About

©Luke Miller, USDA Wildlife Services

Goals and Objectives

The Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society, as the name implies, is the Missouri State Chapter of The Wildlife Society, the international association of wildlife professionals dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The mission of The Wildlife Society is to enhance the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, productivity, and sustain-ability of wildlife resources for the benefit of society. You can find out more about TWS (main/international) by visiting The Wildlife Society Web Page.

The Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society is made up of close to 200 professional wildlife managers, educators and researchers all dedicated to the stewardship of the wildlife resources in Missouri. Our membership comes from the academic, government, and private sectors. We are teachers, research technicians, wildlife managers, resource administrators, and private consultants; all united by the common objective of the Chapter – to focus attention on the professional wildlife needs, problems and events of concern within the State of Missouri.

To achieve this objective, the Missouri Chapter attempts to:

  • Provide better opportunities for liaison among wildlife professionals within Missouri as well as nationally and internationally.
  • Monitor, evaluate, and comment on societal actions that could impact the wildlife resources of the State of Missouri.
  • Recognize and commend outstanding achievement in the wildlife profession in the State.
  • Focus the aims and objectives of TWS (main/international) and the North Central Section upon the local wildlife needs, problems and events within Missouri.
  • Encourage communication between Chapter members and non-members in an effort to create a climate under which resource management arts will be used effectively in Missouri.

The Missouri Chapter of The Wildlife Society carries out this mission in a number of ways:

  • We co-sponsor the Missouri Natural Resources Conference, an annual meeting attended by more than 700 of the state’s natural resource students and professionals.
  • We annually present three awards and two scholarships (link to awards page) to recognize outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation in Missouri.
  • Our members serve on the Governor’s Environmental Education Task Force and the Missouri Watershed Clearinghouse.
  • The Chapter frequently comments on and assists in the drafting of management and project development plans for both state and federal agencies such as The U.S. Forest Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
  • We publish a Newsletter twice a year to keep members informed of developing issues and Chapter news.
  • We host an e-mail news group, whereby members receive timely information from the executive board.
  • We sponsor continuing education workshops and symposiums to allow members to keep abreast of current information on such topics as computers and GIS, statistics, crises intervention, and ecosystem management.

Chapter Bylaws can be viewed here (revised 2015).