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Local Students Perform Well At 56th Annual Nebraska Youth Range Camp

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High school students from Anselmo-Merna, Ansley, Sandhills, and Thedford place high at the Nebraska Youth Range Camp held in Curtis, NE at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture recently.

Logan Hafer from Sandhills placed 1st as a new camper and won a belt buckle and a “Weeds of the Great Plains” publication, Brett Downing also from Sandhills received the same publication for his efforts placing 9th in the new camper division. 

BaiLee McMillan from Anselmo-Merna placed 2nd overall at the camp and received a field guide of wildflowers in Nebraska, Matt Dailey from Thedford placed 4th in the returning camper division and received the same publication. 

Sam McMillan from Anselmo-Merna was on the winning crew and received “An Atlas of the Sandhills” for his efforts. Darla Nichols from Ansley was the most improved camper and received an educational publication on grassland plants.  

The 56th Annual Nebraska Youth Range Camp consisted of a four-and-a-half day dynamic curriculum that appealed to students with a wide array of interests including, but not limited to, rangeland management, conservation, ecology, animal science, and wildlife.

With years to perfect and evolve the curriculum, every student, no matter what prior experience they had, learned substantial information that will help them become more aware of Nebraska’s most prevalent landuse; rangelands.

The students that attended this camp were actively involved with field activities, lectures, hand-on experiences, recreational, leadership, and team-building activities that were led by respected and dedicated leaders, teachers, and professionals from various agencies, colleges, and universities. Each student was sent home with a binder that was filled with educational materials.

50 Students from across the state of Nebraska and one from Colorado attended the 2019 camp that moved from Halsey to Curtis. This year was the start of a rotation across the state, to inform the youth about range plants, ranch management, soils, and wildlife in different parts of our great state.