Tarleton Wildlife Society has a bright future

BY JACOB BLACK

Contributing Writer

With new members coming in and old members leaving their mark, the future looks bright for Tarleton State University’s Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Three seniors in particular have left their mark on the chapter and are ready for bigger and better opportunities.

Tarleton’s chapter is part of a larger national organization, The Wildlife Society. The national society, founded in 1965, prioritizes research in wildlife management and conservation. Wildlife sustainability and ecosystem sciences major and Tarleton senior Gracie Triplett categorizes the national society as a “parent” to Tarleton's chapter. Essentially, they perform the same duties as them but on a local and even state scale.

In recent years, the chapter has seen many issues come and go, but some are still present and in the process of being dealt with.

“Throughout the year, towards the latter half of the semester, we’re just trying to retain membership because people just stop showing up,” Triplett said.

Triplett said she wasn’t sure if this issue is with the people they are hosting or if it's not engaging enough.

“We have a feral cat problem, which feral cats are the leading cause for bird reduction and bird extinction in the U.S.,” Gaven Sanders, another senior wildlife sustainability and ecosystem sciences major, said.

Although lack of participation in the chapter and feral cats are leading issues at Tarleton State University chapter, one issue stood out to all three seniors.

“The lack of knowledge in the public,” senior and wildlife sustainability and ecosystem sciences major Lorena Gonzales said. “It’s not necessarily the public’s fault. That's going to be the lack of education that gets pushed out, as well as the lack of response from the public to wildlife and the need for wildlife.”

Another challenge in the field has been a shift in government funding.

“A couple of months ago, there was lots of defunding of government jobs towards conservation,” Sanders said.

While most national and state parks remain open, these changes have reduced staffing and resources, impacting conservation work and environmental education programs.

“Not just like the higher ups in government jobs. We know our friends have lost jobs at Tarleton due to lack of funding,” Sanders said.

Operations tied to Tarleton’s AgriLife Extension building and some of its members’ projects were halted.

The chapter is currently continuing to fight these issues to the best of their ability, but it urges those who are able to help make it happen.

Even in hindsight, the grass is looking greener for the future of Tarleton’s Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. After all, wildlife and nature themselves seem to return stronger after battling challenges.

In 2025, the chapter earned the title of “Student Chapter of the Year” at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society Conference, competing against student chapters from hundreds of universities statewide. That same year, the chapter also received the “Chapter of the Year” award at the National Wildlife Society Conference for the second consecutive year.

“It was a big, big deal for us,” Sanders said.

The chapter aims to take home the Texas conference title again this year. At the national conference, however, winners of “Chapter of the Year” are capped off at two in a row.

“You're not allowed to win more than two years in a row, which I think is better,” Triplett said. “It gives more student chapters the opportunity.”

The chapter is involved in many different activities and volunteer opportunities.

“We maintain relationships with these organizations and try to do events like deer capture or quail captures and spotlight surveys,” Sanders said. “We’ve tried to branch out and add a little more, so we started volunteering at the Fort Worth Nature Center.”

Among all of these great opportunities, the chapter continues to make an impact on its members. Gonzales plans to pursue ministry as well as wildlife rehabilitation after graduation.

“The chapter has prepared me for my future career, in the sense of networking—being able to work alongside biologists who are already in their careers and getting to ask them questions,” Gonzales said.

Sanders plans to pursue a master’s degree and work for either state or private conservation agencies after graduation.

“The Tarleton chapter of Wildlife Society is pretty near and dear to my heart. I was not raised in the country. I didn't have a ton of outdoor experience. But I did love learning about wildlife and being outdoors,” Sanders said. “It gave me an opportunity to explore that to its fullest extent and also to help ensure that I can have a successful career in the thing that I love.”

Last, but certainly not least, Triplett expressed how much the chapter has provided for her.

“The biggest thing was definitely making connections with people. I have lifelong friends and people that I will always remember. Everything that we have done, I’ve applied to myself for my future career.”

Triplett plans to pursue a career in marine and ocean science with a concentration in coral resilience and coral habitat ecology after graduation.

With the chapter’s recent success and continued growth, members encourage other students to get involved.

“The Wildlife Society is a great opportunity to grow, personally and professionally. It is a great way to get plugged in, to have different experiences. Every wildlife major should join,” Gonzales said.

The Wildlife Society meets bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Joe W. Autry Agriculture Building room 113.