The NMU Wildlife Society is the newest student organization creating quite a buzz all over campus for outdoor enthusiasts eager to get some hands-on field work and experience in the areas of wildlife and environmental conservation.

Established in 1993, the organization was depleted in 2007. That was until sophomore Kassondra Hendrick, a microbiology major, wanted more hands-on experience in her field of study after going through NMU’s pre-veterinarian program. She reestablished the organization by recommendation of Pat Brown, head of the biology department and now the faculty adviser for the Wildlife Society.

“There are three main goals of the Wildlife Society,” said Brown. “Those are to meet people and have fun, and to get involved with activities that will teach and benefit engaged students and nurture the development of future biologists.”

The intention of the Wildlife Society is not to gain credit, but knowledge and understanding. Some of their future plans include working with the Huron Mountain Club in monitoring the breeding and population of mountain lions in the Huron Mountains.

Another upcoming project monitors the population and propagation of owls in the U.P., conducting exclusive research at all hours of the night.

In addition, the organization is setting up volunteer work to be conducted at the DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace, Mich.

“In this field, it’s important to get hands-on experience,” said Kim Randolph, a sophomore ecology major and co-president of the Wildlife Society.

One of the biggest precedence’s of the Wildlife Society is to support the community in any way feasible. One possibility they have for the near future involves the construction of the Tourist Park Dam this coming spring.

“This organization is meant to benefit students majoring in biology, ecology, botany, zoology,  potential DNR officers and anything pertaining to wildlife and environmental conservation,” Randolph said. “It’s important to get first-hand experience for a job market that’s all about networking.”

The society may be conducting extensive research on the dam’s future effects on local wildlife, as well as working with the Marquette Board of Light and Power on the outcome of new wetlands in Tourist Park. This would benefit the community in that they wouldn’t be spending a fortune on bringing in specialists, when we have our own right here on campus.

The NMU Wildlife Society’s first meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 27, in 2202 New Science Facility at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Hendrick at [email protected], Randolph at [email protected], or Brown [email protected].