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Hello Warner Colleagues –
As we mark the mid-point of the Spring semester, I want to extend my warm congratulations to each of you for the dedication and commitment you show in advancing our shared mission. Since 1970, we have taken a collective moment in April to celebrate Earth Day and now Earth Month. I hope we can all draw inspiration from Earth Month for our collective efforts to make a better place by nurturing a thriving planet that fosters biodiversity, sustainability and vibrant communities. This year, the global theme for Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics, calling for the end of plastics for human, animal and ecosystem health, focusing on a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 in attempting a plastic-free planet for the future.
There are great opportunities to celebrate throughout CSU’s Earth Month Activities, but of course, we have multiple reasons to celebrate thanks to an expanded NR Days this year!
NR Days is emblematic of Warner College’s rich legacy of building community among students, faculty, and staff. Dating back to the start of Forester’s Day in the 1920s, these events have evolved over the decades, reflecting our College’s growth and diversification of disciplines.
This year, NR Days promise to be bigger and better than ever – with many opportunities to engage with one another through events running from mid-April through the beginning of May. I look forward to celebrating excellence in the College with all of you at our upcoming College Awards Celebration.
New this year, we are launching Research Lightning Talks to help break down silos between our units, hosting an Earth Birthday Party, holding an open house to provide updates on our Strategic Plan “New Heights of Impact”. I hope you’ll get engaged in many of the events we will offer this year– details are below.
In April, we will also host Dan Gibbs, Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and Clint Evans, the Colorado State Ecologist from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Their seminar and discussion will offer valuable insights into priorities for management and conservation of natural resources in the state. I hope we’ll be able to identify more areas of engagement and partnership with our State and Federal partners during their visit. Thank you for all your hard work this semester to support our important teaching, research, and engagement mission. Let’s come together to celebrate Earth Month and NR Days, united in our commitment to making a positive impact on our world. Remember, less plastics are better for our health! Go Warner Rams! A. Alonso Aguirre
Dean, Warner College of Natural Resources |
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CNHP was awarded $7.89 million by Great Outdoors Colorado to complete the Statewide Natural Heritage Survey, which brings their total budget to around $8.4 million to complete a survey of Colorado’s biodiversity over the next five years. This is the largest investment ever by GOCO towards biodiversity surveys and data in Colorado! This project is founded in a commitment to equity for all of Colorado’s counties and communities. Completing a survey of all of the counties in Colorado will support equity in planning for a sustainable future for Colorado, empowering every community in the state in their pursuit of sustainable recreation and conservation opportunities.
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A. Alonso Aguirre, dean of the Warner College of Natural Resources was appointed to the Butterfly Pavilion's Honorary Science and Conservation committee. |
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Gillian Bowser, Associate Professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability has been selected to serve as a Chapter Lead for the first-ever U.S. National Nature Assessment conducted by the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Executive Office of the President. U.S. Global Change Research Program. The National Nature Assessment will take a holistic approach to better understand the role of nature in the lives of people across the country, integrating science with traditional ways of knowing and the needs of communities.
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Ellie Driscoll, last year's WCNR Outstanding MS Thesis Award recipient and former Jeremy Rugenstein advisee in the department of Geosciences, published her MS research in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The transdisciplinary paper includes two authors from Geosciences and two authors from the department of Atmospheric Science at CSU. Ellie now works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Boston as a staff geologist. |
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John Mola, assistant professor in the department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, received the Excellence in Early Career Research Award from the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America. John received the award in-person at the 79th annual meeting, which was held in Fort Collins March 24-27, 2024. John's bio is listed on page 18 of the meeting program.
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Student Visit from Botswana |
Randall Boone, professor in the Ecosystem Science and Sustainability department and NREL research scientist, hosted a group of four students advised by Jem Perkins of the University of Botswana for a week-long visit to CSU in mid-February. During their visit, the students learned aspects of ecosystem simulation, agent-based modeling, and coupled system approaches with Randall and his Ph.D. students Melody Zarria and Spencer Burkhart. The students also met with George Wittemyer, Stephen Ogle, Paul Evangelista, and Nathan Mueller. Dean A. Alonso Aguirre hosted the students for a lunch and dinner.
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| Women in Science Symposium |
Faculty and graduate students from the Geosciences department participated in the 8th annual Women in Science Symposium hosted by the Women in Science Network on March 6 in the Lory Student Center. Local grade schoolers had the opportunity to participate in a glacial flubber activity and a mineral identification lab.
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Natural Resources Days 2024 |
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Natural Resources Days will take place this year from April 15 to May 2, and Warner College of Natural Resources is inviting the CSU community to learn about and celebrate the vital elements that make up the planet we call home.
NR Days were originally created as a week-long celebration of Earth Month. This year, Warner College plans to expand its duration and incorporate over 15 fun and educational activities for students, faculty and staff to come together and celebrate. Learn more about NR Days and all of the events happening this year! |
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Warner All-College Meeting |
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Provost Underwood and Dean Aguirre are inviting all Warner College Faculty and Staff to an All-College Meeting on Friday, April 19 from 9 - 11 a.m. in LSC Room 386. A formal agenda will be forthcoming, but attendees can expect to hear updates regarding the ongoing reorganization of Warner College Business Services as well as the Dean Aguirre's strategies to respond in a proactive and positive manner to feedback the Provost received in his annual evaluation. |
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Special Seminar and Discussion with State Leaders |
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Join us for a special seminar and discussion with Colorado Director of Department of Natural Resources, Dan Gibbs, and Natural Resources Conservation Service State Ecologist, Clint Evans. They will share state and federal priorities for conservation and management in Colorado, and then we will have an open discussion, with the intent of identifying additional areas for engagement and partnership.
All faculty, research professionals, and graduate students are encouraged to attend on Tuesday, April 23 at 9:30 a.m. in the Horsetooth Rock Room (345) in the Smith Natural Resources Building. An invitation with a link for virtual engagement to be distributed prior to the event. |
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University Budget Model Redesign Open Forum |
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The Steering Committee of the Budget Model Redesign Initiative invites the university community to attend a hybrid open forum on Wednesday, April 3, 2-3 p.m. for an update on Phase 3: Design. In-person attendance is available at the Lory Student Center, Rooms 304-306, or online via Zoom. Online attendees are encouraged to submit questions or feedback during the forum via the Q&A option.
The Steering Committee has been providing regular progress reports to the University community via email during this phase of the initiative. All reports to campus are posted online at Budget Model Resdesign Updates. |
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1st Bumble Bee of the Year Award |
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In 2023, John Mola, assistant professor in the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship department initiated the “Annual First Bumble Bee of the Year Contest." The rules are simple - find the first Bumble Bee of the year in Larimer County, and be able to provide visual proof. The winner(s) receive a pitcher of beer or its equivalent.
This year, there are two winners! Rylee McMillan, FRS undergrad, made the very first sighting – a Bombus pensylvanicus (American Bumble Bee) queen observed on a concrete sidewalk on March 9. This queen likely emerged prematurely as bumble bees typically aren't seen until later in the season.
Because of this odd sighting, Mola declared that there should be two winners, and the second winner is Anders Hastings, FRS undergrad, who observed a Bombus huntii (Hunt’s Bumble Bee) queen on Townsendia hookeri (Easter Daisy) on March 21 near Dixon Reservoir on the west side of town. Congrats to Rylee and Anders for being the first to spot the first Bumble Bees of the season! |
| The Bumble Bee observed by Rylee |
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Strategic Plan Open House |
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| Mark your calendars! Take a look at Warner College’s newly updated Strategic Plan, and submit your feedback and thoughts. Refreshments will be served. This drop-in open house is open to all Warner students, faculty, and staff.
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| Tuesday, April 30
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
MSNR Atrium |
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion |
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The Symposium for Inclusive Excellence: Call for Proposals |
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The Symposium for Inclusive Excellence will be held October 21 – 25, 2024. They are inviting proposals to the 2024 symposium. They welcome presentation topics in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, current national dynamics, and topics directly relating to equity initiatives at Colorado State and the Northern Colorado community. Presenters may be students, faculty, staff, community members, researchers, local, regional, or national organizations, programs, and more. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
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The Office for Inclusive Excellence Newsletter |
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| If you are interested in submitting news, photos, opportunities or information to the CSU Office of Inclusive Excellence newsletter, please submit your materials by the first Tuesday of each month. |
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Untold Stories - Sonya Wilson |
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Warner’s Untold Stories are a collection of historical narratives involving a diverse person, community, or event. These narratives uncover the contributions that ethnically and culturally diverse individuals have had on the advancement of the natural resources industry. Last month, Warner College honored Women's History Month by highlighting the Untold Story of Sonya Wilson, a Deaf climber, advocate and the founder of the ASL Climbing Network.
For the first time ever, Untold Stories was told through video and included an ASL interpreter. |
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Warner College Business Services is your integrated support team for all
Financial Services, Human Resource Services, and Proposal Support Services |
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Hourly Employee Hiring Workshop |
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WCNR’s ability to hire and pay hourly employees in a timely manner is a joint effort between the hiring managers and the HR team. We are hosting a session for all hiring managers, new and seasoned, to discuss effective hiring practices and solutions to common hurdles. We encourage anyone involved in hiring hourly employees to attend the hybrid session Wednesday, April 10th from 3 - 4 p.m. in WCNR Room 413 and offered on Teams. |
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The Warner College Scholarship Dinner |
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The annual Warner College Scholarship Dinner was held on Wednesday, March 27 in the LSC ballrooms. The event provided an opportunity for us to recognize the deserving student recipients of scholarships, fellowships, and internships and to thank those individuals and organizations whose generous contributions support student access, research, and experiential learning. This academic year we were able to award funding to more than 300 students and total funding from the University and Warner College exceeded $1 million. Justin Arndt ’24, a student in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology and a Presidential Ambassador served as Master of Ceremonies. Dean A. Alonso Aguirre provided the Dean’s Address and guest speakers included Sue Kenney (B.S., ‘90/M.S., ’93), Rio Teuber (B.S., ’24), Mikko Jimenez (M.S. ’19 and Ph.D. Candidate), and Ed Warner (B.S., ’68). A special thanks to the CSU Student Chapter of the Society of Ecological Restoration for designing a seed bar with eight native seed varieties for guests to choose from. Congratulations to our student recipients and thank you to the Warner College Scholarship Committee: Randall Boone, Steven Fassnacht, Paul Layden, Ann Randall, Ellen Wohl and Jeremy Sueltenfuss. (Photo Credit: Derek Dictson)
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The Colorado State Forest Service and its federal counterpart flew over 36.6 million acres of the state’s forests in 2023 to assess its health. Despite last year being wetter and cooler, forest pests continued to spread. "One milder year is not enough to reverse trends from the compounding effects of decades of insect outbreaks and a warmer, drier climate in Colorado,” Matt McCombs, the state forester and director at the state forest service. |
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There’s been a long-running debate in Earth sciences over whether mountains are a source of carbon dioxide or if they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through mineral weathering. A new study has found that mountains can be sources or sinks and has identified the tipping point at which they switch from one to the other. “Whether a mountain range is a source or sink of carbon dioxide depends on how fast the landscape is eroding,” said Jeremy Rugenstein, a CSU assistant professor of geosciences and co-author of the study.
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| The likelihood of a parent and child studying simultaneously at the same university is slim. And the likelihood of a parent and child studying at the same college within the same concentration? Even slimmer. So, when Ibrahim Algubaisi and his daughter Osaymah found their calling in the Warner College's Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, this was a father-daughter bonding experience unlike any other. |
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International research led by CSU suggests that studying root function in tropical forests could help vegetation models improve predictions of climate change. “We are worried about how tropical carbon storage and carbon banks on land will respond to climate change, and to understand overall changes in carbon storage, we have to first understand how tropical roots will respond,” explained Daniela Cusack, associate professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. |
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Members of the Fort McCoy prescribed burn team oversee a prescribed burn February 29 along the railroad tracks on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML).
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Keep up with your Warner colleagues and their impactful work |
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CSU #LeaveNoTrash Challenge |
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Join the #LeaveNoTrash University Challenge from April 7 - 13 to celebrate Earth Month. |
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| 1) Join the CSU #LeaveNoTrash University Challenge on CitSci 2) Pick up trash 3) Record it! 4) Help CSU win prizes! Participate with a group or on your own. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate.
This year’s campaign is a friendly competition between Colorado State University, the University of Notre Dame, and North Carolina State University. The winning university will take home prizes from Leave No Trace, CitSci and All Trails. Go Rams! |
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To kick off the event, we’re hosting a Trash Trivia Night with Leave No Trace on Tuesday, April 9th from 6 - 7 p.m. in the Swift Conference Room at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab. There will be snacks and prizes! An ESS 440 student team is keeping a list of clean-up events around campus, so be sure to sign up for the challenge AND register your clean-up. |
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Professional Development Release Time |
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The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President is inviting applications for contract and continuous faculty for professional development release time during the 2024-2025 academic year (AY24-25). Applications must be submitted by April 28, 2024.
For faculty members who are eligible to apply for these support funds, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President looks forward to participating with the Colleges, Departments, and faculty members to review what we expect to be some exciting and compelling proposals. |
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CSFS Releases Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests |
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The Colorado State Forest Service published the 2023 Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests on March 7. View the online report for information on the following topics: |
- Trends for the major forest insects and diseases in Colorado, including a forest health story map and other interactive maps
- Regional updates on forest pests from the four CSFS areas
- New forest monitoring program at the CSFS
- Good Neighbor Authority program in Colorado
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Call for Papers: Pathways Europe 2024 |
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| The next Pathways: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference will be held October 13-16, 2024. The conference will be held in Cordoba, Spain, and has the theme, “Revisiting What is Wild for Coexisting.” Pathways is still accepting individual abstract and poster submissions for the conference. The deadline to submit is April 12, 2024. |
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| 5th Annual International Symposium |
Lory Student Center, April 2 - 3 |
Host: CSU Office of International Programs |
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| Climate Grief to Active Hope Workshop |
WCNR Room 345, 2 - 4 p.m. |
Host: Center for Environmental Justice & DreamCreateInspire |
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| April 3 Marc Castellnou; Fire Chief and GRAF (prescribed fire) Team Leader, Catalan Fire Service. President of Pau Costa Foundation |
MSNR Building 345, 4 p.m. |
Host: Forest and Rangeland Stewardship |
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Swift Conference Room - NREL, 6 - 7 p.m. | Host: CitSci and Leave No Trace |
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| WCNR Hourly Hiring Workshop |
WCNR Room 413 and on Teams, 3 - 4 p.m. |
Host: WCNR Business Services |
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| Spring Seminar Series: Antônio Alves Meira Neto "A framework for timescale propagation of hydrologic variability" |
Lory Student Center Ballroom, 4 p.m. |
Host: Ecosystem Science and Sustainability |
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Duration: April 15 - May 2 |
Host: Warner College of Natural Resources |
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| Celebrate Innovation Demo Day |
Host: STRATA Colorado State University System |
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| Aida Cuni-Sanches; Postdoctoral research associate in Environment and Geography, University of York |
Lory Student Center Ballroom, 4 p.m.
Host: Graduate Degree Program in Ecology |
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Host: The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) | | |
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| Year of Democracy: Presidential Conversation with Johns Hopkins President, Ron Daniels |
Never No Summer Ballroom | LSC, 11 a.m. - noon |
Host: The President's Office |
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| Warner All-College Meeting |
LSC Room 386 and Virtually, 9 - 11 a.m. |
Host: Warner College of Natural Resources |
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| Special Seminar and Discussion with State Leaders |
Horsetooth Rock Room (345) in the MSNR Building and Virtually, 9:30 a.m. |
Host: Warner College of Natural Resources |
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| Climate Adaptation and Risk Management Graduate Certificate Virtual Open House |
Virtual only, 10 - 11 a.m. |
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| Strategic Plan Open House |
Host: Warner College of Natural Resources |
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| Sarah Federman; Director of Landscape Decarbonization Susan Cook-Patton; Senior Forest Restoration Scientist, The Nature Conservancy |
Horsetooth Rock Room (345) in the MSNR Building, 4 p.m. |
Host: Ecosystem Science and Sustainability |
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| Nature Fair & Film Festival |
Lory Student Center, West Courtyard and Theatre,
Noon - 3:30 p.m. |
Host: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources |
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You are receiving this Warner College digest because you are a member of the College community. If you would like to submit an update, announcement, or kudos for consideration, submissions are due by the last Monday of each month for inclusion in the following month’s digest. Please submit ideas to Director of Communications and Strategy, Rob Novak. |
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