Since our last newsletter, the fall semester has flown by with tons of activities! NRM students and faculty have been attending meetings in their respective disciplines and winning awards along the way. Enjoy reading about their accomplishments!
Our annual Undergraduate Award and Scholarship Reception was especially memorable this year with a number of donors who joined us in person, including President Barry Dunn and Jane Dunn, Nelda Holden, Emmett Keyser, David Kringen, Bob and Alice Kurtz, Lyle Perman and Trevor Peterson.
We want to THANK all the folks who contributed to NRM during One Day for STATE (ODFS)! We increased our number of donors from last year and have once again been assisting our undergraduates with their experiential learning opportunities as you will see in this edition.
Above we highlight undergraduate Izzy Trones with her cozy blanket who led NRM’s social media blitz for ODST this year! NRM honored Izzy with this gift from the SDSU Foundation as one of the top ODFS Ambassadors.
We wish you all a lovely holiday season and we will be back in touch in 2026!
2nd Annual NRM Open House - Highlighting Graduate Student Research
Please save the date! - FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026
Faculty & Staff News
Ten-Year Service Recognition
October 10 | Brookings campus
CAFES Dean Cassady presented Dr. Michele Dudash and Dr. Josh Leffler with service pins in honor of their ten years at SDSU. Congratulations, and thank you both for your dedicated service!
NRM Highlights
Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society
August 10-14 | San Antonio, TX
Graduate students from the Coulters lab (Dr. Alison Coulter and Dr. Dave Coulter) attended the 155th Annual Meeting of the AFS.
They presented 7 talks and 6 posters on their research. Three of the students received Skinner awards (Kelsey Crowley, Kayla Reed and Natalie Liberati), Kassidy Frame was a runner-up for the Student Writing Contest, and Logan Zebro and Natalie Liberati received Travel Awards from the Introduced and Invasive Species Section.
The Alison Coulter lab group is mainly funded by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SD GFP), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Dave Coulter lab group is supported by the SD GFP and the USFWS.
Members of the Martin and Short Labs worked a booth at the Bison Round Up. They had a great time sharing information about bison, their current research, and the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies. Additionally, Dr. Jeff Martin and a master's student, Angie Lemminger, collected data as bison were handled by park staff. They will use the data to study how stress affects the animals.
The Jeff Martin lab group is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Rachel Short lab group is funded by the National Science Foundation, the USDA-NRCS, INDIGENOUS LED and the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies.
Society for Ecological Restoration International Conference
September 30 - October 4 | Denver, CO
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) World Conference is a global gathering that brings together scientists and restoration practitioners every two years to exchange ideas, success stories, and resources aimed at advancing conservation and sustainable development. Dr. Christy Wails and Dr. Ashlynn Smith both presented at the conference along with master’s students, Anna Manson and Elena Friedman. And Dr. Lora Perkins was on the coordinating committee!
The Perkins lab group is supported by a suite of sponsors including the National Park Service (NPS), the USDA-NRCS, the Bureau of Land Management, the USFWS and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as a private endowment to support undergraduate research.
The Wildlife Society's Annual Conference
October 5-8 | Edmonton, Alberta
An undergraduate student working for the Severud lab, Cooper Olson, presented a research poster on geospatial modeling of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) at the TWS conference in Canada. His project focuses on identifying spatial patterns and key environmental factors associated with CWD occurrence to help inform future disease management strategies.
Cooper's travel to the conference was supported by the SD Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS), the Central Mountains and Plains Section of TWS and ODFS contributions.
NRM undergraduates from the Park Interpretation and Management Club attended the annual SD PRA Conference, where they were inspired by expert speakers and engaged in a variety of cutting-edge sessions. At the banquet, Ava Brenner was honored with the SDPRA Student Scholarship. Congratulations to Ava and all the students who represented NRM at the conference. This student trip was supported by ODFS contributions.
NRM Homecoming Parade
October 11 | Brookings campus
NRM joined the excitement of Homecoming Week in October, taking part in Saturday’s Hobo Day Parade with some student club members and faculty members walking together. The students rolled out a decorated trailer hitched to a pickup truck, adding a festive touch to the procession and keeping up a fun tradition our group looks forward to every year.
The Coulters Lab graduate students, Thea Klarenbeek, Natalie Liberati, Sylas Abarr, Mikenna Henderson, Claudia Mushel and Charles McDunn, attended the conference to present their research posters and strengthen their science communication skills. The event offered a valuable opportunity to share their work and connect with professionals in the water resources field.
Annual Pack the Pantry
October 31 | Brookings, SD
According to the CPETE Weekly Bulletin, NRM has been recognized as the top academic unit contributor for this year’s Pack the Pantry event supporting Jacks Cupboard and students facing food insecurity. Thank you to all NRM faculty and staff who generously donated items to make this possible.
Students who need support can visit Jack's Cupboard with their student ID and a reusable bag. You can also check out their Instagram for updates and hours!
Ten members of the Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation Club (WFCC) traveled to the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation to assist with Black-footed Ferret surveys, helping spotlight and live-trap ferrets for vaccinations and health checks before release. These efforts support the conservation of this endangered species and help track their survival in South Dakota. This WFCC trip was supported in part by ODFS contributions.
NRM hosted its annual Undergraduate Award & Scholarship Reception, celebrating the achievements of fifty-eight student recipients. The event brought together students,
donors who participated both in person and remotely, and campus leadership, including President Barry and Jane Dunn as honored donors, along with Dean Cassady.
The reception was a meaningful celebration of academic accomplishment and the generosity that makes these awards possible. Congratulations to all of this year’s scholarship recipients. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the donors whose continued support opens doors for our students and enriches their academic journey.
We experienced a technical error during the event, and the program was not recorded as planned. Because of this, we will not be uploading a full video. We are, however, pleased to share photos from the reception and hope they help convey the spirit of the evening. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Extension & Outreach Activities
Water Voices Episode III
Friends of the Big Sioux River Floating Islands
In this presentation of the Northern Plains Water Voice series, hosted by David Kringen, SDSU Extension Water Resources Field Specialist; David interviews Travis Entenman, Executive Director of the Friends of the Big Sioux River, and how they have incorporated floating islands around Sioux Falls.
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