University faculty member shares her experience working with Natural Resources students
Page 8
Discover how a new bachelor’s degree allows students to explore interests in business and land management
Page 12
Stay updated on the recovery status of Rinker Rock Creek Ranch after experiencing a recent wildfire
Page 20
The College of Natural Resources magazine is published annually for alumni and friends of CNR. Subscription is free. The magazine also is available online in its entirety at uidaho.edu/cnr
Dennis Becker, dean
Annalise Mitchell, writer in residence
Megan Lolley, editor
Ralph Bartholdt, U of I Communications and Marketing
David Jackson, U of I Communications and Marketing
Leigh Cooper, U of I Communications and Marketing
University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1142 Moscow, ID 83844-1142
Email: cnr-alumni@uidaho.edu
Design – U of I Creative Services
Photography – U of I Visual Productions. Other image credits noted on the pages where they appear.
U of I Moscow is located on the homelands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), Palus (Palouse) and Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) tribes.
We extend gratitude to the Indigenous people that call this place home, since time immemorial. U of I recognizes that it is our academic responsibility to build relationships with the Indigenous people to ensure integrity of tribal voices.
On the cover: A solitary mountain bluebird finds a new perching spot on a burnt branch after a wildfire blazes through Rinker Rock Creek Ranch. This portrait was photographed by John Finnell. You can read the full story on Rinker’s recovery on page 20.
Photo by John Finnell
If you’ve read my letters or heard me talk, I’ve probably shared something about the value of a degree from the College of Natural Resources. Our students are well trained. Our faculty are knowledgeable and caring. And our classrooms— the lakes, rivers, rangelands, forests, nurseries, hatcheries, farms and communities—in which we learn are among the best in the country. While all of this is true, it’s not enough for me to say it. It’s not enough if the public or legislators don’t believe it. Or they don’t see it. Which is why we need you, our alumni and friends, to help us tell the CNR story, to help us stay strong and vibrant to serve Idaho.
Please consider being a vocal champion and advocate for CNR and the University of Idaho. You have the power to influence prospective students who are exploring a career in natural resources. And your opinion matters to decision makers who dictate our funding.
The value of a CNR degree is in the impact of a trained workforce that ensures healthy forests, rangelands and water resources. Our degrees, from A.S. to PhD, provide hands-on experience in careers that matter. Our research lessens the impact of wildfires on communities. We forecast the economic impact of natural resource industries to inform state and federal policy. We develop vaccinations
to sustain a growing aquaculture industry to feed an increasing population—and we do so much more to help businesses succeed, communities thrive and make our natural resources healthier for our grandchildren.
Please reach out to me if you are interested in a financial contribution for student scholarships, an endowment to support faculty or capital projects to improve our facilities. We welcome a conversation to discuss the many opportunities for impact through a variety of charitable giving avenues.
The stories in this issue highlight our commitment to excellence and serving the people of Idaho and the world. I’m excited about our direction, and especially our collective will to serve our students. The promise and commitment of a Land Grant institution like the University of Idaho is to provide for the education and research needs of the state and its citizens. We have faithfully executed that mission for more than 100 years. This is our story. This is our responsibility.
Thanks,
The Western News
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Yvette Bonney, a chronic wasting disease (CWD) technician, gives readers a detailed account of a day in her life as she examines dead deer, elk or moose to better inform hunters of their animals’ health.
Pacific Northwest AG Network
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Ryer Becker, a new CNR faculty member, tells a story of improved technology and the overlooked sustainability efforts made by logging industries across the Northwest, while highlighting how these improvements will continue to support families and communities.
KTVB
Photo credit: KTVB
Karla Eitel, director of the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), shares how MOSS has provided a wide range of learning opportunities and hands-on experience in natural resources studies to students of every age.
KTVB
Photo credit: KTVB
Idaho continues to lead the nation in rainbow trout farming and production. Now, researchers at the University of Idaho are finding innovative ways to keep the industry sustainable, starting with their diet.
Idaho PBS
Photo credit: Idaho PBS
“Outdoor Idaho,” a public television show, features U of I’s Experimental Forest in their episode on Western white pine and its impact on Idaho society. Nathan Knoeller, forestry student, and Robert Keefe, director of the Experimental Forest, are highlighted in this episode.
Photo credit: University of Idaho Visual Productions
Quentin Thomas (B.S. forestry), along with 12 other Forest Policy Institute students from across the nation, attends a congressional meeting in Washington, D.C. to experience firsthand how forest policy is made while making connections with notable political figures.
KTVB
Photo credit: KTVB
Jacob Bledsoe, a U of I assistant professor and aquaculture researcher, informs viewers on how his research, along with collaborative efforts, has saved the dying white sturgeon population. Not only did this research aid in conservation, it also created a booming industry for the culinary use of white sturgeon caviar.
Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications and Marketing
Photos by Garrett Britton, University of Idaho Visual Productions
Published in November, 2024
In a narrow aisle of a cement-floored room at the bottom of University of Idaho’s Mines Building, Eika Willis holds a flower pressed on a paper page.
The delphinium, bright purple even in the room’s subdued light, is a native of Idaho’s spring hillsides.
Willis, who graduates this semester with a bachelor’s in ecology, has had ample time to discover the names of flowers, weeds and other dryland vegetation in her two-and-a-half years as a steward of U of I’s Stillinger Herbarium.
She was hired as a freshman and has since learned every job, and many of the plants, in the herbarium’s vast collection, said herbarium manager Kai Battenberg.
“She can do everything from collect plants, dry and preserve them, mount and enter the data,” Battenberg said. “She will be hard to replace.”
Willis was hired as a full-time fire manager with the Forest Service when she returns to her hometown of Bonners Ferry. Her U of I experience, like Palouse loam, forms a foundation that will allow her to flourish in multiple fields after graduation.
“The hands-on experience I got here was unprecedented, and it is one of the reasons I
enrolled at U of I in the first place,” Willis said.
At Idaho’s premier herbarium, established in 1892 and housing more than 200,000 plants and fungi, Willis spends hours preparing specimens by gently moving plants that were pressed and dried in the field to a glass plate. They are smeared with acid-free archival glue and affixed to thick preservation paper.
“This is really expensive adhesive that doesn’t hurt the plants so they can be stored for a long time,” Willis said.
The plants’ name family, genus and species along with notes on where they were collected, are added to a small placard. The specimen is photographed and given a barcode before the information is logged in the herbarium’s digital data bank. Researchers and plant lovers can view specimens in person or online.
affords historical background and insight into the people behind the plants.
“They provide a glimpse into the personality of people who were out there gathering plants, sometimes a hundred years ago,” she said. “From the labels, you can see what kind of person they were.”
Some of the labels are serious, furnishing only placenames and dates. Others are whimsical, poetically describing the landscape where the plants were collected along with small details of the collectors’ lives.
“I got hands-on learning in every single one of my classes.”
—Eika Willis, ecology student
Willis said she came to U of I primarily because of scholarships and affordability, but quickly realized the small classes and pragmatic approach of professors were invaluable.
The purple delphinium was collected on Moscow Mountain in the late 1800s, Willis said. “Some of the plants in this collection were picked more than a century ago.”
In addition to her tenure at the herbarium, Willis’ U of I education includes a stint as College of Natural Resources ambassador. She also plans, manages and monitors prescribed burns on public and private lands with forestry Professor Heather Heward. One of her projects included using fire to preserve native Palouse Prairie.
“Eika has found a deep interest in making fire a more accessible tool to a valuable space,” Heward said. “She will use her fire experience and her knowledge of plants to help landowners come up with a plan for protecting this important prairie remnant.”
Growing up in rural Bonners Ferry, Willis said collecting firewood was a seasonal family tradition.
“We heated with wood, so yeah, we went out every fall to get the winter’s firewood supply,” she said.
At U of I, she gravitated to the VandalJacks logger sports team where, along with a coterie of student lumberjack athletes, she competes with chainsaws, crosscut saws and climbs poles against a clock to ring a bell on the top, before returning safely to the ground.
“It’s definitely a unique experience,” she said.
At Stillinger, Idaho’s official plant repository, she likes reading the old labels attached to specimens. Each of them is written by a collector and
Part of Willis’ herbarium duties included collecting, drying, pressing and displaying plant species.
“I got hands-on learning in every single one of my classes,” she said. “We went on field trips and learned from professionals working in these occupations. I got insight into other people’s careers and the type of work they do, which really prepared me for life after college.”
While earning a bachelor’s in ecology, Eika Willis also worked in the Stillinger herbarium since she was a freshman.
University faculty member shares her experience working with Natural Resources students both in and outside her laboratory
Article by Annalise Mitchell, writer in residence
Photos by Simona Picardi
Simona Picardi has been praised by students and staff alike as one of CNR’s stellar faculty members. Joining the Fish and Wildlife Sciences Department in August 2023 as an assistant professor, Picardi established her own research laboratory and has been invigorating students with her vast knowledge of ecology and wildlife behavior. Her research has taken her around the world as it centers on quantitative ecology to inform conservation and wildlife management efforts.
For instance, Picardi has studied the movement patterns of striped hyenas in Israel and found that female movement differs from males in human-dominated areas in a variety of ways. She was able to reach this conclusion by using a GPS tracking system known to scientists as biologging technology on collars fitted to hyenas. While biologging technology is innovative for its ability to track animal movements when humans can’t, it’s known to produce very messy, complicated and often overwhelming data that researchers are tasked to comb through. However, Picardi had encountered this same daunting task during a roe deer project in her master’s program and was able to use the advanced statistical analysis skills she acquired then to assist in the decoding process for the hyena project. This is just one example of Picardi’s extensive knowledge
Picardi and graduate student Walker Field deploy a GPS-tracking device on a greater sage-grouse.
and experience with movement data and quantitative ecology.
Quantitative ecology is a branch of science that is concerned with retrieving crucial information from untidy and complex ecological data sets. Similar to the GPS tracking system Picardi combed through, quantitative ecologists often deal with data sets that are challenging to decode without advanced statistical analysis.
Picardi has been teaching her students these analysis skills both in and outside of her lab. Picardi and her students use GPS collars deployed on wild animals as one of the primary methods of data collection similar to her own previous experiments. GPS tracking systems are valuable tools for studying wildlife movement, offering insights into how animals choose feeding and shelter sites critical information for balancing wildlife needs with human activities.
“These processes are hidden in movement data,” Picardi explains.
In the Picardi lab, two doctoral students, four master’s students and two undergraduate students each pursue their own research with projects involving sage-grouse, grizzly bear, bighorn sheep and African ungulates.
The lab has two new initiatives that Picardi is particularly excited about. The first entails using quantitative methods to study how human winter recreation such as snowmobiling or crosscountry skiing in the
Graduate student Ben Nance observes the behavior of elk and mule deer in response to winter recreation.
vicinity of deer and elk may affect not only how animals behave in response, but also their fitness. The research entails weighing ungulates at the beginning of winter in places heavily used by people, and again at the end to help quantify a pattern for weight loss or gain during the winter months.
“The results will help us manage winter recreation in a way that benefits both people and wildlife,” Picardi said.
The second project focuses on how fences affect the migration of pronghorn. Picardi explains that during their migration between summer and winter ranges, pronghorn encounter fences either property line or livestock fences that pose obstacles to their migration. Fences are problematic for the pronghorn because the animals are not well adapted to jump over them and instead, they crawl under them. Because most old fences are too low to the ground to allow for safe passage, the new system includes a design in which the bottom wire is high enough for pronghorn to pass underneath. Picardi’s students are testing whether this new fencing system will result in easier crossing for pronghorn. To quantify its success, her students are using historic GPS tracking data from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as well as motion sensors the researchers attached directly onto the fences to count the number of successful migrations through fenced areas. This project is in partnership with landowners and ranchers who are interested in using new livestock fence designs.
The purpose of both studies is to ensure the conservation of wildlife while also prioritizing human needs, livelihoods, and well-being. Picardi wants to emphasize that her conservation efforts are not aimed at portraying humans as “the bad guys.”
“There are a lot of positive things that we are doing as stewards of the earth,” she said. “There’s a lot of conservation success stories to be told.”
Picardi and her students will be featured in a documentary about conservation of the Yellowstone ecosystem, which is currently in production. This development is very exciting as it aligns with Picardi’s values for her lab, which include conveying to the public in an accurate and authentic manner the scientific knowledge she and her students discover.
“One of our lab goals is communicating the results of our science broadly to make sure we can have the biggest positive impact possible,” she said.
Though Picardi’s lab and teaching emphasizes the importance of scientific skills and inquiry, she also ensures that her students learn other “soft skills,” as she calls them, especially the ability to collaborate.
“I would love for every student that comes out of my lab to realize how important human relationships are for their progress and for the good of science in general,” Picardi remarks. “We don’t work in isolation.”
She remembers how, in her master’s and doctorate programs, she had the privilege of working in labs in which students prided themselves on being socially active and collaborative, as well as supportive of each other’s research. This, Picardi said, is what she aims to accomplish in her own lab.
“That’s the kind of vision I'm trying to create a group of people who enjoy spending time together, helping each other, and who collaborate on science,” she said. “Science is a team effort always.”
Graduate student Day Scott is
Picardi brings this spirit of cooperation into her classroom, as she works with students from a variety of backgrounds and expertise. She ensures they receive a customized educational experience in both the lab and classroom.
“As an advisor, it’s my responsibility to give them what they need and tailor to them individually,” Picardi remarks.
Picardi currently teaches Reproducible Data Science, a graduate-level course, as well as Wildlife Management and Management and Communication of Scientific Data, two undergraduate-level courses with the former doubling as a capstone for the Wildlife Sciences major. She encourages her students to build lasting partnerships, seek out relationships with those who are more experienced in the field, and of course, create excellent reproducible science.
University Library launches digital archive about a historic research center
In 1879, “Cougar” Dave Lewis signed on as an Army ammunition packer, where he would find himself in the secluded mountains of Central Idaho. Thirty-nine years later, Lewis settled in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and purchased 65 acres where he built a ranch with cabins and livestock. Though seemingly insignificant, this land purchase in 1928 began the story of University of Idaho’s Taylor Wilderness Research Station that is still being written today.
Since its purchase by the University of Idaho in 1969, Taylor Ranch has hosted College of Natural Resources students and researchers who have formed memories, conducted experiments, taken lessons and documented the local cultural and ecological landscapes. To retain the history and memories surrounding the station, the University of Idaho Library has created digital archives chronicling Taylor Ranch including a history of the station and a record of Lewis’s time on the land.
Taylor Ranch provides CNR students with a space to conduct research with minimal human impact and now hosts U of I’s “Semester in the Wild” program, which
is a 12-week immersive experience providing up to 18 undergraduate credits each fall. In one of those research projects, graduate students Hannah Wilson Creel, Jack Kredel and Andrew Weymouth located artifacts from the station’s history. They archived and organized them into a complete digital repository. With donations from alumni and faculty, this user-friendly archive is now accessible via the U of I Library website.
The collection currently holds over 1,500 documents, more than 100 photographs, 11 video interviews, and data analytics that document the history and correspondence of Taylor Ranch. Viewers can immerse themselves in stories of innovative research, personal experiences from students and staff, administrative and federal relationships, and interactions between humans and wilderness.
A separate, complementary archive on the Library’s website documents the life of Lewis and the purchase of Taylor Ranch. After retiring from soldering, Lewis settled on his newly purchased land where he resided alone for 50 years. He received the nickname, “Cougar Dave,” as he hunted and killed over 1,000 cougars in his lifetime. The Cougar Dave Archive recounts landmark events in Lewis’ life, including the 1935 purchase agreement, correspondence regarding U of I’s purchase of Taylor Ranch, letters from various hunters who knew Lewis, newspaper clippings Lewis kept, as well as photographs and interviews of Jess and Dorothy Taylor close friends with Lewis and the previous owners of Taylor Ranch before University of Idaho purchased it in 1969. The archive also holds an interactive map where viewers can see the location of important documents and events. These collections share and honor the legacy of Dave Lewis and the Taylor Wilderness Research Station. To access these archives, use the QR codes provided.
This black and white photo of Taylor Ranch was taken in 1937 when it still belonged to “Cougar” Dave Lewis. Originally nicknamed “The Lewis Place,” hunters would travel great lengths to hunt with Lewis in the Big Creek area surrounding his property.
A new bachelor’s degree allows students to engage in interests related to the business of outdoor recreation and nonprofit management
Article by Annalise Mitchell, writer in
residencee
The College of Natural Resources’ Natural Resources Enterprise Management (NREM) degree is a new four-year bachelor of science program that combines entrepreneurial skills and coursework from the College of Business and Economics with CNR’s expertise in natural resource conservation and management. There are two emphases that students can choose from: stewardship or development, and business and entrepreneurship.
The degree is tailored to those who are interested in land management and natural resource business operations, like Ben Alabiso: a senior in the program set to graduate in 2026. Alabiso was drawn to NREM because of his passion for land management and building relationships with landowners. His goal is to manage Idaho’s private and public lands while informing the public about these fantastic resources.
“With recreation, the ultimate goal is no matter what public agency be it federal or state is allowing people to experience the outdoors,” Alabiso remarks. He claims that you’re not just managing the land, but also the people who interact with it.
NREM differs from the existing CNR degrees in a few ways. Not only does it cater to interest within natural resources, but it prepares students for stewardship and entrepreneurial careers by integrating authentic and relevant experiences with industry professionals. Led by
Students in Professor Zajchowski’s NRS 125 course meet with Palouse Land Trust staff and Moscow Area Mountain Bike Association members at Idler’s Rest Nature.
instructor Nathan Moody and assistant professor, Dr. Chris Zajchowski, NREM allows students to work with natural resource industries, like guides and outfitters or nonprofit organizations, during the school year.
One example of this is when Zajchowski’s Introduction to Conservation and Natural Resources course traveled to Idler’s Rest Nature Preserve and met with professionals from Palouse Land Trust to learn about conservation easements. Another is when Moody brought his students to the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to meet with industry professionals from private and nonprofit organizations, such as Salmon Raft, the Redside Foundation, and the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation.
Both Zajchowski and Moody state that one of NREM’s goals is to expose students to a variety of state and
national workforce demands related to the business of the outdoors, while also establishing connections and hands-on experience with professionals before they graduate.
“By the time they graduate, they know as much as they possibly could to be effective in their roles,” Zajchowski said.
The senior capstone project is an additional tool that gives students the opportunity to work in their field of choice and get a head start towards a successful career, be it stewardship or business focused. For Alabiso, he hopes to work with either Palouse Land Trust or Moscow Area Mountain Bike Association (MAMBA) to manage both private and public land in the Moscow area. His interests lie in being a liaison between the interests of private and public landowners, hoping to foster collaboration and establish a solid relationship between the two. Alabiso states that the NREM program has given him meaningful skills and handson experience unlike any other degree.
“It’s prepared me in a way that I think few other schools have because University of Idaho’s [Natural Resources and Society department] is so interesting in the way that unlike other public college programs, they very much focus on the people side of things,” Alabiso explains.
Zajchowski and Moody take pride in watching their students excel during and after the program, especially throughout the capstone. The capstone structure is inspired from University of Idaho’s Career Service’s Co-op model, which connects students with industries that are partnered with U of I to then work with them for an entire semester before graduating.
“The capstone is a really unique and innovative way to provide them that experience which gets them job-ready but also leverages the strength of the university,” Zajchowski remarks.
Industry professionals also attest to the degree’s importance. Executive director of Palouse Land Trust, Lovina Englund, speaks to the strength and effectiveness of
NREM’s strategic structure and learning style.
“A degree in Natural Resources from U of I’s College of Natural Resources offers a strong foundation – scientifically and socially. I especially value the hands-on fieldwork, service learning, and communication training,” Englund said. Not only is NREM important for U of I, but even more so for Idaho citizens. Alabiso recalls the great wealth of public lands that Idaho has to offer, and also how someone with
College of Natural Resources students in Nathan Moody’s NRS 404 course enjoy downtime at the University of Idaho McCall Field Campus.
extensive knowledge of natural resources and stellar communications skills needs to manage it.
“The importance of our degree is being able to communicate that information (conservation, public land nuances, etc.) to the people who may not have as great of an understanding of it,” Alabiso explains.
Whether a student’s interests lean towards business or stewardship, the NREM program is one step closer to a successful career in natural resource management while serving Idaho’s beautiful landscape.
Article
David
Published in March 2025
A University of Idaho team is creating a transformative approach to solving complex natural resource and land use challenges by integrating STEM-based learning with the perspectives of Indigenous communities at the K-12 level.
“When we have teachers learning from members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources or at events at McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to talk about water and land usage, they are better prepared to share Indigenous knowledge when they go back to teach,” said Shanny Spang Gion, a doctoral student at the College of Natural Resources.
The Center for Interdisciplinary Indigenous Research and Education (CIIRE) strengthens educational partnerships between U of I and its tribal nation partners by encouraging Native American K-12 students to not only think about attending college, but also to incorporate tribal knowledge into STEM-related disciplines.
“What we want to create is a hub of information, a knowledge base,” said Vanessa Anthony-Stevens, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences associate professor of social and cultural studies and co-principal investigator of CIIRE. “We want to bring diversity of thought to these discussions about the relationship between the land and its people.”
Partnering with Native American students begins with recruiting them to U of I. That’s where people like Dakota Kidder come in.
Kidder, program manager for U of I’s Tribal Nations Student Services, brings high school students to U of I through programs like Helping Orient Indian Students and Teachers into STEM (HOIST).
HOIST has relationships with area tribes, primarily the 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) tribes, and notifies their schools about U of I events. The MOU is an agreement between U of I and the affiliated tribes to strengthen the relationships between them and to improve the quality of educational services and opportunities provided to Native American students at U of I.
All high school students in the MOU tribes who have completed the ninth grade can join HOIST. Graduating seniors committed to attending U of I are also eligible to apply.
HOIST summer camps at MOSS are STEM-oriented. Events include science-based activities classes, field trips and workshops as well as cultural activities and leisure events to round out their experience.
“In HOIST applications, we specifically ask them about
their interests related to STEM,” Kidder said. “We want them to think about what kinds of STEM activities they are interested in as it relates to their culture and how they might use that knowledge.”
“Storytelling from elders — knowledge holders — is very genuine. When students hear stories about land management, operational knowledge and values important to the tribe, they listen.”
—Shanny Spang Gion, College of Natural Resources doctoral student
To support this idea, instructors such as scholars in the Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities and Leadership in Education and STEM (CIRCLES) program serve as mentors for HOIST, showing ways Indigenous research addresses current social and environmental issues.
Another goal of HOIST is to show students the support available once they arrive, such as information about financial aid and scholarships, scholastic advising and adjusting to life away from home.
“We want to prepare them for life on campus and introduce them to people who will ultimately help them be successful once they get here,” she said.
Last summer, Cultivating Relationships (CR), an outreach and research-based project funded by the National Science Foundation, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe put on a five-week course for 70 Plummer area K-12 students.
CR’s mission is to partner K-12 teachers with tribal nations and U of I researchers to examine the relationships between people, place, lands, and waters through STEM learning. The program, led by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Departments of Education and Natural Resources, exposed the students to environmentally focused
questions and the idea that information from tribal sources should be considered when trying to answer those questions. One way Indigenous information is passed down is through storytelling from tribal elders, which was featured at the program.
“Storytelling from elders knowledge holders is very genuine,” said Spang Gion, a former tribal scholar with CR. “When students hear stories about land management, operational knowledge and values important to the tribe, they listen.”
The program also focused on establishing strong connections between teachers and students.
“It’s crucial for teachers to build that trust with their students,” Spang Gion said. “When we share stories about our land and about our water, we end up teaching each other and learning from each other about how to approach difficult questions.”
CIIRE, CR and other related programs aim to foster reciprocity between tribes and their communities, ensuring that the Indigenous knowledge tribes share benefits everyone, not just the tribes, Spang Gion said.
“We want to be intentional about starting, supporting and sustaining these relationships,” she said. “What we want to create is a space where we can ask questions and share stories which can lead us to possible solutions.”
Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications and Marketing
Photos by Garrett Britton, University of Idaho Visual Communications
Video by University of Idaho Visual Productions
Published in February 2025
The Curlew National Grassland is 50,000 acres of rolling prairie in Oneida and Power counties dotted with weather-worn farm buildings that lean precariously in the sun and wind. The grasslands are visited seasonally by flocks of migrating birds and are home to sharp-tail and sage grouse.
“It’s one of those amazing places that you would never find by accident as you drive through the state,” Range Ecologist Jason Karl said. “It’s way out there in the southeast corner of Idaho, pretty remote.”
Karl, professor in the College of Natural Resources and director of The Rangeland Center at University of Idaho, will visit the grasslands often in coming years.
He and Eric Winford, a research assistant professor and associate director of the Rangeland Center, have a research project at the Curlew where, with the help of students, they will make regular drone flyovers to document changes in vegetation in response to land management.
As part of his job as a professor, Karl operates U of I’s Drone Lab, an interdisciplinary research and teaching group located in the Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on the Moscow campus.
The lab is the epicenter for drone projects led by professors who are part of the lab. Research associated with the lab includes wildland fire recovery research, stream restoration monitoring, weed treatment and seed application, and forest inventory projects. Most of the lab’s projects are carried out by graduate students, and study results are directly used to manage Idaho’s agricultural and natural resources.
When he came to the university almost a decade ago after working as a scientist for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Karl was already heavily invested in drone research.
“The dean at the time suggested that faculty on campus doing drone research should coordinate their efforts,” Karl said.
He helped put together the university’s first drone summit where U of I faculty and students shared how drones were being used in research and teaching.
That was the genesis of the drone lab in IRIC 205.
In the well-lit, glass-walled corner of the room with windows on three sides, drones are modified and repaired. Pieces of drones clutter the lab’s work benches and a variety of drones in many sizes some working, others defunct are stacked on shelves or hang from the ceiling.
Graduate students in the lab work with faculty members from a variety of U of I departments including in the colleges of Natural Resources, Agricultural and Life Sciences, Science and Engineering.
Karl and Winford’s project on the Curlew grassland, funded by the U.S. Forest Service, uses drone mapping to explore how grazing during different seasons affects abundance of invasive grasses and
wildfire fuels on rangelands. Another Rangeland Center project monitors rangeland and riparian restoration projects in southern Idaho.
“A large part of both these projects is drone-based monitoring,” Karl said. “Drones let us cover more ground and measure things that would be difficult with traditional fieldbased methods.”
Without drones, some aspects of the projects would be too labor intensive and almost unfeasible.
As part of its inventory, the lab employs a drone-mounted Lidar sensor for high-resolution 3D mapping. Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, uses laser pulses to measure distances and create 3D maps of land surfaces. The drone Lidar sensor is being used for forest inventory, monitoring stream restoration, measuring snow depth, estimating stockpile volumes and tracking wildfire recovery.
“We’re one of the few groups that has a drone-based Lidar sensor that can be used on any U of I research project or for teaching,” he said.
for their use has grown, Karl said, and with the drone lab’s increased popularity, its function has expanded.
Recently the lab it currently has over a dozen operational drones in its fleet was designated a university service center, which allows the lab to provide drone data collection and analysis services to U of I departments and external partners, assisting in research where drones are needed.
“As the legal compliance, training requirements and costs of drones has increased, individual faculty members are having a harder time justifying buying their own drones to collect data, especially for small projects,” Karl said. “The drone lab can provide pilots and equipment to do that.”
A federal government mandate, which went into effect at beginning of 2025, prohibits the use of Chinese-made drones on federally funded projects and may sideline several of the lab’s flying machines. This includes a large drone that has been used in Professor Leda Kobziar’s cutting-edge wildland fire and microbe research.
“We have a solid and cutting-edge curriculum that teaches students how to use drones in different applications.” —Jason Karl, director, U of I drone lab
A recent collaboration with the Intermountain Forest Cooperative resulted in a drone demonstration at the U of I Experimental Forest in which Idaho Forest Group agreed to donate one of its drones to the drone lab.
“It’s a type of drone we haven’t had before,” Karl said. “It’s a vertical take-off and landing plane. It takes off like a quadcopter then flips over and flies like a plane.”
The new drone can fly three times as long and cover three times the distance using the same-size battery as a regular drone.
“We’re training students on this type of drone that many people don’t have access to,” he said.
As drones become staple tools for research, the demand
University of Idaho’s drone lab, located in the IRIC, is the epicenter for campus drone projects led by professors who are part of the lab, as well as a place where drones are repaired and modified.
“We’ve used this drone for a lot of our wildfire smoke monitoring work,” said Phinehas Lampman, of Headquarters, Idaho, who is a doctoral student and wildland fire researcher who pilots drones equipped with various air samplers, meteorological sensors and cameras for remote sensing over wildfires. Much of the research includes federal funding. “It will be grounded, and we’ll have to replace it with an American-made drone.”
The cost to replace the wildland fire drone will exceed $25,000, he said.
“The new regulations are causing us to retool an entire drone fleet,” Karl said. “Any new federally funded agreements cannot use Chinese-made drones.”
Karl sees the mandate as a small temporary setback that could open opportunities for the lab to establish partnerships with U.S. drone makers, and the law could result in students building their own drones at U of I.
“We have a solid and cutting-edge curriculum that teaches students how to use drones in different applications,” Karl said.
He expects the lab to expand further, leading the way for drone research in the region.
“I’d really like to see our drone lab at the forefront of developing the use of this technology in all kinds of research and teaching applications,” Karl said. “This is an area that is full of opportunities for innovation, and we at U of I are in a position to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Watch a video to learn about the drone lab research here: www. youtube.com/watch?v=XNsyA0zxog
Article by David Jackson, University Communications and Marketing
Photos by Garrett Britton, University of Idaho Visual Productions
Published in April 2025
Growing up, Heather Heward remembers standing by the door while waiting for her dad to come home from monthlong firefighting sessions. She not only missed him, but also knew he was bringing her all of the treats he didn’t eat from his field lunches.
While listening to her dad’s stories about his experiences away from home, she saw his passion for the job. She also saw the financial stability that firefighting brought to their family. Factor in on-the-job snacks, and it’s no wonder she became hooked at an early age.
“I saw it as a way to make a good living, but there was also such an adventure about it, which was important to me,” said Heward, senior fire ecology and management instructor at U of I’s College of Natural Resources (CNR).
“After I graduated high school, I just took off and started fighting fire. I’m not even sure I thought about it too much. It’s just what I was meant to do.”
In a journey which has seen her transition from firefighter to a fire instruction, Heward is completing her Ph.D. in education with a specialization in leadership and organization development (LOD) through the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (EHHS) this summer. This degree will help her improve wildland fire
communication, training and education for her students, fire professionals and the public.
“She already has such a solid reputation and an incredible knowledge base from her experience in the field and the classroom,” said Leda Kobziar, professor of wildland fire science. “What this degree will help her do is create better and more efficient ways to transfer that knowledge to those who need it.”
Heward grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, and intended to go to college in western Washington until she heard from a college she visited while she was in high school.
“I played very poorly at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival during my sophomore year in high school, so I was familiar with the campus,” she said. “Then I got this postcard from U of I that listed all the different majors available in CNR. I wanted a well-rounded education, and they showed me I could study wildlife, fisheries and forestry. I didn’t see those options in western Washington, so I came here.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree in conservation biology in 2006, Heward wanted to obtain a master’s degree but also continue firefighting. She approached her major Heather Heward
professor, Penelope Morgan, with an idea about how she could do both.
“My undergraduate research showed there was a disconnect in information between how satellite imagery viewed a fire and what the firefighters were actually seeing on the ground,” Heward said. “I proposed a study where firefighters would collect the information on the ground, and then we could compare that to what we were being shown on satellite imagery. And I got to work for two more full fire seasons!”
Heward received a master’s degree in fire and ecology management through U of I’s online program before taking some time away from firefighting to start her family.
She remained active in CNR, working as a teacher’s assistant and developing online programs. With her fire operations background, she also started supporting student development, which ultimately led to her becoming a faculty member.
Heward found the LOD program, which aligned more with her ideas about making improvements in fire training and education. The EHHS program is designed for working professionals who want to develop personal leadership principles, such as strategic thinking, development theory and change management.
“Students who enroll in LOD already know the skills within their field, and that was certainly the case with Heather,” said Laura Holyoke, EHHS Leadership and Counseling department chair and the faculty member who nominated Heward for the EHHS Alumni Award for Excellence in 2024, which she won. “Heather is very ambitious about improving learning in her field. LOD has shown her all the different ways she can make those changes.”
“I have a lot of incentive to know what these best practices are. My students deserve it and the public deserves it. People turn to U of I to teach them what they need to know and that’s the way it should be.”
—Heather Heward, CNR instructor
“Most students in the fire ecology and management program are interested in operations but at that time, no faculty member had the operations background that I did,” she said. “CNR created a part-time faculty position, and I started teaching.”
Happy as an instructor and having already completed two degrees Heward was not in a hurry to explore doctorate programs. But after six years of classroom experience, she began to pursue the idea.
When the time came to decide on a direction, she realized she wanted to look outside of CNR to find the kind of impact she was looking for.
For her doctoral project, Heward and a research assistant interviewed 37 landowners in the Sandpoint area last summer per the request from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). DEQ asked CNR for help assessing best practices for private landowners when setting prescribed burns and because Heward is the founder and chair of the Idaho Prescribed Fire Council, the study seemed like a perfect fit for her dissertation. That exercise also cemented the idea that making changes in how information is shared can make the kind of difference Heward was looking for.
“I have a lot of incentive to know what these best practices are,” said Heward. “My students deserve it and the public deserves it. People turn to U of I to teach them what they need to know and that’s the way it should be.”
Article by Megan Lolley, editor
When lightning struck the hills near Bellevue, ID on Sept. 2, 2024, it sparked a wildfire that burned more than 7,500 acres including 4,500 acres of University of Idaho’s Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, a living laboratory for rangeland research and restoration. After its official containment, the Glendale fire continued to burn underground in some of the ranch’s meadows for almost two weeks. Over 20% of the property burned, including both public and private portions. The fire burned mostly upland grasses and forbes but also impacted some of the riparian areas. Tracey Johnson, the Director of Research at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, says, “We always thought the road or the stream would provide a fire break, but in this case, the fire burned surprisingly hot in the vegetation along the stream and jumped the road.”
The large amount of plant biomass in these riparian areas allowed the fire to burn hot.
The fire also damaged infrastructure at the ranch’s Cow Camp, burning all the shade trees, wall tents and destroying the spring box and pipes that supply water to the camp. The corrals and surrounding fences where interns kept their horses were also damaged.
Most research plots were spared, but one designated for herbicide trials on the west side of the ranch was burned over. Other ongoing projects were indirectly affected, including Walker Field’s sage-grouse research, as the fire temporarily changed how sage-grouse hens use the landscape.
The ranch, since the containment of the fire, has focused on immediate restoration needs, including emergency stabilization measures to prevent erosion and keep soil from washing downstream. The Bureau of Land Management supported aerial reseeding of the adjacent federal acreage, and the ranch’s private property was also partially reseeded with help from multiple ranch partners.
A partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led to the installation of 100 in-stream structures called beaver dam analogs at the end of October. These structures catch sediment moving from upland areas into streams to support the health of the riparian and aquatic systems.
Rinker Rock Creek Ranch leadership expressed deep appreciation for the support they received from partners, including the advisory board, which is composed of 13
Despite the damage, the Glendale fire created many opportunities for important research. Two funded projects are already underway.
One, supported by the Little Endowment, is evaluating the behaviors and effects of grazing livestock in the first season after fire, which is an uncommon practice, especially on state and federal grazing allotments. The study is focused on how pre-fire grazing and the presence of beaver dam analogs influenced the fire’s behavior and severity. Together, these studies have important implications for public and private grazing practices.
state, federal and non-governmental organizations. Their collaboration was key to stabilizing the land and launching recovery efforts quickly.
During fall 2025, restoration work continued with herbicide treatments in areas where invasive weeds or annual grasses have taken hold. Additional reseeding or planting treatments followed with rebuilding the infrastructure at Cow Camp remains a priority.
Though the Glendale fire left a lasting mark on Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, the strength of its partnerships including support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation and private donors from the Wood River Land Trust has been vital to its recovery and continued research mission.
To support ongoing and future restoration efforts at the ranch, contact Mary Ellen Brewick at mebrewick@uidaho. edu.
NEW STAFF
Lee Bennion
Postdoctoral Fellow, FRFS
Gretchen Pixle
Financial Specialist
Svenja Markley
Research Specialist, FWS
Eleanor Hall
Communications Strategist, FRFS
Elise Stacy
Postdoctoral Fellow, FWS
Md Didarul Islam
Research Scientist, FRFS
Sarah Wilson
Program Manager, Wildland Fire Center
Chelsea Hagel
Administrative Specialist, Pitkin Forest Nursery
Heather Greaves
Research Scientist, FRFS
Bronte Sone
Postdoctoral Fellow, FRFS
NEW FACULTY
Pedro de Oliveira Viadanna
Assistant Professor of Aquaculture and Fish Health
Kelsey Tobin
Assistant Professor of Forest Health
Shanara Spang Gion
Assistant Professor of Tribal Water
Elise Kokenge
Assistant Research Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
APPOINTMENTS:
Travis Paveglio
Director of Wildland Fire Center
Kerri Vierling
Associate Dean of Faculty and Student Affairs
Elise Kokenge
Director of Graduate Studies
CONGRATULATING AWARD WINNERS
STUDENTS
OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
Conservation Biology
Ripley Schultz
Ecology and Ecosystem Science
Eika Willis
Environmental Science
Zephryn Andrews
Fire Ecology and Management
Ramsey Marquis
Fisheries Science
Caleb Wilson
Forest and Sustainable Products
Riley Parr
Forest Operations and Technology
Maria Kinne
Forestry
John Nicholson
Natural Resources Conservation
Gabriel Donahue
Rangeland Ecology and Management
Emma Macon
Wildlife Sciences
Riley Robenstein*
OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
FRFS PhD
Leah Dreesmann and Phinehas Lampman
FWS MS
Alice Morris
FWS PhD
Neil Paprocki*
NRS MS
Anna Medlin
NRS PhD
Kerrick Robinson
ENVS MS
Jacqueline Snow
ENVS PhD
Elise Stacy
MOSS
Clare Condon
*These students were selected as CNR’s overall outstanding students.
Dale Bosworth ’66, retired chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, was awarded an honorary doctorate in natural resources during the Spring Commencement of 2025 for his achievements and contributions to forest management conservation in the United States. Bosworth graduated from University of Idaho in 1966 with a B.S. in forest management from CNR. He went on to serve as regional forester for the Intermountain and Northern regions of the Forest Service for 40 years. In 2001, he was appointed chief and led more than 30,000 employees across 193 million acres. Bosworth served the Forest Service with distinction and honor, where he collaborated with Congress and former
presidents to pass the historic Healthy Forest Restoration Act in 2003. This partnership improved the federal government’s ability to combat an excess of forest fuels contributing to wildfires. Further, he led interagency crews after the 2001 terrorist attacks to assist the New York City Fire Department. Bosworth’s notable achievements, leadership and character earned him the U.S. President’s Distinguished Rank Award in 2003. Even after his retirement in 2007, Bosworth continues to serve in volunteer roles such as trustee for The Nature Conservancy in Montana and director of the National Museum of Forest Service History. We thank and honor Bosworth for his dedicated service to protecting our cherished land.
Alumni Achievement Award
Jessie Alexander
Mid-Career Alumni Achievement Award
Dave White
International Alumni Achievement Award
Marta De Barba
Honor Associate Alumni Achievement Award
Maurice Hornocker, FWS and Margrit Von Braun, NRS
Honor Alumni Achievement Award
Alan Prouty, FRFS and Chip Corsi, FWS
Celebrating Natural Resources Award
Mark Moroge
Bridge Builder Award
Romuald Afatcho, ENVS and Paul Hohenloe, NRS
CNR Advisory Board Faculty Excellence Award
Karen Launchbaugh, FRFS
Outstanding Faculty Advisor
Simona Picardi, FWS
Outstanding Instructor
David Roon, FWS
Outstanding Staff
Erin Rishling, administrative specialist
Outstanding Student Club Society of American Foresters
Boot-in-the-Butt Mark Kimsey, FRFS
Mid-Career Faculty Award
Chris Caudill, associate professor of fisheries
Alumni Award for Excellence
Heather Heward, senior instructor of fire ecology and management
Alumni Excellence Award –Inspirational Mentor
Simona Picardi, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management
Family Forests Education Award - National Woodland Owners Association, Idaho Forest Stewardship Program
University of Idaho Extension Forestry Team (Randy Brooks, Audra Cochran, Maddie Goebel, Chris Schnepf)
Bob Powers Memorial AwardForest Vegetation Management Conference
David Akowuah, Ph.D. Candidate, FRFS
Best Presentation Award - Idaho Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Simona Picardi, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management
Fellowship Rank - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS
Christine Moffit, professor emerita of fishery resources
Harry Bettis, 90, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2025, at his beloved Aikman Ranch south of Emmett. Harry grew up on his family’s ranch near Bellevue, Idaho, and attended preparatory schools in California and Colorado. He graduated from Stanford University in 1956 with a degree in accounting. Harry was first and foremost a rancher, a job that relied on his mathematical skills including cattle pricing and financial direction of his family’s ranch, which he eventually owned at age 24. Harry was an avid supporter of Maurice Hornocker’s big cat research at the Taylor Wilderness Research Station. He served as director of the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation from 1968 to 2024 generously supporting many natural resource, cultural and education endeavors throughout Idaho. Harry received an honorary doctorate from U of I in 2013. Donations can be made in his memory to the Taylor Ranch Endowment. Harry is survived by his three daughters, stepson and six grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by the CNR family.
Tom Reveley ’59, 86, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones after battling cancer for six years. A U of I alumni with a Bachelor of Science in forestry, Tom was an active member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and ROTC training team. After graduation, Tom served in the Army Reserves before working in the private sector at the Weyerhaeuser Company as a forester and cruising timber, eventually transitioning to sales. Tom then joined Merrill Lynch, where he dedicated his next 63 years to working in the financial services industry, including in Seattle and Bainbridge Island where he retired. Though his work revolved around accounting and commerce, he found great joy and purpose in the outdoors. He climbed multiple mountains including Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Rainier, in addition to extensive hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. Tom’s passion for natural resources carried over into his former position as chair of the Pacific Crest Trail Association and board member of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai, Hawaii. Tom and his wife, Teita, ensured that CNR flourished by sponsoring multiple significant projects, serving on the CNR Advisory Board, and participating in the U of I Foundation Board. His contributions to CNR and the outdoors are cherished by the CNR family and communities across the Pacific Northwest.
James Gosz ’69, 85, passed away on July 4, 2025, at his home in Princeton. James was an avid outdoorsman, with family members calling him a “sticks and leaves man.” He earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan Technological University and later attended University of Idaho for his doctoral degree in forest science. During his time at U of I, James met the love of his life, Mary Jane (O’Reilly) Gosz, whom he married in 1968. James went on to a career in natural resources, finishing postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College and becoming a nationally recognized researcher — as well as a beloved professor for over 30 years — at University of New Mexico. James served three separate terms in Washington D.C. as a director at the National Science Foundation. Even when his work life was demanding, James always prioritized family and ensured his children were loved and cared for, often taking them across the country for vacation and raising livestock for their 4-H and FFA endeavors. After his retirement from UNM, James moved back to Idaho and worked for CNR as the associate dean of research from 2007-15. He is survived by his many family members.
Rudy Shebala ’09, and ’18, 68, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2025. Rudy was a three-time U of I alumni, earning his bachelor’s degree in animal science and his master’s and doctorate in environmental science. He was a lifelong advocate for tribal nations including his Navajo heritage and horsemanship. He was deeply rooted in Navajo traditions and Diné spiritual practices. In 1998, Rudy collaborated with the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee to create the Nez Perce Horse Registry, recognizing the Nez Perce horse, which combines the Appaloosa and Akhal-Teke breeds.
“We spent years researching Navajo culture, travelling to college libraries across the country to find rare books that documented our traditions,” said Sheldon Shebala, Rudy’s son, about how his father was an avid reader and historian. From 2019-22, Rudy served as the executive director for the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources. He is survived by his eight children and eight grandchildren. His impact and stewardship will be missed by the CNR family.
Professor of rangeland ecology and management, associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs
Distinguished professor of aquaculture and fish health, associate director of the Aquaculture Research Institute
“It’s been fun to see undergraduate and graduate students grow and develop as scientists, to hand over the torch.”
Eva Strand, associate dean, professor of rangeland ecology and management, has retired after 25 years with University of Idaho. She began her time at U of I as director of the CNR GIS teaching lab. After completing her doctorate, she was promoted to research assistant professor where she studied successional development in Idaho rangelands and its ecology after a natural fire. In 2012, she became a tenured professor in the college teaching rangeland and landscape ecology and then served as associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs from 2022-25. Strand also worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service by doing field research to understand post-fire behavior and recovery across the Northwest rangelands and forests. Her research entailed world travel, as she and her graduate students visited the Awahi Mountains, as well as old burn sites in Alaska, Washington, South Dakota and Montana just to name a few. Her favorite memory is the field work she conducted alongside her colleagues and graduate students.
“It’s been fun to see undergraduate and graduate students grow and develop as scientists, to hand over the torch,” Strand said.
In addition to her extensive field work, Strand co-authored two seminal books, titled, “A Field Guide to Grasses and Grass-Like Plants of Idaho,” which delves into native grasses of Idaho, and “Applied Landscape Ecology,” a synopsis of her findings from landscape and fire ecology research. The former title is now a mobile app, allowing outdoor enthusiasts and practitioners to be safe and knowledgeable about their surroundings in Idaho’s rangelands. Additionally, she developed a monitoring system for aspen trees used by the National Park Service.
Strand is also passionate about teaching and educating future professionals. Her favorite course was Landscape Ecology, noting that she built the current curriculum from the ground up. Strand plans to spend her retirement visiting family in Sweden, playing with her six grandchildren and teaching Rangeland Ecology online in her spare time. Her work in CNR will be remembered for decades.
Kenneth Cain, distinguished professor of aquaculture and fish health and former associate director of the Aquaculture Research Institute at University of Idaho, has retired after 25 years with U of I. Before his work in CNR, Cain completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Michigan State University, and then worked at Clear Springs Foods, one of the largest trout farms in the world, located in Buhl. After completing a doctorate in fish immunology at Washington State University, Cain completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Australia, at University of Technology Sydney.
Cain joined U of I in November 1999. During his time in CNR, he was the associate director for the Aquaculture Research Institute for 18 years where he played an integral role in establishing a research program and teaching courses in aquaculture and fish health and disease management. Cain was recognized with a Mid-Career Presidential Award in 2013 and a university Distinguished Professor Award in 2021 for his impact and innovation in aquaculture and fish health research. But, Cain’s greatest achievement, from his perspective, was developing workshops and conducting research for the benefit of the aquaculture industry, working on vaccines for trout and salmon with stakeholders and seeing his students succeed and become leaders in the aquaculture and fish health industry. One of his fond memories was his involvement in the design and construction of a state-of-the-art aquaculture research facility on campus. Though he still collaborates with CNR faculty and research staff, Cain is working as the aquaculture research program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
“It’s been a great run, and I appreciate all the support I’ve had from an outstanding department and an outstanding college,” Cain said.
CNR is grateful for Cain’s many contributions and wishes him the best of luck in this new role.
This past year has been truly incredible, with University of Idaho raising a record $67.6 million, the largest amount for a single year in our history. We are also in the final year of our Brave. Bold. Unstoppable. comprehensive fundraising campaign, which has raised over $515 million since 2015 through direct donations, gifts-in-kind, estate bequests, donations of stocks and other contributions. Approximately 10% of the UI campaign total (over $45 million) has been raised by College of Natural Resources!
CNR donors give to many areas for students, faculty and facilities. Examples of projects that inspire many alumni to make an immediate gift or to document a planned gift in their estate include:
Facility improvements at the McCall Field Campus$3M is needed for a new classroom building.
Maurice Hornocker Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation - $2M is needed to move forward with hiring this new position.
Taylor Wilderness Research Station - $2M is needed to complete the Operations Endowment to ensure financial stability for the next 100 years.
Every gift makes a difference at the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources. Your generosity provides and expands opportunities for our students to explore their highest potential through multiple avenues such as conducting research or attending one of CNR’s outdoor campuses. These experiences allow students to solve difficult, and sometimes immediate, problems so our communities can thrive. Thank you for your continued support!
Give now using the QR code below!
Mary Ellen Brewick Director of Development mebrewick@uidaho.edu
Stephanie Perez Associate Director of Development stephaniep@uidaho.edu
875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138
Moscow, ID 83844-1138
As a part of our CNR family, it’s important to us to stay connected. Please keep us informed of your latest news, contact information and accomplishments by emailing cnr@uidaho.edu. You can also share kudos for your Vandal colleagues!