Welcome to the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society

President's Message

I was fortunate enough, for the second year in a row, to visit historic Churchill Downs in Louisville just days before the Kentucky Derby was run. Touted as the “fastest two minutes” in sports and proceeded by months of hype, this race culminates in roughly twenty horses zooming one-and-a-half times around a beautiful old track in the blink of an eye.

As I was watching those majestic Thoroughbreds come onto the track for their morning workouts, here and there I recognized jockeys who would be in the big race. I can’t imagine what goes through their minds in the minutes leading up to any race, much less the Derby. Forget the usual things they have to be nervous about, like the fact that each one of them, weighing all of 100 pounds, is sitting on a 1,000-pound animal going 30+ miles per hour, in very close quarters with several other animals of the same size going the same speed—and there are no seat belts.  

These guys (and even a few gals) do that risky business eight times a day. But on the first Saturday in May, the stands and the infield at Churchill Downs are always packed. People line the rail all the way around, some shouting and some drunk. Most of the ladies are wearing ridiculously big hats. All of this creating an atmosphere that sends these already high-strung horses into a tizzy. Meanwhile, the hopes and dreams (and money!) of the owners, trainers, breeders, grooms, exercise riders, and the fans (especially the bettors), are on the tiny shoulders of the jockeys when the gate springs open. Talk about butterflies in your stomach! Giant Amazon butterflies, most likely.

I’m feeling a few butterflies in my stomach right now, too. I’m excited as I look forward to this year as President of the PA Chapter of TWS. We have a lot going on in PA with our wildlife—navigating impacts from shale gas development, wind energy, and don’t forget coal. Also, we have to deal with issues such as animal diseases (old and new), changes in species status, diverse public attitudes— the list goes on and on.

Last winter, I was pleasantly stunned to learn that a whopping 37 of us came in as Farm Bill habitat biologists in PA, and many of us are still working here in some capacity. I’m thankful for the magnificent force of wildlife biologists and other resource professionals working across PA to protect our wildlife and improve habitats. Our Chapter is here to keep PA’s wildlife professionals informed, energized, and connected, and in the process build a strong voice for wildlife.

I’m looking forward to increasing student membership and involvement—we have some great ideas on the table for that. Of course, there is next year’s conference to plan. Initial planning has us heading toward a joint conference with the PA Biological Survey with a Wildlife Action Plan theme.

And then—here’s the one I’m most nervous about—we are hosting the 2014 TWS Conference right here in PA, in Pittsburgh, to be exact. Believe it or not, planning for this will start in 2012. I’m so excited to be part of it. Here is our chance to show off some of Western PA’s awesome resources, maybe with trips to Ohiopyle, Fallingwater, Pymatuning, or Lake Erie. I can’t wait to introduce our fellow biologists to my favorite city and all it has to offer—the powerful Three Rivers; the National Aviary; the collections at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History; the nightlife on the South Side and the Cultural District; and the view from Mount Washington.

You’ll soon be seeing pleas for volunteers to serve on several of the planning committees. Please consider getting involved—there are plenty of jobs to go around!