February 14, 2008 Release

Events for the upcoming Week: March. 14-23
(Seminars, Symposiums, Conferences, Events, Field Trips, etc.)

The NRRT Society will participate in the Environmental Education Alliance conference in Helen, Ga. from Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 16. For more information email Allison Ginn. 

The Society for Conservation Biology’s next meeting will be Monday, March 17 at 5:30pm in room 1-304 of the Warnell School. The discussion topic will be “How Athens Got Green.”

The UGA chapter of the American Fisheries Society will hold its next meeting Tues., March 18 from 5:00-7:00pm in the Dean’s conference room. Discussion topics will include advisor elections, nominations for officers and a presentation by Trout Unlimited.

The Next NRRT Society meeting will be Wednesday, March 19 from 5:30 to 6:45pm in room 1-304.

The next Forestry Club meeting will be Wednesday, March 19 from 6:45 to 8:00pm in room 1-304.

Mark Your Calendar

The next meeting of TWS will be Wednesday, March 26 from 6:45 to 8:00pm in room 1-304.

The NRRT Society will host a Bluegrass Concert at Flinchum’s Phoenix on Friday, April 11 from 6:00-8:00pm. All members of the Warnell School are invited to come enjoy the festivities.

The Warnell School will hold its annual Spring Awards Banquet at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education on Thursday, April 17 from 6:00-9:00pm. Many scholarship recipients and award winners will be recognized at this event. For more information email Emily Saunders.

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) has scheduled three Deer Steward I certification courses, as well as the first-ever Deer Steward II certification course, for:

Deer Steward Level I (Registration Opens February 1)
~ April 11-14  QDMA National Headquarters, Athens, GA
~ April 25-28  Pokagon State Park, Angola, IN
~ May 16-19  Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

Deer Steward Level II (Level II Registration Opens April 1)
~ June 13-16  QDMA National Headquarters, Athens, GA

One scholarship per Level I course will be available to a high school junior or senior, or a college student. Those interested should email Kip Adams. 

A printable version of the registration form is available on the QDMA website. To register by phone, call 800.209.3337 and ask for customer service.

Achievements from the Previous Week: March 7-14

“In the News”

Sharing knowledge key to amphibian and reptile conservation
COLUMNS report on SEPARC Annual Meeting
Read More Here

Springs and wells running dry in Fannin County as water-bottling continues there – UGA hydrologist Todd Rasmussen quoted in AJC story about setting water priorities by use.
Read More Here

Research by students of UGA hydrologist Todd Rasmussen into long-term effects of the extended drought on wildlife and aquatic life is featured in the Athens Banner-Herald.
Read More Here

Follow-up to earlier UGA research on numbers of sturgeon in the Muskegon River in Michigan finds that the fish are making a comeback.
Read More Here

“Awards/Appointments”

The UGA Forestry Club placed second in both the physical and technical events at the 2008 Southern Forestry Conclave in Gainesville, Florida this past weekend (March 7-9, 2008), resulting in a second place award for over-all competition. This is a remarkable accomplishment for team members and one of the most successful conclave competitions ever by a UGA Forestry club team. The team success was based on the achievement of many team members in individual competitions. A complete list of individual award winners can be found here.

Graduate Students Sami Rifai and Marco Galang were recognized with outstanding poster presentations for their forest soils research at this year’s Soil Science Society of Georgia meeting held this past week in Athens. Rifai won first place for his poster: "Impacts of competing vegetation suppression and nutrient fertilization upon soil microbial functional groups in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands." Galang won third place for his poster: "Potential for soil nutrient mobility after prescribed burning in >40-yr-old loblolly pine forest in the Sumter National Forest, South Carolina, USA." Congratulations to both outstanding students.

The Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at The University of Georgia provides UGA students with five degree path programs in forestry and natural resource science and management, include the forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, natural resources recreation and tourism, water and soil resources, and wildlife management and ecology majors. With more than fifty faculty and 23,000 acres of teaching lands, the Warnell School is the southeast’s oldest, and one of the most respected forestry and natural resource education providers in the United States. The school also houses one of the largest study abroad programs in the nation covering all seven continents to provide global learning opportunities for its students. For more information visit the Warnell School website at www.warnell.uga.edu.