Follow the family trees of the Luft and Pence families and their histories. Page 8
Warm Springs tribal member Aldwin Keo explores ways to sustain a traditional fishery. Page 12
Look inside the world of wood preservation and treatment with Lili Cai, assistant professor of forest and sustainable products. Page 14
3 Letter from the dean
4 CNR making headlines
8 Generations of impact: The legacy of CNR families
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Restoring a culturally important fishery
Building a sustainable future
16 For the birds: Beaver dams for sage grouse survival and songbird occupancy
18 Preserving the prehistoric
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Copters, darts and DNA
ÁNiMO: A MOSS marvel story
Student ambassador highlights
VandalJacks cut through competition this fall
Keeping up with CNR, leadership and award winners
Celebrating faculty and alumni retirements
35 A year of growth: Fueling innovation with development
Celebrating Natural Resources is published annually for alumni and friends of CNR. Subscription is free. The magazine is also available online in its entirety at uidaho.edu/cnr.
Dennis Becker, dean
Megan Lolley, writer in residence
Ralph Bartholdt, U of I Communications
Leigh Cooper, U of I Communications
University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1142 Moscow, ID 83844-1142
Email: cnr-alumni@uidaho.edu
Design – U of I Creative Services
Photography – U of I Visual Productions. Other image credits noted on the pages where they appear.
U of I Moscow is located on the homelands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), Palus (Palouse) and Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) tribes. We extend gratitude to the Indigenous people that call this place home since time immemorial. U of I recognizes that it is our academic responsibility to build relationships with the Indigenous people to ensure integrity of tribal voices.
On the cover: Associate Professor Kenny Wallen practices falconry with his Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) named Chestnut. Wallen is a joint professor employed by the College of Natural Resources and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Photo by Jaap Vos
Dear CNR alumni, colleagues and friends, University of Idaho is buzzing with new students. In fact, the past three years have seen the largest incoming freshman classes in our history with the College of Natural Resources fueling that growth. Total enrollment in the college now stands at 1,091, which is a 21% increase in the last five years. More than 450 of those are graduate students, making us the largest natural resources graduate program in the country.
When I reflect on our growth and accomplishments, I’m most proud of how we’ve built upon our legacy of engaged scholarship. Our students are still the best trained in the industry. Our research is every bit as relevant to the state as it has been throughout our 115-year history. As a case in point, I had the opportunity to hike the 32 miles into Taylor Ranch this fall with our Semester in the Wild students. It was hot and smokey as we navigated the diverse river corridor, ever watchful of rattlesnakes and rising fish. Fourteen enthusiastic undergraduates spent this fall learning hands-on skills working with stock in the backcountry, studying salmon and forest ecology in the Big Creek drainage, and observing bighorn sheep fight for dominance while studying environmental law and sustainability. These experiences will shape their careers for years to come.
Our faculty challenge students beyond the textbook every day. They feed that desire to understand the world around them. They’re engaging students in the rivers, lakes, rangelands, forests, nurseries, hatcheries, farms, and communities that are our classrooms. Primed with this repertoire of experiences, our students are leveraging their expertise to address and solve pressing, modern-day issues important to Idaho. That will not change.
But as seasons change, we must evolve. We must anticipate changing student demographics, shifts in political priorities and uncertain financial times. We know that our research must inform tomorrow’s problems. And the execution of our land grant mission must evolve to remain relevant. These are some of the things we’re thinking about as U of I embarks on a new strategic planning process. It’s been a few years since the College of Natural Resources has updated its plans, and I look forward to hearing from you about what you like, or what you would like to see change.
Sincerely,
Dennis Becker, dean
KTVB
Photo credit: Dennis Becker
CNR Dean Dennis Becker tells KTVB about how CNR is using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to improve forest health.
University of Idaho
Photo credit: U of I Visual Productions
In November, eight University of Idaho faculty members presented at POP Talks on the “Power of Possibility.” Jaap Vos presented his research on how population shifts and landownership changes play a vital role in predicting the state’s future.
Science.com and Idaho Capital Sun
Photo credit: Mia Maldonado, Idaho Capital Sun
EMBER, a project led by Professor Tara Hudiburg, received a $15 million grant to research how Idaho forests react to and resist drought and wildfires.
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
“Life with Fire”, a podcast about prescribed burning hosted by Amanda Monthei, invited Amanda Rau (M.N.R. Fire Ecology and Management ’12) to talk about the lessons she’s learned from her work as a prescribed fire advocate and current chair of the Oregon Prescribed Fire Council.
Idaho Football via X
Photo Credit: Idaho Football (via X)
CNR’s Blake Manley works with football players to explain the drills they will be practicing. The crew on CNR’s Experimental Forest teamed up with Vandal football to craft gear for teambuilding drills.
RadioLab
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Leda Kobziar’s work on microbes in smoke was featured in the “Up in Smoke” episode presented by RadioLab. It is the first episode in an ongoing series hosted by Molly Webster in conversation with scientists asking innovative questions in their work.
Idaho Mountain Express
Photo credit: Cameron Weskamp
The Glendale fire, which was ignited on Sept. 2, by lightning, burned over 4,000 acres or 22% of Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, managed jointly by the College of Natural Resources and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Restoration work is already underway and Ranch Operations Manager Cameron Weskamp is optimistic about the opportunities for research and renewal.
Idaho Forest Products Commission
Photo credit: Idaho Forest Products Commission
CNR has hosted the Sustainable Forestry Tour in conjunction with the Idaho Forest Products Commission for the last few years, garnering great success and partnering with hundreds of teachers in the process.
Couer d’Alene / Post Falls Press
Photo credit: Our Gem Coeur d’Alene Lake Collaborative
The pyroaerobiology lab in Coeur d’Alene investigates microbes in smoke relative to algal blooms and water health, working to understand more about the impacts that wildlife can have on a landscape.
University of Idaho Sustainable Solutions
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Dean Dennis Becker, co-chair of the President’s Sustainability Working Group, helped champion U of I’s new Sustainability Certificate, a 12-credit program that addresses the ecological, economic and social dimensions of sustainability in student education.
Montana State University News
Photo credit: Montana State University News Service
Kelli Roemer (M.N.R. Natural Resources and Conservation ‘17), has been working for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as a program manager and analyst. These programs are designed to mitigate the societal impacts of new energy policies implemented to combat climate change.
Outdoor Idaho
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Outdoor Idaho, an Idaho Public Television program, takes a tour through the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) and Taylor Wilderness Research Station to describe their innovation and impact.
Idaho Harvester
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
University of Idaho and Hiroshima University have a deep-seated history, one that has been explored through networking and discussion. U of I leaders, including CNR Dean Becker visited Hiroshima University’s campus in March and welcomed HU leadership to Moscow in June.
Family lineage research by Kai McLaughlin, prospect research analyst
Written by Dennis Becker, dean of the College of Natural Resources
Compiled by Megan Lolley, CNR writer-in-residence
The College of Natural Resources has a rich legacy shaped by the families who have been part of our community for generations. Their stories and careers are influenced by the friends and faculty they met in Moscow, at the forestry camp in McCall, or maybe at Taylor Ranch. A remarkable aspect of these families is their generational impact. I love hearing students’ stories about how a grandparent who graduated from CNR was a district ranger or a regional biologist. Or, how a parent or uncle took the time to teach them to fish or hunt, or maybe helped them see the splendor of Idaho’s backcountry. As a result, many of our students are now second or third-generation alumni. When I talk to them, I see how this legacy fosters a deep sense of tradition and pride. It’s part of what makes CNR a family. We explore the enduring legacy of two of those families. The first starts with CNR Emeritus Professor Dave Adams, whose grandson, Ethan Luft, is pursuing a Master of Natural Resources. The second lineage features the Pence family, who, for generations, have shaped the college and have deep roots at the University of Idaho. I look forward to seeing how our legacy will continue to grow with these and other families.
”A favorite memory of my time at U of I (in addition to being the first person to occupy the building) was being invited to testify before Congress on forest health.”
—David Adams
“A fun memory of CNR is that my very last final in my very last class before graduation was in the only class I ever took from my dad (Intro to Forestry Management). It was a great way to close out my college career.”
—Amy Adams Luft
“The College of Natural Resources at U of I helped me meet many of my best friends, led to four of the funnest years of my life, and encouraged me to pursue academic excellence in an attempt to follow in my family’s footsteps. It was evident early on that a degree from University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources carried a lot of weight in the natural resource world, and the education I received prepared me extremely well for my current career path with the Bureau of Land Management.”
—Ethan Luft
Ned Pence
B.S. Forest Management ’59, M.S. Forestry ’67
Don Pence
B.S. Forest Products ’86
Amanda Shourd
B.S. Advertising ’06
Alice Pence B.S. Geography ’12
Dan Pence
B.S. Forest Management ’61
Jan Bowey
B.S. Rangeland Ecology and Management ’87
Tessa Bowey Playfair
B.S. Sustainable Crops and Landscape Systems ’17
| WINTER 2024 - 25
Carol (Arleen) Pence B.S. Business ’60
“U of I was outstanding and I grew; I was very well-prepared to start a career when I was done. College prepared me to be a responsible person and allowed me to explore multidisciplinary routes.”
—Fred (Carl) Pence
Tammy O’Connor
Rusty Pence
Paige Pence
Lois Pence B.S. Education ’61
Teri Lumsden B.S. Human Resource Management ’93
Caleb Bowey Zane Bowey
Jay Pence
B.S. Rangeland Ecology and Management ’90
Thomas J. Pence
B.S. Ecology and Conservation Biology ’21
Ryan Pence
“Attaining my degree at U of I allowed me to pursue a rewarding career with the Bureau of Land Management where I was able work with great partners in integrated weed management efforts as well as my grazing lessee holders. In my job, I continued to utilize the expertise of U of I researchers in biocontrol, weed science and rangeland resources to achieve our management goals. I can’t pinpoint one favorite memory but have many associated with my participation in the U of I logger sports team and range club. I was able to attend some great Society of Range Management meetings and logger sports competitions with classmates and friends.”
—Lynn Danly
Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs that live along the Columbia River and its tributaries once relied on the seasonal influx of migrating fish as a food source to sustain themselves.
The rivers’ marine life infuses the tribe’s culture and history.
It may seem natural therefore that Keo, a doctoral candidate in the University of Idaho’s fisheries department, centers his research on a migratory fish native to the Columbia system. But the fish in question, the focus of his research, isn’t often on the minds of people who are vastly more familiar with the many trout and salmon that return to the river from the ocean to spawn.
“I’m the only one in my tribe who works with lamprey,” Keo said.
Pacific lamprey, known to most tribes simply as “eels,” are a boneless, indigenous fish of the Pacific Northwest that, like salmon, live for many years in the ocean before migrating to freshwater streams to spawn and die. To climb freshwater rapids encountered on its journey inland, the fish uses its sucking-disc mouth to scale rocks.
As part of a contingent of tribes of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, or CRTFC, Keo has been translocating returning Pacific lamprey from the Columbia River upstream to spawning areas to ensure enough mature lamprey bypass the river’s system of dams and reproduce.
To do this, biologists like Keo catch lamprey below the dams and at traditional harvest sites like Sherars Falls of the Deschutes River, load them into tanker trucks and drive the fish upstream where the lamprey are released into tributaries.
The idea is to allow the dwindling population of native lamprey to safely reproduce, thereby rebounding populations to eventually allow a viable fishing season.
“We’ll never have the numbers we once had,” Keo said. “The goal is to have a self-sustaining fishery.”
Pacific lamprey were once so numerous in the Columbia and its tributaries in Washington, Oregon and Idaho – in Idaho, returning fish migrated in the Snake River past Boise, turning south to follow the Bruneau River into Nevada to spawn – that they were harvested seasonally in great numbers by tribes including the Nez Perce, Umatilla and Yakama. But river dams built since the beginning of the 20th century limited the lamprey’s ability to reach spawning grounds, causing populations to drop significantly.
Keo’s research explores ways to improve fish ladders to accommodate Pacific lamprey, and he follows the fish to spawning areas to learn their survival and regeneration rates, said Chris Caudill, a U of I fisheries professor. “Aldwin’s project aims to improve the understanding of Pacific lamprey on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs nation reservation and surrounding watersheds,” Caudill said. “He is working to increase lamprey abundance by evaluating behavior and movement of lamprey after the fish are collected and transported around downstream dams.”
The project includes Keo working as a member of his tribe to increase knowledge and connection to a fish that was a traditional first food and cultural symbol.
“First food” is another name for foods that were staples at tribal feasts, served at large gatherings, and deemed historically significant to the river tribes.
Keo’s work at U of I continues more than two decades of effort to understand the migration behavior of adult lamprey. The research has helped develop effective
fish passage for the species in the Columbia Basin and improved co-management of lamprey and salmon by regional tribal, state and federal management agencies.
U of I researchers played an important role in the construction of Lamprey Passage Systems — modifications to dams that allowed lamprey to pass over the dams similar to fish ladders built for migrating salmon. The passage systems were developed by NOAA-Fisheries, U of I and Army Corps of Engineers two decades ago and have been installed at many dams in the Pacific Northwest.
The history of the lamprey in tribal culture includes a creation story that Keo learned from a video on YouTube: Lamprey was a gambler, and he was at a stream beating beaver and muskrat at the stick game — a gambling game — and collecting their possessions when coyote, the creator, passed by. Coyote challenged lamprey to a game. He beat lamprey over and over until lamprey had no more possessions to gamble, but lamprey refused to quit. He bet his arms and legs and lost, but still refused to concede to coyote. Because of his lack of humility in defeat, coyote chastised lamprey.
“Your mouth got you in trouble,” coyote told lamprey. “Now you have to swim upstream sucking on rocks.”
Keo’s research will make sure the Pacific lamprey flourishes and continues to travel the Columbia River and its tributaries in sustainable numbers – and climb the same rapids and falls it has scaled for centuries, by sucking on and squiggling up rocks.
small Pacific lamprey will stay in a fresh water stream for several years before moving downstream to the ocean and return several years later to its home stream to spawn.
Article by Megan Lolley, writer in residence
Lili Cai’s passion for sustainable wood science and engineering started in Fuzhou, China. Put on a project to recover a sunken ship off the China Sea coast for display in a museum, Cai found herself interested in the way that we preserve natural resources for future generations.
“I found that preservation perspective very cool; we are not just protecting the wood for construction, but also to preserve history for the future,” she says.
Years later, Lili Cai joined the College of Natural Resources at U of I in 2019 after completing a doctorate in wood and wood composite protection from Mississippi State University. She is active as an assistant professor of forest and sustainable products and is involved in extensive research relevant to wood preservation and engineering for the region’s forest products industry. Wood has been, and still is, extensively used in construction. Natural materials, however, have their drawbacks. Wood has a tendency to decay and is susceptible to fire and termites. Cai is working with her colleagues to find environmentally friendly solutions to extend the service life of wood used in construction and reduce carbon emissions from the building sector.
The very first project Cai had funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture was inspired by her doctoral project and from a previous project working with natural essential oils, which are antimicrobial. However, essential oils do not stay in wood for long. To experiment with this, Cai and her team introduced zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreen, to the essential oils to create a wood treatment. This is very similar to
dental cement and is stronger than the wood itself. By doing this, the team was able to introduce a new type of cement to give the wood antifungal and fire-resistant properties.
Cai’s second project deals with potato peel waste. “What is the most well-known resource in the state of Idaho besides the forest?” she asked. Potatoes, of course. Cai wondered how she could find extra potential in potatoes before coming upon the answer: She learned that peels from food products such as french fries and potato chips have a lot of helpful natural components. Cai, in collaboration with CNR professor Armando McDonald, are focusing on using these components to create wood additives that provide sustainable preservation solutions. Cai has also done research with the waste from lentils, soybeans, and other legumes, which contain a high amount of phytic acid. Phytic acid interferes with human digestion and can cause other health issues unless it is extracted in the form of waste. Cai’s project here focuses on
using the phytic acid found in the waste to source bio-based fire retardants.
Cai is currently working on three USDA grants as well as on grants funded by the National Science Foundation and the Higher Education Research Council’s Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission. The latter involves a multidisciplinary project involving researchers from engineering and architecture that aim to extend the service life of wood structures in construction against different hazards, such as bugs and fire. The foundational background of this work informs other projects that broadly seek to learn how to use environmentally-sourced materials to make wood materials in construction longer-lasting.
Dylan Willard, a Ph.D. candidate in natural resources, engages with one of those projects under Cai’s guidance. Willard researches possibilities for a completely bio-based wood coating that can withstand weathering and is resistant to fungi and termites. Willard is excited to build upon the knowledge of previous researchers to achieve goals in sustainable housing.
“I really wanted to be a part of a project that has the potential to change the world,” he said.
Cai echoed a similar sentiment.
“I feel fortunate to be a part of this project to learn more about multidisciplinary teamwork.”
She is thankful to play a role in merging different perspectives to create solutions.
“It really provided an environment for faculty to collaborate and inspire each other,” she said.
The project allows Cai and other researchers to tailor their research to different audiences while capturing the long-term needs of the larger market to get products out in a timely and relevant manner.
Cai stresses the importance of this work to climate health, reporting that 42% of carbon emissions come from construction-related activities in the building sector. Traditional materials, such as concrete, cement and steel, are very carbon-intensive, and require significant energy and high temperatures to gather. Using natural materials, on the other hand, helps to offset these emissions.
“If you can extend the life of those wood materials, you can potentially help with climate change.”
In total, Cai has advised four master’s students and five Ph.D. candidates. One of her Ph.D. students also completed their master’s degree under her mentorship. Cai has expressed her excitement for being at the University of Idaho to conduct this research and teach her students.
“It’s my sixth year here, and I am thankful for the support I’ve had from the university and colleagues.”
Outside of the university, Cai works to connect with stakeholders in the region, such as companies in Montana and faculty at Washington State University. She has also been an ambassador for Society of Wood Science and Technology.
Rinker Rock Creek Ranch is an epicenter for student research, offering a hands-on approach to rangeland management and conservation.
Graduate student Walker Field is working with Simone Picardi, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management, on a project that measures the effects of beaver dams on sage grouse.
“We hope to link the way that sage grouse move across the landscape when they have chicks to the survival of those chicks”, Picardi says.
An important part of sage grouse chicks’ diets are forbs and insects in forb communities, meaning they need moist areas to obtain their food. Beavers are widely known as ecosystem engineers because of how their dams completely alter the shape of waterways. Upon starting their project, Picardi and Field speculated that beaver dams may increase the availability of food for sage grouse chicks.
“There’s a huge gap in the literature in terms of studies that have looked at this intersection,” Field says, meaning that this project could have big implications for habitat conservation as a whole, as rangeland ecosystems have limited water resources. Lots of animal species use water to fulfill some or all of their life processes, and Field
sees the potential for future research to look at other relationships between beaver activity and various wildlife species inhabiting the land.
The project is being supported by a grant from the Department of Education in conjunction with a federal community earmark project. This is the same grant supporting the construction of the barn and two additional graduate research projects at Rock Creek Ranch.
In April, Field entered Rock Creek Ranch to capture sage grouse and put trackers on them to monitor their movements and daily vitals. This summer, he set out to track those birds, collecting quantitative data on the survival of their broods.
Twenty of the tracked birds attempted to nest, and 50% of those nests hatched at least one chick. Of those 10 broods, four were successful, for a total of 22 surviving chicks. 286 dams were surveyed on Rock Creek Ranch and surrounding public land. Of these, 217 are natural beaver dams and the other 69 are beaver dam analogs.
“The landscape at Rock Creek Ranch is quite healthy, and the ecosystem provides resources for innumerable species of flora and fauna, including a robust population of greater sage-grouse,” Field says.
Many agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management and Rinker Rock Creek Ranch leadership, are interested in building artificial dams, known as beaver dam analogs (BDAs), that mimic the form and function of real dams. The data collected from this year and next year will provide baseline information regarding the implementation of BDAs. Picardi is thankful for the support from the BLM, the University of Idaho Rangeland Center and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as this project progresses.
For Picardi, this project is innovative in the way that it links movement with survival and fitness, supports implementation of these management systems and provides science-based information.
Annie Vaage (B.S. Wildlife Resources ‘24), is an undergraduate researcher who entered the field to collect data on the impact of beaver dams on songbird occupancy. Vaage completed her research as part of her summer internship, which she conducted under Picardi’s mentorship. Vaage was funded by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research at U of I. The Program is a 10-week summer program that allows students to work full-time on faculty-mentored projects in any field of study. Vaage was also selected to receive the Adele Berklund Award, a private grant given through the Adele Berklund Foundation.
Vaage’s project tests the hypothesis that beaver activity increases songbird occupancy in riparian areas of western rangelands. Her research has important management implications, not only because beaver populations can be managed to provide habitats for other species, but also because managers are increasingly using beaver dam analogs as a tool to replicate the benefits of beaver activity on the landscape.
“This project directly supports management at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch by informing the placement of the BDAs that the ranch plans to build along Rock Creek in the next several years,” Vaage said.
Integrating these two research projects has created a model of cascading mentorship, where Field can be mentored by Picardi and in turn help to mentor Vaage.
Field confirms the highly collaborative nature of the study. “Receiving support from Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Land Management, the University of Idaho Rangeland Center, the University of Idaho Office of Undergraduate Research and the Berklund Family Foundation have introduced lots of opportunity for experiential learning and mentorship from top levels down.”
Field and Vaage both had successful research seasons for each of their projects.
“Highlights of my summer fieldwork include seeing the most beautiful sunrises, identifying new bird species, stumbling through riparian areas looking for beaver dams, battling packrats in my trailer, and making wonderful memories with my ranch crew. I feel very blessed to have been able to work alongside so many talented ranch hands and researchers this summer. It felt like one big family,” Vaage said.
In her final semester as an undergraduate at U of I, Vaage is analyzing data, preparing to share results at upcoming conferences such as the Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife Society Meeting in Spring 2025. She hopes to begin a graduate program of study after completing her bachelor’s degree.
“Ultimately, this whole experience has been very valuable in terms of setting me up for conducting my own research and fine-tuning my data collection and data analysis skills,” Vaage said. She is thankful for the experience and its ability to open doors for a successful future.
Field reflects upon his return from tracking grouse in the summer similarly: “I am beyond grateful to all those who I worked with and am very excited about the data we collected and the work that still has to be done,” he said.
Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications.
Dennis Scarnecchia sat in a johnboat in the main channel of the upper Mississippi River south of Dubuque, Iowa, decades ago when he was introduced to “gar bending.”
Anglers who caught long or short nose gar, a toothy prehistoric predator, gingerly retrieved the fish from the murky water and pressed their palms on the fish’s snout and spine.
Pressure was applied until the gar’s vertebrae snapped, which sounded to Scarnecchia “much like a green stick being broken.”
The dead or dying fish “was then sloughed over the gunwale and sank out of sight in the turbid water,”
Scarnecchia recounted in a journal article.
The incident almost 40 years ago was among many that cemented Scarnecchia’s devotion to North America’s ancient and indigenous fish species that include gar and bowfin –two related species that can gulp air – and paddlefish.
Since that time, Scarnecchia’s University of Idaho fisheries lab has contributed an extensive volume of articles and papers on the life histories and management of native ancient fish. His research has helped the public understand that fish previously regarded as “junk” or nuisance fish are species worth saving and managing.
“People don’t realize that right here at the University of Idaho, we are the epicenter of this research,” Scarnecchia said. “We are the storehouse of all this information and when it comes to these primitive fish, others call us for expert opinions and advice.”
One of Scarnecchia’s publications, a 1992 article about gars and bowfin that appeared in “Fisheries,” is the most cited article on the species today.
“We’re not just involved in this,” he said. “We are the nation’s leader in this stuff.”
Since arriving in Moscow in 1990, Scarnecchia, a professor of fisheries, has done more than his fair share of research on iconic species from bull trout, Redband trout, and Kokanee in Idaho to Chinook and Coho salmon in Oregon, and Atlantic salmon in Iceland. Scarnecchia’s most enduring contribution however is the work on ancient, lesser-known fishes in the Missouri and Mississippi river basins, including paddlefish and gars.
Paddlefish are a prehistoric filter feeder native to the continent’s slow, warm waters from eastern Montana to Oklahoma. Its ancestors are found in fossil beds from the age of dinosaurs. The fish are targeted, using big
snagging hooks, by anglers who appreciate paddlefish as an anomaly. Because the fishery in many states was unregulated, the primordial species needed research attention to ensure its long-term survival, Scarnecchia said.
He began radio-tracking paddlefish in the mid-1980s in the Upper Mississippi River south of Dubuque, Iowa, and helped develop a U of I-based research program that studies and provides management advice on paddlefish populations in Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma.
The programs allowed anglers to get their recreationallysnagged fish cleaned for free by biologists in exchange for a donation of the fish’s roe, or eggs. the roe was processed — screened, salted, rinsed — into valuable, sturgeon-grade caviar.
Funds from caviar sales led to community and regional grants with a portion used for paddlefish research and management. Scarnecchia became a primary research arm of the program. He received an American Fisheries Society’s award of excellence for his involvement in paddlefish research throughout the basin. He is currently coordinating a national management plan for paddlefish for 26 of the Mississippi River basin states. “We’ve literally created our niche with these fishery studies,” Scarnecchia said.
In a more recent project, Scarnecchia and his small team of researchers have helped game departments set limits on bowfishing, a sport that is becoming popular throughout the United States. In bowfishing, archers sneak up on fish, such as buffalo, gar or suckers, in shallow water or while they idle near the surface and shoot them with arrows.
“Modern bowfishing, the taking of freshwater and marine fishes with a bow and arrow or crossbow, is widespread in North America and is regarded as one of the fastest growing types of recreational fishing in the United States,” Scarnecchia said.
The number of anglers pursuing the sport has doubled in recent years, and state fishery departments are often in the dark about the sport’s popularity and its effect on fishery resources.
In a 2021 article in “North American Journal of Fisheries Management,” Scarnecchia and colleagues showed that female indigenous fish, because they are larger than males, are often targeted by bow fishers, which may affect populations. Researchers also learned that bow fishers are more likely to eat their catch than rod and reel anglers.
“Humans have a long history of testing novel fish for consumption,” Scarnecchia said. In another article in the same publication, published in 2023, Scarnecchia and colleagues found the commonly-held belief that fish shot with arrows can be released and usually survive, is not true. The findings will help game departments set regulations ensuring better survival of targeted fish species.
In Scarnecchia’s small office on the U of I campus hang pictures of paddlefish and anglers, prints of native North American fish, a paddlefish skull and stacks of books and journal articles neatly organized in overfull boxes — all signaling to visitors the office’s designation as epicenter of “junk” or “garbage” fish research in North America.
A change in public perception has been one of the benefits of the research, he said. “People are starting to look at these fish as an asset,” he said. “They are coming around to thinking that this is a valuable resource that needs to be managed just like the more popular gamefish.”
Shedding a positive light on the continent’s primitive water dwellers continues to be one of Scarnecchia’s passions.
“We’ve done some fascinating research,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Anglers have made a sport of snagging ancient paddlefish in the Missouri drainage using large hooks. Scarnecchia’s research provides data to state fisheries departments to manage the fishery.
Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications. Published in February 2024.
Photo credit: Ryan Long and U of I Visual Productions
The crocodile raced for the muddy water of Mozambique’s Urema River, its short legs sputtering, its long tail making rapid s-curves as Ryan Long leaned from the open door of a moving helicopter aiming a dart rifle.
The dart hit the soft tissue along the side of the croc’s tail, but the animal kept going, striking the water with a splash, leaving only a wake where it left the bank and submerged. The biopsy dart, meant to grab a small piece of the crocodile’s skin and fat from which biologists would collect DNA, did not rise from the murk.
The helicopter moved on with Long, a professor of wildlife sciences at the University of Idaho, reloading and scouting ahead as the chopper skimmed the surface of the savanna.
For his ongoing research, Long spends portions of his summers in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, home to herds of antelope, cape buffalo and elephants, where 16 years of civil war nearly destroyed the diverse ecosystem. During his latest research season Long chased animals with a helicopter to gather DNA that would be used in two separate projects coordinated with researchers at other universities.
“The goal for one of the studies was to collect a tissue sample from a male of as many different species in the
park as we could. Those data will be part of a genomic mark-capture analysis designed to estimate population size and key demographic parameters of Gorongosa’s large-animal populations as they continue to recover from near extirpation during the Mozambican Civil War,” Long said.
Long and the helo crew also chased bushbuck, attempting to collect tissue samples from a large number of the small African antelope for a Princeton University research project that explores the genetic underpinnings of predator avoidance behavior.
“We set out with those two goals in mind,” Long said. “We did all the biopsy darting from a helicopter, flying all around the park.”
Biopsy darting uses a colorful dart with a conical cutting tip that, after striking an animal and collecting tissue, falls out and is usually easily seen from the air and retrieved. The darts don’t inject anything into the animal or use any kind of drugs in any way, Long said.
The small skin plugs collected with the dart are preserved and sent to the lab to be analyzed.
“When the only thing you need from an animal is a genetic sample, this works pretty well,” Long said.
Researchers often immobilize animals using chemical darts when they need to collect other samples, including hair, blood, and various measurements.
Long said he spent about five hours last summer darting animals solely to collect DNA. Although the effort produced many dozens of samples from nearly 20 species, attempts to get crocodile tissue samples were unsuccessful.
“The challenge there was that crocs always lay up right next to the water, so it’s really difficult to get close enough with the helicopter to dart them before they dive back into the river, and to have the dart bounce out in a place where we can safely recover it,” he said.
Long tried twice to dart a crocodile.
“The first time I missed. The second time I made a good shot but the dart stuck in the thick skin rather than bouncing out immediately, and so the croc was back in the water, with the dart, within about two seconds. After that we decided not to try any more crocs.”
Introducing ÁNiMO Amistades, la Naturaleza de McCall, y Oportunidades
Relationships, the nature of McCall and opportunities
For the first time this past June, the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) brought together local Spanishspeaking students from the ages of 10 to 14 through the ÁNiMO program to practice leadership skills and build relationships with one another, the natural environment, and their community.
MOSS graduate student Alyssa Uhl identified a critical need in McCall, Idaho, for a dedicated outdoor leadership program tailored to Latine students. Early conversations with MOSS Program Coordinator, Leslie Dorsey, revealed previous challenges in implementing Spanish-speaking programs due to a lack of qualified instructors. Drawing on her background in Spanish/English language teaching and curriculum design, Uhl took the initiative to revive these efforts. Collaborating with the Multilingual Learners Program Director of the local McCall-Donnelly school district, Sarah Covault, supported Uhl in connecting with Spanish speaking students in McCall.
With its core values of creativity, sustainability, diversity, inclusion, integrity, collaboration and reflection, ÁNiMO was a welcome addition to the award-winning programs at the outdoor science school.
During the three-week Spanish speaking sessions, students in the Animo program immersed themselves in a range of activities designed to foster curiosity and connection with the natural environment and each other. Using Ponderosa State Park as a classroom, they studied macroinvertebrates in the Lily Marsh and canoed across Payette Lake to Duck Bay where students made observations of the natural world and worked together to make meaning of what they learned.
The program also emphasized community engagement and stewardship. Local author and speaker Emily Wakild visited, and ÁNiMO partnered with local organizations like The City of McCall, the McCall Public Library, Brundage Mountain, and MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter.
Instructors ensured activities were student-centered, culturally responsive and engaging.
The transformative power of outdoor programs is evident in the restorative outcomes they foster. Campers involved in this program were encouraged to embrace their childhood and find happiness in nature and with each other. Over the three-week program, instructors witnessed a remarkable evolution: increased confidence, enhanced collaboration, and heightened social and environmental awareness among the students. ÁNiMO’s profound lesson lies in the effectiveness of multilingual specific outdoor programming, demonstrating significant educational, self-efficacy, and environmental stewardship benefits for a diverse student population.
After three weeks the ÁNiMO team became a close-knit family and there were tears as farewells were said on the last day of the program. Student responses and their
interest in next summer’s program affirmed the present and future value of MOSS programming for McCall’s Latine population.
To those who share our passion for building vibrant, diverse and inclusive communities and for supporting our mission to foster critical thinking and sustain our social and ecological systems, we invite you to join us in making a difference. Donate today and help us continue transforming lives through education and exploration. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Contact Gary S. Thompson at garyt@uidaho.edu and support the program today!
Year: Senior
Hometown: Cressona, Pennsylvania
Q: What made you want to be a student ambassador for CNR?
J: I was drawn to the hands-on approach of the opportunity and excited to help recruit motivated students to join us at University of Idaho. I’m also a people person, and I enjoy sharing my experiences and sparking excitement in others for their education.
Q: What’s your favorite memory as a CNR ambassador?
J: I enjoy answering prospective students’ questions with thoughtful answers and considering other perspectives. I like to dedicate time to each family and make more of a personal connection.
Q: What skills have you developed from being an ambassador?
J: Being an ambassador has definitely strengthened my personal communication skills. Many times, students and their families ask questions that warrant in-depth answers, and you have to read each person individually.
Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as an ambassador?
J: I have learned that no matter how much you think you know, you don’t know everything. People will find ways to surprise you no matter how prepared you think you are, and it teaches you to think on your feet.
Q: What other things are you involved with on campus?
J: I am the secretary of the Palouse Unit of the American Fisheries Society, the vice president of Xi Sigma Pi, the Forestry and Natural Resources Honor Society, and participate in the U of I chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Club and Hydroponics Club on campus. I also plan on being an undergraduate teaching assistant this fall. Among all that, I try to fit in some intramural sports here and there.
Q: What do you hope to do after college?
J: I’m hoping to continue my schooling and pursue a doctorate after I graduate. I want to focus on wetland ecosystems and how fish interact and influence the other parts of the system. I am passionate about research and sharing knowledge with youth who are excited to learn, and if I can pair these things together, I think I’ll have a pretty happy life.
Q: What made you want to be a student ambassador for CNR?
Z: I remember seeing the opportunity on the CNR website, and many of the other members in my sorority were student ambassadors for their colleges, so it seemed like a cool thing to do. I like my college and my faculty members, so I applied.
Q: What is your favorite memory as a CNR ambassador?
Z: My favorite memory was when the CNR ambassadors met for the first time and did our training day. I remember getting the map of the CNR building and really enjoyed learning about the different parts of the CNR building and all of the college’s majors, concentrations and certificates.
Q: What skills have you developed from being an ambassador?
Z: Networking has been an important skill I’ve learned and hope to use in my career. It is important to reach out and connect with as many people as possible. The students that you have in your first-year classes are students you will graduate with or work with and knowing your professors on a professional level might lead to other great opportunities.
Year: Senior
Hometown: Windsor, Colorado
Q: What other things are you involved with on campus?
Z: I’ve been in my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, since my freshman year. I am also a member of the National Honor Society, the National Forestry Honor Society, and the National Leadership and Success Honor Society. I was recently elected vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Association, and I currently have an internship under Travis Paveglio, where I help survey recreationalists about land management.
Q: What do you hope to do after college?
Z: I hope to attend graduate school to pursue a master’s in natural resources at U of I and focus on studying wildland policy. I enjoy education and people, so I want to find a job with a federal agency or a private entity and prioritize the happiness of the community on public lands while making sure that our natural resources will last long enough for the next generation to see them.
Article by Makayla Kelly, Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences. Published December 2023.
Early on a Saturday morning in Moscow, a gravel road unfolds, adorned with tents, stacks of wood and bustling crowds. Farther up the road, a muddy gravel parking lot appeared, leaving my car’s traction uncertain. Despite the hesitancy, I persisted and found a spot. Wearing three layers of clothing, the cold persisted, prompting me to retrieve my quilt blanket from the car. Although the sun was shining, the air retained cold enough to make my breath visible. Approaching the outdoor arena, I was welcomed with the scent of fresh-cut wood, accompanied by the cackling of burning logs in the fire pits, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of camping. This calm walk to the arena, however, swiftly transformed into an atmosphere of cheers and screams, signaling that this was nothing like camping.
These enthusiastic sounds composed a symphony of encouragement from the gathered crowd who eagerly awaited the impressive displays of skill that were about to unfold in the traditional timber sports and lumberjack show-style. The arena belonged to the University of Idaho’s Vandaljacks timber sports team, hosting the annual Lumberjack Classic. Colleges from across the
Pacific Northwest including Northern Arizona University, Flathead Valley Community College, Colorado State, Oregon State, University of British Columbia, Montana State, University of Idaho and University of Montana, were all represented.
The rhythmic background noise of chainsaws humming added a touch of anticipation to the lively ambiance, setting the stage for a day filled with various events. Wood chips soared through the air as axes struck with precision into blocks of wood, each strike met with applause. The morning chill still lingered as participants exhaled variable puffs between swings of their axes. Dynamic events, like the Jack and Jill competition, featured duos using a 7-foot crosscut to carve through wood. Nick Barrett, an active competitor and transfer forestry student from Hocking College in southern Ohio, emphasized the profound connections forged with teammates and competitors as the most rewarding aspect of logger sports, describing it as a community that shares common goals and hobbies.
On the other side of the arena, competitors lined up for a thrilling obstacle course, navigating log hurdles and
wooden beam poles while carrying a choker — a cable and hook mechanism used to drag logs. Balancing on wet and muddy wooden beams proved challenging, with competitors enduring hard falls. Emma Macon, the club president from Auburn, California, not only competed in events like the choker race, she also played a pivotal role in the successful home competition turnout hosting seven different schools and roughly 150 competitors. Macon describes these numbers as being comparable to the Conclave, a big annual competition in the western U.S.
“This was a huge accomplishment considering how small our competition grounds are and the fact that we had two days to do it.”
The horizontal/vertical chop showcased competitors using axes to cut through wood, exhibiting precision and efficiency with every mesmerizing ax strike. In the horizontal chop, contestants stood on the wood, swinging their axes at the wood, often mere inches from their feet, strategically aiming to conserve energy. The exhaustion on their faces was evident with every strike, showcasing the fierce competition demanding both physical skill and mental fortitude.
Proficient in vertical chop, Chris Rau, captain of the team and junior in forestry, reflects on a memorable experience from his first competition in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he secured awards and solidified his passion for the sport. Rau describes logger sports as a competition with many events that are derived from traditional logging practices, and he likes to think of it as “a rodeo for people who work in the woods.”
Teammates became the heartbeat of the event, offering vocal support and coaching advice to not only their fellow teammates but also their competitors. Deep
breaths were urged, and strategies were shared as athletes sought to maximize their energy in the demanding competitions. The dynamic of different teams supporting one another added an extra layer of camaraderie to the competition, transforming the arena into a collective celebration of skill and sportsmanship.
Preparing for such a demanding sport requires great preparation and lots of practice. Student athlete Josey Bouhanna, participating in five open events, emphasized the importance of repetition for mastering proper technique. Bouhanna, a junior majoring in ecology and conservation biology, explains that there is always more to learn to continue to get better. She said that to mentally prepare for a competition she “tries to stay out of her head and cheer on her team while getting into the excitement.” Ryan Trenkel, another member of the team who serves as the Club EMT and is actively involved in various events, states that depending on the events each person chooses to practice will dictate how much physical conditioning a competitor would need per competition.
The competition’s appeal reached a broad audience, captivating even those unfamiliar with logger sports. From the axe throw and horizontal hard-hit chop to the choker obstacle race and pole climb, the events showcased a harmonious fusion of tradition and modern excitement. As the day unfolded, the outdoor arena transformed into a captivating stage, where the legacy of lumberjacks met the enthusiasm of a diverse and captivated audience. Watching the Vandaljacks revealed the essence of camaraderie, aptly described by Nick Barrett with the words “grit, camaraderie, and rugged.”
Written by Mark Carrao
Vincent (Vinny) Corrao (’81, B.S. forest resources — management option), who founded Northwest Management, Inc (NMI) in 1984, has trained, mentored and developed more than 100 natural resource professionals since the start. His commitment led him to establish partnerships resulting in the annual Foresters Forum with the objective to “provide a professional educational environment for natural resources where technology and ideas can be shared for the good of all.” Never subscribing to “businessas-usual,” he is a true student of forestry, reading, learning and continuously innovating.
Corrao and NMI has provided services and leadership to more than 25 tribes throughout the United States. He chaired the most recent IFMAT IV review team and has participated in the Intertribal Timber Council for the past 40 years. Under his leadership, dozens of tribes have benefited from significant enhancements of their resources and management capabilities.
This award is given to those who have made significant professional contributions to Native American forestry, fire and natural resources, and who have motivated or inspired others to exceed in the performance of their duties. Corrao has demonstrated outstanding competence, innovation and creativity during his career, and has been instrumental in influencing the practices of natural resources management at a national scale.
Chelsea McIver Pennick (‘23), Ph.D., associate director of the Policy Analysis Group and research assistant professor of Natural Resources Policy and Administration, was recently awarded the 2024 Best Dissertation Award by the Public Management Research Association at their annual conference. The PMRA Conference is the most prestigious of public administration events in the country, and its Best Dissertation Award is the top dissertation award bestowed across all the subdisciplines.
“This is a huge honor and a testament to the quality of Chelsea’s work,” said Dean Dennis Becker. “Her analysis of U.S. Forest Service administrative processes and the role of line officers in the implementation of programs has important lessons for federal and non-federal partners alike.”
Pennick’s research was recognized in the special conference issue of the PMRA Newsletter as exemplifying “the innovative spirit and intellectual rigor that this award seeks to honor.”
Karen Launchbaugh, professor of rangeland ecology, recently received the 2024 Frederic G. Renner Award from the Society for Range Management. The Renner Award is given annually and is the most prestigious award bestowed by the society. Launchbaugh was selected due to her remarkable and extensive contributions in the field of rangeland management, in the forms of teaching, research and service, and is recognized for her pioneering efforts in research to define and set the foundation for targeted grazing. Launchbaugh is known for her dedication to student success, mentorship of developing rangeland professions and efforts to welcome diverse participants to the rangeland profession. She has been a committed member and leader in SRM for 45 years, serving at section and international levels on committees, board of directors, co-chair of SRM’s first virtual meeting, and, most recently, President of SRM. Launchbaugh was also awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award this year, alongside fellow rangeland ecology Professor Jason Karl. Launchbaugh is celebrated for generating enthusiasm and inspiration among young rangeland management professionals.
Written by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications
Former U of I professor and researcher, Maurice Hornocker, is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America’s most enigmatic predator—the mountain lion.
Hornocker’s dedication to research in the wildlife fields—55 years in Idaho and around the world, which includes numerous scientific papers and books—was recognized by the Wildlife Society as the 2024 recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award, the highest honor bestowed upon wildlife biologists.
Hornocker’s groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of Idaho has led the big cat—once considered vermin and hunted to near extirpation in much of its range—to return to healthy populations in much of the western United States. Under Hornocker’s tutelage, lions gained respect as predators which are integral and necessary to wild ecosystems.
At U of I, Hornocker served as unit leader of the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit from 1968-85. He also established the Hornocker Wildlife Institute in Moscow. His book, Cougars on the Cliff: One Man’s Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion, written with former Daily News reporter David Johnson, documents his Idaho cougar research.
Leopold, considered “the father of wildlife management,” is the author of “A Sand County Almanac.” The creation of an endowed chair honoring Hornocker’s contributions to science is underway.
Ryer Becker
Assistant professor, FRFS, Forest operations extention specialist
Branden DeVault
Administrative financial specialist
Alexey Egorov
Postdoctoral fellow, FRFS
Hsin-Wu Hsu – Postdoctoral fellow, FRFS
Casey Huffaker
Director of recruitment and student engagement
Austin Kobernuss
Research aide, FWS
Mikhail Kondratev
Postdoctoral fellow, FRFS
Kira Long
Postdoctoral fellow, FWS
Lori Mackey
Research specialist, Forest Research
Nursery
Blake Manley
U of I Experimental Forest Program manager
Diesel Messenger
McCall Field Campus kitchen assistant
Jessica Miesel
Professor of fire ecology, FRFS
Vladyslav Oles
Postdoctoral fellow, NRS
Chelsea Pennick
Policy Analysis Group research faculty,
NRS
Simona Picardi
Professor of wildlife ecology, FWS
Emily Sprague
Research associate I, FRFS
Fire ecology and management
Ethan Luft
Forestry
Crystal Stignani
Rangeland ecology and management
Kayla Hickey-Smith
Wildlife resources
Andrew Wehausen
Fishery resources
Cade Crookshanks
Conservation biology
Garret Homer*
Environmental science
Zoie Harvey
FRFS
Michael Gilgunn (M.S.) and Courage Alorbu (Ph.D.)
FWS
Anne Yen (M.S.) and Molly Garrett (Ph.D.)*
NRS
Mandira Panta (M.S.)
ENVS
Maddie Newton Cottrell (M.S.)
MOSS
Haven Davis-Martinez (M.N.R)
*These students were selected as CNR’s overall outstanding students.
Alumni Achievement Award
Jody Vogeler
M.N.R. wildlife resources ’11 and current research scientist at Colorado State University’s Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory
Mid-Career Alumni Achievement Award
Brenda Erdardt
M.S. rangeland ecology and management ’07 and resource conservation planner for the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District
International Alumni Achievement Award
Simba Tirima
Doctorate environmental science, Director of field operations for TerraGraphics International Foundation 2012 – 2015 and current adjunct professor of environmental science and philosophy
Honor Associate Alumni Award
Jo Ellen Force
Department head of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences from 1997 to 2013
Honor Alumni Award
Senator James Risch
B.S. forestry ‘65 and Idaho’s 28th senator
Celebrating Natural Resources Award
Dustin Miller
B.S. environmental science ‘03 and director of the Idaho Department of Lands and CNR advisory board member
Bridge Builder Award
Shawn Narum
Ph.D. natural resources ‘06 and chief scientist in the Fishery Science Department with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Advisory Board Faculty Excellence Award
Christopher Caudill Associate professor of fisheries
Outstanding Faculty Advisor
Ryan Long, FWS
Outstanding Instructor
Heather Heward, FRFS
Outstanding Staff
SheilAnne Smith, assistant director of student recruitment and support
Outstanding Student Club
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Club
Boot-in-the-Butt
Randall Brooks, FRFS
Outstanding Staff Member
Jen Meekhof, grants and contracts manager
Mid-Career Faculty Award
Tara Hudiburg, FRFS
Mid-Career Faculty Award
Rob Keefe, FRFS
Excellence in Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Award
Courtney Conway, FWS
Alumni Award of Excellence
Frank Wilhelm, FWS
Alumni Excellence Award –Inspirational Mentor
Lisette Waits, FWS
Mandzak Travel Award
Daria Paxton, M.S. soil and land resources
Teacher of the Year 2022-23 - Phi
Delta Theta Idaho Alpha
Randall Brooks, Extension Professor of Forestry and Extension
Regional Forester Award 2023U.S. Forest Service
Heather Heward, FRFS Senior Instructor
Regional Technical Writing Award
2023 - FRA Western Region
Ryer Becker, FRFS Assistant Research Professor
2023 Caesar Kleberg Excellence in Applied Wildlife Science
Lisette Waits, FWS Distinguished Professor
Frank Wilhelm, FWS Department Head
by U of I Visual Productions
Alan Kolok, professor of ecotoxicology; director emeritus, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, is retiring after seven years with University of Idaho. In 2017, Kolok began serving as the director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, where he worked until 2022, and studied as a Fulbright scholar at University of Concepcion in Concepcion, Chile. In 2023, Kolok taught classes as a faculty member in fish and wildlife until taking a sabbatical. One of his favorite memories from his time in CNR is the work he was able to do in Loja, Ecuador, alongside other faculty such as Lisette Waits, David Roon and Frank Wilhelm. The group visited University Técnica Particular de Loja, Campus San Cayetano, where several U of I CNR students were conducting research alongside UTP faculty.
“Working with CNR provided me with a landing spot after my tenure with the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute had ended. CNR provided me with a platform for teaching graduate students and pursuing research. I am very grateful to the department and the college for that opportunity.”
George Newcombe, professor emeritus of forest resources, has retired after 25 years with University of Idaho. Throughout his career in the College of Natural Resources, Newcombe and his students published over 100 peerreviewed journal articles and book chapters on the interactions of plants and microbes. As he celebrates the success of his career with U of I CNR, he shares his gladness that his former students and postdocs continue to study the intricacies of the plant microbiome.
Tom Zimmer, fiscal operations manager for the College of Natural Resources at University of Idaho, retired at the end of August 2024. His time with U of I is celebrated, and CNR wishes him joy and more success in retirement.
Mike Courtney (’92 B.S. rangeland ecology and management) is set to retire in December 2024 from his position as district manager at the Twin Falls Office for the Bureau of Land Management. Courtney will wrap up an extensive and dedicated career with the BLM, having worked in different capacities with the Bureau since 1992. After graduating from University of Idaho, Courtney took a position in Salmon as a rangeland management specialist and wild horse and burro specialist, which he occupied until 2001, when he moved to Twin Falls and worked as a range specialist for the field office there. He spent a total of 15 years in the Wild Horse and Burro Program, playing a pivotal role in the collection and preparation of animals for adoption. He got the position of district manager shortly after, and he worked in this capacity for 10 years before retiring. Reflecting on his time with the BLM, he has enjoyed both the operational and administrative capacities in which he has worked and is grateful for the opportunity to work with and manage people; working as the district manager has allowed him to learn more about communicating with others in the field.
Courtney said, “In natural resources, there is rarely one right answer, which allows you to adjust to meet people’s needs.”
Courtney remembers his experience at U of I fondly, recalling memories of catching steelhead on the Clearwater River with other students and friends and going to Society of Range Management meetings as a part of the Range Club. He still finds himself in the area to go steelhead fishing on the Clearwater and to visit his son, Matt Courtney (B.S. natural resource conservation ’17), who also attended U of I and now works for the BLM in the Shoshone field office as a realty specialist.
Theresa (Terrie) Jain (B.S. forest management ’82, M.S. silviculture and soil processes ’94, Ph.D. silviculture, landscape ecology and applied statistics ’01) retired in July 2022 after a long career with the United States Forest Service. Jain’s work with the Forest Service began in 1979. In 1984, she started working for the Rocky Mountain Research Station as a forestry technician and in 1988 became a forester; she remained with RMRS for the rest of her career. As a forester, she participated in the full cycle of research, where she was able to manage crews and be much more involved in conducting research before beginning a doctoral program. She worked a wide variety of jobs during and between each of her degree programs, ranging from seasonal work to technician work to forestry research. After completing her doctorate, she applied for and got a research forester position with RMRS working on silviculture and soils in Moscow. Jain remembers her time with RMRS and the Forest Service through the impact she has made.
“The idea is to leave a legacy of research relevant to forest management and create opportunities for future research leading to furthering silvicultural knowledge,” she said, reflecting on her career.
She is grateful for the opportunities she had to grow with a forestry community throughout her time with RMRS. After retiring, Jain still works with the Forest Service through the ACES program, where she is a manager in mentoring and working with silviculturists to develop training sessions.
Jain reflects on her time at University of Idaho by considering the faculty that mentored her.
“Professors were always there to push, nudge and support. They were a foundationally important part of my progression and never gave up on me,” she said.
Her favorite memories from her time at school came from spending time with Dave Adams, Penny Morgan, Lauren Finns and several other professors, especially in the woods. She said that this time spent experiencing the environment together was very valuable to her.
“It taught me the ecological language of forests.” Jain said.
Jain is still involved in the U of I CNR community through her work with Jason Reinhardt and Andrew Nelson on silviculture manuscripts, and she is an emeritus scientist for RMRS. She also spent some time in the past serving on graduate student committees.
This past year has been very exciting for the College of Natural Resources development team. We raised over $5 million in charitable gifts for our students, faculty and programs! Stephanie Perez was recently promoted to associate director of development and will continue to work with donors to establish scholarships, estate gifts and annual giving pledges. Last year, she documented an astounding seven new scholarships for our students with gifts from seven different donors, which is no small feat with such a wide variety of interests and partners!
While our donors give to many areas within CNR, there are three large projects that are inspiring many alumni to make an immediate gift or to document a planned gift in their estate. First, our McCall Field Campus is going to see a new dining hall constructed on the edge of campus (don’t worry, we’ll keep the historic lodge!), and we are working to raise another $4 million for additional bunkhouses and classroom space. Secondly, CNR is honoring the esteemed Maurice Hornocker with a Hornocker Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation. We received the first $1 million gift from
You may transfer ownership of a home, vacation home or farm to the UI Foundation to get a current charitable income tax dedication, while continuing to use the property during your lifetime.
the RK Mellon Foundation and are working to secure the remaining $2 million so that we can hire the position. And finally, I’m happy to share that Taylor Wilderness Research Station is humming with students and research, but we’ve recognized a need for an operations endowment to ensure financial stability for the next 100 years. We have $1 million committed already, and our goal is to have an endowment of $4 million to support operations at Taylor.
If you are interested in contributing to our efforts at the McCall Field Campus (home of our famous MOSS program), the Hornocker Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation, or Taylor Wilderness Research Station, reach out to Mary Ellen Brewick at mebrewick@uidaho.edu.
Every gift makes a difference at University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources. Your generosity expands opportunities for our students to explore their highest potential and for research to solve tough problems so our communities can thrive. Thank you for your generosity and support!
Mary Ellen Brewick Director of development, College of Natural Resources
QCDs allow individuals 70.5 years or older to give up to $105,000 each year directly from their IRAs to qualified charities such as U of I without paying federal income tax. A QCD may be counted toward satisfying your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Contact your IRA plan administrator for appropriate forms.
Making a legacy gift in your will or trust is one of the easiest and most popular ways to make a lasting impact for U of I. Once you have provided for your loved ones, we hope you will consider making excellence in education part of your life story through a legacy gift.
With a charitable lead trust, you transfer assets to a trust that’s set up to benefit U of I, which receives the income from the trust for life or a period of years you set. After that, the remaining assets are passed back to either you or your beneficiary according to the terms of the trust.
To set up a charitable gift annuity, you donate a minimum of $10,000 cash or securities to U of I. In return, you receive fixed quarterly payments for the rest of your life, at an appealing rate. Your gift will benefit you now and benefit U of I students of the future.
With a charitable remainder trust, you transfer assets to a trust that pays you or your specified beneficiary for life or a period of years you set. The trust ends at the passing of the last income beneficiary (or the fixed number of years you set), and U of I then receives all remaining assets.
Graphic by Stephanie Perez, assistant director of development, College of Natural Resources
