The University of California, Davis, has won The Wildlife Society’s 2026 Student Chapter of the Year Award.

The Student Chapter of the Year Award pays tribute to and recognizes exceptional achievements.

“I am incredibly honored and proud of the officers and members of our student chapter,” said Rachel Ann Arias, former co-president of the chapter. “Everyone has been incredibly committed to creating a welcoming space for students interested in wildlife at UC Davis.”

The Davis student chapter hasn’t had an easy past few years. Membership dropped, and the chapter was struggling to regrow after the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has since bounced back to more than 80 active student members.

“There are many reasons for this remarkable growth, but none speaks more clearly than the chapter’s commitment to consistent member engagement,” said Shannon Lemieux, co-chair of the Student and Early Career Professional Committee of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society, in her nomination letter.

The student chapter sends many students to the annual conference. Courtesy of Shannon Lemieux

Lemieux said the chapter hosts about 24 events every year, including general meetings, professional development and networking opportunities that include birdwatching, small mammal trapping, trivia nights and swim trips. “Their dedication to sustaining these programs has also prompted thoughtful succession planning to manage the natural turnover of both officers and general members,” she said.

Jay Chen, another co-president of the chapter, said the chapter’s strengths include its community of students passionate about wildlife. “It’s been a delight to watch members grow alongside the chapter, then move into the next steps of their journey through the connections, knowledge and skills they developed through involvement with the chapter,” he said.

Kevin Wu, current co-president of the student chapter, is also proud of the chapter. “The student chapter fosters such an incredible community of dedicated, supportive and passionate wildlife-interested students,” he said.

The award will be presented at TWS’ Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, starting Nov. 1.