Press Release
Dr. Michael H. Ralphs of Ferron, UT received a Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award at the Society for Range Management’s (SRM) 73rd Annual Meeting, Technical Training and Tradeshow in Denver, Colo. on Feb. 16-20. 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.
Dr. Michael Ralphs has been involved in rangeland management most of his life, including a highly productive career as a rangeland research scientist at the USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory in Logan. Dr. Ralphs conducted research in the area of rangeland ecology and management, focusing on poisonous plants. His work has been instrumental in the development of recommendations that reduce livestock losses due to poisonous plants on rangelands in western North America.
Dr. Ralphs garnered national and international stature for his work on several toxic plants, including larkspur, locoweed, lupine and broom snakeweed. He also developed recommendations for targeted grazing of livestock to control poisonous and noxious weeds. His work on herbicidal control of larkspur and locoweed has benefited innumerable ranchers and rangeland managers.
Dr. Ralphs has been exceptionally active in the Utah Section of SRM for over 40 years. He has served in leadership roles in the Utah section as president, director and as a long-term historian since 2001. Dr. Ralphs has worked to organize many Utah section meetings and tours over the past 40 years. His work with the Utah section has influenced numerous young individuals interested in range management through his longtime service as one of the instructors for Range Camp. In addition, he has served in many capacities for the Parent Society, including various committees and two terms on the Editorial Board for the flagship scientific journals.
Since his retirement from active research, Dr Ralphs has remained active as a rancher involved in public land issues; Adjunct Professor at USU Eastern teaching plant ecology; serving on the Cache County Weed Board, and as chairman of the Emery County Weed Board (he was instrumental in establishing two Weed Prevention Areas and securing funding for control of Medusahead Rye in Cache County, and Russian Olive in Emery County); and as a consultant for the San Rafael Conservation District representing the ranchers in the Manti-La Sal National Forest plan revision.
For his contributions to SRM and rangeland management, we were proud to present Dr. Michael H. Ralphs with a Society for Range Management’s Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020.