GSO Photo Contest!

Hi Everyone,

This semester, as one of FW GSO's fund raising events, we are going to have a photo contest. Each winner of the contest will receive an award and have their photo(s) published in a 2012 calendar that will be for sale near the end of 2011. Yes, you may be the next "Mr. October" or "Ms. March." Details are as follows:

This contest is open to all faculty, staff, and students (both undergrad and grad).

There are 4 categories.
1) Wildlife
2) Scenery
3) Fieldwork
4) Humor (in relation to one or more of the above 3 categories)

Each photo entered requires a $2 entry fee, but wait! You can enter more than one photo in the contest and will receive a discount for multiple entries: 3 photos for $5 or 8 photos for $10.

You can submit photo(s) and pay fees to anyone on the FW GSO fund raising committee (see below), but you must pay the fee to the person you submit the photo.

**For initial submission, we will take electronic copies of your photos in .jpg format no larger than 150 K. The voting will take place via survey monkey which has a maximum size limit for .jpg files. If indeed your photo makes it into the calendar, we will ask you for a higher resolution more suitable for printing.

Photos and entry fees are due by October 31st, after which we will send out a survey for the department to vote for their favorites.

The top 2 in each category will receive monetary awards. The amount of each award will depend upon the number of entries into the contest. Third place in each category will receive some awesome FW paraphernalia.

The top 3 favorite photos from each category will make it into the FW GSO 2012 calendar.

The winners will also be highlighted in the twice yearly GSO newsletter.

Get to snapping!

Yours truly,
The FW GSO fund raising committee

Brian Langseth
Carson Prichard
Corey Higley
Andrea Bowling (abowling@msu.edu)

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Workday!

What: Building bird enclosures and helping give medication checks to birds of prey!

When: This Sunday 10/16. We'll leave campus at 10 and be back between 4:30 and 5pm.

Where: Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, near Kalamazoo. It's part of MSU's Kellogg Biological Station.

http://www.kbs.msu.edu/visit/birdsanctuary

We've gone there the past two years and have had a really fun time helping out! So, come get some great hands on experience, build some skills, and get free pizza for lunch!! Bring waders if you have them!

We'll be signing up at our meeting this Thursday, but email us if you want to go and can't make it the meeting! msufwclub@gmail.com.

We need drivers as well. We can reimburse those who drive for gas money!

Weekend Events!

Sat 10/8 9:30am: Fall stream monitoring from the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council.

Where: Munn Park on Jolly road.

Event Description:

"Come join the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council for a fun day out in the streams. Meet at Munn Park (near the Jolly / Aurelius intersection in Lansing) at 9:30am for a short training session, then we will head out into the streams and collect some bugs! The bugs we collect tell a story of the health of the stream at each of our 6 sites. Complementary snacks, refreshments, and a light lunch will be provided. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Dress to have fun, and help us take care of the Red Cedar watershed. Monitoring will end in the early afternoon. Waders provided, but feel free to bring your own."

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=248800841826549

*Meet at 9:00am behind the NR Building for rides.

Sat 10/8 4:30pm: Crane Fest in Bellevue!

*Meet behind the NR Building at 4:30pm for rides!

Event Description:

"Imagine a cool crisp afternoon amidst the splendor of autumn colors. The stillness is interrupted by the eerie prehistoric cry of the cranes. As the Sandhill Cranes glide into view, you are thrilled by the majestic beauty of Michigan’s largest bird.

The Festival was started to raise awareness and appreciation of our natural heritage, and to support ongoing educational and conservation projects of the Michigan Audubon Society and Baker Sanctuary. CraneFest is a jointly-sponsored event between the Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek and Michigan Audubon; the festival site is the Kiwanis Youth Area, overlooking Big Marsh Lake.

A major attraction will be watching thousands of Sandhill Cranes return to the adjoining Baker Sanctuary. The “Fly-In” typically begins slowing around 4 PM with best viewing of large numbers of cranes between 5 PM and dusk. Admission is free and parking is $3.

More than 6,000 cranes are expected to greet more than 5,000 CraneFest visitors again this year. With autumn color predicted to be near its peak the same weekend, everyone should consider making CraneFest 2010 part of their fall color tour.

Sandhill Cranes are believed to be the oldest living bird species, having existed for more than 9 million years in their present form. The cranes are Michigan’s largest bird measuring up to five feet tall with wings spanning an impressive six to seven feet. Thousands of these majestic birds return annually to roost at Big Marsh Lake in Baker Sanctuary before completing their autumn migration to Florida. With more than 9,400 Sandhill Cranes counted last October, Baker Sanctuary set a new single day state record for crane numbers. Saved from the brink of extinction, cranes have become a Michigan environmental success story."

Festival includes nature walks, food, merchandise stands, falconers, talks, and most importantly the sandhill cranes flying in. It's a relaxed social kind of event.

Plan on getting there between 4:30-5:30 and staying til about 7:00is.

http://cranefest.org

U.P. Camping Trip

Well as most of you know the Fisheries and Wildlife Club is going on a grand adventure to Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula on September 30th, 2011. This will be a camping excursion located in the Picture Rocks National Lake Shore area. There are marvels in store beyond belief and a fun time is always a guarantee.

So here are few more details of what you need:
-The trip fee is $30 (you must pay before you go)
-Tent (if you have one!)
-Sleeping bag/pad
-Outdoor gear (hiking shoes, rain clothes, and warm clothes)
-Binoculars and Field Guides
-Extra spending money (souvenirs and spontaneous meals out(this almost always happens))
-And this is a carpooling event so if you can drive please let us know!

And an itinerary you might ask?
Friday September 30th
-8am Depart East Lansing
-12(noon) Lunch (this may be on the road)
-2pm Arrive at Big Springs
-3:30pm Arrive at Seney N.W.R.
-6pm Setup camp and make dinner

Saturday October 1st
-8am Breakfast at campsite
-9am Depart for waterfall(s)
-10:30am Pictured Rocks National Lake shore
-12(noon) Lunch (we are brown baggin' it)
-2pm Recreational opportunities (hiking, fishing, naturalist identification, or just a relaxing afternoon)
-6pm Dinner

Sunday October 2nd
-8am/10:30am Breakfast and pack-out
-10:30am Exploration or fun (or maybe both)
-12(noon) Lunch
-6pm/8pm arrive back in East Lansing

*Any question contact Matt Ocko (ockomatt@msu.edu) or just leave a comment on the blog. I would like this to serve as a way for others to communicate about the trip as well in reference to camping supplies one might need!*

Event: FW Club vs. GSO Soccer Challenge!

This Saturday (4/9) @ 4pm the Fisheries and Wildlife Club will be taking on the Graduate Student Organization in a game of soccer! This game is for sport, friendship, and ultimately bragging rights! It will be held at the Veterinary Medical Field, this field is located to the eastern side of the vet med building! Come out and support your club and gain the right to claim SUPREMACY!

FENNER OUTREACH EVENT

Join the FW Club for some fantastic Earth Day fun on Sunday, April 17th, from 12:00pm-4:00pm at Fenner Nature Center just south of campus! This event is a great opportunity for students to get the chance to get kids excited about wildlife and the natural world! We will be holding three different walks, as well as making crafts, and having informational talks inside the center. The schedule for Sunday is as follows:

12:00-4:00pm - Crafts (Native Plants, Earth Chain), One-on-one animal exhibit tours, Animal taxidermy explanations, Story time
1:00pm - Macro invertebrate/Pond Life Walk
2:00pm - Forest Floor/Leaf Litter Walk
3:00pm - Bird/Tree Walk

So, whether you can stay for the whole shebang or only stop on by for a few minutes, we would love to see you there!

FW Grad Student Symposium

~The FW Graduate Student Symposium. We've mentioned this for the last few meetings, but it is strongly encouraged that you go. This provides an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the different projects graduate students in the department are working on. We've attached the schedule, so you can pick out the talks that are of interest to you. You can attend as much of it as you'd like. More information can be found at http://fw.msu.edu/gsosymp/. Even if you are thinking about going, the G.S.O. asks that you go to this website and take a minute to sign up for FREE.

-Friday February 25th.
- 8:00am - 8:30pm
- The Union, 2nd Floor


Schedule: http://fw.msu.edu/gsosymp/2011schedule.xlsx