I hope you enjoyed a peaceful holiday season with family and friends and that the new year is off to a wonderful start for you. In this season of resolutions, I’ll share one that I made to myself in the months leading to my presidency.
As I thought about my upcoming time at the helm, a goal for me was to connect with TWS members. That is, I wanted to have an open line of communication with all of TWS. I wanted to converse not only with those folks who were members of the parent society (and thus already had lines of communication with TWS through eWildlifer, The Wildlife Professional, etc.), but also with those who only held membership at the student, state, provincial or section level (called affiliate members). It was this latter group that most moved me, given that TWS has no direct means of communication with them and therefore they rarely hear from TWS. I wanted to change that. And my solution was this newsletter, Coffee with the President, a periodic, easy-to-read, and free missive from the president to all members of TWS regardless of where their membership lay.
What exactly would these missives contain? The possibilities were as vast as the Big Sky of Montana. Maybe a musing from nature or an interesting natural history observation. Perhaps a pondering on a conservation issue or the sharing of a moving literary work. Maybe a reflection on the profession or an inspiring story from a member. Whatever the topic, the missive would be a brief musing on conservation that could be read in three minutes or less and enjoyed with your morning coffee. For this inaugural issue, I hope to get your help brainstorming a plenary theme for our annual conference this November.
As you may know, the TWS annual conference this year will be in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa was the home to J. N. “Ding” Darling, a famed artist of the 1930s who had a profound impact on conservation. Ding Darling created the first federal duck stamp and helped found the National Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Refuge System. To honor this legacy, I am exploring the idea of a plenary focused on the role that the arts (literature, art, music, film) have in conservation. We rarely contemplate their subtle (but undeniable) impact on our discipline, but we only have to consider the origins of our profession to understand their importance. After all, it was not Aldo Leopold’s research that inspired a conservation movement, but rather his eloquent prose. Leopold himself once commented in a lesser-known of his essays, “The Role of Wildlife in a Liberal Education:”
“All the sciences and arts are taught as if they are separate. They are separate only in the classroom. Step out on the campus and they are immediately infused.”
So how can you help? I’ve created a brief form where you can submit ideas for a plenary theme centered on “the role of the arts in conservation.” Maybe you have an interesting suggestion for a presentation, or perhaps you know a colleague who would be a fascinating speaker. Any and all ideas are welcomed at this stage, and I hope to hear from you.
The “Coffee With the President” newsletter will take three minutes or less to read over your morning cup of coffee. Courtesy Fidel Hernández
If you are an officer at the student, state, provincial or section level, please consider forwarding this missive to your membership. Otherwise affiliate members within your chapter or section may never hear from TWS. For anyone receiving this missive, feel free to pass it along to anyone you think may enjoy these musings. You never know; you just may help recruit a new member or inspire a future conservationist. Thank you for your time and service to TWS. I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Until next time, buen camino.
Fidel Hernández
TWS President
Share a Give Back Membership The Wildlife Society’s Give Back program allows renewing members to gift a free, six-month TWS membership to someone who isn’t currently a member—including a chapter/section member or student. The Student Development Working Group (SDWG) is helping connect members who want to donate their Give Back membership with individuals interested in receiving one. If you’ve recently renewed (or will be renewing soon) and would like to nominate a chapter member, student or other nonmember, please complete this form. Or if you’re interested in being nominated, please complete this form. Feel free to forward this message to anyone who may be interested.
