The Society for Natural Resources was established in 2014 when the natural resource management degree was created. Eight years later, the group has grown in membership and prominence, according to club president, Avy Elmore, junior in natural resource management.
The club began as a resource for career development and has developed into an organization that aims to share the importance and conservation of natural resources. The club has a goal to share that knowledge with students across campus.
Elmore said the club encourages students of all majors to join to not only learn about a career in natural resources, but to also become educated on the importance of preservation and conservation.
There are a number of ways in which the group works together, one of which takes shape in the form of volunteering.
“We’re planning in April to go down to Louisiana and help out with either cleaning up debris or building homes to offset the negative effects of Hurricane Ida from last August,” Elmore said.
The group also volunteers through creek clean-ups and invasive plant removal days, both of which are coordinated by the club advisor and other professors in the College of Forestry and Wildlife. Additionally, members of the club have done water quality testing for the community.
Taking a look inside the club, Elmore said every spring there are resume meetings to help students prepare for the job search post graduation.
“A big thing that we do is we invite alumni to come back and Zoom so that we can get an idea of the career that they’ve started and the prospects for grad school or different ways that you can get higher up through management in the field,” Elmore said.
Careers in the field of natural resources can take on many different forms according to Elmore. Many alumni go into watershed research, ecology and management of parks and recreation.
“So there’s the people side and then the science side,” she said. “A lot of what I say to people when they ask me is park ranger because I’m a nature based recreation minor.”
As president of the club, Elmore makes PowerPoint presentations each week, which involves inputting volunteer information, and lately, plans for their upcoming Louisiana trip.
Elmore came to hold her position as president through her experience as vice president the semester before, a spot in which she said she really enjoyed her time.
Elmore said that during her time as president, she hopes to establish a tradition of both service and collaboration. By doing service through the community and to the community, Elmore said she would like to team up with the horticulture club and the organic gardening club to give back to local gardeners who need assistance managing their gardens.
“I think the collaboration would really help because we could do it on our own, but we don’t have the same gardening skills that we could learn from the organic gardening people or the horticulture people,” Elmore said.
Christopher Whatley, secretary of the Society for Natural Resources and a second year master’s student, said his role requires him to assist in the organization and scheduling of meetings, as well as keep the line of communication open to members in order to communicate with them about upcoming events and activities.
“We pride ourselves on welcoming everyone no matter their course of study, and I would say our casual and social atmosphere helps invite anyone interested in learning more about conserving our environment to join our organization,” Whatley said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
