Tamzen K. Stringham, a rangeland and riparian ecologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, received the Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Range Management last month at the society’s annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the Society to members for long-term contributions to the art and science of range management and to the Society for Range Management. Stringham, a researcher and professor in the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, is the first female to be honored with this award.
The International Society for Range Management is the professional scientific society and conservation organization whose members study, conserve, manage and sustain the varied resources of the rangelands, which include prairie, shrublands, woodlands and savannahs that cover nearly half the land on earth.
“I am honored to be the first woman, in the 75-year history of the Society for Range Management, to receive the Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award,” Stringham said. “I guess it takes perseverance and graciousness to crack the glass ceiling, but it has been worth it for every young woman following in my footsteps.”
Since arriving at the University in 2008, Stringham has been doing world-class research, mentoring and educating graduate and undergraduate students, and doing Extension work across the state. Her research has focused on state and transition ecology, watershed management, and fire ecology. Throughout her career, she has garnered over $8.5 million in research funding.
Stringham has been a member of the Society for Range Management for 29 years and has served on the Academic Program Assessment Committee, Watershed and Riparian Committee, Finance Committee, Nominations Committee, and Awards Committee. She also served as the Chair of the Watershed and Riparian Committee. She has judged student oral presentations and poster presentations several times, and served as a reviewer for the Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management.
Stringham has also been a strong proponent of rangeland management and ecology in her interactions with a number of allied organizations. These efforts complement the work she has done directly with the Society. Activities include providing journal and technical reviews for the Journal of Restoration Ecology, the Journal of Arid Environments, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. She has also provided training and science outcomes for the Nevada Cattlemen's Association and the Nevada Bureau of Land Management.
