The Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society welcomed fellow students from across the Midwest to Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana, in March for the North Central Section Conclave.
The event, which was completely student organized and run, featured guest speakers, hands-on workshops and friendly competition between student chapters.
“The students started working on the planning for Conclave a year ago, and that was evident in how smoothly the weekend went,” said Dr. Elizabeth Flaherty, Purdue TWS advisor. “Alex Dudley did an incredible job organizing all of the club members and her attention to detail is the reason everything ran smoothly. All of the students that attended had a great experience, learned new things, and made new network connections with students from the participating schools. I think the fact that two other schools have committed to hosting the next two years is a great testimony to the success of the event this year.”
Dudley, the 2023-24 Purdue TWS president, was inspired to host a conclave due to the event’s history and
networking possibilities.
“Overall, I just really wanted to host a Conclave,” Dudley said. “The last NCS Conclave was in 2019, and everyone has talked about how fun it is, so I thought it was important to get the tradition back up and going. I also think that Conclave is important because it helps students build connections with people from other schools. We’ve been able to meet a few other students at various conferences, but we didn’t really get to know them that well. Conclave really helped students to foster those connections that they began to make at conferences and gave those who didn’t have the chance to attend a conference the opportunity to build their networks as well. I think people really enjoyed learning about what the FNR programs at other schools are like. It also didn’t hurt that people go to show off their skills during the competitions.”
Student attendees competed in a wildlife/game calling contest, a quiz bowl trivia game, a lab practical requiring competitors to identify specimens from a variety of taxa, a radio telemetry competition, an obstacle course, an art contest and more. Other event highlights included a wing prep bird specimen workshop with Rachel Brent (BS Wildlife 2021), a birdhouse building workshop with wood research laboratory technician Charlie Warner (BS Forestry 2021), a presentation and demonstration from Indiana Department of Natural Resources K9 Branch and his handler Officer Matthew Tholen, a bird hike and a bonfire.
Molly Moder, a junior wildlife ecology and management student at the University of Wisconsin-
Stevens Point, said Conclave provided her and her fellow chapter members with knowledge on a variety of topics they could take back to their campus.
“After meeting some of the Purdue students at the Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, I knew they would do a good job (hosting Conclave) and we would have a great time,” Moder said. “Our chapter also wants to host in the future, and as Treasurer of my chapter I am in a position to participate in those negotiations. I encouraged our students to attend because I knew with the activities planned, it would be a great opportunity for networking and skill building. I really loved the casual atmosphere. I think K-9 officer Branch and his handler were probably one of the biggest hits. It was fun to see how other animals can help out with protecting our wildlife. I also picked up a lot on how student research operates at Purdue and other research institutions. My school is very student-forward when it comes to research, but at other places there seems to be more structure provided by faculty. I also learned about some super neat wildlife equipment we don't have at our school.”
Conservation officer Matthew Tholen gave a presentation on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources K9 program. In this collage, Tholen and K9 officer Branch show off their skills and greet students at the Conclave. Grace Allen, a second-year senior conservation and wildlife management major at Missouri Western
State University, said Conclave introduced her chapter to Quiz Bowl and gave members ideas they could implement into their meetings.
“We thought it would be a great bonding experience for our members and to get to know the other student chapters in our section,” Allen explained. “Although they had many great activities, we absolutely enjoyed the workshops and getting to build bird houses and do wing pinning as well as interacting with the conservation agent and his working dog in action. This was also our first time participating in a quiz bowl and we felt like we really learned a lot about it and what to look into for next year. Our chapter has always been very driven for the professional focus and to set our members up for success, however, looking at our system we want to expand on the fun activities that can work to grow team building.”
A collage of students building bird houses at the TWS Conclave. Top row (Left to Right): Students drill in the sides of their bird houses; a group of students work at a table together putting together bird houses; a student lines up the sides of his bird house before adding glue. Row 2: A student measures and marks the wood for her bird house; a student drills the front of her bird house into place; Wood research lab manager Charlie Warner watches as a student puts together her bird house; Warner helps a student put together his bird house; Alexis Proudman shows off her finished bird house. Emily Michalzik, a sophomore wildlife ecology and management major at UW-Stevens Point, said that in addition to the connections she made, her experience at Conclave also informed her decisions for life after her undergraduate studies.
“I really wanted to attend conclave because of what I had heard about past conclaves. They sounded like such an amazing networking opportunity that also included a ton of fun activities,” Michalzik said. “I also really love
being able to connect with so many other people who have similar interests and values as me. It's so great that conclave has been revived so that same opportunity can be shared with more wildlife students in the future!
“I really enjoyed the grad student panel. I felt like I learned so much more about the application process and it was really helpful to hear from people who had just recently went through the process of graduate school applications. It really made me realize I need to start thinking more in depth about what I will need as a grad student from my advisor and university in the future. I also loved the wing prep workshop. The person running it was so amazing at explaining the process and was also so kind.”
While students organized the Conclave, several other individuals contributed to a successful event from planners to presenters.
“A lot of the recognition for hosting goes to the TWS officer team,” Dudley concluded. “Every officer pitched in to help plan an event or find speakers, but I think between myself, Anne Talbot, and Alexis Proudman, we really were able to make conclave happen. Anne and I planned the initial outline for the weekend, then Alexis and I worked hard to get funding for the event. Our speakers also deserve a big shoutout for being willing to take time out of their weekend to share their knowledge with us!”
A collage of images from the TWS North Central Conclave. Top row (Left to Right): students cross a suspension bridge at Camp Tecumseh; students use radio telemetry equipment in the woods; Dr. Elizabeth Flaherty and Emma Johnson speak to students about radio telemetry; master's student Ramona Dwyer speaks at the event. Row 2: Kyla, Tyson, Sonja, and Grace from Missouri Western pose for a photo in front of the lake; a group of students try their hand at radio telemetry; two students look at the radio telemetry device screen; a student goes down the playground slide; two students compete in the three-legged race. Row 3: Students race up a hill with wildlife traps; Dr. Pat Zollner presents to students about undergraduate research; a student works on wing pinning during a workshop; students gather around a fire pit roasting marshmallows. 
