Q&A with Trevor Longnecker, chapter president
What are the goals and missions of The Wildlife Society chapter?
The Wildlife Society (TWS) student chapter at Iowa State University wants to provide members with hands-on experiences with wildlife and conservation and networking opportunities. We also strive to help students to become competitive in the field and have opportunities to learn more about the world around them.
When and where does the chapter meet?
The Wildlife Society meets every Thursday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in 202 Science Hall II.
What opportunities does the chapter have for students to get involved? Leadership?
Students can run for one of five officer positions every spring. Positions include president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and CALS Council representative. Besides that, we are currently in the process of starting research projects within our club related to various wildlife concerns around campus. We hope these projects will continue for many years to come.
What are some chapter events, activities, or fundraisers?
The Wildlife Society does various activities during meetings, including hiking around Ames, holding technical workshops for skills related to wildlife research and hosting guest speakers. Examples of topics covered this semester include learning about the Iowa DNR turkey project, salamander morphology, a career as a private lands wildlife ecologist and research conducted by graduate students from Kenya.
As for events, we can attend events hosted by TWS Iowa chapter for free. Events include a fall workshop and a winter meeting. We also attend The Wildlife Society North Central Section Student Conclave, a weekend event hosted by student chapters in the section. This is a fun-filled weekend focused on wildlife conservation topics and activities.
This year, we are organizing two large fundraisers. The first fundraiser is a T-shirt sale, and the second is selling pre-built bird houses.
Who can join the chapter? Are there any requirements?
Anyone can join the TWS chapter, although The Wildlife Society focuses on students interested in a wildlife conservation career. We do ask people to pay a $15 membership fee to help the chapter buy food and supplies for meetings and events.
What makes The Wildlife Society Chapter fun and unique?
What makes TWS chapter fun and unique is how we can bring together a wide variety of majors at Iowa State in response to their love for nature and wildlife. On top of this, being associated with a national organization grants us access to special benefits and opportunities to meet a lot of different people associated with wildlife conservation along multiple agency scales.
Is there anything else you want to share about The Wildlife Society?
Next year, we are looking forward to attending the national TWS conference in Des Moines. We are excited to send students for this weeklong event and are also fortunate to be hosting the 2027 TWS North Central Section Student Conclave. This will be a club-wide effort to plan this weekend-long event and host other schools around the Midwest. Lastly, at the 2025 Iowa TWS winter meeting, Iowa State members received an award for being affiliated with The Wildlife Society for 50 years.
Information compiled by Katrina Hageman