The MU chapter of The Wildlife Society has one goal: educating members about protecting and conserving parts of the environment in Missouri and abroad.
The MU chapter meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building. Its meetings generally consist of discussions regarding conservation and upcoming events with occasional guest speakers from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Emily Barnett, president of the MU chapter, makes it her goal to get MU students involved with the environment.
“The political climate being what is, I think it’s really important to focus on conservation and preserving the wildlife that we still have left,” Barnett said.
Originally a pre-med student, Barnett took five years off from school and came back last year as a full-time student pursuing a different path in Natural Resource Science and Management with an emphasis in Fisheries and Wildlife.
“I like science, but I wanted to do more with animals,” she said.
Having not been involved in clubs and activities her freshman year, Barnett made it her goal to find organizations that centered around her interests. After attending a club fair for the School of Natural Resources, Barnett encountered The Wildlife Society at a table.
“Last year, we had a lot of people come [to] talk,” Barnett said. “I thought that was really cool so I stayed.”
After staying in the society for a year, Barnett became president and now works to increase attendance at events.
At its first meeting of the year, 25 members showed up, primarily freshmen with majors in the School of Natural Resources.
In the future, Barnett says the MU chapter wants to educate as many students as it can through upcoming functions like the deer aging event, where students look at the skeletons and remains of deer and analyze their teeth and other indicators about their life.
The training for the deer aging event will be Oct. 9 in the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building with the actual event occurring Nov. 16 and 17.
With conservation and the environment dominating the political discourse as it is now, Barnett feels that having an understanding of these issues is of the utmost importance. With a promising future and a strong mission, the MU chapter of The Wildlife Society feels it is ready to deliver just that.
_Edited by Ben Scott | bscott@themaneater.com_