Professor honored by wildlife management organizations

Zimmerman, who has taught all the courses of CSC’s wildlife management program since her hire in 2008, was awarded the Professional of the Year Award by Nebraska’s chapter of The Wildlife Society in February. In addition, she was chosen to receive the Alumni Award by the Wildlife Club at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in April.

The UNL Alumni Award is designed to reward Wildlife Club graduates who have made special contributions to their discipline of study. Zimmerman, who served as president and treasurer of the club as a student, is being recognized for her involvement in student chapters and the Nebraska conclave. The honor will be presented during the club’s 50th annual banquet Saturday, April 17.

“It’s nice to be recognized by the college group that I was involved with and loved so dearly,” Zimmerman said.

The Wildlife Society’s Professional of the Year award was presented as a surprise during the chapter’s Feb. 26-27 meetings at Norfolk. Other institutions represented at the meeting were the UNL, Wayne State College, University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of South Dakota.

“This award came as a total surprise to me,” Zimmerman said. “Usually it has been presented to mid-career professionals, so it is an honor to receive the recognition,” she said.

In addition to Zimmerman’s hands-on approach to teaching and her contributions around campus and in the classroom, she was recognized for her support of the chapter.

She led CSC’s Wildlife Chapter in organizing the first student wildlife conclave in Nebraska in October 2009. During that event, students from CSC, WSC, UNK, Doane College, Northeast Community College and UNL gathered at Halsey, Neb., to learn from wildlife professionals from across the state.

She also was instrumental in securing the donation of two semi-truck loads of taxidermy mounts from Cabela’s last year. The collection, along with other features of the wildlife management program, will be showcased 6-9 p.m. at Burkhiser Complex during an open house Monday, April 19.

In 2009, she and 14 other wildlife professionals were selected to participate in The Wildlife Society Leadership Institute at Monterey, Calif.

Three students received special appointments during the meeting at Norfolk.

Jason Clark, a freshman from Papillion, was elected to serve as co-chairman of the student chapter committee of NETWS. Cassidy Emerson, a freshman from Crawford, volunteered to serve as the student representative on the planning committee to host the Central Mountain and Plains Section of the Wildlife Society meeting in Scottsbluff in August 2011.

Justin Powell, a junior from Scottsbluff, was asked by the chapter to create a bronze sculpture representative of Nebraska’s wildlife. The sculpture will be donated to the Wildlife Society during its national meeting Oct. 2-6 at Snowbird, Utah.

While at the Wildlife Society meeting, club members participated in a “bioblitz” at the Wood Duck Wildlife Management Area southeast of Norfolk. Each student group was assisted by professional biologists to identify as many species of birds, mammals, plants, fish, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates in the area based on visuals, such as tracks and nests.

Other students who attended were Christopher Loomis of Hyannis, Ethan Teter of St. Paul, Jessica Hovendick of Herman and Molly Seefus of Fort Calhoun.