WINTER 2019 - 20 | VOL. 35
The Power of Partnerships Innovative Research | Practical Applications | International Impact | Strong Collaboration
WINTER 2019 - 20
Volume 35
8 FEATURE
McCall Field Campus: Decades of Changing Lives
10 FEATURE
Clara Bleak Honored at McCall Field Campus
On the Cover: Palouse Land Trust Executive Director Lovina Englund ’05, M.S. ’07, and intern Sierra Hamilton, a natural resources conservation major, talk with land manager Andrew Saralecos ’09. See full story on page 12. Photo by Joe Pallen
FEATURE
12
Palouse Land Trust Hires First Intern
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18
FEATURE
14
The Costa Rican Wild Cat Connection
Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences Young Aluma Hires Students 3D Printing Wood Interns on the Range Drones Fighting Fire Fish and Wildlife Sciences IDFG Mentor Summer at Sawtooth Hatchery 2020 Fish & Wildlife Film Festival
20 Natural Resources and Society The Dayton Project Service Learning U of I Conservation without Borders On Fire on HBO
IN EVERY ISSUE
FEATURE
22
Environmental Science Alum Leads Idaho Department of Lands
2
Letter from the Dean
3
Letter from the Advisory Board Chair
4-5 CNR News 6
In the Headlines
24 In Memory 25 Alumni News 27 New Faculty and Staff 28 Faculty Awards
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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DEAN’S LETTER
The College of Natural Resources magazine is published annually for alumni and friends of CNR. Subscription is free. The magazine is also available online in its entirety on the college’s website, uidaho.edu/cnr. Magazine Staff Dennis Becker, Dean Sara Zaske, writer/editor Lindsay Lodis, contributing writer Steven Hacker, senior director of operations/ outreach Alan Prouty, advisory board chair CNR Alumni News University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1142 Moscow, ID 83844-1142 Email: cnr-alumni@uidaho.edu Design – Beth Case, U of I Creative Services Photography – U of I Photo Services. Other image credits noted on the pages where they appear.
Dear CNR
alumni, colleagues and friends,
D
edicated, driven, hard-working – this is how our students and new graduates describe themselves in a recent survey. They are passionate about their fields and really want to make a difference. They also love the outdoors. This isn’t surprising, as I’ve heard these same sentiments expressed by generations of our alumni and friends. These are the characteristics and values that make the CNR family so strong.
In this issue, we pay tribute to all of you who have gone out of your way to give back to the college, not only with financial support but also with your time and expertise. So many of you care about the next generation that you are willing to extend them a hand — be it an internship, a research experience, a scholarship or their first job. Your college is one of the best in the nation, and a good part of that reputation is built by you. Your personal achievements reflect well on the college, and your advocacy with other stakeholders and prospective students is invaluable. When we surveyed alumni, we asked if you would recommend CNR to others and so many of you responded: “I already do — all the time.” In these pages, I hope you will find much to make you proud. Please know that we are proud of you and so grateful to have you as our partners. I welcome your input. Write me at cnr@uidaho.edu if you have ideas for making us even stronger. Sincerely,
Dr. Dennis Becker, Ph.D. ’02 Dean 2 |
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LETTER FROM THE CNR ADVISORY BOARD
T
he College of Natural Resources Advisory Board works closely with faculty, alumni and supporters to make this a premier natural resource college. Our job is to collaborate with the college to help students develop the skills to become future leaders in our agencies, companies and organizations. We do that through employer summits, advocacy in the legislature and outreach to stakeholders. This summer the board sponsored the fifth annual President’s Tour for first-year President Scott Green. We focused on forestry connections to show the variety of work being done by the faculty and students in cooperation with our industry and agency partners. We also appreciate the opportunity to help bring back summer camp at the McCall Field Campus. It is a great way to help students prepare for working on complex natural resource issues by gaining hands-on experience. As we approach 2020, I want to acknowledge several people who are transitioning off our board. Mark Benson, Kevin Boling, Shawn Keough and David New have provided considerable leadership and contributions for many years. We will miss their participation. We also look forward to welcoming our new board members: Darin Ball of PotlatchDeltic, Dustin Miller of Idaho Department of Lands and Tom Schultz of Idaho Forest Group. CNR is Idaho’s natural resource college. It is strong thanks to the leadership and vision of Dean Becker, and the talented staff and faculty who provide students with a foundation for success. With our many partners, the college is able to provide the knowledge and collaborative, problem-solving skills to create a brighter future for the state’s natural resources. The board invites you to help our college in this mission.
Sincerely,
Alan Prouty, M.S. ’87 Advisory Board Chair
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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College of Natural Resources News
NEW ICCU ARENA IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen joined CNR Dean Dennis Becker, center, and Idaho Central Credit Union CEO Kent Oram, right, and other university leaders to help break ground on the new 4,200-seat Idaho Central Credit Union Arena in June. The engineered wood, mass-timber facility will be built by Idaho companies using Idaho wood. It is expected to open in fall 2021.
NEW INTERNSHIP CO-OPERATIVE IN THE WORKS To increase active learning experiences for students, the college is working to expand its internships by talking with private industry, nonprofit, tribal and public agency partners. Alumni are invited to participate. Contact mmcallister@uidaho.edu if you or your employer is interested in hiring CNR student interns.
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A NATURAL RESOURCES TOUR FOR THE NEW U OF I PRESIDENT The CNR Advisory Board hosted new University of Idaho President Scott Green ‘84 for a Northern Idaho tour, highlighting the college’s strong industry and agency partnerships. Stops included a state-of-theart sawmill in Lewiston as well as federal and private forest land in Elk River and outside of Coeur d’Alene.
IDAHO FOREST LAND FACTBOOK AVAILABLE FOR FREE FROM THE POLICY ANALYSIS GROUP Find out the impact of forest land and the forest products industry in each Idaho county and the whole state. The Idaho Forest Factbook: County Atlas of Forest Land and the Forest Products Industry includes information on acres and ownership of forest land, timber harvest volume, jobs in the forest products industry as well as the income and gross domestic product they generate. The complete book and individual county sheets are available at uidaho.edu/ cnr/pag.
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College of Natural Resources
IN THE
HEADLINES
Many of our faculty and students regularly make regional and national news for their research. Below are a few recent headlines.
“SNOW DROUGHTS ARE COMING FOR THE AMERICAN WEST”
National Geographic
Research led by CNR postdoc Adrienne Marshall with Professor Tim Link found that back-toback snow drought years will likely become more frequent. This has many potential economic and ecological impacts on water, wildlife, forest health and winter recreation.
“DO CATCH AND RELEASE PRACTICES HARM FISH? THIS IDAHO STUDY SAYS NO”
Idaho Statesman
Work led by Curtis Roth, M.S. ’18, along with Associate Professor Michael Quist found that holding a trout out of water for as long as 60 seconds had no impact on fish survival or reproductive success.
“WITH RISE IN WILDFIRES, PRESCRIBED BURNS MAY BE A SOLUTION”
PBS Newshour
Associate Professor Crystal Kolden was interviewed about her study which found that fire management agencies in the West were not increasing the use of prescribed fire.
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Keep up with all the latest CNR Headlines and News. Follow us on social media @uidahocnr
“U.S. WESTERN FOREST FIRES RELEASE LESS CARBON THAN THOUGHT”
Associated Press
While media reports often claim that wildfires burn forests to the ground, fires often leave many trees and dead “snags” behind which continue to store carbon, according to research led by doctoral student Jeff Stenzel along with Associate Professor Tara Hudiburg. The study found that many estimates of carbon released by forest fires were higher than what was found based on field observations.
“AFRICAN ELEPHANTS ARE EVOLVING WITHOUT TUSKS BECAUSE OF POACHING” “STUDY SUGGESTS MONOGAMOUS WOLVES MAKE BETTER PARENTS”
Spokesman-Review
A study by Assistant Professor David Ausband found that for each year a wolf pair stays together, the odds of their pups surviving into adulthood increased 20%.
CBS News
Professor Ryan Long’s ongoing study of the impacts of poaching on elephants in the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, Africa gained national attention. Long and his colleagues are testing the hypothesis that many female elephants are evolving without tusks which would protect them from human poachers who want to kill them to sell their tusks for ivory.
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McCall Field Campus
DECADES of Changing Lives
Summer camp put you in the real world of forestry. As a way to begin your career, there’s nothing better than being able to demonstrate that you not only learned in the classroom, but put that education into practice in the field. KEVIN BOLING ’74 1973 Summer Camp Alum Associate Broker, Northwest Rural Properties Management Previous senior level positions with Potlatch Corp., Webster Industries, Forest Capital Partners LLC and Westslope Properties. Founder of The Boling Company, a forest land investment firm.
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It rained all summer — that stuck in my memory, but all in all, summer camp was an excellent experience. It helped a lot in terms of my entry into the Forest Service. Many of the things that I needed to know, I learned at field camp. DALE BOSWORTH ’66 1963 Summer Camp Alum Former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service
Summer Camp is a rite of passage for anyone in our field. I see it as the initial bridge to their future career in natural resources. If we can give students a chance to see early on what the opportunities are, then they can tailor their educational program to meet the career track that really excites them. MARK KIMSEY ’99, MS ’03, PH.D. ’06 Research Assistant Professor, Forest Resources Lead faculty, new Summer Field Camp in McCall
What’s your McCall story? Follow us your on social media @uidahocnr Read more memories online at uidaho.edu/cnr/McCall2020 and share own experiences from the McCall Field Campus.
This year marks 80 years since the start of Summer Field Camp and nearly 20 years for the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS)
F
rom the start as a cluster of tents in 1940, the McCall Field Campus has given thousands of students the chance to learn about natural resources by studying outdoors — from the depths of Hells Canyon to the alpine ecology in the Idaho Rockies. Today, McCall Field Campus regularly hosts learners at every stage of life — from K-12 MOSS kids, undergraduates in the revived Summer Field Camp, graduate students studying science communication, and faculty researchers engaged in scientific studies. For each generation, spending time in this special place has changed their lives. Here are a just a few examples.
There’s a community element to the experience at McCall Field Campus that is really unique. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed over time. Whenever I talk to people about their experiences at McCall — the combination of bringing a group of people together in this remote beautiful landscape — that leads to magic. KAYLA BORDELON M.S. ’18 2018 MOSS graduate, current doctoral student, College of Natural Resources Granddaughter of the late Fred Johnson M.S. ’52, manager of McCall Field Campus for nearly 30 years
I never saw myself as a scientist until I went to MOSS. It totally changed my life.
It was an incredibly formative year for me. And it was so much fun! I felt so energized and inspired by my time at MOSS that I decided to take on a Ph.D. program in both environmental education and natural resource management. It propelled me to where I am today. BECKY RITTENBURG PH.D ’15 2011 MOSS Environmental Education Certificate Conservation Programs Manager, Freshwater Trust, Sacramento, CA
TROY MAGNEY PH.D. ’15 2011 MOSS Environmental Education Certificate Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, U.C. Davis Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and CalTech 2015-19
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FEATURE
CLARA BLEAK
Honored at the McCall Field Campus I am so impressed by how many people these programs impact. It is more than I could have ever dreamed.
Legend has it that the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) began with a cup of coffee and a $5,000 budget.
I
f MOSS’s beginnings sound something like a start-up, then Clara Bleak ’46 was its angel investor. Clara and her late husband Ralph Bleak had a deep love of the outdoors and for science education. She saw a chance to support both of those things in MOSS, starting an endowment in 2000 for the program that gives K-12 students a chance to engage in active scientific discovery and trains graduate students in environmental education and science communication – all while immersed in the forests, lakes, rivers and mountains of McCall.
Her support helped get the idea off the ground and develop MOSS into the award-winning program it is today. To honor the Bleaks, the College of Natural Resources recently planted a tamarack tree at the McCall Field Campus. “That Clara had the foresight to create this endowment is incredible. It is a wonderful validation that she would support environmental education for classes across the state of Idaho,” said Karla Eitel, the McCall Field Campus director. “Countless individuals have been transformed by her generosity.” Since the initial gift, Bleak has funded scholarships, provided program support, and most recently made a major gift to support the construction of two new cabins for graduate students on the campus. Today, about 2,000 K-12 students and 20 graduate students experience MOSS every year. The campus is once again home to Summer Field Camp for undergraduate students. And, faculty and student researchers are conducting studies at McCall to improve knowledge and management of natural resources.
GARY THOMPSON
“I am so impressed by how many people these programs impact,” said Bleak. “It is more than I could have ever dreamed.”
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CNR EXCELLENCE FUND Help Create Life-Changing Student Experiences
The CNR Excellence Fund supports: n Undergraduate leadership training
opportunities and travel
n
Student research opportunities
n Field work with landowners,
private industry, agencies and nonprofits
n Technology and facility
improvements that enhance learning environments
Make a gift online now at: uidaho.edu/give CNR Excellence Fund
For more information or to make a donation, contact: CNR Development Office 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138 Moscow, ID 83844-1138 208-885-5145 | cnr-advance@uidaho.edu
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Palouse Land Trust Hires
FIRST INTERN Alumna-led nonprofit and student both benefit from work experience
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FEATURE
In all my classes, they always say how important it is to work with people. That’s what natural resources is all about – and I really got to experience that at the Palouse Land Trust. SIERRA HAMILTON
Senior, College of Natural Resources
A
s a small grassroots organization, the Palouse Land Trust knows how to do a lot with very little. They operate with only two full-time staff members. So when they added an intern recently, it was a significant increase in their human resources.
Executive Director Lovina Englund ’05, M.S. ’07, was happy to find a good candidate in Sierra Hamilton, a senior in University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources, Englund’s alma mater. “Sierra came to me last spring looking for an internship opportunity, and I was so impressed by her. She had such a professional manner and genuine interest in land stewardship,” said Englund, who is also the former outreach coordinator for the U of I Rangeland Center. The internship had a substantial impact for both the nonprofit and Hamilton. The Palouse Land Trust has a big mission — to conserve the land and rural heritage of a region spanning eight counties in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. With an intern, they expanded their capacity to meet directly with private landowners.
“She did a fantastic job, and I’m glad for the opportunity to give back,” Englund said. “It makes me really proud to be an alum.” Englund wanted to make sure Hamilton got the most out of her internship. She found opportunities for her to learn about local conservation such as going on a tour hosted by the Palouse Conservation District in Pullman where Hamilton witnessed the power of collaboration among landowners, natural resource agencies and conservation-focused nonprofits, like the Palouse Land Trust. “I wanted her to see that it’s not just about the work we do protecting conservation values of these special places, but it’s all these partners across the region that truly make the vision come into focus,” Englund said. Hamilton enjoyed the internship so much she’s now considering working for a nonprofit when she graduates. “It has opened so many doors for me,” she said.
For Hamilton, who is majoring in natural resources conservation with an emphasis in management and planning, the internship meant she got to put her education into practice. “In all my classes, they always say how important it is to work with people. That’s what natural resources is all about – and I really got to experience that at the Palouse Land Trust,” she said. A large part of the internship involved working with private landowners who have conservation easements with the land trust; these agreements restrict certain uses on a property. For instance, the easement allows the activities of a working farm or forest but eliminates the possibility of subdividing the property for a housing development. Hamilton met with landowners to see how they were managing their property and offer assistance with any issues they might be having. Englund was pleased with the work the senior did on the trust’s behalf and expects to hire future CNR interns.
Student Sierra Hamilton, center, learns as she works with two alums, Palouse Land Trust Executive Director Lovina Englund ’05, M.S. ’07 and land manager Andrew Saralecos, ’09, on the management of a bit of open Palouse prairie within the city limits of Moscow. In 1999, Maynard and Rose Fosburg decided to protect their 23-acre property under a conservation easement.
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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J. LOPEZ
ALEX DEVILLA RAFAEL HOOGESTEIJN-PANTHERA
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The Costa Rican
WILD CAT CONNECTION
WINTER 2019 - 20
FEATURE
R
oberto Salom-Perez knows a beach in Costa Rica where jaguars come to feast on sea turtles. The normally shy, solitary animals become so full, they will sleep out in the open and even tolerate other cats in their vicinity.
“Every single time, I learn different things about wild cats. It never ceases to amaze me how complicated they are and what they can do,” said Salom-Perez. Salom-Perez first became fascinated by big cats watching wildlife documentaries as a young boy growing up in Costa Rica. Now, he is helping to conserve them as the Costa Rica country director and Mesoamerica Coordinator for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization – and as a doctoral candidate at University of Idaho. Salom-Perez decided to attend U of I’s College of Natural Resources partly because of the recommendation of his mentor, Howard Quigley Ph.D. ’88, who oversees Panthera’s scientific work around the world as its conservation science executive director. Quigley also leads Panthera’s jaguar program. When they first met 10 years ago, Quigley was impressed by Salom-Perez’s leadership skills and said he had the kind of organization and thought process that makes for a good scientist. “I saw he had the right stuff and University of Idaho really is the right place for him,” he said. “It isn’t just because I am an alum. It all comes back to the fact that the University of Idaho has a reputation of maintaining a comprehensive and progressive College of Natural Resources, especially in the wildlife field. There have always been stand-out faculty there, and that’s complemented by additional support systems in natural sciences.” Another critical piece for Salom-Perez was the U of I CATIE partnership (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza). This agreement allows doctoral students to study in both the U.S. and Costa Rica and obtain a joint doctorate. For Salom-Perez, that meant he was able to conduct the majority of his studies in his home country while still working with U of I researchers such as his advising professor Lisette Waits. “It is really the best of both worlds,” he said.
Studying Pumas and Bobcats on the Olympic Peninsula MARK ELBROCH-PANTHERA
Global Conservation Organization Panthera Collaborates with U of I for Wildlife Science Education
The Interstate 5 corridor is threatening to cut off wild cat traffic on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Panthera, in partnership with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, is embarking on a project to study and conserve the peninsula’s pumas and bobcats. As part of this effort, CNR graduate student Cameron Macias, a Lower Elwha Klallam tribal member, is conducting research analyzing puma and bobcat genetic samples. She recently received a Kaplan Graduate Grant from Panthera which will help support her studies.
Salom-Perez’s research also complements his conservation work at Panthera. As part of his dissertation, he is studying the genetic diversity of ocelots as well as the movement of large and medium-sized mammals in general through a critical corridor in the Central American tropics. Wild cats and other animals are facing big impacts on their habitat in this area from deforestation, agriculture, cattle ranching and the recent construction of a massive hydroelectric dam in Costa Rica, the biggest in all of Central America. “Costa Rica is kind of a funnel between North and South America,” said SalomPerez. “The area is so small that every single acre of forest is critical. If we lose this corridor, we’re going to lose the connection that species have had for thousands of years.” Salom-Perez’s scientific education is important for his employer. Quigley said that Panthera wants to ensure they have top-notch scientists, and to do that, they are working to build long-term relationships with select universities around the world, including University of Idaho. “We are starting to focus on collaborating with just a few institutions in a few countries that we feel are nurturing great scientific education,” he said. “We want to make it a win-win for both us and the university.”
Cameron Macias ‘04, front right, reviews data with Kim Sager-Fradkin, wildlife program manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and Mark Elbroch, director of Panthera’s puma program.
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Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences
Young Alumna Helps Students Get Work Experience AFTER LANDING A FORESTER JOB, MIKAILA TERABERRY IS NOW HIRING CNR INTERNS
S
hortly after graduating in 2016, forestry alumna Mikaila Teraberry had her pick of jobs. The forestry graduate turned down one offer on the rainy coast of Oregon in favor of an internship that led to her current position as a forester with Hancock Natural Resource Group, a company of Manulife Investment Management, in Colville, Washington. She loves her work. A Sandpoint native, Teraberry grew up hunting and fishing with her dad and knew she wanted to work outside. Now, she has so much opportunity to be outdoors, she sometimes welcomes a day in the office. As an added benefit, her work also reconnects her to the College of Natural Resources. “I really like going back and getting in touch with my professors. I want to get more University of Idaho students to participate in our internships, and we also have a scholarship that they can apply for,” she said. “It’s really nice to still be involved.” Teraberry recently hired her first intern, Michael Mackelwich, a forestry senior. Last summer, he shadowed a different forester almost every day, seeing many aspects of the work including active logging, laying out harvesting units, stream buffering and tree typing. “It was a really great summer,” said Mackelwich. “I had the chance to do so many different things each day. I really got a feel for what I might do in the future after I graduate.” Teraberry knows how important an internship can be. As a student herself, the search for summer jobs caused her to change her major to forestry when she saw how many opportunities were available in the field. As a junior, she dove into her new major becoming involved with the Society of American Foresters, working at the Pitkin Nursery and taking on a forestry operations minor.
Mikaila Teraberry, a forester with Hancock Natural Resouce Group.
“The opportunities are endless at CNR,” she said. “Every single one of the professors really looks out for your best interests.” CNR faculty Andrew Nelson and Rob Keefe were great mentors, she said. Nelson challenged students on their research papers, and Keefe worked hard to get employers in to talk to students, whether it was for a summer internship or full-time employment after graduation. Teraberry feels fortunate to have a position with Hancock Natural Resource Group where she undertakes a wide variety of activities including silviculture, building roads, laying out harvest units and administering harvest jobs. In addition, she is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative coordinator for her office. There are also a number of growth opportunities at the international company. She hopes other students can find a position like hers and urged students to take advantage of all the college has to offer. “Don’t be afraid to get involved and get involved as soon as you can – live in the CNR House, study with your peers, join clubs and just meet people,” she said. “It’s so beneficial to your career. The relationships that I built through clubs and classes were amazing.” Michael Mackelwich, senior forestry major at U of I.
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Keep up with Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences. Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/getnews to sign up.
3-D Printing Wood Innovation Earns Nearly $900,000 Grant A cross-disciplinary team including CNR Professor Armando McDonald and graduate student Berlinda Orji are working to develop a new 3-D printing process that can create panels using larger wood particles than currently possible. The project would mean more waste wood from mills and processing plants would be repurposed for use in 3-D printing, providing both economic and sustainability benefits. The team, which also includes Ken Baker, director of the U of I’s Integrated Design Lab, as well as engineering faculty, was awarded a $895,900 grant by the Higher Education Research Council and Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission.
Interns Dig into Work at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch This summer, three interns lived and worked outside on the range at the university’s more than 10,000 acre working ranch. Jarin Ebbers, who is minoring in rangeland ecology and management, found a great community at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch. “The ranch brings people together for just a summer, but we got to know each other really well,” he said. “We worked and cooked and ate alongside each other on this massive landscape that is just an incredible place.”
Online MNR-Fire Student First to Pilot Fire-Deploying Drone to Combat Wildfire Nathan Wierwille used a drone to drop exploding ping pong balls of fire to help contain a federally managed blaze near Flagstaff, Arizona. Wierwille works as an engine captain with the Bureau of Land Management while at the same time studying online for his Master of Natural Resources in Fire Ecology and Management. His work with “unmanned aerial system plastic sphere dispensers” is part of his degree. View video of the drone and read more about the college’s online degree at uidaho.edu/cnr/mnrfire.
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Fish and Wildlife Sciences
Fishing Out Opportunity IDFG REGIONAL SUPERVISOR HELPS MAINTAIN STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN AGENCY AND CNR STUDENTS
C
harles “Chip” Corsi is passionate about resource conservation, working with the next generation of natural resource managers, and, of course, fish.
Alum Chip Corsi helps students launch their fish and wildlife careers.
Corsi ’79 just celebrated 39 years with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). Beginning his career as a summer aide at the Rapid River Fish Hatchery in Riggins, he advanced through the agency before taking on his current position as regional supervisor of the Panhandle Region 16 years ago. While working for IDFG, Corsi has maintained a close connection to the College of Natural Resources — including a stint as president of the CNR Advisory Board — and strives to find opportunities to benefit undergraduate and graduate students. “There is a tight link between CNR and natural resources here in Idaho,” he said. “It’s important to me that we educate students who can not only manage world-class resources but who can also communicate science to the public.” Corsi demonstrates this concept motive by serving as a volunteer student mentor, one of six people in his office who travels to campus, gives guest lectures, takes students to the field with him and speaks candidly to them about integrated natural resource management. “I like to talk with students about being righteously right versus effectively right,” he said. “You find a path forward and achieve goals when you meet people on their own terms. That’s something you have to be willing to do when you work for an agency like mine.” Corsi strives to place CNR students in internships and seasonal positions that benefit their resumes. Junior Tara Kriz, a wildlife resources major, is just one example. “I was assigned to shadow Chip Corsi and I told him about this seasonal job in Alaska that I wanted,” she said. “He made a call to recommend me without me even knowing.” As a result, Kriz spent her summer in Alaska studying pika and climate change for Alaska Fish and Game and CNR faculty member Sophie Gilbert. Kriz credits Corsi’s endorsement for making her application stand out. “So many great opportunities came from just this one little thing,” she said. 18 |
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Wildlife junior Tara Kriz was able to spend a summer researching pika and climate change in Alaska in part because of a recommendation from Corsi.
Beyond the classroom, Corsi stays involved with CNR through the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, also known as the Co-op Unit, a program that funds faculty and U of I graduate students in partnership with IDFG, the U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Management Institute and U.S. Fish and Wildlife. According to Corsi, U of I’s Co-op Unit, led by wildlife professor Courtney Conway, is recognized as one of the most successful in the country. “When grad students get their degree through the Co-op Unit, we know they’ll be ready to roll into a career because they not only learn the science but also understand the value to the public that they serve,” Corsi said. The long-standing partnership between IDFG and CNR is a win-win; it provides undergraduate and graduate students alike with valuable experience while also building a skilled and dedicated workforce. By his estimate, over 25% of IDFG employees have a CNR degree. “It’s an important partnership to me, and I’d like to think it’s mutual,” Corsi said.
Keep up with Fish and Wildlife Sciences. Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/getnews to sign up.
Fish & Wildlife Students Netting Work Experience Gage Parke, a fishery resources sophomore, worked as a biological aide at the Sawtooth Hatchery in Stanley this past summer, helping fish culturists raise Chinook salmon. “I learned so much over this summer,” he said. “This experience definitely pointed me in the right direction in terms of career opportunities after school.” Parke said he learned valuable techniques when it comes to raising fish in all sorts of aquaculture environments that will help him get a job when he graduates. He enjoyed the experience so much he will return to the Sawtooth Hatchery internship this summer.
FISH &
WILDLIFE Film Festival
SAVE THE DATE!
All fishery and wildlife resources students undertake 300 hours of work experience as part of their majors to ensure they get the practical training to jumpstart their careers.
University of Idaho FISH AND WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL 2020 Wednesday, April 15 University of Idaho Campus Thursday, April 16, Kenworthy Theater, Moscow uiaho.edu/FWFF COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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Natural Resources and Society
After the Jolly Green Giant Leaves SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT HELPED RURAL TOWN REINVENT ITSELF AFTER FACTORY CLOSED
A
sparagus used to define Dayton. The small Eastern Washington town of 2,000 was long home to the largest asparagus canning factory in the world. Then, Green Giant moved operations to Chile and the last canning plant in Dayton closed in 2003. Around the same time, Nick Sanyal and Ed Krumpe, now both emeriti professors, were teaching two conservation planning courses and a social research methods course that centered on a single service learning project. They wanted to have their students take what they learned in class and put it into practice. “There’s nothing like a real-world experience to make students take it seriously,” said Krumpe.
residents wanted to keep their small town, rural lifestyle and agricultural heritage while still growing their economy. They didn’t want big box stores to drive out local business. They wanted to find ways to encourage young people to stay and raise their families. “One thing became clear: Dayton really wanted to stay Dayton,” said Sanyal. “So the next question was ‘okay, so how do you do that?’”
One of their students, Dana Coombs Lynch ’08, said the service-learning project would be perfect for her hometown that had just lost its largest employer – and the Dayton project was born.
The students’ goal was not to decide the community’s future but to give residents a toolbox of ideas and empower them to determine their own way forward. The process spanned seven years and involved nearly 200 university students and more than 1,000 Dayton residents.
For the next several years, vanloads of CNR students drove east two hours to talk to the residents of Dayton. They administered a survey, led workshops, met with elected, civic and business leaders – and even stopped people in the street to talk. They heard a lot about Dayton’s values: The
The results helped support the transformation of Dayton into a mecca for local, artisan food. The student-community collaboration produced data and conceptual ideas that were shared freely with decision makers. These helped fuel a comprehensive plan update, a new trail proposal and Blue
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Keep up with Natural Resources and Society. Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/getnews to sign up.
Mountain Station, a new building that helps incubate food businesses connected to the region’s agriculture. The station is still active, and the new businesses it has launched include a coffee roaster, bakery, candy maker and distillery. On the other side, the students gained an experience that enhanced their education, and for many, led directly to careers. Several have gone on to city and county planning positions in Washington and Idaho, including in Dayton. For Liza Wilson ’09, M.S. ’11 the project led to her master’s degree and a deeper appreciation for life in rural communities. While she grew up in Twin Falls, she recently moved to Grangeville, population: 3,000. “Service learning is critical,” she said. “It really helped solidify the concepts that were being taught and created meaningful experiences that really stayed with me.”
New Service Learning Course Developed with Input from Alumni The Dayton project legacy lives on not only in the town but also in the Natural Resources and Society department at CNR. Now all natural resource conservation majors take an environmental project management and decision making course that challenges them with a real-world project involving external partners. The course was developed with input from alumni and employers who wanted graduates that had problemsolving experience. Recently, a class undertook a project to restore the south fork of the Palouse River, working with a private landowner, a local nonprofit and K-12 schools. “Service learning is like a sport,” said Lee Vierling, the NRS department head. “As much as you talk about an idea in theory, you don’t know how you are going to respond until you’re out in the field, playing the ‘game’ for real with partners invested in the outcome.”
U of I’s Conservation Without Borders Honors Bill McLaughlin and Nick Sanyal The late Bill McLaughlin was well known for going above and beyond for his students. To honor his legacy, his students and colleagues established a “Conservation Without Borders” fund. Professor emeritus Nick Sanyal, who also had a fund started in his honor, asked for his to be added to this effort as well. When support for the Conservation Without Borders reaches the endowment level, it will fund international and local internships and other activities to promote the integration of social science into natural resource and conservation education. For more information or to donate to the fund, contact cnradvance@uidaho.edu.
NRS Faculty on HBO’s Vice News Associate Professor Leda Kobziar was captured in action by HBO when she participated in an unprecedented prescribed crown fire this summer at the Fish Lake National Forest in Utah as part of the Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment, also known as FASMEE. At the site, she conducted some pyroaerobiology sampling, using a drone to see what living microbes might be transported by the smoke. You can view the July 19 “Prescribed burning” episode on Vice News’ YouTube channel. COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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ALUMNI FEATURE
Environmental Science Program
Dustin Miller –
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
to Idaho Department of Lands
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Keep up with the Environmental Science Program. Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/getnews to sign up.
IDL Head Says ‘Jack-of-all-Trades’ Degree Gave Him the Skills to Handle Complex Management Issues
“I’ve always been passionate about the outdoors, and my family has deep roots in agriculture,” Miller said. “Sustainable natural resource management has always been important to me, and in a resource-rich state like Idaho, natural resources management and conservation are symbiotic.” Miller’s impressive career trajectory led to his appointment last year as the director of the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), a state agency that is responsible for managing more than 2.4 million acres of state endowment trust lands. Miller credits his success in part to his environmental science degree. “I chose environmental science because I wasn’t sure what career in natural resources would be the best fit for me. I liked it all, from forest management to range to wildlife as well as the science and policy aspects,” he said. “The environmental science degree is like the jack-of-all-trades; we covered many areas in both science and policy and that helped prepare me for the complexities of natural resource management.” Under a constitutional mandate, IDL manages lands to generate maximum long-term income, which helps fund beneficiaries, chief among them being Idaho’s public school system. Income from the land is generated in several ways, including timber sales, grazing leases, farming and mining. In addition to ensuring the agency continues to meet that
mandate, Miller looks forward to the many opportunities to collaborate with agencies and industry partners to help improve conditions of federal rangelands and forests in Idaho. Prior to managing IDL, Miller was the director of the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation. There, he worked on a variety of initiatives such as wolf conservation and delisting, salmon and steelhead recovery, and development and implementation of sage-grouse conservation plans. A central focus of the agency is to find ways to balance the conservation and recovery of protected species in Idaho while maintaining working landscapes and viable natural resource industries. When Miller was chosen to lead IDL, then Governor Butch Otter praised Miller’s ability to bring people together. “His strength is building strong working relationships across state and federal agencies, user groups, the Idaho Legislature and others to solve complex natural resource issues,” Otter said. Recently tapped to sit on the College of Natural Resources Advisory Board, Miller is looking forward to staying engaged and working closely with the other board members to help keep CNR’s vision strong. Miller said students must have a strong desire to create collaborative solutions to be successful in natural resource careers. “You can learn all the science you want in both the classroom and the field, but so much of it is working with people and developing those strong working relationships,” he said. PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFE ON THE RANGE
D
ustin Miller ’07 knew he was destined for a career in natural resources. He just wasn’t sure what his job title was going to be.
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IN MEMORY
IN MEMORY Henry P. Adams, 74, (B.S. Range Resources ’74), a long-time supporter of the College of Natural Resources, died on July 12, 2019, in Santa Barbara, California. After graduating from U of I, Henry served in the military, then worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a land resources specialist. When he retired, he moved to Santa Barbara where he consulted on land issues. He was also an active volunteer at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and other philanthropic organizations. To honor the impact U of I had on his life, he created the Henry P. Adams Scholarship for Excellence in Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Henry P. Adams Endowment for Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Excellence in Natural Resources. Howbert “Hob” W. Bonnett, 88, (B.S. Forestry ’53) passed away on April 29, 2019, in New Bern, North Carolina. Hob worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 36 years in positions ranging from district ranger to chief of computer management. When he retired, he was the assistant to the U.S. Forest Service chief of administration in Washington, D.C. Upon retirement, he moved to New Bern where he operated a computer consulting business and in 1992, published a manual for using computer programs for boats and boaters. Ellsworth “Reade” Brown, 94, (B.S. Range-Wildlife ’48, M.S. Wildlife Management ’58) died on Dec. 21, 2018, in Cheney, Washington. Reade worked for the Washington State Department of Game for over 30 years, and in 1975, he became the department’s second chief of the Wildlife Management Division. He retired in 1980 but continued to work, first for the U.S. Forest Service and then as a consultant. In 2014, he published “Fifty Years of Fur, Feather and Fins” describing his many adventures as a wildlife biologist. Joe Naras, 64, (B.S. Forest Resources ’80) died on June 12, 2019. He worked for the City and County of San Francisco for more than 30 years, most recently as a watershed manager. He had a lifelong love of the outdoors he shared with his family. He enjoyed hiking, camping and cross-country skiing. He was also a Boy Scout Leader and spent more than 15 years mentoring young people.
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Michael Joseph Ryan, 69, (B.S. Forest Resources ’76) passed away on Aug. 1, 2019, in Little Compton, Rhode Island. After graduating from U of I, Michael worked in the timber industry for Potlatch before moving to the East Coast where he started a second career in tax assessment. He went on to serve as the tax assessor for the town of Westford, Massachussetts, then as director of real estate assessments for the city of Concord, New Hampshire, and finally as director of assessing in Hanover, New Hampshire before his retirement in 2016. William “Bill” M. Tilton, 79, (B.S. Forestry ’61) died on Nov. 1, 2018, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After graduating from U of I, Bill was commissioned as an army officer, serving in Europe, Vietnam and as an Infantry Company Commander in Korea. He had multiple domestic postings before retiring in 1985 as a Lt. Colonel. After the military, Bill moved to Colorado Springs and started a second career as a systems engineer. Dr. Alma H. Winward, 81, (Ph.D. Forest Science ’70) passed away at his home in North Ogden, Utah, on Nov. 16, 2018. He was a national leader in range management and earned the nickname “Mr. Sagebrush.” After graduating from U of I, Alma joined the rangeland resources faculty at Oregon State University. He then worked as a regional ecologist for the Intermountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service for 23 years, beginning in 1980. His work helped increase understanding and management of riparian zone ecology as well as the role of sagebrush, which covers about 100 million acres in the West. He even has plants bearing his name (Ericameria winwardii). Alma received many awards for his work including the W.R. Chapline Research Award, the highest award given by the Society for Range Management. He was inducted into the University of Idaho Hall of Fame in 2009.
ALUMNI NEWS
ALUMNI NEWS Al Ayala (B.S. Forest Resource Management ’77) is enjoying retirement in Arizona. After graduating from U of I, he worked first as a wilderness forester with the U.S. Forest Service and later as forester with Boise Cascade Corporation. In 1987, he started a new career in law enforcement and spent 28 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Markie Miller (M.S. Environmental Science ’17) was interviewed on The Daily Show on July 16, 2019, about the effort to give Lake Erie personhood to help protect the lake’s water. Miller, an activist with Toledoans for Safe Water in Ohio, was also invited to present at a special interactive dialogue at the United Nations on April last year titled: “Mother Earth Approach in the Implementation of Education and Climate Change.” Kathryn Roeder (B.S. Wildlife Resources ’82) was elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. Roeder currently serves as a professor of Statistics and Life Sciences at University of Pittsburg Medical Center and as vice provost for faculty at Carnegie Melon University. William “Bill” Rudd (B.S. Wildlife Biology ’78) and colleagues won the Publication of the Year award from The Wildlife Society for Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates. Rudd is the project manager and cofounder of the Wyoming Migration Initiative at the University of Wyoming. Peter Schlesinger (Ph.D. Natural Resources ’17) is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, working on advances in radar image interpretation. Prior to this position, he consulted on climate change mitigation in Peru, Hondurus, Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique. Jack Andrew Tatum (B.S. Fire Ecology and Management ’11) was appointed homeland security director in Park County, Wyoming. As director, he is responsible for planning, directing and overseeing the activities and emergency operations for the county, ensuring that local emergency operations response agencies and the general public are prepared for any hazard or emergency.
2019 Alumni Awards ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Michael Falkowski, M.S. ’05, Ph.D. ’08, is an associate professor at Colorado State University on temporary detail at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where he is working as a program scientist in NASA’s Earth Science Division, helping the Terrestrial Ecology Program meet its goal of improving our understanding of the structure and function of global terrestrial ecosystems.
MID-CAREER ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Clint Muhlfeld, M.S. ’99, is a research aquatic ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Glacier National Park and an associate professor at University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station.
HONOR ALUMNI AWARD Dean F. Stauffer ’75, Ph.D. ’83, is a professor of wildlife conservation and associate department head in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech. He has received the Outstanding Teacher Award in his college four times. In 2017, he received The Wildlife Society’s Excellence in Wildlife Education Award and Virginia Tech’s highest teaching honor – the W.E. Wine Award for Excellence in Teaching.
CELEBRATING NATURAL RESOURCES AWARD Ed Bowles, M.S. ’85, has led the fish side of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife since the early 2000s, where he oversees an annual budget of approximately $90 million administered through nine programs and more than 850 employees.
INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Stephen N. Edwards, M.S. ’00, works with government and business to develop ways to compensate for the impacts of development on biodiversity as the senior program manager of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Business and Biodiversity Programme.
BRIDGE BUILDER AWARD Eugénie MontBlanc is the project manager for the University of Nevada Reno’s Great Basin Fire Science Exchange planning team, working to connect practitioners and researchers on fire, fuels and restoration topics.
HONOR ASSOCIATE ALUMNI AWARD
Connect with CNR! Submit your Alumni News at uidaho.edu/cnr/alumni or email cnr-alumni@uidaho.edu. Mail to: CNR Communications, Office of the Dean, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138, Moscow, ID 83844-1138
Gretchen Hyde became the first executive director for the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission in 1997. She works closely with U of I faculty and staff to co-host teacher workshops and develop activities for students, including sponsoring 4-H and Future Farmers of America competitions and developing the awardwinning “Life on the Range” online video series.
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Bringing Education to Students Beyond the Classroom Give undergraduate students the chance to: n Conduct scientific work on real research projects
n Attend and present at professional
n Develop critical thinking, budgeting and
n Build their resume with experience and
alongside leading faculty and graduate students communication skills
n Gain experience in fieldwork, data collection
conferences
skills highly valued by employers and graduate schools
and analysis
Make a gift online now at: uidaho.edu/giving/cnr
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For more information or to make a donation, contact: CNR Development Office 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138 Moscow, ID 83844-1138 208-885-5145 | cnr-advance@uidaho.edu
NEW FACULTY AND STAFF
WELCOME New Faculty
David Ausband
Lili Cai
Mary Engels
Jaap Vos
Kenny Wallen
Assistant Professor and Assistant Unit Leader, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Assistant Professor of Forest and Sustainable Products
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Professor of Planning and Natural Resources
Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife
Hunter Foss
Ian Hellman
Rance Larsen
Mindy McAllister
Marta Ree
Forester, University of Idaho Experimental Forest
Research Specialist
Professional Graduate Advisor
Director of Student Recruitment and Engagement
Research Scientist
Shilly Riser
Paul Robinson
Beth Whitfield
New Staff
Fiscal Operations Manager
Research Associate
Academic Advisor
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FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS Tara Hudiburg
National Awards 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers — Tara Hudiburg
University Awards 2019 University Mid-Career Award — Crystal Kolden 2019 Outstanding Staff Award — Jon Patton 2019 Donald Crawford Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award — Michael Quist 2019 Post-Doctoral Mentoring Award — Lisette Waits Crystal Kolden
Professional Awards 2019 Fellow of The Wildlife Society — Courtney Conway 2019 Publication of the Year, The Wildlife Society — Sophie Gilbert Elected as Fellow of the Society of Wood Science and Technology — Tom Gorman Ernest Thompson Seton Award, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies — Michael Quist as part of the Air Exposure Research and Outreach Team
Jon Patton
Michael Quist 28 |
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Lisette Waits
Courtney Conway
Sophie Gilbert
Tom Gorman
FACULTY AWARDS
Tara Hudiburg Honored with Presidential Early Career Award
I
n July, The White House selected Associate Professor Tara Hudiburg for a 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are at the beginning of their careers and show exceptional promise for leadership. She was the only scientist from an Idaho university selected.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) chose Hudiburg to receive the award from among NSF Career Award recipients. She is using the funds from the original award to lead a team research project to improve understanding of how management activities like restoration thinning influence forest ecosystem processes. This topic is especially important in an era of intensified drought, heat and wildfire — factors that affect forest carbon uptake.
Hudiburg’s team conducts research at the University of Idaho Experimental Forest on Moscow mountain, measuring the amount of growth and carbon storage in different ages and species of trees before and after forest thinning.
Jon Patton Handles McCall “Snowmaggedon,” Earns Outstanding Staff Award
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hen facilities manager Jon Patton arrived at McCall Field Campus one morning this past winter, he found a tree on fire and a downed arcing power line. A former wildland firefighter, Patton remained calm in a crisis, called 911 and shut down the campus, evacuating the 15 graduate students who were there at the time. Later, he discovered another tree had fallen on the historic dining lodge. He immediately identified additional hazards, began assessing damage and identifying the next steps. Patton spent the next three weeks organizing the removal of an additional 13 trees that fell due to heavy snowloads, clearing snow and getting campus prepared for reopening. For Patton’s colleagues, this extreme event just exemplified the extraordinary capability and thoughtful attention that Patton brings to his job every day. After their nomination, he received the University of Idaho Outstanding Staff Award for his exemplary dedication above and beyond his normal job duties at the university.
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SAVE THESE DATES!
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138 Moscow, ID 83844-1138
College of Natural Resources UPCOMING EVENTS •
Howard Quigly (see pg. 14) Panthera presentation 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. - Jan. 31 CNR Room 10
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Idaho Forest Group Distinguished Speaker Series Moscow, Boise, Coeur d’Alene
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CNR Awards Banquet
Thursday, April 2, Moscow •
Fish and Wildlife Film Festival April 15 & 16, Moscow
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McCall Field Campus Reunion August 5 and 6, McCall
