Stephen Williams Bio

My name is Stephen Williams, the newest member of the Malpai Borderland Group (MBG) Board of Directors. I reside in Elgin, Arizona. I was born in Douglas, but grew up in Phoenix due to my father's transfer to the bank's first Phoenix branch. He sold his ranch in the Peloncillo Mountains, north of San Simon, when I was seven years old. So, I am the frrst generation in my family away from the ranch. I grew up hunting and fishing. This led to my desire at age ten to become a Game Warden. I studied wildlife biology and rangeland management at the University of Arizona.

After graduation I had three seasons of fire suppression duties with the Forest Service, including two on the Portal Helitack Crew. I had a short stint at the Gray Ranch as its Range and Wildlife Specialist when the ranch was owned by Wayne Pruett and Peter Wray. I worked as a Range Conservationist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for five years doing range surveys in western Arizona to gather data for the Environmental Impact Statement on the effects of livestock grazing that the BLM was required to prepare as a result of a lawsuit by the Natural Resource Defense Council. Once the EIS was completed I shifted to the typical range conservationist duties of managing grazing files, writing Allotment Management Plans, doing rangeland monitoring, and reviewing rangeland improvement applications.

When I decided to put down a tap root and spend my career in Arizona I obtained a position with the Arizona State Land Department. My career there spanned 31 years. My first three years were in a field Range Manager position in western and east central Arizona. The next twenty three years were as the Manager of the grazing lease program in the Range Section. This was the era of the lawsuits challenging the grazing lease program and the methods of resolving conflicts regarding grazing lease renewals. The two plaintiffs were the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest and the Forest Guardians. My final six years were spent as Director of the Natural Resources Division. This Division included Water Rights, Minerals, Range, Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Districts and the Environmental/Trespass programs.

Since my retirement four years ago I became engaged in a number of natural resource conservation endeavors. These include: Board of Director positions with the Diablo Trust and Altar Valley Conservation Alliance; an At-Large position on the Arizona BLM Resource Advisory Council; and, a Supervisor position on the Santa Cruz Natural Resource Conservation District. Regardless of where I live Cochise County is home and gives me my sense of place.  The Malpai Borderlands Group is near and dear to my heart because of that connection.

Reese Woodling

January 23, 1936 – March 23, 2019

The Malpai Borderlands Group is saddened to report that Board Member Reese Woodling passed away on March 23^rd.  Reese served on the Board of Directors from 1998 until the present.  He was due to step down from the Board this month at his request due to failing health.  Reese served as Board Chairman from 2004 through 2010.

A native of Ohio, Reese married his high school sweetheart Nancy Stocker, obtained a degree in geology and then moved west to work as a surveyor.  In the course of his work, he met many ranchers, including the Metzgers of the Flying M Ranch near Flagstaff.  Reese became enamored with cattle ranching and began working toward owning his own ranch one day.  Along the way, he was a magazine publisher and high school teacher and coach.  With a partner, he purchased a ranch near Cascabel, Arizona on the San Pedro River and began raising registered Brangus cattle.  He later acquired another ranch in the Peloncillo Mountains in southwest New Mexico, which he also called the Cascabel.  Reese’s cattle acquired a national reputation and he rose to become president of the International Brangus Breeder’s Association.  Eventually, he bought out his partner and sold the San Pedro Ranch, concentrating on his New Mexico ranch.  In 1998, he sold a conservation easement on the ranch to the Malpai Borderlands Group.

After joining the Malpai Board, Reese became a very active member, often hosting meetings at his ranch, traveling to speak on behalf of the Group, and putting out a local quarterly newsletter.  In addition to serving as chairman, he also headed up a committee that looked into the feasibility of possibly marketing branded beef.  When the Malpai Group began a scholarship program to honor former board member Rob Krentz, Reese was the ideal person to run it.  In addition to his years as a teacher, he had served as Chairman of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Education Committee and chaired its Research and Education Foundation, during which time he ran their scholarship program.  Under Reese’s careful attention, the Krentz Scholarship has been very successful, so far helping eight local students further their education.  Reese and Nancy have also given scholarships to three students through their own fund which is run through Malpai.

Reese Woodling looms large when one looks at what has made the Malpai Borderlands Group what it is today.  But more than that, he will be remembered as a good friend and as someone who worked tirelessly and unselfishly to help his fellow man.