Centennial Conference: When:Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Where: Holiday Inn Palo Verde 4550 S. Palo Verde Road, Tucson The toll-free reservation line 1-(800) 465-4329 Local number is (520) 746-1161 Cost: $100 before Sept. 1, $150 after Contacts: Mitchel McClaran (520) 621-7264 mcclaran@u.arizona.edu Mark Heitlinger (520) 621-3246 markh@ag.arizona.edu Related Web site(s) Santa Rita Experimental Range In 1903 more than 51,000 acres of land in what was then the territory of Arizona were set aside for researching the effects of cattle grazing. One hundred years later the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) still provides answers to pressing environmental questions in the region. Researchers there are looking at carbon storage by plants; the effects of fire, noxious weeds and overuse on public lands; the changing vegetative face of lands in the Southwest, and other issues. Because of its proximity to the UA campus, scientists from many departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) use the experimental range for research fieldwork and for outdoor class laboratory sessions. Projects include ornithology studies on both game and non-game birds; large game studies in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department; and small mammal studies looking for the presence of hanta virus. The U.S. Forest Service is investigating termite colony control. About 700 head of cattle are used in long-term grazing research studies. Researchers are evaluating the response of vegetation to seasonal grazing rates. A private ranchers pays grazing fees to run the livestock on the range, but CALS researchers determine how many cattle can be supported on the land, where to put them and for how long. The SRER was originally federal land administered by the US Forest Service until 1988. A land exchange that created the Buenos Aires national Wildlife Refuge brought the Santa Rita under CALS administration as state land. Mitchel McClaran chairs the research advisory committee and Mark Heitlinger is the range manager. Written by Joanne Littlefield

The UA College of Agriculture will commemorate 100 years of research activities on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in southern Arizona, a conference that will be held in Tucson Oct. 30-Nov. 1.


The conference will celebrate past accomplishments and forecast future contributions as the second century of operation commences. The format will include invited speakers and poster presentations at the Holiday Inn Palo Verde on Thursday and Friday, and a guided field trip to the range on Saturday.



For the past 100 years the 80-square-mile Santa Rita (51,000 acres), located about 30 miles south of Tucson, has afforded University of Arizona faculty, students and scientists from around the world, the opportunity to study all aspects of a working range. Results of this work have been shared and applied globally.


"The Santa Rita Experimental Range is the longest continuously operating
research area dedicated to the sustainable management of North American
rangelands," says Mitchel McClaran, a professor of range management in the
UA School of Renewable Natural Resources. "We invite scientists, natural
resources professionals, ranchers, university faculty, staff and students,
and all others interested in the natural science and history of Western
rangelands to attend all or part of this event."


Conference sponsors include the Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service, the University of Arizona,
Arizona State Land Department, International Arid Lands Consortium and the
Society for Range Management.


The conference begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30 with dinner and
a presentation on the history of the Santa Rita. Friday's morning and early
afternoon sessions will include presentations on vegetation change and
management, cultural resources, hydrology and soil erosion, revegetation
practices, wildlife ecology and management, livestock production and the
future of the Santa Rita Range.


Friday afternoon also will feature poster presentations describing ongoing
research.


Saturday morning and afternoon will be spent on the Santa Rita, where
short, guided excursions will be made to several locations. A barbecue lunch
at the Santa Rita headquarters in Florida Canyon will conclude the conference.


Transportation will be provided from the conference hotel to the Santa Rita headquarters Saturday morning. All attendees should plan to use that transportation because limited parking space prevents the accommodation of personal vehicles in the headquarters area.


Conference registration is $100 before Sept. 1, $150 after, and includes a conference program and proceedings, refreshments during breaks, dinner on Oct. 30 and lunch on Oct. 31. An additional $30 is required to attend the field day and barbecue on Nov. 1. Additional lunch, dinner and field trip tickets can be purchased for guests of the participants.


A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Palo Verde, 4550 S. Palo Verde Road, Tucson, at a cost of $58 single, $68 double and $78 for a two-room pool side suite. Contact the hotel directly to reserve a room from this block. The toll-free reservation line is 1-(800) 465-4329; the local number is (520) 746-1161.


Identify yourself as a participant in the Santa Rita Centennial Conference when making arrangements.


Participants may also make room reservations online through the
hotel Web site, and use RNR as the Group Booking Code. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. These rates only apply to the reserved block of rooms and for the dates including Oct. 28 through Nov. 2.


For more information see http://ag.arizona.edu/SRER or contact Mitchel McClaran at (520) 621-7264.