Utah Landscape Coordinator Hired and Running Full Steam

Local, regional and national partners are thrilled to announce that Calee Lott was hired as the Sagebrush Ecosystem Alliance (SEA) Coordinator. Local partners founded the SEA in 2016,  a geographically focused effort in West Box Elder County, Utah. The SEA provides partnership assistance to deliver technical support for implementing conservation practices that benefit the sagebrush environment. This primarily includes restoring wet meadows, controlling invading conifers, reducing fire risk and invasive species, and coordinating the planning and implementation of appropriate grazing practices and range structural improvements, among other projects.

Lott is very well suited for her new job. She grew up on a small cattle ranch in Summit County, east of Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spent her days on the back of a horse moving cows, in the backhoe doing construction, or on the 4-wheeler changing water. In 2016, Lott graduated from Utah State University with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies, a degree she designed to emphasize on rangeland management, plant science, and animal science. She is currently finishing her master’s degree in Agricultural Extension & Education, and is expected to graduate in December 2017. Lott began her professional career working in the Utah Governor’s Public Land Policy Coordinating office, where she fostered an understanding of the importance of collaborative efforts on rangeland projects. Lott is excited to call Box Elder County home and help support the local community by fostering enhanced rangeland health. She looks forward to collaborating with the many stakeholders involved in Box Elder rangeland decisions.

“I look forward to learning from local experts,” Lott said. “I hope to use my academic and personal experiences along with my agricultural background to work with stakeholders to fulfill a collaborative conservation vision.”

Supporting partners for this position include the Bureau of Land Management, Intermountain West Joint Venture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Sage Grouse Initiative, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Grazing Improvement Program, Utah State University Extension, Mule Deer Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, local permittees, and regional governments.

Calee hit the ground running and is quickly absorbing all the local knowledge she can. Feel free to reach out to her at calee.lott@usu.edu or 435-659-4638.