on the Society for Range Management (SRM) Board of Directors. These first few months as a new Director have given me a better appreciation of how active the Board of Directors is and how much the SRM, its leaders, staff, Advisory Council, Committees, and Sections do for its members and vice versa. Evidence of this dynamic exchange of ideas and information are the different ways in which the SRM reaches the public in general, and its members in particular, through SRM communications such as the “Capitol Update”, “RangeFlash”, and “Rangeland News”, as well as through social media posts. You will not only learn of the many things our peers are doing, but I guarantee you will find news and resources that you might have missed otherwise.
What activities have kept the Board of Directors busy since the Annual Meeting in Minneapolis? Engagement at the Section level, participation in different Committees, finances, increasing diversity and inclusion, rangeland advocacy, growing our membership, and outreach; just to mention a few. Add these to the impact of the SRM’s peer-reviewed journals “Rangeland Ecology and Management (REM)” and “Rangelands” and you get an idea of how the Society is influencing not only the way rangelands are managed, but also the way we inform rangeland management through rangeland science.
If you are not an active participant on a Committee, and/or in your Section, I highly encourage you to visit the SRM website to find a Committee or Section to engage in. There are so many great things happening, and even greater things that could be achieved with increased involvement of our members.
Personally, I have been keeping track of the recent dialogue that is taking place not only among the SRM community, but also across disciplines and fields, regarding the interaction between wild horses and burros and the rangelands that they live on. SRM Director Barry Perryman and SRM DC Coordinator and Vice-chair of the National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition Lia Biondo have provided science-based information and testimony to help create management guidelines that are humane and that ensure long-term sustainability of rangeland resources. The dialogue has reached a critical tipping point and a common ground where all parties can agree on a way forward seems within grasp. This is a good example of how, through active participation, SRM members may enhance the exchange of ideas and information; crucial components of the advancement of science and the implementation management strategies. I encourage you to stay informed and engaged in SRM and its activities.
David Toledo
SRM Director