Native student Professional Development PROGRAM

The Wildlife Society Announces a Professional Development Program for Native American and Indigenous Students Interested in the Wildlife Profession

As a scientific organization for professionals who manage and conserve wildlife and habitats, The Wildlife Society (TWS) is increasingly concerned about the lack of ethnic and cultural diversity within the profession. Diversity is essential if the profession is to grow and meet the nation’s conservation challenges. To help address this concern, TWS is establishing a new professional-development program for Native American and indigenous wildlife students.

The indigenous community has enormous potential to enrich diversity within the wildlife profession. Native lands are important to a national strategy for fish and wildlife conservation, and indigenous students are showing a growing interest in pursuing careers in wildlife. TWS has an active Native People’s Wildlife Management Working Group composed of wildlife professionals and students, tribal and non-tribal, who recognize native people’s cultural, spiritual, and biological connections to the land. TWS and the Working Group have been exploring ways

to promote the early development of Native American and indigenous wildlife professionals.

How the Program Works

The Wildlife Society believes that one of the most effective ways to support indigenous wildlife students is to give them the opportunity to attend TWS’s Annual Conference – the largest gathering of wildlife professionals on the North American continent. The Society is therefore raising funds to enable indigenous students to attend the 19th Annual Conference, to be held in Portland, Oregon, October 13-18, 2012. Individuals selected for this program will receive funds to help cover registration fees, lodging, meals, and transportation.

Program participants also will receive a one-year membership in The Wildlife Society and become members of the Native People’s Wildlife Management Working Group. As TWS members they will receive our quarterly member magazine The Wildlife Professional, our monthly electronic newsletter The Wildlifer, the Wildlife Society Bulletin,

discounts on TWS peer-reviewed publications such as The Journal of Wildlife Management, and access to the TWS website, blog, job board, and other online resources.

Eligibility: Candidates must be members of a Native American, First Nations, or Indigenous Tribe, and currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in a relevant academic discipline such as wildlife biology or ecology. Applicants must display a record of academic excellence and a strong interest in pursuing a career in wildlife management or conservation. Qualified applicants will be evaluated by a panel consisting of the Chair of the Native People’s Wildlife Management Working Group, two other working-group members, a TWS staff member, and representatives from other program partners including the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society.

Applications: Submissions must include name, address, email, phone number, tribal affiliation, name of college or university, current level of study (undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate), field of study, and a copy of most recent report card, showing courses and grades. Mention any relevant extracurricular activities, memberships in societies, honors, or awards. Also include an essay (500-750 words) explaining why you’d like to participate, how this program might benefit your career development, how your personnal and cultural experiences and skills contribute to the wildlife profession, and any other special circumstances you may have. Deadline: Please email applications to nsvoboda@cfr.msstate.edu no later than July 13, 2012.

TWS would like to thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA APHIS-Wildlife Services, the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs for their generous financial support of this worthwhile effort. With the help of these valued partners, TWS believes the wildlife profession will increase its

diversity and benefit from the insights of indigenous people concerned.

Application Deadline: July 13, 2012

For conference information:

http://www.wildlife.org/conference