Contact: Laura Bell, lab services coordinator, 218-281-8131 (lbell@umn.edu), Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)

Laura Bell, lab services coordinator, shows off the scarecrow, "For the Birds."

CROOKSTON, Minn. (October 8, 2007) – The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum held its second annual “Scarecrows on Parade,” a juried exhibition of original, one-of-a-kind creations of scarecrows and other
garden folk. The University of Minnesota, Crookston Natural Resources Department entry, entitled “For the Birds,” won first place in the organizations category. The contest, designed to capture the flavor of the Minnesota harvest season, will have all entries on display from Saturday, September 15 through Thursday, November 1, 2007, as part of the Arboretum’s autumn celebration.

A number of students, including Mary Jo Geldert and Lisa Gentele, joined Laura Bell, lab services coordinator, and Judy Baatz, administrative specialist, from the Natural Resources Department in creating their entry.

“The contest was a great way for Natural Resources to highlight the Crookston campus at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and to its visitors,” reflects Bell. “We had a great time creating our scarecrow and were pleased by how he turned out.”

Entries were judged on impact, originality, creativity, materials and craftsmanship. Bonus points could be garnered if the scarecrow actually could scare a crow. All entries had to be as weatherproof and indestructible as possible since they will be outside in the Minnesota weather for two months as part of the display.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. Invent yourself at the University of Minnesota, Crookston – become a leader, innovate through technology and research and secure the career you want. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.

 

U of M, Crookston Alumnus Nate Emery, ’06, Wins Best Paper Award at annual meeting of North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society February 4, 2008

 

Contact: Dan Svedarsky, head, Natural Resources Department, 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu), Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)

Nate Emery is a 2006 graduate of the U of M, Crookston

Crookston, Minn. (February 4, 2008) – Nate Emery, a 2006 graduate of the U of M, Crookston, was the winner of the best presentation award for a student paper at the annual meeting of the North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society held recently in Grand Forks, N.D. Emery is currently a graduate student in the biology department at the University of North Dakota (UND).

The title of Emery’s paper was Spring and Summer Reproductive Ecology of Female Greater Prairie Chickens in Northwestern Minnesota and Updates on Translocation to Wisconsin. Co-authors were Daniel Svedarsky, Ph.D., of the U of M, Crookston; Ashly Steinke, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison; and Brett Goodwin, Ph.D., of the University of North Dakota. Svedarsky and Goodwin are Emery’s graduate advisors.

Emery’s study is being carried out in Northwest Minnesota and involves trapping female greater prairie chicken in the spring or summer and attaching radios in order to follow their movements during the nesting and brood-rearing season. At the end of the summer, a sample of the birds are trapped at night and transported to Wisconsin to supplement the genetic variety of their birds which have become somewhat isolated.

The study is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through the Northwest Research and Outreach Center of the University of Minnesota located at Crookston where Svedarsky is a research biologist. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Nature Conservancy, and a number of private landowners in the study area have provided assistance with the project. Emery will continue the study for 2 additional seasons and use the data as the basis for a master’s degree.

This award was based on content presented, presentation techniques, and audience appeal and is the latest in a list of awards received by Emery. While a student at the Crookston campus, he was a football co-captain and received; the Pankratz Conservation Award, the Student Wildlife Conservationist Award (the top student award presented by the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society) and the Man of the Year Award (an all-campus award).

“We are indeed proud of this latest recognition for Nate.” says Svedarsky. “This is a nice recognition of his research and communication achievements. Additionally, he has involved undergraduate students in his field work which is important mentoring for them as well.”

For more information, contact Svedarsky at 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu).

The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. Invent yourself at the University of Minnesota, Crookston – become a leader, innovate through technology and research and secure the career you want. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.

 

Contact: Dan Svedarsky, Ph.D., head, Natural Resources Department, 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu), Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)

CROOKSTON, Minn. (October 4, 2007) – University of Minnesota, Crookston Professor

Svedarsky accepting the presidential gavel in Tucson, Ariz., from out-going Wildlife Society President, John Organ of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Massachusetts.

Dan Svedarsky was installed recently as president of The Wildlife Society (TWS) at the annual meeting held in Tucson, Ariz. Svedarsky served one year as vice president, one year as president-elect and will now serve a year as president followed by a year as past president. Svedarsky is head of the Natural Resources Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston and a research biologist at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC).

Founded in 1937, TWS is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The membership is comprised of over 7,500 wildlife professionals and students from more than 60 countries. Members are engaged in wildlife conservation and management as wildlife biologists, habitat managers, research scientists, field technicians, educators and agency administrators.

"It is an incredible honor and responsibility to play a lead role in my professional organization," notes Svedarsky. "The challenges faced in all resource management fields will be immense in the coming years and all will be integrally connected to energy. In many respects, wildlife populations serve as a barometer to gauge the ways in which we humans are interacting with our environment."

As part of his presidential duties, Svedarsky is organizing the plenary or general session for the next annual meeting in Miami, Florida, where the theme will be, "Thriving within limits."

"We are becoming increasingly aware that we live in a world of limited resources of space, water, minerals, timber, soil and wildlife so we need to embrace that reality and adjust our consumption and land use planning considerations to take that into account. But at the same time, we should approach the future with an optimistic attitude and seek creative ways in which our societies can thrive," continues Svedarsky.

Svedarsky has been a member of The Wildlife Society since 1967, served a 3-year term as the North Central Section Representative of the Society, chaired the program committee for the 2002 national meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota, and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist. In 1999, Svedarsky received The Minnesota Award from the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society in recognition of contributions to wildlife conservation in Minnesota.

Svedarsky, who splits his time between the NWROC and the U of M, Crookston, has been at the Crookston campus since 1969, when he was the first faculty member hired in natural resources. After completing 2 degrees iat the University of Missouri, Columbia, he studied the nesting and brood-rearing ecology of greater prairie chickens in Minnesota while completing a Ph.D. in wildlife biology at the University of North Dakota.

Svedarsky's research has focused on tallgrass prairie restoration and management using fire, prairie bird management and wildlife values of wild rice paddies and gravel pits. Svedarsky also has an appointment with the graduate school at the University of North Dakota and recently co-advised graduate students studying the colonization of restored wetlands by vegetation and amphibians at the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. Invent yourself at the University of Minnesota, Crookston – become a leader, innovate through technology and research and secure the career you want. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu

Whooping It Up at Professional Meetings

Members of the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society pause by the Rothsay Prairie-Chicken as they return from the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual meeting this past week.  Nine students attended 2 days of professiona scientific talks including a professional mentorship-student session.  Highlights of the meeting included UMC Student Micah Meyer receiving the Fedeler Scholarship, which includes a full membership tol and the international chapter of The Wildlife Society.  Drs. John Loegering and Dan Svedarsky also attended the meeting.

Student Chapter Members in Rothsay.

U of M, Crookston’s Rhett Johnson Recognized for Distinguished Scholarship and Research

January 8, 2007

Contact: Dan Svedarsky, head, Natural Resources Department, 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu ) Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)

CROOKSTON, Minn. (January 8, 2007) – Rhett Johnson, adjunct professor and restoration ecologist at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), was recognized recently for outstanding research by the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota. His master’s thesis was nominated as the runner up to represent the University in a competition for the 2006 Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award.

Nominations for the award come from member institutions of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools which recognizes distinguished scholarship and research at the master's level. Johnson's  thesis entitled, "Peatland Trees and Hydrology: A Dendrochronological Examination of Black Spruce and Tamarack Growth and Associated Hydrology in a Peatland in Marshall County, Minnesota," was announced as the University of Minnesota’s runner-up nomination by Gail Dubrow, vice provost and dean at the U of M graduate school. Johnson conducted his study in the wilderness area at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge north of Thief River Falls, Minn. His research, known as dendroecology, focused on the effects of water table changes on the health of peatland spruce and tamarack tres through the study of the annual growth rings of trees. Johnson also examined the relative effects of competition and water table depth on the diameter growth of peatland trees. David Schimpf, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, served as Johnson's thesis advisor. According to Schimpf, "Rhett's findings have wide geographic relevance, and they will be useful for wetland management in relation to risen water tables that stem from road building, beaver activity or rapid shifts in climate.  He conceived and planned this research then carried it out under conditions that were extremely demanding physically.  Rhett also took the initiative to obtain advice from world authorities in dendroecology." Johnson's appointment at UMC is funded jointly by UMC and the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He teaches plant taxonomy, general ecology and wetland ecology and management. With his NRCS assignment, Johnson is evaluating the success of wetland restorations conducted at the Glacial Ridge Project east of Crookston, Minn. Glacial Ridge is the largest prairie and wetland restoration project in North America and where the NRCS has invested in several thousand acres of wetlands through the Wetlands Reserve Program.

Within UMC’s Natural Resources Department, majors include; natural resources management, wildlife management, water resource management,  park management, natural resources law enforcement, natural resources aviation, law enforcement aviation, environmental landscaping, production horticulture and golf and turf management.  For more information, contact Judy Baatz at 218-281-8128 (jbaatz@umn.edu) or Svedarsky at 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu). To learn more, visit http://academics.umcrookston.edu/NatR.
 
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) delivers more than 24 different undergraduate degree programs, including online options, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. UMC is dedicated to helping students and the region aim higher, reach further and dream big dreams. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.

UMC Senior Jennifer Tepovich Wins Top State Soil and Water Conservation Award              

May 3, 2006 -- UMC graduating senior Jennifer (Kaser) Tepovich, Wabasha, MN, added another award to her long list of honors. Tepovich was recently awarded the Student Conservationist Award by the Minnesota Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society at their annual meeting in Owatonna, MN. This prestigious award recognizes the top student in the state who is majoring in soil and water management or majors related to land use and carries with it a $500 stipend. This is the fourth time in the last five years that a UMC Water Resources Management student has either won the top award or has been runner-up. The award recognizes academic achievement and career potential in the field of soil and water conservation.

   “Jennifer is a transfer student and is one of the most focused students in my experience at the University of Minnesota, Crookston,” notes Professor Dan Svedarsky, head of the Natural Resources Department.  “She is a 4.00 student, has deep conservation convictions, is quick to help her fellow students, and is an excellent ambassador for the department and the campus.”
   Tepovich is in the Student Career Employment Program with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the primary federal agency that provides technical assistance to private land owners. Tepovich joins a long list of UMC alumni who work for this agency, including several past recipients of the Student Conservationist Award.  She will be based in Crookston, MN, after her graduation on May 6.

   Tepovich interned with U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in assessing coastal wetlands throughout the Great Lakes states. Her supervisor at the EPA, John Brazner, Ph.D., had this to say of her performance:  “Jennifer was the fisheries technician and worked long hours netting fish off the front of an electro-fishing boat, assisted in their identification, sampled water-quality gauge stream flows, sampled for isotope analysis, and a plethora of other tasks. She accomplished everything we asked of her very professionally and with a great deal of enthusiasm that boosted everyone else’s energy as well.”

   In recognition of her leadership qualities, her fellow students elected her president of the UMC Natural Resources Club and she is doing an exemplary job of leading the group. “Jennifer is really quite incredible as the leader of the club,” notes UMC Professor Phil Baird, club advisor. “She is a bundle of energy in a small package and motivates others by her focus. We will miss her hard-working leadership greatly.”

   Last spring, Tepovich was also the recipient of the Norman Pankratz Conservation Award, the highest honor in the Natural Resources Department. 

NATE EMERY WINS TOP WILDLIFE STUDENT AWARD

March 14, 2006—Crookston, MN—University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) graduate Nate Emery was recently awarded the Student Conservationist Award by the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society at their annual meeting in Brainerd. Emery is a fall semester 2005 graduate in Wildlife Management from the UMC’s Natural Resources Department where he achieved a 3.6 grade point average. The prestigious award recognizes the top wildlife management students in all of Minnesota’s colleges and universities and marks the 6th time in the last 9 years that a UMC wildlife student has won this honor! “We are so proud of Nate in achieving this honor,” notes Natural Resources Department Head, Dan Svedarsky. “Nate adds this distinction to a long list of accolades at UMC. He has won practically every achievement award and recognition that is possible at our campus. Beyond that, and fortunate for the field of natural resources, he is interested in wildlife conservation!”

Emery has been active in conservation matters as well as being co-captain of the football team and President of the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. He received the 2005 Man of the Year Award in recognition of his all-around contributions to campus leadership and citizenship. This is the highest campus award of this sort and is indicative of his broad swath of influence and balance. He is also a past recipient of the Norman Pankratz Award, the highest award that a student can receive in the Natural Resources Department.

For the last couple of years, Emery has been the driving force behind the "Nature Nook" project, a habitat restoration initiative between Owen and Hill Halls and within view of most UMC students. This aims to restore a micro-cosm of a Boreal Forest, Prairie, and Deciduous forest with an Oak Savanna in the transition area. He authored a grant application to the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology program for development funds. That application was unsuccessful but, undaunted, he tweaked the application and submitted to the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; receiving $ 1,000 in support funds from each. As Emery was completing his UMC studies, he mentored younger students to pick up the ball and carry things forward on the project. The enduring educational aspects of this project are significant as each class makes contributions to the developments. Recently, the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society and the Natural Resources Club were awarded a $1,400 grant from the University of Minnesota’s Beautiful U program to install a walkway to interpret the biomes in Nature Nook.

In the summer of 2005, Emery conducted a bird inventory on the Glacial Ridge project east of Crookston under the mentorship of Dr. John Loegering. Further, they developed a poster presentation which Emery presented in December at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Emery’s interests are board as evidenced by him serving a term on the board of the Northwest Sustainable Regional Partnership. He assisted with the staging of a 2-day conference in October of 2005 entitled, "Sustainable Development - global priorities, local applications." He and a student from Bemidji State University co-presented a paper on student views and application of sustainability. He was a part of the UMC campus, "Sustainability Squad," a loose-knit group of students who discussed various applications of sustainability in their lives and the campus environment. He practices what he preaches as well. He drives a tiny car that is at some personal safety risk but gets over 50 miles to the gallons; not the sort of macho machine that might be more becoming to a football linebacker.

Nate continues to teach himself about nature and was UMC’s most active birder. He regularly posted bird sighting on the regional birding list serv and his enthusiasm was infectious. He volunteered as a naturalist for young people at the Agassiz Environmental Learning Center at Fertile and also the Red River Valley Natural History Area.

“Nate is also a very wholesome guy and is always a gentleman in speech and manner,” adds Svedarsky. “During most of his college career, he would drive some 40 miles or so and teach young people's Sunday School at a small rural church near Fertile. Most of his college buds would be fast asleep and this would be after a Saturday pounding on the football field. This is not part of the criteria for this sort of an award but it says something about the make-up of this young man and his balanced life and concern for others.”

Emery is currently a wildlife research technician along the Platte River in Nebraska where he is collecting data on food resource use by migrating waterfowl. He is employed by the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, a federal research facility located in Jamestown, North Dakota. He is evaluating options for graduate school where he plans to complete a Master’s degree in either wildlife ecology or sustainable development.

UMC is a four-year baccalaureate degree granting institution and a coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota. Other majors in natural resources at UMC in addition to, Wildlife Management, are; Water Resources Management, Natural Resources Management, Natural Resources Law Enforcement, and Park Management. Golf and Turf Management, Horticulture, and Aviation majors are also offered by the Department. Contact Dan Svedarsky at 218-281-8129 or Sue Legare at 218-281-8128 for more information.

Doug Sandstrom, Natural Resources Grad and Advisory Committee Member Receives Prestigious Torch and Shield Award.

UMC honored seven individuals at the annual Torch & Shield Awards Program held Wednesday, October 26, 2005 in the Bede Ballroom. The Torch & Shield Award recognizes individuals who have provided leadership and who have aided in the development of UMC and the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC). The 2005 recipients include Harlene Hagen, Charles Hiller, Albert Peterson, Harold Peterson, Doug Sandstrom, and Deborah M. Zak. Donors were also recognized in conjunction with the Torch & Shield recipients at the evening’s event.

Photo:
(Front row l to r) Harold Peterson, Liz Quam, Deborah M. Zak, Harlene Hagen
(Back row l to r) Doug Sandstrom, Charles Hiller, Chancellor Casey.

Doug Sandstrom is a conservation officer/regional training officer for the state of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and is stationed in Cass County. From 1973-1977, he worked as the department technician and naturalist for the Natural Resources Department and Northwest Experiment Station at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. A natural resources graduate of UMC, Doug received the Outstanding Alumni Award in 1993. He currently is chair of the Cass County Extension Committee and serves on Extension’s statewide Citizens Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Leech Lake Foundation and serves on the advisory committee for the Mississippi Headwaters board. Doug has served on the Natural Resources Program Advisory Committee for many years.

"Doug Sandstrom is one of the most highly respected conservation officers in the state of Minnesota," according to Dr. Dan Svedarsky, Head of UMC’s Natural Resources Department. "He founded the Adopt a School Program of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and together with another UMC alum, Lloyd Steen, developed Minnesota’s Trapper Education program."  Sandstrom was the first recipient of the Conservation Officer Award presented by the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society in recognition of his contribution to wildlife conservation by striving to not only enforce conservation laws but importantly contribute to educating outdoor enthusiasts to stewardship ethics. 

Doug, in his Program Advisory role was key in UMC having programs in Natural Resources Law Enforcement, Natural Resources Aviation, and Law Enforcement Aviation.  "We are so grateful for Doug’s commitment to not only resource management in Minnesota but also to his many contributions to making UMC’s Natural Resources Department one of the tops in the Upper Midwest", continued Svedarsky.

posted 11-1-05

UMC's sustainability squad

By Pauline Oo

From eNews, September 1, 2005

Dan Svedarsky, head of UMC's Natural Resources Department, with students David Walther, Cayla Wieland, Fabien Pommier, and Nate Emery; Joe Massey, campus executive officer; and John Magnuson, associate vice chancellor for facilities and operations.

Can changing the way a university campus looks or manages its environment make a difference to future generations? Yes, say four students at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.  The students, nicknamed the "student sustainability squad" by UMC's Natural Resources Department head Dan Svedarsky, are working on a variety of sustainable development projects that could add to the aesthetic value of the campus, and ultimately save it energy and money.  "In my view, every campus, every facility, and every home is not as sustainable as it could be," says Svedarsky, who is serving as the students' advisor. "There are things that could be done to lessen our energy consumption and make us more sustainable." Sustainability, he explains, "is defined as ways of using resources to provide for the people of today without compromising the needs of future generations to use those resources."

Horticulture students Cayla Wieland and David Walther, who are focusing on environmental landscaping, are developing a set of recommendations on the selection and design of plantings that would require lower maintenance (for example, perennial vs. annual plants) and that could be used to help a professor teach a class (thus reducing the need to travel to an off-campus location to view the plant). The students, who are working closely with facilities management head John Magnuson and lead groundskeeper Jerry Rude, will also identify areas on campus where mowing might be reduced, thus saving energy.

"Our goals are to create a more sustainable landscaping plan that might include adding more recreational areas to the mall for students and the community, creating an arboretum and more perennial gardens for education, and using more low maintenance and native plant materials," says Wieland, a sophomore.  Wieland and Walther have shared their research findings with UMC senior Nate Emery, who is developing small versions of Minnesota's three biomes in the "Nature Nook" outside the Natural Resources Building. These ecological areas will include a tallgrass prairie, a deciduous forest, and a coniferous forest.  "Once developed, these will be no-mow areas that will provide different kinds of plants and animals to observe close by," says Emery, who raised $2,000 in grants for his project.

Sustainable across the U

The University of Minnesota has a history of commitment to sustainability. It offers courses in sustainable development; it uses energy efficient heating and cooling systems; it recycles; it has researchers studying new, environmentally friendly and renewable energy technologies; it's a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions.... To learn more about the U's activities and research related to energy, recycling, and transportation, see Sustainable U.

Visiting French graduate student Fabien Pommier analyzed the campus's energy use and considered modifications that could be used in new building designs and on existing building retrofitting. His study, "Energy Audit and Applied Research-based Recommendations for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the University of Minnesota, Crookston" (which he is currently completing in France), will also address recycling patterns, transportation use, and even landscaping modifications. During his research in Crookston, he found a report suggesting that shading the external unit of air conditioners with vegetation has the potential to reduce their energy use by 10 percent.  "In my country, where gasoline is $5 per gallon, we think differently about transportation," says Pommier. "We certainly ride bikes more, carpool, and rely more on mass transit." That said, he is proposing that a commuter bus line could be started from Crookston to Grand Forks for the benefit of students and people who work in one city and live in the other.  The Northwest Regional Partnership of the University of Minnesota, the Blandin Foundation, and the U's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment are supporting Pommier's study.

Pommier and Emery will give a joint presentation on the students' view of sustainable applications at a college campus at UMC's national conference on regional sustainability October 24 and 25. The conference will draw speakers and participants from Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Manitoba, and beyond to examine a broad range of issues, from demographic trends and agriculture to business, the environment, and education.

"The buzz that sustainability has created around campus is a welcome breath and an indicator of change in the right direction," says Emery, who is president of the UMC Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society and also serves on the board of the Northwest Regional Sustainable Partnership. "UMC has the opportunity to lead a regional shift towards a better society by becoming better stewards of our resources."

In July 2004, the U's Board of Regents adopted a Sustainability and Energy Efficiency policy that commits the University to being "a world leader by promoting and demonstrating sustainability and energy efficiency." Additionally, President Bob Bruininks has made the environment and renewable energy a key University-wide priority. The goal of the President's Initiative on the Environment and Renewable Energy is to make the University a leader in renewable energy technologies and help turn Minnesota into a net exporter of energy.

"The work done by these students is laying the groundwork for follow-up work by other students who can take these findings and research them in more depth," says Svedarsky.

Svedarsky elected Vice President of The Wildlife Society

Dan Svedarsky, research biologist at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center and Head of the Natural Resources Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) has been elected Vice President of The Wildlife Society (TWS). Svedarsky is the second research scientist at the Research and Outreach Center elected to head their professional organizations. Plant Pathologist, Carol Windels was President of the 5,000 member, American Phytopathological Society in 1999. “I’m indeed proud of Carol and Dan to have achieved this level of respect and recognition by their professional peers,” notes Larry Smith, Head of the Northwest Research and Outreach Center.

From left: Carol Windels, Plant Pathologist, Northwest Research and Outreach Center; Dan Svedarsky, Wildlife Biologist; Larry Smith, Head, Northwest Research and Outreach Center.

The Center, based in Crookston, is a branch facility of the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences of the University of Minnesota where research is conducted on soils and water, agronomy, entomology, livestock, and natural resource relationships.

Founded in 1937, TWS is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The membership is comprised of nearly 9,000 wildlife professionals and students from more than 60 countries. Members are engaged in wildlife conservation and management as wildlife biologists, habitat managers, research scientists, field technicians, educators, and agency administrators. Svedarsky will be installed in September at the Society’s annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin and will transition to President-Elect, President, and Past-President over a 4-year term. “I’m deeply honored and a bit awed with this responsibility,” notes Svedarsky. “The next 4 years represent a period of dramatic personnel changes due to retirements within the wildlife profession and accelerating challenges in resource management at the local and global levels.” Svedarsky is the first Minnesota resident to be elected to this office.

Svedarsky has been active with the Society, serving a 3-year term as the North Central Section Representative of The Wildlife Society and chairing the program committee for the 2002 national meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota. In 1999, Svedarsky received The Minnesota Award from the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society in recognition of contributions to wildlife conservation in Minnesota.

Svedarsky, who splits his time between the Research and Outreach Center and UMC, has been at the Crookston campus since 1969, when he was the first faculty member hired in Natural Resources. After completing 2 degrees in at the University of Missouri, Columbia, he studied the nesting and brood-rearing ecology of greater prairie chickens in Minnesota while completing a Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology at the University of North Dakota. Svedarsky’s research has focused on tallgrass prairie restoration and management using fire, prairie bird management, and wildlife values of wild rice paddies and gravel pits. With colleagues and graduate students at the University of North Dakota, he is currently directing research on colonization of restored wetlands by vegetation and amphibians at the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the largest prairie and wetland restoration project in North America and is only 10 miles from the Crookston campus.

Along with the heading UMC’s Natural Resources Department, Svedarsky teaches Wildlife Habitat Management Techniques, Ecology, Plant Taxonomy, and Integrated Resource Management. Publications include: editing a recent book, The Greater Prairie Chicken; A national look, and senior author of land management booklets entitled: A landowner’s guide to prairie management in Minnesota, and Effects of management practices on grassland birds: the greater prairie chicken.


Posted: 7/29/2005

John Loegering receives Distinguished Teaching Award

May, 2005

UMC's Distinguished Teaching Award was established in 1983 to recognize those members of the faculty who have made significant contributions to teaching.  The award symbolizes UMC’s commitment to excellence in teaching.  Way to go Dr. Loegering!

23rd annual UMC Natural Resources Club tree planting trip to the Chippewa National Forest - 4000 trees planted!

The 2005 tree planting crew included these UMC students:

Front row (from left): Shaina Bjornerud, Jeremy Nguyen, Mary Jo Geldert, Jen Kaser

Middle row: Mike Hanson, Val Konchal, Johnny Wente, John Hanson, Steph Powell

Back row: Jake Stich, Micah Meyer, Chris Alford, Jason Rarick

Russell Kleinschmidt receives student conservationist award from Minnesota Wildlife Society. See link for more details.

John Loegering receives chapter service award from Minnesota Wildlife Society.

 UMC Student Luke Wittkop in Costa Rica - read about his study abroad experience in link.

Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge

On Tuesday, October 26, The Nature Conservancy will donate nearly 2,000 acres of restored land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--the first piece of the Glacial Ridge refuge. It will transfer the remaining acreage to the federal agency for inclusion in the refuge when restoration is complete

Gale Norton, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, officially designated the 35,750-acre Glacial Ridge refuge at an announcement ceremony at the Minnesota State Capitol on October 12. Glacial Ridge, which is approximately 10 miles east of Crookston, is the state's 13th national wildlife refuge and the 545th in the country. National wildlife refuges are a network of lands and waters managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve, manage, and restore fish, wildlife, and plant habitat.

Glacial Ridge Wildlife Refuge created near Crookston - read more about it in the link.

UMC Assistant Professor John Loegering receives National Wildlife Award in Calgary - scroll down in link to read more.

Jessica Larson Receives Cabela’s Conservation Award
Jessica A. Larson of Dassel, Minnesota, was recently awarded the 2004 Cabela’s Conservation Award.  The award celebrates the role of hunting and fishing in conservation and is awarded to a natural resources student at UMC. Larson is a senior majoring in natural resources - wildlife management.
Read more...
Posted: 05/13/04

Students Plant 4,000 Trees
Student involved in the UMC Natural Resources Club planted 4,000 jack pine seedlings on the Deer River District of the Chippewa National Forest during their annual tree planting trip April 29-May 2.  In addition, they removed about 4,000 budcaps from white pine seedlings that they'd placed on several plantations last fall to protect the seedlings from nibbling deer.

The 2004 tree planting crew included:
Front row (from left): Ben Feiro, Jessica Larson, Stephanie Powell, Clayton Schmitz
Middle row (from left): Nico Bennett, Jon Hanson, Alex Wendorf, Cheryl Isder, Kristen Graham, Jeremy Nguyen,
Back row (from left): Eric Shaffer, Chris Alford, Jake Stich, Russell Kleinschmidt, Derrick Odegaard, Paul Christensen, Travis DeGroot, and Ryan Gilbertson
Posted: 05/05/04

UMC Trains Firefighters

For the past six years, students in UMC's Natural Resources Program have received extra training that qualifies them to work with natural resource agencies around the country.  With the completion of the 2004 training sessions, UMC has now trained more than 225 students at the basic firefighter level. Read more...
Posted: 05/05/04

Buckthorn Busters
The UMC Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society organized and led a group of students to Rydell National Wildlife Refuge Saturday, April 17, to control European Buckthorn.  Buckthorn is native to Europe and is an aggressive, invasive, exotic species that degrades natural habitats.  The group removed buckthorn from two areas as part of an ongoing experiment at the refuge. 

Pictured above (left to right)- Back Row: Clint Streeter, Paul Christensen, Derrick Odegard,  Dustin Beseke, Chris Alford, Ben Lee, Associate Professor Phil Baird, Middle Row:  Spencer Berg, Damon Haan, Russell Kleinschmidt, Jessica Larson, Stephanie Powell, Sara Schwerin, Alex Wendorf, Front Row: Kristin Graham, Cheryl Isder, Jeremy Nguyen, Cayla Wieland, Not Pictured: Tony Arola,  Assistant Professor John Loegering with sons Luke and Isaac 
Posted: 04/22/04

Improving Grouse Habitat

The weekend of March 26-27 the UMC Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society sent a contingent to central Minnesota to work on habitat management. The UMC students joined a work crew from Vermillion Community College in improving the habitat for sharp-tailed grouse (pictured above), one of the four grouse species in Minnesota.  The habitat improvement weekend was organized by Bill Berg, retired Minnesota DNR biologist and member of the Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society. Pictured below (from left) are Derrick Odegard, Sara Schwerin, Dave Dickey (Minnesota DNR), Jessica Larson, Damon Haan, (front) Jeremy Nguyen, and Bill Berg.

Posted: 03/31/04

UMC's Tyler Janke Receives Soil and Water Conservation Society Award
Janke is the third UMC student in three years to receive this award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society. He is a senior from Frazee, Minnesota, and is majoring in natural resources - water resource management.
Posted: 03/15/04

Phil Baird Earns Prestigious U of M Award
Phil Baird, associate professor of natural resources, has been selected to receive the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions in Undergraduate Education.  The honor is one of the most prestigious awards bestowed by the University of Minnesota to teaching faculty. Read more...
Posted: 03/10/04

UMC's Kleinschmidt Receives Wildlife Society Scholarship

Dr. William Faber, Minnesota Chapter TWS President (center) congratulates Russell Kleinschmidt (right) as, Janet Boe (left), Awards Committee chair looks on.

Russell Kleinschmidt was awarded the Fedeler Scholarship by the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society at the group's annual meeting this past week in Brainerd , Minnesota . Kleinschmidt, a native of Long Prairie, Minnesota , is a junior at UMC and is majoring in Wildlife Management in the Natural Resources Program.

The Fedeler Scholarship helps beginning wildlife professionals get started with full membership in the international chapter of The Wildlife Society including all of the Society's publications. The intent is to expose students to discussions of research and issues through the Society's various publications.

“Russell is a very hard working and intelligent student and deserving of this award,” said John Loegering, UMC assistant professor of wildlife ecology and Kleinschmidt's academic advisor. “He is one of the most academically gifted students I have had the pleasure of working with here at UMC.” Kleinschmidt consistently performs at the top level academically, and he is also active in student organizations on campus, including the Natural Resources Club and the UMC student chapter of The Wildlife Society. “He clearly recognizes the value of professional interaction and development and is an active, participating member,” said Loegering.
Posted: 02/12/04

Larson is Crookston Rotary Student of the Month
Jessica Larson, a wildlife management student, received UMC Student of the Month honors for January 2004 from the Crookston Rotary Club at its January 15 meeting. The award recognizes student achievement in academics and involvement in extracurricular activities.
Posted: 01/30/04

UMC NatR Faculty to Attend International Conference
Dan Svedarsky, professor of natural resources, and John Loegering, assistant professor of wildlife ecology, will attend The Wildlife Society’s Third International Wildlife Management Congress, December 1-5, in Christchurch, New Zealand.  They will make the oral presentation “Economic Impacts of Nature-based Recreation in Northwest Minnesota.”  Two posters they developed have also been accepted to the conference:  “Wildlife Corridors: Economic Values and Conservation Goals” and “Nature-related Recreation and Tourism in Northwest Minnesota -- Nature Northwest Project.” 
Posted: 12/01/03

UMC Alum Discusses Fire Effects Monitoring

Becky Seifert, a fire effects monitor at Yellowstone National Park and 2001 graduate of UMC’s natural resources--park management program, spoke to current natural resources students Friday, November 14, at noon and 1 p.m. in 205 Owen Hall.   She related her experiences of the past three summers at Yellowstone and of working for the National Parks Service. She also offered tips on applying for state and federal jobs in natural resources.  Later that afternoon, students began work on fire effects monitoring techniques at the Natural History Area near campus. 
Posted: 11/14/03

Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease
UMC Natural Resources students volunteered over the weekend of November 8-9 to assist the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the testing of harvested deer for chronic wasting disease, a degenerative brain disease of concern to biologists and hunters in Minnesota. Brain stem and lymph node samples were collected from the heads of harvested deer that were brought to check stations across northwest Minnesota. The samples were then processed in UMC's Bergland Laboratory. Students assisted with both the collection and testing.

Posted: 11/14/03

Testing the Reception

Students had the opportunity to work with radiotelemetry equipment at the Natural History Area just west of campus on October 13.  The equipment is often used for tracking of various animals.  Assistant Professor John Loegering and Terry Wolfe led the demonstration.
Posted: 10/16/03

"Budcapping" in the Chippewa National Forest

The UMC Natural Resources Club spent the weekend "budcapping" white pine seedlings and saplings to help deter or prevent deer predation in several stands on the Deer River District of the Chippewa National Forest. The club has a 23-year volunteer tradition with the U.S. Forest Service in Minnesota.
Posted: 10/13/03

UMC NatR students Derrick Odegard, Adam Cook, and Jeremy Nguyen (from left) staffed a booth at the UMC Club Fair, held October 1.  They were promoting UMC's NatR Club and the student chapter of The Wildlife Society.

Fourteen UMC students in Assistant Professor Phil Baird's "Woody Plant Materials" class visited the Agriculture Canada Research Arboretum in Morden, Manitoba, on Monday, September 29. During the all-day field trip they visited with arboretum staff about the collection (>3500 acquistions) and the station's plant breeding program.

UMC to Host Quarterly Board Meeting of Nature Conservancy of Minnesota Sept. 19

Group will tour prairies and hold meetings during the day; focus on presentations at 7 p.m. in Youngquist Auditorium

Posted: 09/18/03

 

Raising the Crane

Dan Svedarsky (left), professor of natural resources, and Bill Haase, lab services coordinator, hang the latest edition to UMC's wildlife collection, a sandhill crane. This specimen is on display in the main stairwell of second floor Owen Hall. Sandhill cranes are a common sight near regional wetlands and rivers. Posted: 08/21/03

Know Your Flowering Plants
Above, UMC Professor Dan Svedarsky (far right) gives a refresher on flowering plant structure to the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil and Water Conservation District personnel attending the Fourth Annual Wetland Plant Training Conference. The group of natural resources professionals, many of whom are UMC alumni, will be on campus Monday, June 23, through Wednesday, June 25.
Posted: 06/24/03

 

Dan Weber Receives Cabela’s Conservation Award for 2003

Award is latest of many for UMC natural resources grad
Posted: 06/10/03

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See NatR Department News Archives for 2001-2003