Upcoming election info: Changes to Bylaws

Periodically, issues arise that necessitate changes to MTTWS bylaws. This year, we are proposing adding language that enables us to grant additional awards and travel money to students and professionals. Please read and get familiar with the proposed language new and amended language below. We will have an online election (dues-paying members only) for these changes this coming fall. 

 

Modifications/additions to the MT TWS bylaws

New funding to support students:

Text to be added to Article VIII – Committees, Section 2, Clause G – Scholarship

1) Name: ____ Scholarship Fund (name TBD)

2) Recipient: An outstanding wildlife student(s) enrolled at a university/college in Montana other than the University of Montana or Montana State University.

3) Amount: A minimum of $500.00 to be awarded each year at the Annual Meeting (to begin in 2022).

4) chairmanship will alternate every other year between the two universities.

 

1) Name: Dick Mackie Memorial Fund

2) Recipient: An outstanding wildlife student(s) at the University of Montana, Montana State University, or both.

3) Amount: A minimum of $500.00 to be awarded during summers as funds allow.

4) chairmanship will alternate every other year between the two universities.

 

Text to be added to Article IX – Financial Operations

Section 5

NAME? SCHOLARSHIP FUND – The ____ Scholarship Fund will finance the scholarship awards given annually to one student from other universities/colleges in Montana (not Montana State University or the University of Montana).

 

CLAUSE A – SOURCE – Monies will be raised from tax-free donations, raffles, and/or other fund-raising efforts approved by the membership. Items raffled will be awarded at the Annual Meeting. Donations, interest from CDs, returns from investments, proceeds from fund raising efforts, and funds from the Operations Checking Account (as recommended by the Financial Management Committee and approved by the membership) will be used to fund the scholarship awards.

 

CLAUSE B – ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT – All monies raised for this scholarship fund will be invested in financial instruments to include, but not limited to, federally-insured certificates of deposit (CD), stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Investments will be made according to the following criteria:

  1. agreement with The Wildlife Society’s goals and objectives;
  2. protection of principal; and
  3. return on investment.

 

Monies in excess of the scholarships awarded will be reinvested in the scholarship fund. The sole use of all monies raised for the scholarship fund and interest generated by these monies will be to fund wildlife scholarships. The Financial Management Committee may periodically recommend to the membership that surplus proceeds from the Operations Checking Account be used to supplement the principal of the scholarship fund. The Financial Management Committee will audit the Treasurer’s records of this fund annually.

 

Section 6

DICK MACKIE AWARD – The Dick Mackie Award will provide financial support for a member of the UM or MSU student chapter to attend the national TWS conference.

 

CLAUSE A – SOURCE – Monies will be raised from tax-free donations, raffles, and/or other fund-raising efforts approved by the membership. Items raffled will be awarded at the Annual Meeting. Donations, interest from CDs, returns from investments, proceeds from fund raising efforts, and funds from the Operations Checking Account (as recommended by the Financial Management Committee and approved by the membership) will be used to fund the awards.

 

CLAUSE B – ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT – All monies raised for this fund will be invested in financial instruments to include, but not limited to, federally-insured certificates of deposit (CD), stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Investments will be made according to the following criteria:

  1. agreement with The Wildlife Society’s goals and objectives;
  2. protection of principal; and
  3. return on investment.

 

Monies in excess of awards made will be reinvested in the fund. The sole use of all monies raised for the fund and interest generated by these monies will be to fund student attendance at the national TWS conference. The Financial Management Committee may periodically recommend to the membership that surplus proceeds from the Operations Checking Account be used to supplement the principal of the fund. The Financial Management Committee will audit the Treasurer’s records of this fund annually.

 

Formalizing the Rising Professional Award:

Text to be modified/added to Article VIII – Committees, Section 2, Clause F – Awards

1) AWARDS: Five awards are authorized by the Chapter: a Distinguished Service Award, a Wildlife Biologist of the Year Award, a Bob Watts Wildlife Communications Award, a Wildlife Conservationist Award, and a Rising Professional Award. Each award will be a certificate or plaque presented at the Annual Meeting provided that a worthy candidate has been selected. It is not mandatory that all five awards be given every year.

2) CRITERIA FOR NOMINATIONS: Each award shall be given to an individual (member or non-member) who has contributed toward furthering the objectives of this Chapter. Each award will be given for contributions in wildlife management and research which incorporate one or more of the following attributes: administration; communications with the public; interagency communications; legislation; management accomplishments; scientific publications; teaching; professional leadership and progress; and others as designated by the members.

e) Rising Professional Award: This award will recognize emerging professionals and rising leaders in the wildlife field who are drivers of professional progress in Montana. Eligible candidates will have worked in a part- or full-time professional capacity for at least 3 years, and no more than 8 years. Years need not be consecutive. Current students are not eligible. Employment may include, but is not limited to: wildlife and habitat management or research, conservation policy or advocacy, environmental education or program development, consultation, etc.

Co-workers, supervisees, supervisors, and other professional or public associates of a candidate may sponsor award submissions. Collaborations across a candidate’s employment history are encouraged.

Nominations will consist of 3 letters of sponsorship, no longer than one page each, that testify to the candidate’s record of:

    • Professional-caliber engagement with supervisors, co-workers, supervisees, and the public
    • Pursuit of professional and personal development
    • Community involvement and commitment to work-life balance
    • Practice of inclusion, equality, and respect across human circumstance and identity

Elementor #760

University of Montana students get involved with community outreach!

University of Montana’s Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society is at it again!  Check out these articles about their outreach efforts with the Flagship program as they work with local school children in and around Missoula, as well as their involvement in the Phillipsburg area with this year’s annual Hunter Mentorship program!

Flagship program

Hunter Mentorship program

Elementor #653

2018 Fall Newsletter

We hope everyone has had a good fall, and is ready for winter.  Although the annual meeting is still a few months away, it will be here before we know it!  Liz and the board are working hard to plan the meeting, and the call for abstracts, registration, and other announcements should begin arriving in your inbox soon. As a reminder we are still looking for nominations for the secretary and president elect positions as well as awards and proposals for small grants. If you are interested in running or know anyone who maybe interested, please let us know.

Details on this and more can be found clicking here:  2018 Fall Newsletter

Podcasts from the Northwest Section coming soon!

Podcasts from the Northwest Section coming soon!

Oregon TWS is producing a natural history/conservation podcast entitled Northwest Nature Matters. The podcast will entail interviews with resource experts in various disciplines…largely focusing on the greater Pacific Northwest area (broadly interpreted). The goal is to reach a broader segment of the public in addition to our colleagues and friends.

Some last details are being finalized on their website (hosted by the Oregon Wildlife Foundation) and will be ready to publicly launch on December 3rd

Stay tuned, as we get more details and updates, we will pass them along to you!

University of Montana Student Chapter Update

University of Montana Student Chapter Update

Greetings from UM!

Our Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society has had a very active fall. We have students volunteering around the community apple picking to discourage bears with the Great Bear Foundation; rolling barb wire with the Backcountry Horsemen at the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range; spending their weekends at Hunter Check-stations with the FWP biologists; and, a new activity of teaching in an afterschool program called Flagship.

Our current education outreach officer, Jonathan Karlen, came into the semester with the goal to get our students more involved with our community’s youth. He has arranged our students to visit different Flagship elementary or middle school programs to teach 2-hour Bear Safety and Wildlife Jobs classes. Our TWS members are engaging the younger students with an activity-based program which features inert bear spray demonstrations, hands-on skull and skin inspection, PIT tag reading, and even a telemetry scavenger hunt! This has been a fun new opportunity for our students and we are happy to be inspiring future wildlife conservationist.

Coming up, in a partnership with the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Student Chapter, we are hosting a program called Hunter Mentorship. The mission of Hunter Mentorship Program (HMP) is to provide the opportunity for natural resource pre-professionals to learn about the culture, ethics, and practice of fair-chase hunting on public, private, and block-management lands in Montana. We take students who are new hunters or just observers and pair them with experienced Montana hunters for a weekend. The group will travel to a cabin in Philipsburg where food and lodging is free to all participants. This is the fourth year of HMP, which was started by UM doctoral candidate James Goerz, and the TWS students are very excited to participate.           

Our group appreciates the support and interest of the Montana State Chapter! We have an enthusiastic group of undergraduate students who would be thrilled to assist with wildlife related projects, so keep us in mind if you ever need some extra hands. GO GRIZ!

Megan Robbins

President

UM Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society

2018 young students
Telemetry with Flagship students
2018 Tree
Discouraging bears!
2018 classroom
Skulls and Skins with Flagship students
BCWMA
Removing fences on the Blackfoot Clearwater WMA

National TWS Council Policy Priorities Committee seeks input for Wildlife Society policy priorities!

National TWS Council Policy Priorities Committee seeks input for Wildlife Society policy priorities!

Timeline: Due by October 25, 2018

The National TWS Council Policy Priorities Committee has reached out to our Montana Chapter to solicit input into The Wildlife Society’s policy priorities for the period of January 2019 – January 2021.

This TWS Council establishes specific policy priorities to strategically focus TWS engagements in policy. These priorities are established for a 2-year cycles, and the committee has been tasked with recommending a new list of TWS policy priorities for the period January 2019 – January 2021.

They are very interested in hearing what our Montana Chapter believes are the one or two most important policy related topics for TWS to engage in the next two years. Before we respond to their request, our Montana Chapter executive board would like to hear your thoughts and input. Do you have any issues you would like to have considered as a national priority?

As you consider this request please keep in mind that appropriate TWS policy priorities should directly affect wildlife professionals and their work, encompass issues being considered by political and administrative leaders that will have national and possibly an international impact, and be an issue where TWS can fill a leading role. For reference, the 2017-2018 priorities are shown below.

If you have any issues you would like to have considered, please email your ideas to Kelvin Johnson: mttws.president@gmail.com, or any of the Montana Chapter board members by October 25.

 

Wildlife Society Policy Priorities for 2017-2018 

  1. Empower wildlife professionals:
    1. Work to enhance the Lacey Act to prevent the spread of invasive species and wildlife disease.
    2. Work to ensure the Endangered Species Act retains science as the foundation for decision making while advancing meaningful and reasonable modifications that enhance its effectiveness in conserving at-risk native wildlife and ecosystems.
  2. Enable wildlife professionals:
    1. Work to advance the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish & Wildlife Resources recommendations to fund state efforts to conserve the full array of fish and wildlife species.
    2. Work to advance conservation titles within the farm bill.
  3. Assist wildlife professionals:
    1. Work cooperatively with federal and state managers and the public to meet and sustain appropriate wild horse and burro management levels.
    2. Work to advance the conservation of wild sheep in the USA and Canada by promoting policies that incorporate current science and strategies to minimize the potential of disease transmission from domestic sheep.

MT TWS has launched a new website

Please take a moment to visit mttws.org and see our new site layout.  We’ll be adding additional content in the future- including archives, position announcements for jobs in our fields, as well as pertinent news and listings of events.

Our new site will also allow our members to register for our annual meeting online, with online submission of materials as well.  We’re doing our best to provide the most up-to-date content and information to our membership!