The Wildlife Society At FSU Wins Third Place At The Southeastern Wildlife Conclave Competition
This year’s Southeastern Conclave Competition was a success for Wildlife Society members from Frostburg State University, as FSU students placed third, with the University of Georgia coming in second and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville coming in first.
The Wildlife Society is an international, non-profit scientific organization that prepares Wildlife Biology majors to network with other Wildlife Society members, whilst providing educational, volunteer and career opportunities and raise awareness amongst wildlife issues. Dr. Frank Ammer is the adviser of TWS student chapter at FSU.
The Southeastern Wildlife Conclave is an annual event that is hosted at different universities throughout the U.S. This year, the conclave was held at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia hosted by Virginia Tech, from March 12 through the 15. Twenty-two universities met to compete in a series of wildlife related quiz-bowl games, photography, tournaments, and field and art events. Schools such as Mississippi University and Louisiana University were contestants this year.
Jake Blakely and Sarah Pesi are Wildlife & Fisheries majors and wildlife society members that have participated in the Southeastern conclave and have been members of the organization since their freshman year. FSU Wildlife Society has 60 members that compete in the competition each year. Last year, FSU placed seventh at the 2014 Southeastern Conclave competition and has placed second in recent years as well.
“I think the best thing about conclave is being able to compete on a regional level. It’s a big motivator and a great source of connections that allows us to network with other people. “Blakely explained.
Ian Cheek won third place in dendrology, a game in which individuals must identify trees by its scientific name. Aaron Bishop also placed third in FreeForm Art. FreeForm Art is a drawing activity of various animals that must include wildlife related subjects. Amanda Boisvert ranked in at number three in Unmanipulated Photography, a photo competition that requires competitors to take photos of animals.
“I participated in the obstacle course and the calling competition, where I performed turkey and cervid calls,” Blakely stated.
In the calling competition, participants are only allowed to make sounds that mimic their chosen species. Cervid (or deer), turkey, duck, and goose are the chosen animals for the game. Callers are only allowed two minutes to mimic each animal.
“One of the best things about the Wildlife Society is the conclave. It’s one of the best events that I look forward to attending each year,” said Pesi, who is vice president of the organization.
With FSU’s wildlife society members having already won second, third and seventh place, the goal is for them to be at the top of the competition next year.
“When you have bigger schools to compete with, it’s a huge accomplishment to win third place. Other schools may beat us in sports but it’s cool knowing that we can beat them academically,” said Pesi.
“We would like to thank SGA for helping us fund our trip. They helped us out a lot and we would not have made it to conclave without them.” said Blakely and Pesi.
The Wildlife Society is open to all students of any major willing to get involved.
For more information on The Wildlife Society at FSU and the Southeastern Conclave, visit the following links:
http://organizations.frostburg.edu/wildlife/about.html
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