Oshkosh introduces Wildlife Club

The Wildlife Club has been active planning different volunteer projects and field trips for the upcoming months, but are interested in having more members attend meetings because they are a new club at UW Oshkosh.

Students said they were interested in the club because it pertains to their major and they can meet other students who have the same interest in wildlife. Members are also interested in wildlife conservation and the environment, Ken Sanderson, club member said.

 “I was interested [in joining] because I think it is important to meet and learn from peers about their interests to gain additional knowledge about wildlife,” member Mel Mohr said.

The Wildlife Club is just starting to gain members and set goals for the rest of the school year and are roughly 15 members who regularly attend the meetings, which are on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. in Sage Hall, according to Misty McPhee, faculty adviser and assistant professor of environmental studies and biology at Oshkosh. 

“I’m looking to gain more knowledge of my surroundings and field experience,” Emily Rankin, club member, said. “It’s also important to have a great time gaining new friends who have the same passion as me.”

Though the members have only met a few times, they have covered a lot of ground. According to Sanderson, their main interest is taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible, but most of the things the club will be doing will be during the spring and summer months due to the weather.

“At this point we’re just talking about things we want to do,” McPhee said. “We’re looking to do volunteer work, deer and bat surveys, animal censuses and taking a field trip to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis.”

Students talk about what they have discovered through various opportunities during the meetings and also brainstorm different ideas for possible projects and activities, according to McPhee.

“We bring in current news and discuss its relevance,” Sanderson said. “We have taken time to watch educational documentaries on various topics that fall under the wildlife theme. There are plans to choose academic peer articles for discussion as well as ideas of creating a larger club research project.”

  Since the club will not be doing many volunteer projects during the winter months, members are interested in talking about news items that involve wildlife and local or global talk of environmental issues that are going on, according to McPhee.

“Different people have taken on different research projects,” McPhee said. “They’ve looked into things such as wolf tracking and helping the DNR with invasive species.”

Most of the students that are involved are upperclassmen that are majoring in environmental studies or biology.  Because the club is so new, not many people are aware of it, so the club is looking for new members who are interested in wildlife and wildlife conservation, according to McPhee.

“I encourage any students who are interested [to] come and attend a meeting to get involved,” McPhee said.