Happy New Year, Wildlifers! We hope everyone had a restful and rejuvenating winter break, and we look forward to seeing old and new faces at all the events we’ll be hosting this quarter and beyond.
Before we move on to 2020, let’s take a brief look back on our events from Fall 2019.
The second annual TWS Lake Day Social was the perfect way to kick off a new school year! TWS members new and old gathered together on the shores of Lake Berryessa for an opportunity to meet fellow members, as well as some of this year’s club officers.
The Freshman Wildlife Bucket List was the Wildlife Society’s way of welcoming new students to UC Davis. We made a fun, group craft and came up with some animal-themed bucket lists, then we went around campus to check some items off our lists.
We had the opportunity to visit the PreetiRang Sanctuary, where injured and unwanted animals are able to find a safe home. Not only did we tour the sanctuary grounds and learn about livestock management, we had the opportunity to groom cows, feed goats, and carry chickens.
We’ll take Wildlife for 500, Alex! At our first Trivia Night of the year, we worked together to answer trivia questions about wildlife, conservation, and ecology. Questions were answered, prizes were won, and fun was had.
We gave our all volunteering at the Yolo Basin Foundation’s annual Bucks for Ducks fundraiser gala! We assisted with event setup, tear down, and kitchen staffing to
support local environmental education and wetland stewardship.
We embarked on a docent-guided nature hike at King-Swett Ranches to learn more about local wildlife and enjoy the changing of seasons. The scenery was breathtaking, and so was the exercise!
We drove through the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge to see the flocks of migrating waterfowl that visit these wetlands and grasslands every year. We took lots of pictures and learned about the different species that pass through the refuge.
At the Lindsay Wildlife Experience and Animal Hospital, we encountered non-releasable wildlife from native California species. We got to see the animal ambassadors’ behavior training in action and had a Q&A session with their trainers.
Our last event of the quarter gave members of TWS at UC Davis a chance to meet members from other chapters on a birding trip at the Cosumnes River Preserve! Not only did we meet wildlife professionals, we met migrating waterfowl, too.
It was a pleasure meeting our new members and greeting our old ones this past fall, and we hope to see you in 2020!
The Wildlife Society at UC Davis 