Australian Rangeland Society Awards
The Australian Rangeland Society offers three awards:
- The Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management
- The Australian Rangeland Society Travel Grant
- The Australian Rangeland Society Scholarship
The Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management recognises people who are making or have made an outstanding contribution to rangeland science and or management, regardless of membership of the society. The ARS Travel Grant and ARS Scholarship assist members with either:
- Travel expenses associated with attending a conference (or some other activity)
- Studies related to the rangelands.
Applications for the Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management remain open at all times
Applications for the Travel Grant and Scholarship close in November of each year. Any member of the Society interested in either award is invited to apply:
Click here to download the ARS Award Guidelines.
Click here to download an Application Form for the Travel Grant and Scholarship.
The Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management.
Introduction
At the Society’s AGM in May 2019, a proposal was accepted to establish an annual Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management. The recipient of this award shall have rendered or is a significant contributor to the betterment of the rangelands.
Background
The ARS has only formal award, being that of a Fellowship. The Guidelines state that a Fellowship can be awarded to
‘Any person who has rendered or is rendering distinguished service to the Society or to the rangelands, may be appointed a Fellow of the Australian Rangeland Society by Council acting on the written nomination of not fewer than six members, submitted to Council’.
Fellowships can only be awarded to members of the Society, with the criteria including both service to the Society and to the rangelands. Further, the rules (established in 2010) require that the Fellow must have been a member of the ARS for 10 continuous years. Finally, there is a limit of the number of Fellows to four per cent of Society members.
These rules and their implementation limit the Society’s capacity to recognise people who are not members, but who are making or have made an outstanding contribution to rangeland science and or management. These people include pastoralists, natural park managers, traditional owners, NRM managers, researchers, environmental managers on mines, philanthropists etc.
The Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management
The new Award will recognise people who have made or are making a significant contribution to rangeland management, across biophysical, economic, social and governance domains. Presentation of the Award will also raise the profile of the ARS as an organisation committed to the rangelands, its people and activities.
Determination
Awards of Excellence in Rangeland Management will be given, or not given by the Council on the basis of a written nomination (not less than 200 and not more than 500 words), which documents the contribution of the nominee to the rangelands, together with citation of not more than 100 words for publication in ARS and other media. The nomination is to be supported by six members of the Society, two of must be Council members.
Criteria for the nominations
The following criteria need to be addressed in submitting a nomination for an Award.
- Length of time associated with the rangelands.
- Nature of the commitment to the use and management of the rangelands.
- Unique contribution to the science and/or art of rangeland management.
- Contribution to building capacity in the rangelands community.
Process
The process presented here is similar to that for nominating and approving the appointment of a Fellow.
- Any member of the Society may support a nomination of a person for consideration for an Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management. The nomination needs to be supported with evidence of the person meeting the criteria and endorsed by six members of the Society, two of must be Council members.
- The award is to be made by Council, who may appoint a special committee to consider nominations, if they so wish. Nominations are to be assessed against the ‘criteria’.
- Nominations can be submitted to Council at any time, but in the event that an Award is to be given, it will be announced at the subsequent AGM.
- Publicity can commence after the Award is announced, with the Awardee to be formally presented at their ‘home location’ in the company of family, colleagues and others by the nearest available Council member. This will also raise the profile of the ARS. The Awardee needs to be further recognised at the subsequent Biennial Conference.
Nature and benefit of the Award
A recipient of the Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management will receive a medal and framed certificate to be presented at their ‘’home location’ with the winner recognised at the subsequent Biennial Conference, a year’s complimentary membership of the ARS and complimentary registration of the subsequent Biennial Conference. In return, there will be an expectation that the recipient will give a talk to the conference about their life and work related to the rangelands.
The presentation of the award needs to be publicized widely to raise the profile of excellence in rangeland management, and also the profile of the ARS.
We are calling for nominations for the inaugural Award!
Please give some thought to someone who might meet the criteria presented above and be a worthy recipient of the inaugural Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management.
As noted above, nominations can be sent to the Council at any time, and will be considered at the next Council Meeting.
Please send nominations to:
Bob Shepherd
Director and Secretary, The Australian Rangeland Society
67 Estate Avenue, CHARTERS TOWERS, Qld, AUSTRALIA, 4820
Ph +61 467 802 430(M); +61 400 936 333(H)
Australian Rangeland Society Travel Grant
This grant is intended to assist eligible persons to attend a meeting, conference or congress related to the rangelands; or to assist eligible persons with travel or transport costs to investigate a topic connected with range management or to implement a program of rangeland investigation not already being undertaken. The grant is available for overseas travel and/or travel within Australia. It is not intended for subsistence expenses.
Australian Rangeland Society Scholarship
This scholarship has the purpose of assisting eligible members with formal study of a subject or course related to the rangelands and which will further the aims of the Australian Rangeland Society. The scholarship is available for study assistance either overseas or within Australia. It is not intended to defray travel expenses.
How to Apply for the Travel Grant or Scholarship
Members interested in either award should submit a written outline of their proposed activity. Applications should clearly address how the intended activity (ie. travel or study) meets the aims of the Society. Applications should be brief (less than 1000 words) and should be submitted to Council before 30 November of each year. An Application Form can be downloaded from this website. Those requiring further information should contact the Secretary – contact information is available on the application form.
Conditions
Applications for the Travel Grant should include details of the costs and describe how the grant is to be spent. Details of any other sources of funding should be given. Those applying for the Scholarship should include details of the program of study or course being undertaken and the institution under whose auspices it will be conducted. Information on how the scholarship money will be spent is required, as are details on any other sources of funding.
Applications for either Scholarship or Travel Grant should include the names of at least two referees.
Finally, on completing the travel or study, recipients are required to fully acquit their award. They are also expected to write an article on their activities suitable for publication in the Range Management Newsletter or The Rangeland Journal as appropriate, and for the Australian Rangeland Society web site within six months of completion of their travel or study.
Eligibility
No formal qualifications are required for either Travel Grant or Scholarship. There are no age restrictions and all members of the society are eligible to apply. Applications are encouraged from persons who do not have organisational support.
There is a restriction on both awards for overseas travel or study assistance in that the applicants must have been members of the Society for at least 12 months. The awards can be for Australian members to travel to or study overseas or for overseas members to travel to or study in Australia.