Oregon State University 2026 Grant Recipient - Coyote-palooza Year 3: an Urban Coyote Educaton and Outreach Event Program

This will be the third annual Coyote-palooza. The first and second annual Coyote-palooza’s were a rousing success, garnering 1,000+ visitors each year and resulting in local and regional attention from community members and news and conservation organizations. The continued dedication of our partners will result in Coyote-palooza becoming an annual staple of nature-based education in the Portland metropolitan area. We believe this event has the potential to continue shaping attitudes about coyotes and interactions between humans and this unique species in Portland and surrounding areas. We are will continue holding this event simultaneously with the downtown Farmers Market at Portland State University, which has between 7,000 and 13,000 visitors on Saturdays in May. Many of these visitors will pass through our event on the way to the Farmers Market, making this an incredible opportunity to spread awareness and education to a large number of Portland community members who may not otherwise have access to resources on coyotes and who may not seek out this information on their own.

We plan to distribute educational resources at this event, including simple giveaway items (such as fridge magnets, stickers, and brochures) with basic guidance on how to respond safely to interactions with coyotes to minimize human-coyote conflicts. We will also have resources available for teachers who may wish to incorporate a lesson on coyotes into their classroom curriculum. In addition, we are developing hands-on activities to engage children and adults alike during the event: games to emphasize the size of the average coyote, a station for visitors to make plaster of Paris molds of coyote tracks, a station for visitors to make their own rattle for hazing coyotes encountered in the community, and more. The resources and educational materials we compile for this event will be available for future Coyote-palooza events and other educational events.

A full report will be submitted by October 15, 2026.

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Forests Today & Forever 2026 Grant Recipient - Wildlife Education 

Forests Today & Forever is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Lane County, dedicated to promoting forest stewardship through education. Our cornerstone program, Forest Field Days, combines a classroom curriculum for middle school students with a hands-on day in the forest, where students study trees, soil, recreation, and wildlife. In a typical year, we reach approximately 1,700 middle school students.

Through participation in the Wildlife Station of Forest Field Days, students will:
• Develop an appreciation for wildlife and a deeper understanding of the roles of different species play in the forest food web.
• Gain awareness of the importance of wildlife management in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
• Learn that careers in wildlife conservation and management are accessible and rewarding paths for those interested in protecting natural resources. our area.

While these outcomes are inherently qualitative and can be challenging to measure, we observe strong indicators of impact through student feedback. Thank-you notes from students and volunteers consistently highlight excitement and engagement with the wildlife portion of the curriculum. Many students' express curiosity about wildlife careers, indicating that the program is successfully inspiring interest in conservation and stewardship.

A full report will be submitted by October 15, 2026.

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Think Wild 2026 Grant Recipient - Rural Wildlife Education

Think Wild’s Wildlife Rural Education Programming is an annual wildlife education and outreach initiative serving rural, indigenous and underserved K-12 students in Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties in Central Oregon. Rural communities in this region experience persistent barriers to science education and wildlife coexistence support, such as geographic isolation, limited funding for extracurricular activities and field trips, and reduced access to wildlife professionals. Think Wild addresses these gaps by delivering free, in-class, science-based wildlife education and community events directly to schools, libraries, parks, and the general public.

This project supports the mission of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society by increasing public understanding of wildlife science, promoting stewardship grounded in sound ecological information, and expanding access to wildlife education for historically underrepresented communities.

Primary project goals include:
● Increase wildlife literacy and understanding of native species and habitats using science-based curriculum.
● Promote ethical wildlife stewardship and human-wildlife coexistence in rural communities.
● Expand access to high-quality wildlife education for underserved, rural, low-income, Tribal, and special needs students.
● Strengthen connections between wildlife professionals, educators, and rural communities.
● Foster long-term interest in wildlife conservation and natural resource careers. Project objectives for 2026 include:

A full report will be submitted by October 15, 2026.

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Fisheries and Wildlife Graduate Student Association 2026 Grant Recipient - Confluence Symposium: Capacity-Building Workshops 

The Fisheries and Wildlife Graduate Student Association (FWGSA) requests support for capacity-building workshops at the 2026 Confluence Symposium. Confluence is an annual student-run conference hosted at Oregon State University that brings together graduate and undergraduate researchers from across natural resource disciplines to present their work, receive feedback, network with professionals, and develop essential career skills. The symposium traces its roots to the Research Advances in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Ecology Symposium (RAFWE), which FWGSA has hosted on campus for over twenty-two years. Three years ago, we merged RAFWE with the College of Forestry's Western Forestry Graduate Research Symposium (WFGRS) to form Confluence. This partnership reflects our commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and bringing together diverse perspectives across fields including wildlife ecology, fisheries science, forest management, and conservation biology.

Confluence directly advances ORTWS's mission to "inspire, empower, and enable Oregon's wildlife professionals and students to promote science-based wildlife conservation and management through the participation and leadership of an open and inclusive community of members." The symposium empowers the next generation of wildlife professionals by providing a supportive venue to practice communicating their science-based research, receive constructive feedback from peers and faculty, and build professional networks. Workshops offer hands-on training in high-value skills such as science communication, data analysis, grant writing, and career development, competencies essential for success in wildlife conservation careers.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is central to Confluence's design. Registration is completely free, which ensures that financial barriers do not prevent any student from participating. We also actively encourage undergraduate presenters alongside
graduate students, providing early-career researchers the opportunity to gain confidence and visibility. The symposium draws participants from multiple colleges and departments including Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences; Integrative Biology; Botany and Plant Pathology; Animal and Rangeland Sciences; and the College of Forestry, which creates a genuinely inclusive, cross-disciplinary community. We are also working to improve accessibility for E-campus students who cannot attend in person.

A full report will be submitted by October 15, 2026.

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Oregon Institute of Technology 2026 Grant Recipient - Supporting Undergraduate Leadership Development Through Attendance at the 2026 Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society (ORTWS) Annual Conference

The Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) Fish & Wildlife Club project will fund travel and participation for two (2) elected club board members to attend the 2026 ORTWS Annual Conference. The OIT Fish & Wildlife Club is a registered student organization and official student chapter of The Wildlife Society and the American Fisheries Society, sponsored by the OIT Department of Natural Sciences. As outlined in our constitution, the club’s purpose is to promote professional development, scientific understanding, mentorship, and firsthand experience in fisheries and wildlife conservation for undergraduate students.

This project directly aligns with the ORTWS mission to advance wildlife science, conservation, and professional excellence in Oregon. The ORTWS Annual Conference provides a forum where students, agency biologists, researchers, and managers exchange science-based information and discuss applied wildlife management challenges. By supporting student attendance, ORTWS strengthens its connection to future professionals while reinforcing the shared values of ethical stewardship, collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making.

The primary objective of this project is to ensure that two OIT Fish & Wildlife Club board members can attend the conference and fully participate in technical sessions, workshops, and professional networking opportunities. Attendance at the annual meeting is a formal responsibility of this leadership role and is essential for maintaining an active and engaged student chapter. A secondary objective is to extend the benefits of conference participation to the broader student membership. Funded attendees will synthesize conference content and share key takeaways with club members through a post-conference presentation and discussion. This approach supports the club’s constitutional objectives of promoting communication between students and professionals, encouraging professional growth, and fostering awareness of contemporary wildlife science and management issues. Overall, this project supports ORTWS goals by investing in undergraduate leadership, strengthening student–professional connections, and reinforcing the presence and involvement of an active, newly established ORTWS student chapter. As the founding president of the OIT Fish & Wildlife Club, I would attend alongside our Treasurer, who also serves as Treasurer for OIT’s Outdoor Program, allowing this project to further strengthen institutional ties, increase visibility of ORTWS on campus, and help leverage additional university support and resources for a rapidly growing student organization committed to wildlife science and conservation.

A full report will be submitted by October 15, 2026.