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Lectures at Sheridan College

Free & Open to the Public

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Science
Lecture
Series

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7:00 pm – W153. Free.
Attend in person or watch via zoom.

With Eddie Vandenberg, Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Rawlins Field Office

Abstract: The Bureau of Land Management created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971.  To maintain wild horses and burros in good condition and protect the health of our public lands, the BLM must manage the population growth of wild horse and burro herds. Without natural population controls, such as predation, herds can increase at a rate of up to 20 percent annually, doubling in size in just 4 to 5 years, if not appropriately managed. Population control must be implemented to protect scarce and fragile resources in the arid West and ensure healthy animals.  To carry out this mission, the BLM controls herd growth through the application of fertility measures, such as birth control, and through the periodic removals of excess animals and the placement of those animals into private care.

Biosketch: Ed Vandenburg grew up in Meeker, Oklahoma. After a four-year enlistment in the U.S. Marines, he attended college and received a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Agriculture/ Animal Science from the University of Wyoming. Ed spent 10 years as a professional farrier and is currently employed by the Bureau of Land Management as a Wild Horse and Burro Specialist in the Rawlins Field Office in Rawlins, Wyoming.

Eric Richards, Director of bands and Jazz Studies

Thickman Faculty Lecture Series

Musical Journeys: Sounds Across Borders

Thursday, Mar. 11, 6:00 pm – Kinnison Hall. Free.

With Dr. Eric Richards, Music Faculty

  • Self-described “contemporary American eclectic” composer-arranger will explore the background, creative processes and performances of two recent works with international reach:
  • Samba For Sensei—a Brazilian-influenced composition
  • The Crucible—a concert work for jazz orchestra commissioned by the Royal Air Force.
  • An engaging artist talk on creativity, collaboration, and contemporary composition.

Biography:

Dr. Eric Richards is the Director of Bands and Jazz Studies at Sheridan College where he serves as Music Director of the SC Symphony Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazztet, Concert Brass Ensemble, Trombone Choir, and teaches applied brass, composition, History of Jazz, Keyboard Theory, Music Fundamentals. He also serves as the Music Director and Lead Trombone of the Bighorn Jazz Orchestra, Sheridan College’s professional big band-in-residence.

From 2008 – 2015, he served as tenured Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies in the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he led the Composition Program. At UNL, he mentored first-year through doctoral students in applied composition (classical and jazz/vernacular styles), and organized and led the award-winning UNL Jazz Orchestra “2.0”, an innovative 21st Century jazz ensemble combining traditional big band instrumentation with strings, horn, and percussion. He is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL. Eric has led the Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming All State High School Jazz Ensembles as well as the Southern California Honor Jazz All-Stars in concert performance at the 2018 NAMM Convention in Anaheim.

His work as an educator is energized by his professional practice as a widely performed composer/arranger, conductor, and instrumentalist. Eric’s music has been heard on six continents in performances and recordings in major concert venues across North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and India.

Past Lectures