BYU RANGE TEAM HISTORY

When Val Anderson interviewed for a position in Brigham Young University's Botany and Range Science department in 1988, one question caught him off guard: "Could you form a competitive rangeland management team?"

 

Dr. Anderson had competed in the 1981 and 1982 SRM plant identification tests as an undergraduate at Utah State University, but hadn't expected to run a team of his own so soon. After rigorous recruiting from his new rangeland plant ID class, he was able to assemble a group of undergraduates for the 1990 national meeting.

 

Eight years later, the team expanded to officially include URME, where BYU took 5th place. Since then, the university has grown into a powerhouse at the National SRM Student Competitions, frequently placing students in the top five of individual and team events.​ BYU's team scored in the top five of plant ID, URME, or both 90% of the years between 1997 to 2024.

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The team began with six undergraduate students that sold plant mounts to other universities to cover their expenses. Thanks to dedicated coaches and generous support from Jack Brotherson and the university, it has almost tripled in size! As we prepare to compete for our thirtieth consecutive year, we hope to embody BYU's slogan: "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve". Like the students before us, we entered to learn a few plant ID tricks, but are leaving poised to serve the natural resource community with the skills, perspectives, and networks we gained through SRM.

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Dr. Anderson said it best--"Anytime a student gets involved, it betters the student, it betters the faculty, and it betters the program." Here's to another thirty years!​​