Senior Puts Her Heart into Volunteering at Conservators’ Center

Posted on February 28, 2012 by

Arthur Tiger - rescued by The Conservators' Center

Arthur Tiger, resident of The Conservators' Center / Photo by Tyler Andrews / Copyright NCSU Student Media 2012

Carolyn Hinshaw is a senior in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology at NC State. She has extended her lifelong love of animals beyond the classroom into a volunteer position with The Conservators’ Center, a small, nonprofit organization that houses a very large collection of animals. Located in Mebane, the Center is a sanctuary for mistreated or unwanted animals. Tours provide information and perspective on more than 20 different threatened species.

Read the full story “Conservators’ Center Harbors Abused Species” by Max Lewis in the February 27, 2012 edition of Technicanonline.com

Forecast for March: Southern Blast to Hit Raleigh and NC State

Posted on February 27, 2012 by rwgonzal

March is known for its windy weather, but this year, Raleigh can expect a big blast from the South, as the Forestry and Timbersports Club of North Carolina State University hosts students from 14 other universities for the 55^th Annual Association of Southern Forestry Clubs (ASFC) Conclave on NC State University’s Centennial Campus, March 15-17, 2012.

Jay and Lauren compete in Jack and Jill Crosscut

Southern Forestry Conclave is a tradition that started in 1958 to bring forestry schools in the southeastern U.S. together annually for the purpose of promoting cooperation and friendly competition, as well as establishing and maintaining high ethical standards among students and professional foresters (source: University of Georgia, site of the first Southern Conclave). Since its beginning, the association has grown to 15 universities, with more than 250 students and their club advisors gathering at a host school each spring for a few days of camaraderie and competition.

Mike Cheston competing in poll fell

NC State University has been host to Conclave in 1965, 1974, 1987, and 1999. “We are proud of our long tradition with Conclave,” states NC State’s Forestry and Timbersports Club President, Mike Cheston. “We were there near the beginning of it all and we can’t wait to put on a great Conclave for 2012. It will be the best one ever!” And with the way Mike can swing an axe, who would want to argue with him!

In addition to the students competing in several academic disciplines, such as dendrology, wildlife identification, photogrammetry and timber volume estimation, Conclave includes several physical events that hark back to old-fashioned lumberjack skills such as axe throw, pole climb, cross-cut saw, and underhand chop, just to name a few. A schedule of events and parking information is provided on the 2012 Southern Forestry Conclave website. Many of the students have trained intensively for months, and it is a thrill to see them in action during these events, which require great precision and speed. NC State University students, staff, faculty, and alumni are encouraged to check out the action Friday afternoon and Saturday, but make sure to check out the parking rules before you come.

Logan Scarborough is interviewed for ESPN by Dave Jewett

In recent years, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS has added to the fun and excitement by holding and televising the Collegiate and Professional Southern Qualifier at the host university during the Southern Forestry Conclave. The Southern Collegiate Champion earns a spot among other regional champs to compete in the National Collegiate Championship. In 2011, Victor Wassack, Vice President of NC State’s Forestry and Timbersports Club, finished a close 2nd behind Virginia Tech’s Scooter Cogar (stihltimbersports.us/southern-game.aspx). In 2010, NC State’s Logan Scarborough took both the 2010 Southern and National Collegiate Championship Titles (stihltimbersports.us/nc-states-scarborough-takes-title.aspx). Scarborough (’10 Forest Management) will return to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS 2012 Southern Qualifier as a professional competitor this year, which will be held Friday, March 16, 5-10pm, at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. Visit go.ncsu.edu/timbersports for more information and tickets. Tickets may be purchased for $10 online before March 14 at noon; after that $15 tickets will be available at the gate. NC State University Students with their NCSU Student IDs will be admitted for only $5, courtesy of a donation by the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Kids 10 and under are free. This event will be aired live, with rebroadcasts on ESPNU and the Outdoor Channel.

Members of the Triangle Chapter of Society of American Foresters talk to the public about the benefits of trees and give away seedlings at Arbor Day Celebration

Another tradition of March is the celebration of North Carolina’s Arbor Day, which, since its designation in 1967 by the NC legislature, falls on the first Friday following March 15. To capture a slice of the excitement being stirred up by Conclave and the STIHL Qualifier, NC State University’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources will host the 2012 NC Arbor Day Celebration also at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh on Friday, March 16, from 2-6pm. “The Farmers Market has become a fantastic location to hold the NC Arbor Day Celebration,” states the event’s coordinator, Renee Strnad. “This is a great opportunity to share information with the public about the importance of trees.” The NC Arbor Day Celebration is free and open to the public and will have educational exhibits, demonstrations, and activities for children. This year, the Triangle Chapter of the Society of American Foresters will give away 1000 seedlings (dogwood and crabapple). The winner of the state’s Arbor Day Poster Contest will be announced and awarded at 4:30pm, and even Smokey Bear is planning to join in the fun. Visit go.ncsu.edu/arborday2012 for more information.

So if you feel the March winds picking up and hear the howl of the Wolfpack through the trees, you can rest assured that the NC State forestry program has had big part in whipping up the excitement.

Attarian Is New AAC Southern Applachian Conservation Ambassador

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

The American Alpine Club has announced that Dr. Aram Attarian of NC State University has been named to serve as Conservation Ambassador for the Southern Appalachian Section of ACC.

Dr. Attarian will replace Patrick Weaver, owner and chief guide of the Appalachian Mountain Institute, who has completed a two year tour in this critical role. He will be assisted by a Conservation Working Group comprised of volunteers drawn from across the section. They will work with the AAC Conservation Committee Chair Ellen Lapham, Conservation Committee Sections Liaison Fred Glover, and the Section Chair to further implement these roles and the section’s conservation strategy, programs, and projects.

Attarian is an Associate Professor in the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management. He also serves as Director of the National Association of State Park Directors-State Park Leadership School. He was involved in the early years of the Carolina Climbers Coalition, and has served on the CCC Board of Directors. He played a critical role in the CCC efforts to replace aging bolts at Carolina crags, and authored the Climbing Management Plan for Laurel Knob. Attarian currently serves as a member of the AAC Safety Advisory Council and assists the editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering.

About The American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club provides knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community. The AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes two of the world’s most sought-after climbing annuals, The American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Mountaineering; cares for the world’s leading climbing library and country’s leading mountaineering museum; manages the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $80,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants to adventurers who travel the world.
More at americanalpineclub.org.

Source – American Alpine Club Southern Appalachian Newsletter – Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/gUaa .

Sustainability, College Athletics Don’t Always Connect

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

Large college athletics departments talk the talk when it comes to concern for the environment and environmental sustainability, but only a small percentage of these departments actually walk the walk in making their operations “greener.”

It turns out there’s a large disconnect between athletics departments and other campus departments charged with advancing environmental sustainability, says Dr. Jonathan Casper, a North Carolina State University associate professor of sports management and lead author of a paper that examined athletic department sustainability practices at almost 100 NCAA Division I schools.

Concerns about the costs of going green, mixed with a lack of communication with the rest of the university about campus sustainability initiatives, appear to vex many green efforts in athletics, Casper says.

He adds that some schools are capturing the “low-hanging fruit” – replacing incandescent light bulbs and utilizing recycling bins at stadiums, for instance – but says most haven’t included sustainable practices or long-term planning about environmental issues in athletics departments’ strategic plans.

The study, one of the first to examine sustainability in big-time college athletics, surveyed 117 so-called football bowl subdivision (FBS) schools; 97 schools responded to a number of questions on athletic department perceptions and actions on environmental sustainability. Generally, athletic department representatives responding to the survey understand that sustainability issues are important. But not many athletic departments have formal relationships with other campus groups involved in sustainability.

“Getting these groups talking to one another and partnering to make athletics more sustainable could really make a difference, as athletics departments understand the need to be greener in their building and facility operations, event management, and other areas,” Casper says. “Partnering with other campus groups already working on green initiatives may also help bring the cost down for athletics departments.”

For more information contact:
Dr. Jonathan Casper, NC State University Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, 919/513-0771 or jmcasper@ncsu.edu
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-8387 or mick_kulikowski@ncsu.edu

– kulikowsi –

Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Athletics Department Awareness and Action Regarding the Environment: A Study of NCAA Athletics Department Sustainability Practices”

Authors: Jonathan Casper, North Carolina State University; Michael Pfahl, Ohio University; Mark McSherry, ProGreenSports

Published: Jan, 27, 2012, in Journal of Sport Management

Abstract: The relationship of sport to sustainability management is relatively unknown. Despite the increasing recognition of the growing role of athletics in regard to environmental sustainability, it remains unclear what role athletics departments have with regard to environmental action and what is currently being done now. The purpose of this study is to examine American intercollegiate athletics department personnel in relation to their organization’s sustainability practices, organizational strategies, and personal perspectives at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) universities. Athletics department members (N = 97) who were most responsible for sustainability initiatives responded to a survey designed to assess awareness levels and concern for environmental issues and the strategies and practices at work in their respective athletics departments. Findings based on prioritization, planning, decision-making, and use of initiatives using frequencies and means are reported. Differences, using t-tests were also compared based on BCS or non-BCS standing. Results show that although environmental concern is high, there is disconnect between concern and action perhaps due to a lack of communication between the athletics department and the general university, cost concerns, and a lack of knowledge about sustainability initiatives. Implications related to the need for better communication between the athletics department/university and improved planning and prioritization is discussed.

Natural Resources Dean Paddles for Hope

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

Dr. Bob Brown, Dean of the College of Natural Resources at NC State University, will be one of nine kayakers participating in the Hope Floats 9-day, 225 mile kayak trip this April.

The group will paddle from Raleigh to Beaufort down the Neuse River. Hope Floats is part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life campaign, which raises funds through walks, runs, bike trips and kayak trips. The group is limited to 9 paddlers for the entire trip, but others are invited to join this group for one-day trips. The group has set a fund-raising goal of $ 5,000, but hopes to raise much more. Each paddler has an individual fund-raising goal.

Along the way, a “Reserve Team” will follow along by car, helping to establish camps each night and prepare meals. Each paddler pays $ 150 to cover the expenses – in addition to the fund raising.

Brown has done kayaking and canoe trips before. When he came to NCSU in 2006, his photo was taken with a kayak – and he in suit and tie. Brown got started in canoeing as a Scoutmaster and Boy Scout Venturing Crew Leader, twice taking groups to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.

He later got into marathon canoe and kayak racing, participating in both a solo kayak and a tandem canoe in several 40 – 60 mile races – the “Colorado 100” mile race in Texas three times, and the grueling 260-mile “Texas Water Safari” five times. The later race has to be completed in 100 hours, which involves paddling at night, portaging around or over fallen trees and broken dams at night, and little sleep. “I had to drop out of that race twice, once for utter exhaustion and once for dehydration, “Brown said.

“No one in my family has had cancer, fortunately, and by raising funds for cancer research I hope to keep it that way,” Brown said. Anyone interested in learning more about the trip or contributing to the fund can do so at hopefloatscn.org .


Friday, March 16, 2012
Open to NC State University Community, parking restricted to Spring Hill parking lot, see website parking info	NC State Centennial Campus Playing Fields	1:00 PM		Knife Throw
		1:30 PM		Axe Throw
		2:30 PM		Pole Fell
		3:30 PM		Log Birling

Free & open to the broader public	State Farmers Market in Raleigh	2:00-6:00 PM	NC Arbor Day Celebration

Ticketed event	State Farmers Market in Raleigh, food venders staying open late	5:00-10:00 PM	STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Southern Qualifier

Saturday, March 17, 2012
Open to NC State University Community, parking restricted, MRC Parking Deck on Centennial Campus open, see website parking info	NC State Centennial Campus Playing Fields	8:00 AM		Chain Throw
		9:00 AM		Archery
		10:00 AM		Log Roll
		11:00 AM		Pole Climb
		1:00 PM		Women’s Bow Saw
		2:00 PM		Men’s Bow Saw
		3:00 PM		Cross Cut (Men, Jack & Jill)
		4:00 PM		Cross Cut (Women)
		5:00 PM		Underhand Chop