Sitting in the belly of a nuclear submarine, Hugh Barrett comtemplated his future.  He wanted to go to college – but what to study?  Looking over literature in the day room, he found a blurb from the Society for Range Management that described rangeland management and what rangeland managers do.  He enrolled at Humboldt State that fall.

After graduation, he worked for the Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) in NV, WA and OR before tranferring to the BLM in 1991.  He is currently the BLM State Rangeland Management Specialist.  Hugh has served on the OR Watershed Enhancement Board, the Standards for Rangeland Health group and the H.J. Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and Environment.

Hugh coined the phrase, “The essence of watershed management is the soil’s ability to capture, store and beneficially release water,” which many of us use to educate the public.  His current quote:  “If you are not catching flack, you are probably not over the target.”  Thanks, Hugh, for brightening our day and helping us teach!