Looking for a mentor? Want to mentor someone?

The Wildlife Society is happy to announce the implementation of a state-of-the-art online mentoring system and you are invited to become one of the first users of our new system.  Click here and log in with your membership username and password, complete your profile and start connecting.  This is a new TWS membership benefit!

The Wildlife Society Online Mentoring Program provides a platform for mentees to realize their potential by enabling personal and professional relationships with mentors, who act as role models and provide guidance to them.

The program offers opportunities to develop business contacts, access industry information, and gain valuable insights from experienced and successful professionals.

This program is available to TWS members only. If you want to participate and you are not a member, join TWS now

Darryl Walter Education, Membership, TWS Sponsored Programs, Wildlife Careers, Wildlife professionals, Wildlife students student, Wildlife Careers, Wildlife Society member

If you are in Reno and attending the Wild Sheep Show at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center, please stop by The Wildlife Society booth #115 and say hello. We are giving free issues of The Wildlife Professional.

If you are a wildlife professional, make sure to join or renew your TWS membership; when you join or renew TWS at the Wild Sheep Show, you’ll receive a free TWS shirt.

Also, a Wyoming Commissioner’s License is being auctioned off on Saturday afternoon at the show and TWS is the benefactor of the proceeds raised from this auction.

Darryl Walter Membership, Wildlife professionals Wildlife Society member

10. You can play on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the student-only Listserve all in the name of science.
TWS’ social media sites are great resources for you to keep in touch and exchange information with fellow wildlife students. You can even find information on room and ride share for the annual conference.

9. TWS will give you (grant) money to go places like Snowbird, UT, Pittsburgh, PA and Portland, OR.
Students presenting at the annual conference can apply for an individual travel grant to receive up to $500 toward you expenses or your student chapter can apply for Student Chapter of the Year Award, which includes a $1,000 travel grant, in order to send a student delegation.

8. We’re hiring! And know other environmental agencies that are too.
www.wildlife.org gives you access to not only Wildlife Careers Center, where you can post your resume and search jobs all over the country, but also TWS internships (both paid and non-paid) and grant funding opportunities as well.

7. Student Discounts
Take advantage of the reduced rates available to full-time students pursuing careers in wildlife conservation and management. For only $35 (regularly $69) you will receive four issues of The Wildlife Professional magazine (print and full online access), twelve issues of The Wildlifer e-newsletter, and six issues of Wildlife Policy e-newsletter. Discounts are also offered on annual conference registration as well as the Associate Wildlife Biologist certificate application fee.

6. Get your Hands Dirty with Wildlife Experts
Whether it’s through field trips and projects, workshops or student conclaves you will become familiar with wildlife management techniques and natural resource issues while gaining valuable experience and relationships to give you a leg up on your competition.

5. Student – Professional Mixers
All students have heard a hundred times how important networking is but sometimes it’s hard to find the right social environment. TWS makes it easy by setting up mixers at the annual conference which allows students to interact with hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of wildlife professionals. The student mentoring sessions, student leaders breakfast and student-only field trips are other great ways to meet established experts in your desired field.

4. It Looks Good on your Resume
TWS is a well-recognized name among the environmental community and each conference, field project, conclave and leadership role you participate in will add to your skill set and give you more to talk about during interviews. A career fair and resume-writing workshop is included as part of the annual conference student curriculum and keep an eye out for a new high-tech, long-term mentoring program currently in development.

3. Competitions
Two words, bragging-rights. Awards are presented to the winners of the annual Quiz Bowl, a wildlife version of Jeopardy, Student Chapter of the Year and Student Chapter Advisor of the Year, as well as the annual conference Best Student Presenter and Best Student Poster. Winners will receive a plaque as well as accolades from peers and wildlife professionals.

2. Everyone’s Doin’ It
There are over 100 different student chapters in the US and Canada who are all striving to be the next generation of wildlife professionals. You also have the option to join local chapters, sections and working groups to broaden your knowledge of wildlife issues in other geographic areas.

1. It’s FUN and Rewarding!
Between your student chapter activities, the annual conference, field trips and more, you’ll meet students with similar interests and develop a sense of purpose and dedication in the field of wildlife conservation and management.

So, in the time it takes to watch another “Jersey Shore” re-run, you could join The Wildlife Society as a student member, search for an internship, post your resume and start taking advantage of the multitude of other opportunities available to you.

Lisa Monrreal Membership Membership, Students

The January issue of The Wildlifer was recently posted.  This issue features a President’s Podium from TWS President Bruce Leopold, updates on wildlife policy, info on the TWS Leadership Institute, news from TWS headquarters, and other related wildlife news. 

Read the January issue of The Wildlifer here.

Darryl Walter Membership, Policy, Section and Chapter News, TWS Annual Conference, TWS Sponsored Programs, The Wildlifer policy news, professional societies, The Wildlifer, wildlife policy, Wildlife Society member

What Works—and What Doesn’t—in Wildlife Education Today?

By Rick Baydack, Professor, University of Manitoba,

Canadian Section Representative to The Wildlife Society Council

Is wildlife education today adequately preparing the wildlife professionals of tomorrow?

That’s the question TWS’ ad hoc Committee on Collegiate Wildlife Programs has spent the past 2 years exploring. As Chair of the group, I worked with fellow committee members to assess the trends, strengths, and weaknesses of wildlife education at colleges and universities across North America. We completed our work in September 2009 and, that month, presented our findings to TWS Council. We also published the gist of our findings in the winter 2009 issue of The Wildlife Professional. (Click here to see the TWP article, and here to see the full report.)

I encourage you to read these reports and weigh in with your thoughts about the ad hoc committee’s main findings, some of which were surprising. For example:

• In North America approximately four times as many wildlife-education programs exist as TWS had previously thought. Yet these programs increasingly emphasize the study of wildlife in non-traditional (i.e., “environmental”) programs, as opposed to focusing on the more traditional wildlife management or wildlife biology areas.

• The linkage between today’s wildlife programs and TWS and its mission and goals is generally not strong. This is most likely because so many new faculty are not members of TWS, nor do they know about our Society and what we do.

• Today’s students are predominantly urban, and therefore tend to lack the in-depth experience with wildlife and nature that earlier generations of students once had. This presents special challenges to preparing future professionals.

• Universities and colleges need input from employers in order to develop effective curricula. Conversely, employers must accept that, given the demands and budget constraints that academic institutions face, schools cannot produce graduates who are fully prepared to launch into all aspects of field work. In other words, employers should recognize that graduation is only the beginning of the second phase of a long and continuous educational road.

• Although there is probably no single, perfect wildlife program, TWS certification requirements for coursework represent the core areas of competency that should be present in any high-quality wildlife program.

• A new model for wildlife education is needed. It must include hands-on training to create field worthiness, and should also teach communications, interacting with stakeholders, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and working in teams.

• The entire wildlife profession must be involved in preparing future wildlife professionals for the complex, interdisciplinary, ecosystem-based jobs in wildlife conservation. However, the ultimate responsibility for individual professional development lies with the individual wildlife professional, who must continually seek to improve knowledge and skills throughout his or her career.

Now it’s your turn. Do you agree or disagree with these findings? What can current professionals do to promote more-effective wildlife education and help the next generation of professionals evolve? What role should TWS and other professional societies play? We look forward to your feedback.

Rick_Baydack Education, Membership, Wildlife Careers, Wildlife professionals, Wildlife students, science

This week I am at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Springfield, IL.  Last night I gave an update at the North Central Business Meeting and gave a short announcement at the Student-Professional Mixer.  I am in the exhibit hall today, so please come by The Wildlife Society booth.  We have a special offer for new members, sign-up at the conference and get a FREE Wildlife Society shirt.  For current members, renew your membership here and get a FREE 2010 Wildlife Society Calendar.  Membership is just $69 for professionals and $35 for students.  You can also pick up a copy of The Wildlife Professional here.

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	Here’s what we offer: Hundreds of wildlife jobs for all career levels. Personalized e-mail alerts. Receive email notifications when a job ad matches your search. Resume posting. Apply for jobs directly online or keep your resume anonymous and choose which employers can contact you. Search by keywords, industry, job function and location.
Find a Job Today on http://careers.wildlife.org

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In this issue:

• TWS Honors Ronald F. Labisky
• President’s Podium
• Policy News
• Conference News
• 2009 TWS Photo Competition Winners
• 17th Annual Conference Call for Proposals
• TWS Awards
• News from Headquarters
• Section News
• Related Wildlife News
• Meetings of Interest

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See Conference Photos online

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So, most people have checked in by now – I hear we have more than 1,600 registrants. Tonight’s going to be all about receptions, parties, and other social get togethers. A few of us (TWS Staff) dropped by the Boone and Crockett reception last night, mingled a bit, and ate quite a bit more. The student-professional mixer was a blast — over 500 students were at the shindig including Jake Carter, an undergrad at Virginia Tech who “played volleyball, did the limbo” and dug into the delicious dinner. 

To continue the fun, the student quiz bowl, which kicks off at 6.30 p.m. tonight in the Steinbeck Forum should be just as exciting. There’s also the Canadian Section Members and Friends reception that we’re planning to drop by as well.

A whole lot else, of course — make sure you check out your program booklet for more events or drop by the registration booth and we’ll fill you in.

Divya Abhat Membership, TWS Annual Conference, Uncategorized annual conference, student