UW Range Club Provides Community, Education, and Professional Development Opportunities

Range management. Wildlife biology. Remote sensing. Ranching. There’s an organization at UW that covers it all, helping students learn vital skills that allow them to succeed in a wide variety of careers. 

UW’s Range Club is one of more than 250 student organizations at UW. These organizations focus on a variety of activities, from recreation to community service to academics. They are run by students with guidance from faculty advisers.  

Student organizations are a great way to make lifelong connections with others who have similar interests and to explore new hobbies or possible careers.  

While Range Club is focused on undergraduate students in the natural resources field, it’s open to students from all majors.  

During a typical week, Range Club students might practice for a national plant identification competition, talk with guest speakers who are involved in range careers, or volunteer with a local nonprofit or governmental organization. 

UW undergraduate Emma Talbott served as the Range Club historian in 2025. She is double majoring in rangeland ecology and watershed management (REWM) and wildlife and fisheries biology and management. 

Reflecting on her Range Club experiences, Talbott highlighted a volunteer learning opportunity with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Range Club students visited the Snowy Mountain Range, learning how the department conducts habitat assessments for elk, moose, and mule deer and helping the professionals monitor sagebrush cover and forage growth.   

“I think [volunteering] definitely provides a really good opportunity for students to get insight into what these agencies are doing,” says Talbott. “Range Club provides a lot of opportunities for students to grow as young professionals.”  

UW’s Range Club is an active member of the student section of the Society for Range Management (SRM), a professional organization dedicated to the sustainable management of rangelands. At SRM conferences, club members attend workshops and hone their knowledge and public speaking skills through exams and presentations. UW Range Club students have even received job offers at SRM conferences. 

From attending national conferences to participating in routine club activities, Range Club and other extracurriculars in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources help students build essential skills like teamwork, leadership, and communication. 

Madison Clarke, 2025 Range Club president, graduated from UW in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in REWM. “I just really encourage student involvement in clubs and extracurriculars,” she says. “I think it opens a lot of doors for you, and it really helps you get the most out of your college experience. You’re never going to hurt yourself by learning more, getting exposed to different types of thinking or more people within the field.”