Department News


HSU's Wildlife Conclave Team Snares Trophies

HSU’s Wildlife Conclave Team once again excelled at the Western (Regional) Wildlife Conclave held last month in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The field trip was a huge success in regards to all of the things students saw and habitats visited on the way to and from the event. Over the past 10 years of competition, the HSU Conclave Team has placed 1st in 8 of the competitions and 2nd in 2 at the regional conferences and placed 1st in 4 out of 5 of the national competitions. Way to go Wildlife!

Following is a summary of what the team won:

Winning Photos by Humboldt State University students at The Wildlife Society Meeting

Held in Madison, Wisconsin - October 2005.

Rob Fowler won second in the Open Category for Conservation Activities. Bill Ruggles won second in the Conservation Activity/Issue Category. The picture is of one of the staff at the Portland Audubon Society working with one of the owls they had there. Bryan Mulligan won second in the Conservation Issues category.

Wildlife Department and CUAA Reunion a Success!

A wonderful time was had by all in celebrating the past, present, and future excellence in wildlife conservation! The purpose of this event was to provide a forum for old and new friends to get together and visit. The family orientated weekend was held on August 12 - 14, 2005.

Events included a Bar-B-Que/Mixer, local bird field trips, local wildlife refuge tours, a tour of our campus facilities, and laboratory demonstrations. Fantastic wildlife art work displays were a big hit also.

"Doc" Harris and his lovely wife, Lori, were on hand for a book signing of his current book.

If you missed this one, be sure to check back and there will be a link to view a photo gallery of this great reunion!

 

Talk Weighs Cattle/Geese Clash

Matt Johnson, HSU Associate Professor of Wildlife Management, presented “Integrating Ranching and Wildlife Needs”.

500 Dozen Eggs for HSU Wildlife

This new collection more than doubles the HSU wildlife department’s egg collection, which formerly totaled 4,892 eggs from 1,506 nests (of which only 913 nests have data associated with them). The eggs were gathered by Lawrence Zerlang and his cousin J. Thomas Fraser, who collected along California’s North Coast in the 1920s and 1930s.

Jaguar Tracks Confirmed in Arizona, Damaging Power Line Plan Shelved


jaguar Confirmed jaguar tracks discovered by a volunteer researcher are the latest evidence of this critically endangered animals' presence in southern Arizona. According to experts, the animals are returning to their former historic range in the state. Plans to build a power line through national forest land near where the tracks were found have raised concerns from conservationists. Defenders successfully petitioned for the halting of the proposal at a recent meeting of the state body that oversees permitting for such issues.

The tracks were discovered by Emil McCain, a Wildlife graduate student working under Dr. Luke George, and a 2004 recipient of a Switzer Environmental Scholarship. Read more about "Emil's Shots Capture Jaguar Spots", a Press Release posted on Humboldt State News Online, the official news resource for Humboldt State University.

HSU's Wildlife Team Nabs Fourth Straight Crown

The Wildlife Conclave National Champions was honored at a reception, Friday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m. outside the front entrance of the Wildlife and Fisheries Building at Humboldt State University. Journalists were invited to attend. Included were opening remarks by HSU President Rollin Richmond and College of Natural Resources and Sciences Dean James Howard. Also in attendance were the championship team, its coaches and the chair of the Department of Wildlife.

By John Driscoll The Times-Standard (9/22/04)

Darwin might have looked agape at the stunning display of dominance. The Humboldt State University Wildlife Quizbowl Team has done it again: trounced all comers. This time in Calgary, Canada. It's the fourth year in a row that the team has been on top in the quiz game that pits students' wildlife, insect, plant life and other such knowledge against others'.

Fewer teams showed up this year than in recent years, and team members said they'd heard rumors that other schools didn't want to face the juggernaut. On Sunday, HSU beat the University of Idaho 360 to 40. The two schools had mostly new teams, but a history of face-offs. Idaho took second place to HSU last year at the national championships, and beat HSU last March at the Western regional competition. "We're good friends with those guys," said Dominic Bachman, one of HSU's team leaders. "There were no hard feelings."

Fifteen HSU students traveled to Calgary, stopping at Banff National Park to check out the bighorn sheep and scouting wetlands for world-famous honkers. The game has two teams of four go head to head answering questions. Whoever hits the buzzer first must answer. If the team member is right, the whole team gets a shot at a bonus question. The questions range from the basic to the bewildering. Bachman said the team got stumped on a question about the purpose of the narwhal's long protruding horn-like feature. The joking guess -- sexual prowess? -- was wrong.

Generally, each member of the team has a strong point. Bachman said Rob Fowler -- the bird nerd professional -- handled all things ornithological. Meadow Kouffeld was more of a generalist, however, and the new team member showed strong signs of genius, Bachman said.

After the final showdown, members from two other teams grilled the HSU students on how they got so good, said team captain Jeremy Todoroff. Coaching and practice are the simple keys, he told them. "I definitely think some of the other teams are ready to buck it up a little," Todoroff.

The annual Wildlife Society meeting at which the Quizbowl is played is also a chance for students to mingle with potential employers and show off their work. Todoroff will be presenting his research on white-tailed kites and Bachman will present his work on Aleutian Canada geese.

Wildlife Conclave Team Member Wins Photo Contest

Bryan Mulligan, a senior in wildlife, won first and second place in the "Student Photo Contest" at the Wildlife Society Meetings in Calgary, Alberta in September 2004. His first place photo also won "Best of Show", not just for the student contest, but for all entries!

Best of Show Bryan's second place winner.

Congratulations to all!

HSU Wildlife Student Wins Prestigious Scholarship




The Wildlife Department is pleased to announce that Emil McCain has just been awarded a Switzer Environmental Scholarship! There are 20 scholarships awarded each year to outstanding students in the United States, and includes students pursuing both masters and PhDs degrees. Emil will receive a scholarship award of $13,000.00.

Congratulations!



Wildlife Department Racks Up Success After Success


Home to a triumphant wildlife team three years in a row, Humboldt State University’s internationally recognized Wildlife Department continues its march at the forefront of the academic world. The departments’ sustained record of success is evident in how it fulfills HSU’s strong focus on mentoring.  Wildlife’s team of mentors comprises only seven dedicated faculty.  Yet between them, in the past four years alone, they have acquired nearly $4 million in grant money, published four books, written 22 book chapters and given 55 presentations.

James Howard, dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, says his team has acquired more grant funding than any other department at HSU, helping to finance field research and some of Wildlife’s 38 graduate students. But statistics and mentoring tell only part of the story. "Our high quality of education is our primary draw," adds Howard. "We have very high standards. Accordingly, HSU’s Wildlife Department is among the nations largest, with 247 undergraduate students. "Our hallmark is that our undergrads have an opportunity to do research that will prepare them for the workforce," Howard underscores.

"Many of our alumni have positions of authority at the state and national level," Howard points out. One of Humboldt State's 2004 Alumni of the Year, Rollin Sparrowe, is now president of the Wildlife Management Institute in Washington D.C. Howard believes these outstanding accomplishments reflect the strong preparation and education the department provides. "One of our faculty has even called it the best in the world," he says proudly.

Noteworth News from Past Events