POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Research Associate
(Timber Management)
WORK LOCATION: School of Renewable Natural Resources, LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, La. and Lee Memorial Forest, 21139 Lee Memorial Drive, Franklinton, La.
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Assist and coordinate in all phases of timber management activities (e.g. herbicide applications, prescribed burning, timber marking, logging supervision) on Lee Memorial Forest; assist principal investigators in the design and implementation of research projects including but not limited to, on-grounds maintenance of research areas and data collection; assist in the maintenance of grounds, facilities, and equipment at Lee Memorial Forest including activities such as carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and equipment operation; assist with maintaining and updating project database, conducting data analysis, and fulfilling periodic reporting requirements such as monthly vehicle and building inspections, quarterly safety meetings, and daily work logs.
Download the Position Announcement for further information: [PDF]
Link to apply for position: Research Associate - Timber Management / LSU Careers
Marsh prescribed burning
certification class offered
09/20/18) LAFAYETTE, La. — A marsh prescribed burning certification class will be held Oct. 23 at the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Center in Lafayette.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the class starts at 9. It is expected to end at 1:30 p.m. The Wetlands Center is located at 700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette.
This is an opportunity for marsh landowners, marshland managers and those who lease marshland for waterfowl, alligators or other uses to learn how to properly conduct a prescribed burn, said Mark Shirley, coastal resources specialist with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant.
“Under the right conditions, fire can remove years of the old dead vegetation and allow new growth to sprout,” Shirley said.
Andy Nyman, a wetlands ecology professor at the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources, said a marsh fire will stimulate new growth and also create better wildlife habitat when the water level covers the plant roots, followed by lower water levels. “Such conditions are most common just before and after winter cold fronts,” he said.
Neils De Hoop, a forestry professor at the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources, will instruct the class on gauging weather conditions to determine the proper time to safely conduct a burn. Under the right weather conditions, smoke will rise and drift away from sensitive areas such as populated areas or airports, he said.
There is no cost to attend the class but pre-registration is requested by contacting Crystal Bowman at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry at 225-922-1296 or at cbowman1@ldaf.state.la.us.
Editor: Bruce Schultz at 337-788-8821 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
Inaugural Award: Laborde Endowed Scholarship for Leadership in Renewable Natural Resources
Pictured are Tracy Jones, scholarship coordinator for the LSU Alumni Association, Dr. Allen Rutherford, Director of the School of Renewable Natural Resources, Colette Pansini, Senior in Wildlife Ecology, Anna West, Senior in Wildlife Ecology, and Luke and Sonja Laborde, scholarship donors.
The Laborde Award for Leadership in Renewable Natural Resources is an endowed scholarship through the LSU Alumni Association and will be presented each year to a senior who has demonstrated leadership in clubs and activities sponsored by the School of Renewable Natural Resources, and who has an overall GPA of 3.25 or better.
In the first year of presentation, 2 seniors in Wildlife Ecology, Colette Pansini and Anna West, were selected to receive awards of $1,000 per semester. Miss Pansini and Miss West were selected in part for their leadership roles in the success of the student chapters of The Wildlife Society and Tiger Chapter Ducks Unlimited. Dr. Laborde is an instructor at the School of Renewable Natural Resources. Congratulations to Colette and Anna!
One Intern's Insight:
Summer Avian Research Experience
(Left) Jazmyn Bernard leaving the field office at Camp Bullis to band golden-checked warblers. (Right) A male golden-cheeked warbler that Jazmyn helped Kashmir Wolf band at Camp Bullis.
In summer 2018, Jazmyn Bernard, undergraduate student in the School of Renewable Natural Resources, was given the opportunity to serve as an avian research intern at Joint Base San Antonio–Camp Bullis. a U.S. Airforce base in San Antonio, Texas. Her role was to assist Dr. Ashley M. Long (Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology in Louisiana State University’s School of Renewable Natural Resource) with her research on golden-cheeked warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia; warbler hereafter), in collaboration with staff at Texas A&M University and Camp Bullis. The federally endangered warbler is a small insectivorous songbird that breeds exclusively in Ashe juniper (Juniperus asheii) woodlands of central Texas and winters in broadleaf forests of southern Mexico and Central America. The objectives of Dr. Long's project are to establish a long-term banding program on the base and to examine density, habitat use, and reproductive success of the warbler in relation to various vegetation characteristics. Dr. Long and her colleagues at the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood, Camp Bullis, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recently initiated a project to identify migratory connectivity for warblers using miniaturized light-level geolocator technology.
Jazmyn's typical day involved mapping locations of multible warbler teritories using GPS recievers. Experienced in using GPS unit and knowing how to map new points was critical. Taking the RNR 3004 (Photogrammetry, GPS, and GIS) offered by Mr. Maurice Wolcott (Instructor-RNR) was a big help for this. The GIS class allowed her to be more familiar with the ArcGIS software used to organize the field data. Knowing where the last sighting of the bird was recorded by GPS, could only supply a vague location to where the bird could be in the present. As such, to find a bird it was necessary to also listen for the warbler’s song or call. Due to experiences gained in RNR 3018 (Louisiana Wildlife with Dr. Kevin Ringelman, Assistant Professor-RNR), Jazmyn was able to distinguish between the many calls that could be heard in the field.
Other skills included learning to band for identification, the use of mist netting, and identification of other species of concervation concern. The more practical aspects of field work included the sometimes arduous conditions of field work such as insects, hiking through densely wooded areas, enduring bad weather, heat, and even the the inteference of sounds of loud artillery fire from the nearby military base while trying to identify specific bird calls. Learning time managment while collecting data under field conditions was another challenge. All useful skills for post-graduate employment
Spring 2018 Issue of Louisiana Agriculture Now Available Online
The spring 2018 issue of Louisiana Agriculture, the quarterly magazine published by the LSU AgCenter, is now online. This issue focuses on one of today’s most important topics: globalization. Louisiana agriculture reaches around the world not only through trade, but in many other ways as well.
RNR Faculty members have articles featured in this issue:
- Aquaculture: A Global Perspective (click to view article)
- Greg Lutz and Chris Green
Almost half a billion people worldwide depend on fish as their principal source of protein. The LSU AgCenter contributes to global aquaculture in many ways. - Globalization and Forestry: Environmental Awareness Changes an Industry (click to view article)
- Richard P. Vlosky, Eric Hansen and Rajat Panwar
A combined effect of accelerating globalization and the global recession of 2008 has produced dramatic changes in the forest industry.
RNR Student Honored with First Barton Scholarship
Scholarship recipient Cassandra Skaggs (front) with from left, Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation Executive Director Kell McInnis, LSU Alumni Association Presedent Cliff Vannoy, John Barton, Jr., Association Vice President Tracy Jones, and School of Renewable Natural Resources Instructor, Luke Laborde.
Cassandra Skaggs, a graduate research assistant in the School of Renewable Natural Resources, was awarded the first John W. Barton, Sr. College of Agriculture Wildlife Scholarship in March.
"I am honored to be selected as the first recipient of the John w. Barton, Sr. College of Agriculture Wildlife Scholarship," said Skaggs. "While the monetary award will help me personally as I finish my thesis, I am further humbled to be associated with the legacy of Mr. Barton. In particular, his conservation and civic leadership are an inspiration, and I am thankful to be recognzed as I start my career in wildfife conservation."
The scholarship was established by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation to honor Barton, who received a bachelor's degree in sugar-chemical engineering from LSU in 1939. He was a fonding member of the National Turkey Federation and active in the Quality Deer Management Association. During his career, he played key roles in numerous business, civic, and professional organizations
The $2,500 award wil be made annualy to a full-time School of Renewable Resources graduate student studying in the fields of wildlife management or wildflife ecology.
Congratulations, Cassie!
permalink: LSU Alumni Magazine: Summer 2018
Research Matters - Spring 2018
The Spring 2018 edition of Research Matters is now available. Download your copy and catch-up on happenings in School of Renewable Natural Resources.
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TOPICS INCLUDE:
- Highlights of ongoing student and faculty research projects
- RNR Scientists Investigate Factors to Guide Nesting Island Restoration
- RNR Welcomes New Wildlife Extension Specialist: Dr. Ashley M. Long
- New Instructor welcomed to RNR: Dr. Chris Reid
- What is happening in the classroom: Hands-on experience for students
- International travel experiences for Students
- Tiger Chapter Ducks Unlimited raises $100,000
- 2017-2018 Student Scholarships awarded
- Graduate Student news
-- Quick News --
RNR 4061: Marine Field Techniques in Mozambique, Africa - 2016
Get all the details of this story on our Student News page.
Study Abroad in Swaziland
Get all the details of this story on our Student News page.
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