Chester & Marcia Zwirn Conservation Scholarship 2026 Award Winners Announced

The Yuma County Conservation District, in partnership with Chester and Marcia Zwirn, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Chester & Marcia Zwirn Conservation Scholarship.

The 2026 scholarship recipients are:

• Daden Beauprez, Yuma High School

• Haydan Drullinger, Liberty High School

• Bryson Lewis, Lewis Academy

Daden Beauprez, son of Alex and Kari Beauprez of Yuma, plans to attend Western Welding Academy in Gillette, Wyoming.

Haydan Drullinger, son of Cory and Rachael Drullinger of Kirk, plans to attend South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, where he will pursue a degree in Agriculture Systems Technology. 

Bryson Lewis, son of Will and Brittney Lewis of Eckley, plans to attend Fort Hays Tech Northwest in Goodland, Kansas, where he will pursue a degree in Construction Technology.

The Chester & Marcia Zwirn Conservation Scholarship was established to assist Yuma County students pursuing post-secondary education in fields related to conservation, natural resources, wildlife, and agriculture. The scholarship reflects a shared commitment by the Zwirn family and the Yuma County Conservation District to support future conservation leaders and promote stewardship of natural resources.

The 2027 Chester & Marcia Zwirn Conservation Scholarship application period will open in early 2027. Eligible students residing in Yuma County, or whose parents own property in Yuma County, are encouraged to apply. The scholarship provides up to $5,000 per student, paid in semester installments, for students pursuing conservation-related degrees.

Additional details, application materials, and deadlines for the 2027 scholarship will be announced later this year and posted on the Yuma County Conservation District website at www.ycconservation.com/scholarships.

The Yuma County Conservation District congratulates the 2026 scholarship recipients and wishes them continued success in their academic and conservation pursuits.

Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project Enters Implementation Phase Across Nearly 5,000 Acres

WRAY, Colo. — After nearly four years of planning, collaboration, grant development, and project coordination, the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project has officially entered the implementation phase.

Led by the Yuma County Conservation District (YCCD) in partnership with local, state, and federal conservation organizations, the project spans nearly 5,000 acres within the former Bonny Reservoir footprint and surrounding rangelands. The demonstration is designed to showcase how adaptive grazing, innovative technology, and collaborative conservation can work together to improve rangeland health, restore wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire fuels, strengthen drought resilience, and create a model that can be replicated throughout eastern Colorado.

"This project represents years of collaboration, planning, and commitment from many outstanding partners," said Margaret Lenz, President of the Yuma County Conservation District Board of Supervisors. "We're excited to see the project move from planning into implementation and begin demonstrating how conservation, technology, and agriculture can work together to benefit both the land and the people who depend on it."

Following the draining of Bonny Reservoir in 2011 to meet the requirements of the Republican River Compact, the former reservoir footprint and surrounding rangelands experienced dramatic changes. Without regular management, dense stands of cottonwoods, salt cedar, Russian olive, invasive plants, noxious weeds, and excessive grass and other non-beneficial vegetation expanded across the landscape. The Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project was developed to demonstrate how carefully managed livestock grazing can become an important conservation tool to reduce excessive biomass, improve rangeland health, enhance wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, and support long-term restoration of this unique landscape.

The project recently reached several important milestones.

The Bureau of Reclamation completed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for the entire Bonny Reservoir property, providing the final environmental approval necessary for implementation.

Under the leadership of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, construction of the portable livestock water infrastructure has been completed, allowing livestock to be strategically distributed throughout the project's grazing quadrants.

Local producer and project cooperator, Darrell Smith, has moved cattle onto the property, officially beginning the adaptive grazing demonstration. The Halter virtual fencing system is now operational, with GPS-enabled collars installed on the cattle. Since June 19, Darrell and Arlene Smith have been working closely with the Halter team to train both themselves and the cattle on the virtual fencing system. The technology allows grazing boundaries to be adjusted remotely without constructing permanent interior fencing, providing flexibility to adapt grazing as vegetation conditions change.

Another innovative component of the project is RangeView, a satellite-based rangeland monitoring and grazing management platform funded through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Throughout the grazing season, RangeView will use high-resolution satellite imagery and advanced analytics to monitor forage production, grazing utilization, vegetation response, weather conditions, and landscape changes. Combined with drone imagery and on-the-ground monitoring, the project will generate valuable information to evaluate adaptive grazing management and guide future restoration efforts.

Recognizing the growing conservation challenges across the Bonny landscape, the Yuma County Conservation District brought together producers, agencies, conservation organizations, and funding partners to develop the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project. The project demonstrates how carefully managed livestock grazing, innovative technology, and collaborative conservation can restore rangeland health, improve wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, and strengthen drought resilience across nearly 5,000 acres.

Financial support for the project has been provided through the Habitat Partnership Program, Mule Deer Foundation, the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts Demonstration Grant and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

As implementation continues, project partners will monitor vegetation response, wildlife habitat improvements, forage utilization, and overall rangeland recovery throughout the grazing season. The project includes a comprehensive monitoring program utilizing satellite-based monitoring, drone imagery, vegetation surveys, photo point monitoring, wildlife observations, and grazing utilization assessments to document changes across the landscape over time.

Later this year, YCCD and its partners plan to host a Bonny Reservoir Field Day, providing producers, conservation districts, agencies, and the public an opportunity to see the project firsthand and learn about adaptive grazing management, virtual fencing, satellite-based rangeland monitoring, and collaborative partnerships making the project possible. Results from the project will also be shared through presentations, reports, conferences, and educational outreach to encourage similar conservation efforts across Colorado.

"This project is about much more than grazing cattle," said Tanya Fell, District Manager for the Yuma County Conservation District. "It's about demonstrating how partnerships, innovation, and science can work together to improve our natural resources while supporting the producers who steward our working lands every day. We hope Bonny becomes a model that inspires similar conservation efforts throughout Colorado."

USDA NRCS Announces June 8 Deadline for New Sandhills Rangeland Conservation Program in Yuma, Phillips and Sedgwick Counties

Agricultural producers and landowners in Yuma, Phillips, and Sedgwick counties are encouraged to apply for a new conservation funding opportunity through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced a second Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) sign-up deadline of June 8, 2026, for the Yuma County Targeted Conservation Program (TCP) – Sandhills Rangeland Project.

This innovative program is designed to improve rangeland health by addressing invasive annual grasses such as cheatgrass and Japanese brome, which reduce forage production, degrade wildlife habitat, and increase wildfire risk across northeastern Colorado.

The project targets Yuma, Phillips, and Sedgwick counties focusing on Herbaceous Weed Management using indaziflam, marketed as Rejuvra, a pre-emergent herbicide that has demonstrated excellent long-term control of invasive annual grasses. Unlike many herbicides that require annual retreatment, Rejuvra can provide up to four years of control by targeting the cheatgrass seedbank while allowing desirable perennial grasses to thrive.

When combined with sound grazing management, this treatment can significantly increase forage production, improve plant diversity, and reduce wildfire risk.  Other conservation practices may also be considered based on site-specific conditions.

Through these practices, producers can restore native grasses, improve grazing distribution, increase forage production, and enhance habitat for wildlife species such as the greater prairie-chicken.

Applications for this targeted funding opportunity must be submitted to NRCS by June 8, 2026. NRCS accepts applications year-round, but applications received by this deadline will be considered for this specific funding opportunity.  Interested producers should contact their local USDA Service Center as soon as possible to begin or update an application.

County                                                                 Phone Number

Phillips County NRCS                                      970-854-2812

Sedgwick County NRCS                                  970-463-9010

Yuma County NRCS                                         970-332-3107

For additional information, visit USDA NRCS Colorado.