AGM and Quiz Bowl
March 21

We had a great turn out at our AGM, where we reminisced about the great events we held this year and elected our new executive for next year! After the meeting, we held Quiz Bowl, where teams of four went head-to-head in a fast-paced Jeopardy-style game. We were honored that Dr. Mike Gillingham, the previous faculty advisor for UNBC TWS, returned to organize the first Quiz Bowl in a few years, due to COVID-19. Thanks also to Dr. Chris Johnson, Dr. Mark Shrimpton, and Dr. Heather Bryan for being judges. Lots of laughs were had and plenty of fun facts were learned!

Becoming an RPBio Workshop
March 10

Thank you to Shona, who gave a very informative presentation about how to becoming an RPBio and answered many of our questions. About 35 people benefitted from this workshop.

This Wild Life Film Fest
March 8

More than 50 people came to the film fest in the Canfor Theatre, about half of which were not affiliated with UNBC! We showed four films (Finding Gulo, The Last Stand, Community for the Wild, and Nuisance Bear). We received lots of positive feedback from community members, and raised funds to support undergraduate UNBC students traveling to the BC Chapter and Canadian Section TWS Conference in Victoria.

NRESi Colloquium: Dr. Cole Burton
March 3

Dr. Cole Burton travelled from UBC up to Prince George to speak about his work using camera trap science to support human-wildlife coexistence. A couple dozen members attended a pizza lunch with Dr. Burton, where he shared about his career history and how he got to his current position. We had a some really great conversations about his diverse wildlife experiences throughout his career. Dr. Burton then gave an NRESi colloquium and had an opportunity to go out to JPRF to learn about the research being conducted there.

Flamingle
February 10

Our Flamingle social event was a huge success! We played wildlife bingo and then danced the night away. We brought in a DJ, decorated the Thirsty Moose in flamingo-themed decor, and arranged for themed drinks. The turnout was great, and everyone had a fun time!

Graduate Student Talk: Lisa Koetke
February 7

Lisa shared her experiences of getting into research as an undergraduate student and how research has taken her to many corners of the world since then. She also talked about her current research for her PhD dissertation looking at the effects of forest harvesting on moose populations.

Ice Fishing Tournament
February 4

We had a blast at our annual ice fishing tournament, which was held at Eena Lake. The tournout was fantastic with other 60 anglers coming out to enjoy our natural resources and support our club! The weather was lovely and the tournament went smoothly using the MyCatch app to document fish caught. Congratulations to the winners of the tournament! Thank you to everyone who came out and all of the community support we received.

Brown Bag Lunch: DWB Consulting
January 24

Representatives from DWB Consulting met with a handful of our students to talk about what a career in consulting can mean. This was a fantastic networking and educational opportunity. Thank you to DWB Consulting for engaging with our members!

Graduate Student Talk: Liz Hirsch
January 18

Liz talked about the challenges of studying population dynamics of data-limited and cryptic species, and the use of simulation aproaches to evaluation potential study designs before implementing field programs. Her research is in the context of fisheries management – specifically, she studies burbot, a freshwater cod species inhabiting coldwater lakes and rivers throughout the northern hemisphere. She will be estiming burbot exploitation rates in the Ominca Region to explore the implications for fisheries management.

Bake Sale
November 30 – December 2

We held a bake sale in the Winter Garden, featuring many delicious treats. The executive as well as a few members contributed by baking their favorite recipes.

Wildlife Calendars
November 30 – December 2

The 15th annual TWS wildlife calendars are a hit yet again! We sold them at a table, along with our bake sale, but they are also available for purchase through the UNBC bookstore.

Graduate Student Talk: Cara Snell
November 29

Cara gave a wonderful talk about her research as an undergrad student, before starting grad school, and during her Master’s. She talked about why she chose to pursue grad school and weighing different career options. She also described her PhD research, which looks at the influence of silvicultural treatments on bird and small mammal communities.

Wildlife Trivia at Deadfall Brewery
November 26

We parterned with Deadfall Brewery to host an evening of wildlife trivia! The brewery was full, and we had a blast. Congratulations to our very own Chad McLaughlin and Caitlin Zvanovec on winning trivia.

15th Annual Wildlife Photography Contest
October 25 – November 25

This year, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the TWS wildlife photography contest! We had a great turnout, with 71 photos being submitted. We held voting in the winter garden and 179 people participated. Check out the top photos:

Kennedy Siding Caribou Trip
November 19

After some unfortunate weather causing the Kennedy Siding trip to be postponed multiple times, a small group of students finally made it out to see the caribou. Thank you to Master’s student Lauren Elviss for sharing her caribou expertise with the group!

Graduate Student Talk: Brett Gandy
November 16

Our second graduate student presentation was given by Brett Gandy. He talked about his experience with breaking into research as an undergraduate working on the habitat selection of bats. He also talked about the outcomes from the experience, and the future directions that his research will take.

Graduate Student Talk: Carlie O’Brien
October 25

Our first graudate student presentation of the semester was by Carlie O’Brien! She talked about her research history, and how she found herself in a graduate program at UNBC. Carlie has had tons of wildlife-related research experience and explained how she got those experiences as an undergraduate. Her current research is with Dr. Heather Bryan, and focuses on ungulate health.

Wildlife Photography Workshop
October 22

Guided Bird Watching
October 15

A couple dozen UNBC TWS members joined local birding experts Cathy Antoniazzi and Jack Bowling on a walk in Forests for the World. They spotted some Varied Thrush, Ring-necked Ducks, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and more!

TWS Meet and Greet
September 28

Bird Banding Trip
September 10 – 11

A dozen members traveled to the Mackenzie Nature Observatory to learn all about capturing and banding birds.