English

Abstract

A half-day session at the 2009 ASMR/BLRS meetings showcased research activities, and some outreach/extension issues associated with the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center (WRRC). Research activities associated with the WRRC are diverse and include plant and plant resources, soil issues, water and water quality, wildlife and wildlife habitat, economics of reclamation and others. Reclamation and Restoration related research and instruction have been on-going at the University of Wyoming since the 1960s. However, it was only in 2002 that a Center initiative was approved by UW's central administration. Early in 2007 activity of the Center increased with the selection of a new director and the creation of the School of Energy Resources (SER) at the University of Wyoming. TheWRRC (http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/WRRC/), administratively placed under the director of SER and the Dean of the College of Agriculture, has educational options offering of an undergraduate minor , as well as a graduate certificate both in Reclamation and Ecology. An outreach aspect of the school has will begin offering a regularly offered reclamation school for practitioners. Also, through Wyoming Cooperative Extension. The Sustainable Management of Rangeland Resources (SMRR), a fundamental Extension Initiative (composed of a team of nearly a dozen individuals from around the state) is involved with a diversity of issues regarding rangeland productivity including reclamation and restoration (see web site: http://www.wyorange.net/).