Congratulations to our team from the USU student chapter of The Wildlife Society, who competed last week (March 12-15) in the TWS Western States Student Conclave at Texas A&M, Kingsville.  USU came in third place in the quiz bowl!  USU took 5 students, Dustin Lamoreaux, Jason Carlisle, Carrie Jamieson, Justin Hicken, and Elizabeth Goss.  Other schools that competed were: Humboldt, Tarelton State (TX), New Mexico State, Colorado State, Idaho, Sul Ross (TX), and Nebraska.  Jason, Elizabeth and Justin also competed in the photo contest where Justin took 1st place in the wildlife division with a great picture of a cougar in the snow.

Recent news from the Society of Range Management meetings held in Denver, Colorado, February 7-11:   The Rangeland Cup team (Jenny Addy, Larry Johnson, Halley Kartchner, and Makeda Trujillo) placed 2nd this year, and the Plant Identification Team (Kyler McCarrel, Makeda Trujillo, Elizabeth Goss, Spencer Ellison, Jenny Addy, and Steven Cox) placed 4th.  Kyler McCarrel placed 10th overall in the plant contest and Levi Bennington took 16th overall in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam.  Congratulations students for representing USU so well at this national event (article).

Several of our WILD graduate students have recently been recognized with awards from outside organizations and deserve our congratulations.  Dustin Mitchell, Amy Vande Voort, and Taylor Payne have been awarded scholarships by the African Safari Club of Florida, while Natasha Gruber has been awarded a scholarship by the Utah Chapter of the Wildlife Society.