Ercanbrack Livestock Receives Utah Leopold Conservation Award
LAYTON, Utah – Ercanbrack Livestock of Coalville has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Utah Leopold Conservation Award®.
Sand County Foundation, the nation’s leading voice for private conservation, created the Leopold Conservation Award to inspire American landowners by recognizing exceptional farmers, ranchers and foresters. The prestigious award, named in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, is given in 14 states.
In Utah the $10,000 award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, Western AgCredit, Utah Farm Bureau Federation, and Utah Cattlemen’s Association.
Ercanbrack Livestock is operated by Ed and Dixie Ercanbrack, and their adult children, Dane and Dusty. The family works together at making their land productive by targeting areas in need of water, regeneration and soil support. They were revealed as the award recipient at the Utah Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in Layton. They were presented with a $10,000 award and a crystal depicting Aldo Leopold.
Ercanbrack Livestock’s story began amid the Great Depression with a hearty handshake and $12 an acre on the front steps of the Summit County Courthouse. Since then, four generations of ranchers have ridden the same trails and shared a passion for the land.
A variety of range management projects have improved the quality of wildlife habitat, pastures for beef cattle, and the ranch’s many springs and ponds. By restoring native grasses and the health of the soil, they are reversing damage from decades of sheep grazing and coal mining. Prescribed rotational grazing lowers the threat of wildfire, as native grasses and vegetation are allowed to reseed, producing healthier forests.
Cattle watering facilities have been retrofitted so birds and bats can safely drink. Supplying a clean water supply benefits the performance of livestock and wildlife.
The vegetation, warm coal soils, and cliffs found at a reclaimed coal mine provides unique habitat for wildlife. With an influx of elk, deer, ruffed grouse, mountain lions, bobcats and bear, the 2,400-acre ranch offers limited big game hunting to others.
A Forest Stewardship Plan was developed with the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. It encourages regeneration of aspen tree groves, and eradicates musk and Canadian thistles, and other invasive species.
Conservation of grazing land works hand-in-hand with success in the cattle business. Two generations of Ercanbracks are achieving more profit with fewer cattle, by adopting innovative practices (like a fence-line weaning system) while seeking niche markets for their Angus and Simmental cattle.
The Ercanbracks host youth groups on their ranch, have participated in pro-conservation videos for fellow ranchers and consumers, and advocated for conservation issues to legislators and agricultural organizations.
“Give to the land, it will give back” is more than just a motto for those who live and work at Ercanbrack Livestock.
“Western AgCredit congratulates Ed Ercanbrack for winning this prestigious award in recognition of his impressive conservation efforts on his ranch. Conservationist Aldo Leopold challenges stewards of the land: ‘Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient.’ Ed has achieved this critical balance,” said David Brown, Western AgCredit President.
“We are extremely proud of the Ercanbrack family and the pride they take in the land and natural resources in their care,” said Ron Gibson, Utah Farm Bureau Federation President. “They represent the conservation ethic found in Utah’s farmers and ranchers, and we salute them for their efforts.”
“It is exciting to see the passion, along with the amount of effort and investment that landowners put towards good land stewardship. Ed and his family have a rich history of caring for the land and water resources, and of encouraging others” said Brent Tanner, Utah Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President.
Among the many outstanding Utah landowners nominated for the award were finalists: Basque Cross Ranch of Park Valley, and JY Ferry & Son, Inc. of Corinne.
The 2017 recipient was Fred Thurston of Morgan.
The Leopold Conservation Award in Utah is made possible thanks to the generous contributions from Western AgCredit, Utah Farm Bureau Federation, Utah Cattlemen’s Association, Utah Association of Conservation Districts, The Nature Conservancy, Utah Wool Growers Association, Producers Livestock Marketing Association, and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.
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THE LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD PROGRAM
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation inspires and enables a growing number of private landowners to ethically manage natural resources in their care, so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org
UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
The Utah Farm Bureau is the largest general farm and ranch organization in the state with more than 34,000 member families. Its mission is to inspire all Utah families to connect, succeed and grow through the miracle of agriculture. It strives to bring value to every citizen and community through love of God, family, country, and the land through political action, educational and informational means. www.utahfarmbureau.org.
WESTERN AGCREDIT
Western AgCredit is the leader within the agricultural finance industry with nearly 100 years of lending to farmers in the Intermountain West. It currently serves approximately 1,700 customers with a full range of credit and financial services, as well as providing financial and volunteer support to several agricultural and community activities, including, among others, Utah Farm Bureau, Utah Cattlemen’s Association, Utah Wool Growers Association, the FFA, and the 4-H. www.westernagcredit.com.
UTAH CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION
The Utah Cattlemen’s Association has represented Utah cattle producers since 1870, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy and by supporting and establishing the adoption of good principles of raising and marketing cattle and caring for the land we ranch on. Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. www.utahcattlemen.org
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Utah Senate Announces Visual Arts Scholarship Competition for 2019
SALT LAKE CITY — The 5th Annual Utah Senate Visual Arts Scholarship Competition for 9th – 12th grade students is now open. The 2019 theme is INSPIRED UTAH. The Competition is sponsored by Senate President Stuart Adams and the Utah State Senate.
Twenty – five scholarships will be awarded. Scholarship awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,000, $500 and $300 will be deposited into accounts for the students at the Utah Educational Savings Plan. The winning entries will be featured on the third-floor corridor of the Capitol through the 2019 Utah Legislative Session. The 1st place work remains in the Utah Senate suite.
The students will receive their awards in the Senate Chamber during the 2019 Legislative Session and Arts Day on the Hill, Thursday, February 21st. The work will be exhibited outside the Senate Chamber on the third floor of the Capitol Rotunda.
This competition is facilitated by the Arts Education Program of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. The deadline for student submissions is Friday, January 11th, 2019.
Competition guidelines are available online at artsandmuseums.utah.gov. For questions, contact the arts education office at (801) 236-7557 or email jirwin@utah.gov.
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A Revolution of Democracy
An Essay of the Man from the North
by Rivera Sun
981 words
[Editor’s note: The Man from the North is a fictional character from Rivera Sun’s first series of novels. She has him offering essays beyond her novels.]
What do we do when we finally understand that the elections really are stolen? Or rigged? Or thrust out of our reach by the manipulations of rich and powerful people? Corrupted by corporations? How long does it take before we call the bluff? Another disappointing election cycle? Two? Three? How much more gerrymandering, corporate buying of elections, voter disenfranchisement, and outright fraud can we stand? When will we take seriously the necessity of change?
This is not a democracy of, for, and by the people. And, at the rate we're going, it never will be.
We cannot, as many claim, vote our way into power when no aspect of the two party duopoly represents anything other than elite interests. The system is designed to empower rich people and their massive corporations, no one else. Over the years, it has been modified to allow different faces to represent it, but the agenda has stayed much the same.
We must see the system in all its cruelty and injustice. We must be brave enough to surrender our false hopes and wistful ideals about it. From 1787 onward, this government has been designed to serve the privileged, to reinforce such privilege, and to protect the "property" of the wealthy class, including at one point, women and African-Americans.
It's high time for that to change.
We, the people, were never asked, back in 1787, what sort of government we'd like. Only a scant handful of people from a mere six percent of the populace (white, propertied males) were invited to actively participate in crafting the Constitution. The rest of us have struggled for freedom and power ever since.
Perhaps it's time to have that much-belated conversation about the kind of government we'd prefer to participate within. (Undoubtedly, a pay-to-play elections process requiring millions and billions of dollars is not high on the average, broke, Americans' list of ideas.) We, the people, are long overdue for a deep, revolutionary discussion about what sort of decision-making structures we want to see in our world. And, it's time for a serious nationwide movement for democracy, with all the breadth and depth of possibility the phrase entails.
Democracy is not merely a form of government. It must be a way of life, a set of ethics and an ethos of a culture. For functional democracy to arise, it must be a widespread practice in our work, schools, homes, businesses, markets, religious institutions, and social clubs. We must strive to understand the spirit of the word, not merely the form of the word as embodied by the process of voting every few years for a representative.
We must dare to dream in the complex intricacies of what we don't know about democracy. We must study democracy like a foreign language, learning processes like sentence structures, practicing our articulation, searching for the words to describe what me mean when we cry for democracy. We must examine the immense richness of humanity's many experiments in shared decision-making and become familiar with the successes, failures, and potential pitfalls.
We must also break free of the conditioning of disempowerment and dare to imagine what decision we might make - for good or for ill - if we, together, designed our society, politics, economics, and culture. Democracy in any format requires a revolutionary re-envisioning of our way of life. A nation of brow-beaten workers, automatons, consumers, or bosses will never succeed in functional democracy. A real democracy requires a broad spectrum of humanity to show up with all our varied talents, skills, and perspectives: dreamers, artists, engineers, mothers and fathers, scientists, doctors, lovers, students, and more. In short, it takes us all to discover what will work for us all.
It will take love; and the foundation of love, respect. Democracy, as is so-often said, is more than two cats and a mouse deciding what's for dinner. Indeed, it is. We must explore that "more" and illuminate what is required. We need to make vast changes in how we create media, entertainment, education, and public discourse to find the practices that better serve to foster understanding and conflict resolution. We need to increase the types of cultural experiences that move us toward loving and caring for our fellow citizens, rather than hating and fearing them. Real democracy requires levels of knowledge, compassion, and respect that we, as a nation, have never practiced before. Here, then lies the groundwork of our democratic revolution: we must build the respect among ourselves by which a real democracy can hear and meet its peoples' needs.
For we are talking about a revolution. To sustain and avoid the pathological destructive desire for vengeance, the revolution must be nonviolent in nature, but its scope is a massive upheaval, not just in politics, but in society and culture as well. Make no mistake: our culture is far from democratic. Even the overhaul of the injustices that burden the current political apparatus would require revolutionary changes. An effort that seeks not just minor adjustments, but a profound re-envisioning in the ways we make every decision in our lives is nothing short of a revolution. It should be treated and understood as such. We should prepare ourselves for the reality of demanding such change. We must gird ourselves for the struggle if we ever wish to see government of, by, and for the people, all of us, together.
–End–
Author/Activist Rivera Sun, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author ofThe Dandelion Insurrectionand the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, and a nationally known movement trainer in strategic nonviolence. The essays were originally published on Dandelion Salad, and are reposted with permission.
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UNWILL
Releases Sophomore Album
Can't Kill Me
Streaming Now On
"Weighing in at nine unfiltered hard-hitting tracks, the band's latest
is a loud, in-your-face onslaught that could very easily be the soundtrack to shows
like Sons Of Anarchy or its newest installment Mayans M.C." - The Noise
"The guitars are still undeniable from a place of straight
rock and roll, while it's overall a bit more relaxed and willing
to take the listener on a melodic journey..." - Substream Magazine
Previously Featured on Alternative Press, Loudwire,
PureGrainAudio, and more
November 16, 2018 - Rochester, NY - Rock and roll trio Unwill is proud to release their brand new album, Can't Kill Me, which premiered earlier this week on The Noise and has recently been featured on Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, PureGrainAudio, and more. Fans can stream it now via Apple Music and Spotify. For more information, please visit: www.unwillband.com.
On the new album, the band shares: "This noise is our journey through spirit and ego hung out to dry. It tried to pull us into the dark but we pulled each other out. This is just raw rock 'n' roll aiming to shine some light in our magical world."
Formed in Rochester in 2015, Unwill signed with Entertainment One shortly after. Since then, Unwill has shared the stage with letlive., Vanna, He Is Legend, Norma Jean, and Ghost Key, as well as performing at select dates of the 2016 Vans Warped Tour.
They released their debut album Past Life in 2017, which garnered praise from Loudwire, New Noise Magazine, and PureGrainAudio, amongst others. Now Unwill is back with the self-release their sophomore record, Can't Kill Me.
Unwill is Roc Tracy (vocals), Ethan James (guitar), and Jeffrey Jean (bass).
For more information:
Website: www.unwillband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/unwillband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/unwillband
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unwillband
Youtube: www.youtube.com/unwillband
Can't Kill Me Track Listing:
1. Keep It Gold
2. Big Dog
3. Getaway
4. Fault
5. The Circus
6. Intention
7. Slaves
8. Say What?
9. I'll Be Damned
