The annual society banquet is also the annual presentation of professional awards.

The peer recognition award went to Ron, the clown of the society, who also happens to be terribly dedicated to the wildlife resource, and will speak up in its defense even when others will not. A deserved award.

Harry, our banquet speaker, however remarked that it was not Ron that he admired.

He admired Kevin (GF-123). "Look at what he went through just to avoid going on a sheep hunt with Ron."

Kevin responded that it wasn't Ron he was avoiding, it was "that little tent" that Ron uses.

Several other members were recognized for their work and volunteerism. Most received gift certificates to Cabela's, with the remark that "if you can't use this, you don't have a pulse."

The landowner of the year award went to a rancher that 15 years ago or so, everyone dreaded to have to visit, since he was always so spiteful and distrusting of anyone not a fellow rancher.

He agreed to accept the award, provided he got to speak.

And speak he did.

Somewhere late in his life, after his Dad died, his wife left him, he wrecked his truck, he almost lost the ranch, and he stayed drunk for three years (yes, someone at my table remarked that sounded like a country western song), this man had an epiphany.

This wasn't working, so he wanted to try something else. Like talking to people, instead of cursing at them. Like listening to people.

Now he is one of the most progressive people you could hope to meet. A couple high points of his inspirational talk:

He was dumbstruck at his first cooperative management meeting, when the facilitator talked about "quality of life."

You see, he said, ranchers don't have "quality of life."

Ranchers endure.

And the longer you endure, the better your life. The idea of putting "quality" into that life was alien to him.

To come to where he is, he has learned to speak and listen in three languages.

He, and his fellow ranchers, speak in anecdotes. To get a point or idea across, they tell stories.

To talk with us agency people, he had to learn to speak data. If we don't see the numbers, we don't believe. From them he learned about the three cycles of the land. The mineral cycle, the energy cycle, and the water cycle.

Although we haven't had the water cycle for three or four years, now.

And he learned that to converse with environmentalists, you had to learn poetry. Because these people speak of values, direct from their heart.

Being trilingual has saved his ranch, improved the land, and made him a welcome member in any of the three camps.

No wonder he got the award.