This monthly roundup keeps our community informed by highlighting the top Warner College news stories and social media posts.

Warner College of Natural Resources Dean A. Alonso Aguirre has accepted a new leadership role with the Office of the President to serve as presidential advisor for global impact and strategic alliances, effective Jan. 15. 

Richard Conant, professor and head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, will serve as interim dean until at least June of 2027, as CSU launches a national search for Aguirre’s permanent successor during the 2026-27 academic year. Professor Stephanie Kampf has been named interim head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.

On a long, snow-choked stretch of highway between Greeley and Longmont, Porter-Salcido had one of those moments that would fundamentally change his life. It brought him to the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship to earn a degree and start a family. 

The reintroduction of moose into Colorado has proven to be successful over the past several decades, but David Cooper, a senior researcher emeritus from the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, co-authored a paper about the collapse of the tall willows, a moose's preferred food, in Rocky Mountain National Park due to the reintroduction. 

There is a mismatch between wildfire risk and mitigation resources across Colorado, Colorado State University researchers found in a study revealing the areas of the state most vulnerable to wildfire. The resources are concentrated in the northern Front Range, while northwestern and southern Colorado are at high risk of wildfire but lack resources.

As tropical forests experience chronic drying and more extreme droughts, some plants are adapting by growing longer root systems to reach water deep within soils, according to a study published in November in New Phytologist by Daniela Cusack, associate professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, and ESS Ph.D. student Amanda Longhi Cordeiro.

Carlos Urgiles Verdugo, Ph.D. student in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, was one of 70 fellows and scholars from 23 countries to receive a 2025 WWF Russell E. Train Education for Nature Fellowship. The program supports fellows and scholars who will “advance the vision of a world where local leaders can sustainably manage and preserve invaluable natural resources.”

Despite the drought-like conditions of the Mojave desert, western pond turtles and Mojave desert tortoises are thriving in a 5,000-acre area of wetlands, marshes, and ponds known as the Piute Ponds on the Edwards Air Force Base. CEMML conducted a 5-year study of Piute Ponds turtles using traps and radio telemetry and found that the turtles are actively reproducing. 

In collaboration with the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Dana Winkelman, unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and associate professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, discovered a parasitic worm in the heart cavities of the Johnny Darter and the Plains Topminnow.

Join Wiz Kid and Steven Fassnacht, professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, to learn how water makes its way from the mountains to our taps. 

Tuesday, Jan. 6 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Virtual

Anyone interested in advancing their career in natural resources is invited to attend the Applied Graduate Programs Virtual Info Session. The session will cover admission requirements and curriculum highlights. Attendees will also hear from alumni who are leading the way in conservation, sustainability, and ecosystem science. The following programs will be covered:

Faculty and staff, please encourage undergraduate students who might be interested in pursuing a graduate degree. RSVP through the link above and indicate programs of interest. 

The CSU Presidential Ambassadors Program invites the Warner College faculty to nominate students for the 2026-2027 cohort. They are seeking students who demonstrate a strong commitment to service and a genuine passion for their community. Nominations are due by Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Learn more about the program and nomination process through the link.

The ASCCing the Experts podcast is an informational series that platforms natural resource professionals conducting applied research related to climate adaptation and ecosystem management across North America. Rylee McMillan, Warner College undergraduate, hosts the podcast and invites the college to not only listen to the first two episodes, but also consider being a guest on her podcast.