Students in the Arkansas Tech University Fisheries and Wildlife Society donated 421 hours of volunteer service to organizations and causes related to their fields of study during the fall 2023 semester.
ATU Fisheries and Wildlife Society members gave of their time to benefit fishing derby events, clean-ups at Mount Magazine State Park and Piney Creek, sampling at Arkansas Nuclear One, a study of stream barrier effects, research on the diet of darters, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) mussel survey, an AGFC trout survey, sampling at Moro Creek, an ongoing study of the least tern and paddlefish sampling in conjunction with AGFC.
“My peers and I have benefited from volunteering through the ATU Fisheries and Wildlife Society in so many ways,” said Coley Turner of Alpena, president of the ATU Fisheries and Wildlife Society. “It truly is such a unique organization that I am so lucky to be a part of. My friends and faculty here are helping me achieve both lifelong dreams and dreams I never knew I had.”
According to information provided by the ATU fisheries and wildlife science program on its web page, the program strives to “prepare a diverse group of students to pursue careers as field or research biologists and provide the sound ecological foundation so they are able to make wise decisions and take prudent actions regarding the management, productivity and sustainability of our fish and wildlife resources.”
ATU offers a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in fisheries and wildlife science.
Turner credited ATU Fisheries and Wildlife Society advisors Dr. Kyler Hecke and Dr. Tom Nupp for creating experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
“I honestly believe that my classmates and I are making the world a better place,” said Turner. “We can quantify it in bags of trash picked up, community members educated, connections made with professionals and endangered species that we helped to protect. I think that most of us will say that the hands-on learning opportunities we get through these volunteer efforts are the best parts. Whether it’s cleaning up a creek, studying endangered animals or educating the public, really the only way to learn is by doing. And through the ATU Fisheries and Wildlife Society, we get those opportunities that we wouldn’t anywhere else. I always knew that I would love working with animals and nature, but I didn’t realize the camaraderie that would come with being around people who feel the same way. I’m so excited to see what impacts my fellow students and I are able to make after we graduate.”
Learn more at www.atu.edu/biosciences/fishwildlife/index.php.
