Ten Eastern New Mexico University student members of the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club attended the New Mexico and Arizona Wildlife Society Conference (JAM) in Flagstaff, Arizona, with advisor Dr. Ivana Mali, an assistant professor of wildlife biology, from Feb. 1-3.
They had a successful time at the conference, winning six awards in the photo contest, earning scholarships, getting to the semi-finals of the Quiz Bowl and giving presentations.
Dr. Mali and Austin Wilson, the student president of the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club share their experiences:
Dr. Mali, ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club Advisor
What is the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club?
The club is designed to help students majoring in wildlife and fisheries sciences gain more experience in their field through volunteer work with state and federal agencies. Many students also help professors at ENMU, such as myself, with their research. Just to name a few, every year club helps the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish with prairie chicken surveys, last year I had three club members help me with tick surveys and this year many volunteered at the Wildlife Society Conference, and there are many more examples I can think of. However, the club is not only for students in this particular major. We welcome all ENMU students that are outdoor enthusiasts!
How long have you been an advisor to the organization? What are your duties as the advisor?
I have been an advisor since my arrival to ENMU in fall 2015. From the very beginning, I have been impressed with the students and the club. The club board members are doing a very good job maintaining the club. I attend as many meetings as I can and provide constructive criticism and general advice when needed. I am also in charge of the group when we attend regional conferences.
What is your favorite part of being an advisor for the organization?
Just the fact that every year we are a stronger club and being more recognized across the state has been my favorite part. I have professionals from other entities coming to me and telling me what a great job our kids are doing. There is no better feeling than that.
How did you find out about the New Mexico and Arizona Wildlife Society Conference (JAM)? Have you attended before? What did you all do at the conference?
I have known about regional wildlife conferences my whole professional career. It was a natural thing for me personally to attend and meet more colleagues in my field in New Mexico. I also always tend to push our undergraduate students to do research, and it is important for wildlife degree that the students share that research with a larger audience. Our students presented two posters and one oral presentation. Many submitted photos for the contest, and we won six awards overall. My graduate student, Thanchira Suriyamongkol, won a biodiversity scholarship. Others volunteered and helped organizers with anything that they needed (load presentations, make announcements, etc.).
Students who attended the conference:
Austin Wilson, Curtis Madsen, Cameron Madsen, Korry Waldon, Kodi Waddell, Kaniya Sandoval, Miranda Nelson, Thanchira Suriyamongkol, Matt Creswell and Jeremiah Olivas
Details on the photo contest and presentations:
One poster presentation (by Korry Waldon) was about natural history observations of the Rio Grande cooter, a threatened species of turtle in New Mexico. Korry has been my undergraduate research assistant for two years now.
The second poster presentation was by Kaniya Sandoval, my undergraduate research assistant that is working on surveying soft ticks in prairie dog burrows.
Finally, the oral presentation was done by Thanchira Suriyamongkol, my master's student. She was evaluating the effectiveness of photo recognition software when applied to the Rio Grande cooters.
Anyone attending the conference could enter the photo contest, and all participants of the conference would then vote. The results of the photo contest are as follows:
Wild mammals: Austin Wilson 3rd place
Wild birds: Austin Wilson 2nd place
Caught in act: Thanchira Suriyamongkol (MJ) 1st place
Aquatic wildlife: Cameron Madsen 3rd place; Korry Waldon 1st place
Wild herps: Thanchira Suriyamongkol (MJ) 3rd place
How did you help the students prepare for the conference?
I helped them with all the necessary paperwork for getting the van, registration, etc. I also helped them with putting together a presentation for the student senate, who largely sponsored the trip. We also discussed etiquette and dress codes for the conference. Student presenters practiced their presentations with me on numerous occasions to make sure they are fully prepared.
The students were very successful at the conference, winning awards and giving presentations. As an advisor, what was the experience of seeing your students succeed like for you?
I felt like a very proud "mom". Their success is my success and the success of the Biology Department and ENMU.
You were a moderator for the reptile session at the conference. How did you prepare and how did that session go?
I did not prepare [laughs]. I am a herpetologist, and I was just excited to hear the talks. I actually got to catch up with some friends during the session.
Congratulations on being named an official board member of the New Mexico Chapter of the Wildlife Society. What does that role involve?
There will be a lot of work ahead for all of the board members. Next year's meeting/conference will be held in New Mexico, and a lot of preparation work will go into making sure the conference is running smoothly. Stay tuned!
Additional information you would like to include:
I would just additionally like to thank STEM office, specifically Dr. Kenwyn Cradock and Robin May, for their help.
Austin Wilson, student president of the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club and senior majoring in wildlife and fisheries sciences
display in Roosevelt Hall on the second floor.
What is the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club?
As a club, our goal is to get the club members involved with volunteer opportunities related to this major (i.e., New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc.). This type of work experience is greatly valued by future employers. It also builds many contacts for students in the future. Therefore, when someone applies for a job over the summer or after graduation the company or hiring committee may already know the student and their work habits. This is also a great way for freshman to make friends in the same major or at least students with similar passions. Helping organizations such as New Mexico Department of Game and Fish with projects or helping with studies being conducted in our area is a bonus!
When did you get involved in the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club? What made you want to join?
I got involved as a freshman. I attended every meeting I could and did as much work as possible and it was a blast! I wanted to join the club because wildlife was my passion since I was a little kid and as an avid outdoorsman, I always want to be out in the field doing something. The way the president had described the work when I first joined made it a no-brainer for me to join.
What is your favorite thing about the organization?
I cannot narrow it down to just one thing. For me, the best thing about the club is the great friends I've made along the way, and I've been able to travel all over New Mexico and do wildlife-related work. Being in the club has been an incredible experience for me.
When are the meetings for the ENMU Fish and Wildlife Club? How can someone become a member?
We have meetings every other Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Roosevelt Hall Room 304. Our next few meetings will be on February 21, March 7 and March 21. To become a member, someone would just have to show up at the meeting and mention to an officer before or after the meeting that they would like to become a member. We do charge $20 per year for club fees, and when someone joins, they get one of the club shirts that we redesign every year.
How did you find out about the New Mexico and Arizona Wildlife Society Conference (JAM)? Have you attended before? What did you do at the conference?
The conference has been an annual trip for the club in the past four years. I have attended every year since I was a freshman. At the conference, I attended workshops (i.e., venomous reptile training, applications of game cameras, etc.). This year, I submitted three pictures in the photo contest. I also attended many different presentations from this year's research from both states along with gathering contacts for the future and possible volunteer work.
You placed in the photo contest. Can you share your experience with that (what you photographed, what the judging process was, what it was like to get an award, etc.):
I placed third in the "Wild Mammals" category with a photograph of a tassel-eared squirrel eating a sandwich in a tree. I placed second in the "Wild Birds" category with a picture of a nighthawk resting on a rock in the early morning light. The judges were the students and professionals who attended the conference, and they took into account the clarity of the photo and also just the overall quality and rarity of what was pictured. There was also an online photo contest on the app iNaturalist, and it took into account the value of the information the photo contained. For me, it was great getting an award in this contest because there were many great pictures in my categories and they gave everyone who placed in the photo contest a certificate showing their place and category, which is great on being able to have that by the picture.
Your club members were also very successful at the conference, winning awards and giving presentations. Can you share how they prepared for the conference and your thoughts on their achievements?
The members who gave presentations did a great job of having solid background knowledge and interesting research topics. They were really well prepared. Every member who gave a presentation I felt did an amazing job in representing themselves and the University. Many other students won awards in the photo contest. One graduate student also won New Mexico Biodiversity Scholarship and a travel grant. Overall, every student that went did a great job of representing this University and showing that, even though we are from a small school, we still have incredible students who are doing great work. There was a Quiz Bowl at this conference, which was similar to wildlife-themed jeopardy. We had a team participate. The questions were difficult this year, but we made it to the semi-finals, which is the furthest we have gotten yet!
Additional information you would like to include:
The only other thing I would like to add about the club is that it has been a great year so far and it has been an honor to be the president and participate in all the events. I appreciate every member of the club and the friendships I made along the way.
