By: Chloe Delahoussaye, Hannah Atkinson
As school comes back in full swing, the Tarleton Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society has lots of opportunities for members to get involved. Coming up in September, the society will hold its first general meeting on September 5th. Students will have the chance to meet the officers, learn about some volunteer and research opportunities, join committees and competition teams, and explore what The Wildlife Society is.
On August 28th, 14 new and returning members gathered to start the year strong with the first plant identification practice of the semester. Graduate Student Nadia Castanon led the practice, testing student’s knowledge with a mock test with plants pressed from Tarleton’s herbarium. After, members were taught the different parts of a plant and how to differentiate each one. The chapter plans to bring two teams to compete at the Society for Range Management’s annual meeting during October and at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s annual conference in February.
The chapter found many ways to keep busy over the summer, including attending the Fort Cavazos bird banding event for Black Capped Vireos. There, members learned about the importance of bird banding, handling, nesting habits, and how to identify different select species. Students even got the chance to release some of the birds that were caught. We thank Scott Summers, Environmental Protection Specialist and Fort Cavazos Natural and Cultural Resources Management Branch for the opportunity.
Multiple Students in the society had eventful summers working on research projects and in internships. Carson Dugger and Tristian Saxon spent the summer interning for Game Wardens, learning about wildlife law and shadowing the everyday life of a warden. Kyndal Underwood interned at Dinosaur Valley State Park where she got to clean out dinosaur tracks, lead guest guides and interpretation, and learn what it means to run a state park. Chloe Delahoussaye, Hannah Atkinson, and Liliana Navar spent their summer doing undergraduate research with David Johnson’s grassland restoration project. Gracie Gold and Joanna Carballo worked with Dr. Mathewson’s House Sparrow project, monitoring parental activity, and researching microplastics. Students Grace Soechting, Tyler Teeter, Hagen Huffman, Jacqueline Sanchez, and Emily Vincik spent their summer in the study abroad in Botswana learning about African wildlife ecology.
The chapter meets every other Tuesday at 6 pm in Joe W. Autry Agriculture building, room 113 starting September 5th.