By Sherry F. Pruitt

Members of the Arkansas State University student chapter of the Wildlife Society are doing everything from shaking their piggy banks to asking businesses and industry for contributions to fund a convention for wildlife students.

Although the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave is scheduled for March 19-21 of next year on the ASU campus, preparations already have begun for the 3-day event, which officials believe will be held in the state of Arkansas for the first time.

"The conclave is a gathering of all wildlife students from the southeast section of the United States," Tracy Klotz, chapter president, said.

ASU officials are expecting 300 to 400 visiting participants from 21 large and small colleges and universities in a number of states, including Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Maryland.

In the eight years that ASU students have been attending, only three universities from Arkansas have participated the same year, Dr. Jim Bednarz, professor of biological sciences, said. Last year, ASU, the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Arkansas Tech University in Russellville were participants.

One of the reasons ASU wanted to host the event was to accommodate fellow Arkansans.

Student teams will apply their practical knowledge and skills in individual and team field competitions, individual creative and talent competitions and an academic quiz bowl. A keynote speaker will be featured.

Jaimie Varner, Wildlife Society member, said field trips and workshops are highlights of the conference.

"If it's a school that emphasizes forest management, they'll have field trips that may look at how wildlife can be managed through forest practices," Bednarz said.

Varner said she attended the forest management field trip, as well as a wildlife forensics field trip. Klotz added that he has attended a workshop on elk reintroduction.

Varner said the quiz bowl is a very important part of the event because students put in lots of time and effort preparing to compete. Some institutions even offer a class to prepare their students for the quiz bowl, she added.

The host school does not participate in the quiz bowl. However, ASU has won and placed in a number of competitions from past conclaves.

"We're competitive every year," the professor said.

Varner said the most enjoyable parts of the conference are the competitions. "It gives all of the schools a chance to show their worth," Varner stated.

"The competitions are the centerpieces of it," Bednarz said. "The fact is that students from several different university programs get together and interact, get acquainted, network, share their knowledge and their problems. It's a real good way for these students to develop into professional wildlife biologists and wildlife professionals."

Klotz emphasized the importance of being able to network with wildlife professionals.

Bednarz said organizers are in the process of deciding which workshops and field trips to offer. Some of the ideas include: a trip to ASU's ecotoxicology facility where students will look at how environment contaminants affect aquatic organisms; a field trip highlighting waterfowl management in the Delta in conjunction with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; a trip to the Nature Center development area; and workshops on capturing, handling and marking wild birds and wildlife law enforcement, also with support from the AG&C.

"This is a big event for us. To our knowledge, no university in Arkansas has ever hosted this event. We're a smaller university ... It's tougher for smaller schools to arrange and sponsor all of these activities," Bednarz said.

Because the university is small, compared to other sponsors, and has limited funds, the society started early on its fund-raising campaign.

The budget for the project includes revenues from participant registration fees; fund-raisers; and financial and in-kind support from college, state and federal agencies, corporations and conservation organizations. So far, $3,000 has been raised, and organizers want to raise at least $7,000 more, Bednarz said.

"It's a real good opportunity to showcase ASU, the Northeast Arkansas region and the wildlife resources in the area," Bednarz said. "It will reflect on ASU's academic program. We're hoping to put on a good show for these other institutions."

Bednarz said he expects that all of the 65 or so wildlife majors as well a number of other students will contribute to making successful ASU's first conclave.

"I would not be surprised if somewhere between 70 to 100 students participate," he said.