All invited to SDSU seminar celebrating rangelands, pastoralists

The South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management invites the public to attend its 2026 International Year of Rangeland and Pastoralists seminar. All are welcome to attend the event on Friday, April 17, at McCrory Gardens in Brookings.

The seminar is part of both the annual Ag Week celebration and ongoing efforts to recognize the importance of healthy rangelands to the state of South Dakota.

“The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists is a chance to recognize that rangelands are not empty or unused spaces but working landscapes that support livestock production, wildlife, healthy soils and rural communities,” said Sean Di Stefano, assistant professor of rangeland ecology and management. “In South Dakota and across the Northern Great Plains, these lands are part of everyday life, which can make their importance easy to overlook.”

Beginning with a coffee hour at 9 a.m., the seminar will feature a welcome by rangeland alum and SDSU President Barry Dunn, presentations from faculty and graduate students, a lunch and optional afternoon tours or meetings with faculty in the Department of Natural Resource Management.

Di Stefano hopes that attendees will take away how rangeland systems function, why they matter to the state, and what is being done to protect them.

“Rangelands are central to South Dakota,” she said. “Much of the state is grassland, supporting a strong livestock industry while also providing critical wildlife habitat, protecting soil and helping regulate water. How these lands are managed has direct impacts on both the environment and the state’s economy.”

Full seminar agenda

• 9 a.m. – Coffee hour
• 10 a.m. – Welcome by SDSU President Barry Dunn
• 10:10 a.m. – Presentations by Department of Natural Resource Management faculty and graduate students
• Noon-1 p.m. – Lunch for registered attendees
• 1-4 p.m. – Optional tours or faculty meetings

Attendees can register by emailing Catherine Luze. All morning activities will take place at McCrory Gardens, and afternoon tours and meetings can be set up by emailing Luze.

More details about SDSU’s celebration of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists can be found in a January feature story.