News & Media Center

SFA student chapter of The Wildlife Society receives top honors at state meeting

Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for forestry and agriculture
•
February 20, 2020
Pictured, from left, Tyler Campbell, past president of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society; Jake Hill, forest wildlife management sophomore and SFA Wildlife Society vice president; and Mikaela Egbert, forest wildlife management senior and SFA Wildlife Society chapter president.

The Stephen F. Austin State University student chapter of The Wildlife Society was named the Student Chapter of the Year and defeated universities from across the state to win its second consecutive Quiz Bowl Championship at the statewide Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society meeting held this month in Corpus Christi.

Pictured, from left, Tyler Campbell, past president of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society; Jake Hill, forest wildlife management sophomore and SFA Wildlife Society vice president; and Mikaela Egbert, forest wildlife management senior and SFA Wildlife Society chapter president.


NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Stephen F. Austin State University student chapter of The Wildlife Society received the Student Chapter of the Year award and defeated universities from across the state to win its second consecutive Quiz Bowl Championship at the statewide Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society meeting held this month in Corpus Christi.

“Based on the feedback I received from colleagues attending the meeting, it is clear our students’ success validated the excellence of SFA’s forest wildlife management program,” said Dr. Daniel Scognamillo, SFA associate professor of wildlife ecology and The Wildlife Society faculty advisor. “Now, the energy and enthusiasm of the chapter is focused on carrying that momentum to the national meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.”

The Student Chapter of the Year award recognizes the SFA student chapter’s leadership, activities and advocacy related to wildlife management and conservation. Specifically, the SFA student chapter has dedicated considerable time and effort during the past two years to gaining support among Texas legislators for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. If passed, the bipartisan legislation would make supplemental funds available to states for the management of wildlife most in need of conservation.   

“We’ve all worked hard during the past year, so it’s great to see our hard work pay off,” said Mikaela Egbert, forest wildlife management senior and SFA Wildlife Society chapter president.

In addition to the Quiz Bowl, a competition challenging students from across the state with rounds of questions related to the broad range of wildlife biology, management and research, SFA students presented research posters and attended a number of workshops. The student chapter also recognized Taylor McDaniel, forest wildlife management sophomore, as SFA’s 2020 Outstanding Wildlife Student.

The Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society is the nation’s largest chapter and holds a meeting every February in varying locations across Texas. Hundreds of wildlife and conservation professionals representing state and federal agencies, nonprofits, the private sector and academia attend the meeting to network and learn about the latest wildlife-related research.