2007 News Magazine - Auburn University

Transcription

Fall 2007
Generosity
The Fruit of
A u b u r n U ni v e r si t y
Forestry & Wildlife Sciences
Dean
Richard W. Brinker
Associate Dean of Research
B. Graeme Lockaby
Associate Dean of Education
Greg L. Somers
Alumni Association President
Joe D. Roberson
Director of Development
Angie B. Stephens
Alumni Association Magazine
Editor
Kim G. Nix
Writer
Ashley Kilcrease
Graphic Design
Billy Pope, Billy Pope Design
Additional Photography
Billy Pope and Ashley Kilcrease
The Auburn University Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Alumni Association Magazine is published by the
Auburn University Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Alumni
Association. Issues appear annually and are distributed to
alumni and friends of the school. Inquiries concerning the
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and its programs
should be directed to the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences Building, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849.
Inquiries and suggestions concerning Auburn Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences Alumni Association Magazine should be
directed to the Dean at the above address or by email to
[email protected].
Questions concerning the school’s development
program including annual and corporate giving, planned
gifts and estate planning should be directed to Angie
Stephens, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building,
602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849. Inquiries may also
be made by email to [email protected] or by
phone at (334) 844-2791.
Auburn University is an equal opportunity
educational institution/employer.
C O N T E N T S
D e pa r t m e n t s
2
3
8
41
President’s Message
Dean’s Message
Development Update
2007 Advisory Council
D o n o r
9
10 11 26
4
18
F e at u r e s
4
The Fruit of Generosity
With a love for Auburn University and
the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences, Dwain Luce is leaving a
legacy to be remembered.
By Kim G. Nix
18
The Louise Kreher Forest
Ecology Preserve
20
Toomer’s Baby Oak Trees
26
The Auburn University
Natural Resources
Management &
Development Institute
By Ashley Kilcrease
P r o f i l e s
Clinton McClure
The Westervelt Company
Lyle C. Tom
A l u m n i
13 14 15 17 39 Alumni President’s Message
Golden Eagles
Alumni Updates
In Memory
Outstanding Alumnus
S t u d e n t s
22 23
30 31 31 31 32 32 33
Scholarships
Sixth Annual Governor’s One-Shot Turkey Hunt
Forestry Club
Wildlife Society
SOFWS SGA
Xi Sigma Pi
Summer Practicum
SOFWS Ambassadors
Unique Students in the SOFWS
Fa c u lt y
R e s e a r c h
Life History Comparisons of
Urban and Rural Coyotes...............................................34
By Dr. Jim Armstrong
An Interdisciplinary Assessment of Population
Growth and Development Impacts on the Fish
River Basin Coastal Community................................... 35
By Dr. Latif Kalin
Modeling Water Demands at
Alabama’s Watersheds................................................... 36
By Dr. Daowei Zhang
Showcasing Forest and Wildlife Management
and Conservation: The Lower Coastal Plain
Substation in Wilcox County......................................... 37
By Dr. Becky Barlow and Dr. Mark Smith
Fa c u lt y
38 38 39 39 40 N e w s
Faculty Awards
Faculty Retirements
2006 Outstanding Alumnus
SOFWS Faculty and Staff Update
Hepp Appointed Ireland Professor
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
1
f r o m
t h e
p r e s i d e n t
Jay Gogue
President, Auburn University
It is an extraordinary honor to have been
selected as the 18th president of Auburn
University. Susie and I are excited about
returning to Auburn and working more closely
with the AU family.
university represents in terms of an educated
workforce, the community service we provide,
and the benefits that we bring to the cultural,
civic, and economic life of Alabama and
the Southeast.
One of the most frequent questions I’ve been
asked lately is, “What were the major factors
in your decision to take the job?” The answer
is two-fold. Susie and I have two degrees
each from Auburn, and our daughter has a
master’s degree from here. Auburn has always
held a special place in our hearts. So when
the opportunity to return as president arose,
I knew that if the people at Auburn thought it
was a good fit, we wanted to come back. The
second part of the answer involves Auburn
alums, who have a passion for their alma
mater. Through good times and bad, they love
and believe in this institution.
The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
has made great strides, especially in the
last few years, with its new $24.5 million,
110,000-square-foot facility going online
in 2005. The school’s academic reputation
has also received notice from a study in the
Journal of Forestry, ranking AU among the
top 10 forestry research programs in North
America. I look forward to working with Dean
Brinker and the SOFWS faculty and students.
Our arrival is exciting for many reasons, and it
comes at a time of great opportunity to build
on Auburn’s recent success in fiscal responsibility and national recognition for academic
and research programs.
For those who have recently visited campus,
you have seen that the face of the AU campus
is changing with a number of construction
projects, including a 156-acre research park
and the 340,000-square-foot Shelby Center
for Engineering Technology. These are only
two examples that demonstrate the incredible intellectual and human resource that this
2
Auburn University
From now until the end of the year, I will meet
with every academic department on campus.
In those sessions, I want to know the areas in
which faculty members are the most proud
and excited. I am here to help faculty achieve
success in their disciplines, so I look for those
who champion ideas.
As alumni, we also seek your help as we define
new opportunities for the institution while
building on the successes of the past. I want us
to be partners as we elevate Auburn University
and the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences to its place among the nation’s toptier universities.
War Eagle!
f r o m
t h e
d e a n
Dr. Gogue stated that he would “hit the ground
listening,” and that is just what he did. His first
day on the job was spent meeting with various
groups of students, faculty and administrators. He was true to his word, as he impressed
everyone with his understanding of higher
education and his role as president of a large
university. I am confident that his style and
open personality are sure to be a hallmark of
the era of the 18th president.
Dick Brinker
Dean, Auburn University School
of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
As we look back on Auburn history, numerous
events and personalities have contributed to
the previous 150 years of change on our campus. Some eras are characterized by people
and some are characterized by facilities and
buildings. We are entering another new era
in Auburn history that will be characterized
by both.
The campus is alive with the arrival of our 18th
president, Dr. Jay Gogue. Dr. Gogue is not only
an Auburn alumnus with two degrees in horticulture, but he has a vast array of experience
in government and academia. The first third of
his career as a scientist with the U.S. National
Park Service gave him grounding as a scientist
and administrator. President Gogue has spent
the past 20 years in academia as a faculty
member and administrator at four different
universities and brings a perspective and experience level that would be difficult to match.
University and influence the atmosphere of
education and research that our faculty members carry on every day.
Auburn reminds me of a dynamic forest. To the
casual eye, there appears to be little change. But
given long periods between visits, it is readily
apparent that the change is dramatic. If you
haven’t visited us recently, please do so. We’d
like to show you the changes.
At the direction of AU President Jay Gogue, the
This era of Auburn history will also be characterized by the tremendous level of construction, university is moving forward with its strategic
planning efforts. The Web site, www.auburn.
renovation and beautification on the campus.
edu/administration/strategic_planning/, which
The 1990s not only carried a minimal amount
is linked from the AU home page, provides a
of new construction, but the weak economy of
message from President Gogue, Provost John
the state of Alabama imposed many budgetHeilman and Executive Vice President Don
cutting measures. Foremost of these were the
Large detailing the next steps in the planshrinking of the funds allocated to the mainning process. Additionally, information and
tenance and repair of buildings and facilities.
documents which have been prepared in
That investment shifted in 2000 with a definite
the planning process are available for review.
plan to not let the campus fall into disrepair.
Specifically, the current SWOT (strengths,
Reallocations of budget were not without pain,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analybut the beautification of campus landscapsis prepared by consulting group Messina and
ing and aesthetics has been nothing short of
Graham, as well as situational assessment
impressive over the past seven years.
materials prepared by Messina and Graham, is
If you have not been on campus recently,
available as resource material. Earlier strategic
the level of construction is unprecedented.
planning input gathered through Bill Sauser’s
Construction of our new building was cer2005 listening sessions and the last planning
tainly a hallmark of a new era for the School.
materials from the 21st Century Commission
Currently, nearly $450 million of construction
are also provided. Faculty, staff, students,
projects are in various phases of design and
alumni and other interested stakeholders are
construction. A new student union, student
encouraged to review this material to provide
housing and dining facilities to accommodate
informed input. All stakeholders will have an
nearly 5,000 students on campus, a new basopportunity to provide feedback to an online
ketball coliseum, a major engineering center
set of questions about strategic decisions
and the Auburn University Research Park are
through the Web site listed above beginning
just the big ones! The “bricks and mortar” are
the week of Oct. 29, 2007.
important, as they project the face of Auburn
3
4
Auburn University
f e a t u r e
The Fruit of
Generosity
By Kim G. Nix
5
When Dwain Luce enrolled at Alabama
Polytechnic Institute in 1934, he planned his
studies around a future in the family business,
which was a canning plant in Mississippi.
Invasion and received the Bronze
Star. He credits God and his love of
“When I came to Auburn, I knew I wanted
the outdoors with helping him get
through those difficult war days, which
to study engineering, and I thought that
included almost being captured in
studying chemical engineering would fit in
Holland. “The man
upstairs had his hand
well with the canning operation.”
on my shoulder,” he
says. For many
young men at
war, no previous
experiences outdoors meant
they were not comfortable
in the elements. Luce, who had spent
time in the woods since he was a boy,
thinks he was a little better prepared.
“I always felt that the fact that I spent
time in the woods and I wasn’t just a
city boy, helped me survive.”
Luce was recently featured in the
Ken Burns PBS documentary and
corresponding book entitled “The
War.” He is one of many veterans who
describe their experiences during
World War II.
After the war, jobs were hard to
come by, so he had to look beyond his
Dwain and granddaughter Sarah Luce Watkins look at a family
chosen field. He accepted a job as a
diploma from Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
bank loan officer specializing in forest
He chose Auburn because it had the reputation of being a friendly
land purchases. It was the beginning of a long banking career that
campus. “It still is,” he remarks. Things were a little different in the
would serve him well, and keep him involved in the business of forest
1930s, however. “Times were real hard,” said Luce in reference to
land ownership.
the Great Depression. Although many had financial difficulties, the
Luce comes from a family of entrepreneurs. In the past, his
comaraderie and academic challenges made for a good campus life.
grandfather and father were owners or partners in a sawmill, a
Luce’s fond memories of his time at Auburn bring to his mind a
bank, a cotton gin, a short line railroad and a canning plant. It was
quote from Clifford Leroy Hare, who was then dean of the Chemistry
his grandfather’s sawmill where Luce was first exposed to forestry.
Department. Hare’s saying, “Athletics makes men strong, study
His grandfather, Gregory M. Luce, moved to what is now Lucedale,
makes men wise and character makes men great,” is something Luce
Mississippi from Grand Rapids, Michigan to operate the sawmill in
holds in high regard. Today, most know Dean Hare for his partial
the early 1900s.
namesake, Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“They didn’t think about replanting trees in those days,” said
Luce did finish Auburn in Chemical Engineering, but only spent
Luce. Instead, many used the “new ground” as they called the cutover
a few years in the field before fulfilling the call of duty for World
land, for planting sweet potatoes. His grandfather quickly saw a
War II. He served his country admirably as part of the Normandy
new opportunity and established a canning plant where the sweet
6
Auburn University
The Fruit of
Generosity
Dwain and Margaret Luce on
their wedding day in Feb 1942.
potatoes and other local
crops were canned. “He
had quite a canning
operation going,”
said Luce.
A short line
railroad in the area
moved lumber
from Moss Point,
Mississippi to
Pascagoula back
in those days.
In 1920, the
railroad was
declared
insolvent.
Seeing
an opportunity, Luce’s
grandfather spearheaded the purchase of
the railroad by several people in local communities. Under the
leadership of a new board of directors, including Gregory M. Luce,
the railroad prospered. Today, Dwain Luce’s son, Greg, is chairman of
the board for the Mississippi Export Railroad Company.
Although the canning plant is gone, it lives on in the name of the
family business, Luce Packing Company. Luce and his two brothers
inherited 5,000 acres that belonged to the family and eventually
Luce took ownership and purchased additional acreage as a
retirement investment. Today, 14,000 acres of forestland in Alabama
and Mississippi are owned and managed by Luce Packing Company.
“I’m proud of the fact that we boys did not dissipate what we got; we
saved that property and added to it.”
At the helm of the business is son Greg, whom his father is quick
to praise. “I feel like Greg deserves the credit,” he said. “Greg has done
an outstanding job.” He is aided by Sarah Luce Watkins, his daughter.
She received her Master of Forestry degree from Auburn in 1999 and
is also a registered forester, so she is perfectly poised to help take
the property to the next level. As far as the future goes, Luce says he
would like the forestland to keep producing. “I would like it to be put
to its best use,” he said.
Luce acknowledges how much things have changed for the better
regarding forestry, especially when it comes to replanting trees after
they are cut. “I think you’ll find that most good foresters are also
good environmentalists. They love the woods.”
Luce, too, loves the woods and has helped support forestry in
many ways. “Forestry is the background of our family. I never lost
interest in it.” This interest led him to become a significant donor to
the Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
The Dwain G. Luce Family Endowed Scholarship in Forestry was
established in 1996. When the new Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
building was under construction several years ago, Luce and his wife
Margaret stepped up to fund the Student Services Suite, as his love
for Auburn students remains strong. He is also a very active member
of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council and
the Campaign Development Team.
In June 2007, a professorship in honor of Dwain was established
at the School, which came as a complete surprise to him. He found
out about the professorship on June 13, the same day a reception
was held at the Mobile Country Club to celebrate Luce and his
contributions to the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. More
than 125 people gave donations in his honor for the Dwain G. Luce
Endowed Professorship in Forestry, which is currently valued at
more than $380,000. “I am touched, and I mean that,” he said about
the professorship. “I’m excited and embarrassed. I’m fortunate to
have a lot of friends.”
Dean of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Richard
Brinker stated, “Dwain Luce is the embodiment of a conservationminded forest landowner. He remembers the past, but always looks to
provide for generations to come. His investment in forestry education
at Auburn University through the Dwain G. Luce Professorship is the
consummate contribution from a true Auburn man.”
Now 91, Luce is reflecting on his life, of which family is a huge
part. “I’m proud of my family. You’ve heard the old saying, ‘The first
generation makes it, the second enjoys it and the third destroys
it.’ Well, in the Luce family, through five generations we haven’t
destroyed it, but continue to sustain and invest in the future.
“I like to do things for people. I find that giving good things to
good people is not a pain, but a pleasure,” he said. When talking to
a young student he was helping obtain a scholarship, Luce gave a
bit of advice. “I told him, look, I’m 91 and I don’t know how many
more times you’re going to see me, but there’s one thing I want you to
remember in life. Do something for somebody in life besides yourself.
If you’re going to harvest the fruit, you’ve got to fertilize the tree.”
Alabama and the forestry profession will be harvesting the
fruit borne through the generosity of Dwain G. Luce for many
years to come.
7
d e v e l o p m e n t
u p d a t e
I am pleased to report that
in July 2007, Auburn University
surpassed its goal of $500 million
for the “It Begins at Auburn”
capital campaign. This amount
makes the campaign a historic
one, as it is the largest fundraiser
of private dollars ever in the
state of Alabama. As the capital
campaign does not end until
March 31, 2008, the final total will almost surely be well in
excess of $500 million.
As the Chairman of our School’s Development Team, I am
most pleased to share that Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
has surpassed its primary goal of raising $11.15 million. As
of September 2007, the School has secured $13,271,523 in
commitments during the capital campaign. These funds
helped pay for the new building, established an endowed
professorship, provided funds for excellence and created a
host of new scholarships. We are grateful to all of you who
have diligently and generously supported the School. Dean
Richard Brinker said, “Private funding is essential for us to
achieve a higher level of excellence. State and federal support
provides the foundation but private support is required to
move us to the level of excellence and national recognition
that we seek.”
However, we cannot rest on our laurels. While we have
exceeded our primary Campaign goal of $11.15 million,
we have not yet met our stretch goal of $15 million.
Achievement of the stretch goal will go a long way to help
the School compete with, and exceed, our peer programs
at other universities. Dick Brinker and the Development
Team have a vision to create five additional Endowed Chairs
and/or Professorships and to add 10 additional fellowships
to support graduate students. Endowed Chairs and
Professorships are the backbone of a strong program. Such
endowments provide additional dollars to attract the most
respected faculty to our campus and help provide additional
incentive to retain quality faculty. Research Fellowships
are key to recruiting and retaining graduate students who
have demonstrated superior academic achievement and
potential. A minimum of $300,000 is required to endow a
professorship while higher minimums are required to endow
a chair. A minimum of $150,000 is required to endow a
research fellowship.
All of us, as actual or potential donors to Auburn’s Capital
Campaign, are rightfully interested in knowing how well the
money that we contribute is managed by Auburn University.
Since 2004, I have obtained a comprehensive view of that
process by serving on the Board of Directors of the Auburn
University Foundation – the organization that is responsible
for managing the University’s endowments. As a member of
the Foundation’s Investment Committee and of the Finance
and Administration Committee, I have had the opportunity
to observe first hand and work with the University’s
development, accounting and investment staffs and the
Foundation’s investment consultants and advisors as well as
the other members of the Foundation Board.
Throughout this time, I have been consistently and
tremendously impressed with the professionalism,
dedication, and expertise that all team members bring to
the task of accounting for, managing, and wisely investing
the University’s endowment money and in ensuring that the
donors’ money is used for the purpose the donor intended.
The investment returns that the endowment funds have
earned during this time have also been very impressive.
At the end of the current capital campaign on March 31,
2008, I plan to retire as chairman of the School’s Development
Team. It has been an honor to serve and work with Dean
Brinker, Angie Stephens, and our fellow Development Team
members during this campaign. I am grateful to all of them
for their support, friendship and hard work. I am also grateful
to the numerous alumni and other school supporters who
contributed so generously to make the campaign a success.
Now it is time for a new chairman who will bring new energy,
enthusiasm, and ideas as well as a fresh perspective to
continuing the ongoing task of raising the funds necessary to
insure Auburn’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will
be recognized as the school of choice by students, professors,
landowners, and wildlife enthusiasts throughout our nation.
Angie Stephens, Director of Development, will be pleased
to discuss with you the many different ways that you can
make a gift to the School. We accept gifts in the form of cash,
stocks, bonds, land, timber, life insurance and other planned
giving opportunities. Please contact Angie at (334) 844-2791
or [email protected] for additional information.
Ken Nichols
Chairman, SOFWS Development Team
8
Auburn University
d o n o r
p r o f i l e
Clinton McClure
By Ashley Kilcrease
During his lifetime, farming and forestry opened many doors for
Clinton McClure. He and his twin were born April 9, 1909, into a family
of 11 children, who lived on 200 acres of land near Garland, Ala.
Clinton McClure.
At one time, Garland was the strawberry
capital of the state, and McClure knew a lot
about growing strawberries. During his senior
year of high school, McClure entered a contest
sponsored by Sears, for the Southeastern
states, where he wrote an essay on growing
strawberries. He won the first-place prize of a
trip to Atlanta, Ga. to attend the Southeastern
Fair. This was only the beginning of what
farming and forestry would reveal to McClure.
“All his life I guess he’d been involved with
forestry at some degree,” J D. Nall, McClure’s
younger cousin, said.
McClure began his college career at
Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1928. He
grew three acres of strawberries, sold the
berries and used the profits to pay for his
freshman year tuition. He graduated with a
bachelor’s degree in general business and
received his commission as a 2nd Lt. in the
Army Reserves.
After graduating, McClure took an office
job with W.T. Smith Lumber Company in
Greenville, Ala. After a year, he was moved
to the main office in Chapman, Ala. where
he worked with L.K. Pomeroy. Pomeroy was
contracted by W.T. Smith Lumber Company to
determine whether or not the company could
have a perpetual operation. Pomeroy taught
McClure how to take inventory of the timber
and how to choose trees for selective cutting.
After several weeks, Pomeroy suggested that
the company could have a perpetual operation
and that they should change from railroad
logging to truck logging. After the change,
McClure was hired to assist in the forest
management of the timberland. Later he was
sent to manage a smaller mill in Linden, Ala.
where he was responsible for buying timber for
the mill.
After two years in Linden, McClure was
promoted to Captain in the Army and called to
active duty at Fort Bragg, N.C. He spent three
years at Fort Bragg and was then transferred to
another division. As he climbed in ranks and
traveled all over the United States training, he
became Executive Officer of his battalion.
“He was good at working with people and
getting them to do things. He encouraged
them, not told them what to do,” Nall said.
“Clinton, he always seemed to get things
done without forcing people.”
McClure was then deployed
to Europe during World War II.
He was attached to the Second
Airborne Division and for three
weeks he fired his gun, day and
night. McClure was nearing
Nuremberg when the war
ended. He was promoted to Lt.
Col. because his commanding
officer was in the hospital.
All the officers reported to
Eisenhower headquarters
in Frankfurt, Germany and
officers with backgrounds
in forestry, lumber and glass
manufacturing were chosen to
help rebuild. Because of his previous work
with timber, McClure was sent to Munich,
Germany, where he organized sawmills and
glass manufacturing back into operation. The
Army issued orders stating that any officer
who worked in essential industry could apply
to return to the United States. McClure applied
and after six months in Munich, he came
home to Alabama. Forestry had saved him
once again.
Once McClure moved back to Alabama,
he worked in a consulting business that had
a contract with Alison Lumber Company.
He finished his stint in the Army Reserves,
completing 22 years of service. He also
became a registered forester and a registered
land surveyor.
McClure owned much of his family’s land,
purchased more land in Sumter County and
used his inventory and selective cutting skills
to maintain all his land.
— Continued on page 12
McClure made this detailed,
color-coded map of his property
that showed the location
of every tree.
d o n o r
p r o f i l e
The Westervelt Company
By Ashley Kilcrease
With its 500,000 acres of SFI-certified
forests in the Southeastern United States,
and nearly 40,000 acres in New Zealand,
this organization of land stewards has
businesses in natural resources, wood
products, outdoor recreation, real estate, and
mitigation banking.
The Westervelt Company put its faith in
the Auburn University School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences shortly after its beginning
in the 1940s. In 1952, the corporation
sponsored the School’s first endowment, and
the Westervelt Endowed Fund was created
to provide scholarships, fellowships, books,
and equipment.
In 1956, The Westervelt Company
employed the first graduate wildlife biologist
in the Southern forest industry, making the
corporation the first to dedicate full-time
resources to wildlife management. The
biologist was hired to execute the company’s
vision of twin crops of timber and wildlife.
It was then that the corporation realized
how valuable and beneficial the wildlife
program was.
The School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences and The Westervelt Company
partnered again in 1968 to begin the Tree
Improvement Cooperative. The corporation
was the first industry to be involved in the
program and allowed Auburn researchers to
conduct studies on Westervelt property. The
research gathered helped grow better trees
until the 1980s.
Over the years, Auburn University and
Westervelt embarked on many other research
projects such as the Forest Tree Nursery
Cooperative, deer and quail research and water
quality and BMP research.
The Westervelt Company was impacted by
Auburn’s forestry program as the company
Derek Snow
Since its founding in 1884, The Westervelt Company, formerly known as
Gulf States Paper Corporation, has developed into one of the nation’s
largest privately held forest products companies.
had historically employed primarily Auburn
foresters to manage its 400,000 acres of
Alabama timberland. The School also
provided continuing education programs for
Westervelt employees.
The Westervelt Company, a land-based
organization, is committed to preserving
its resources through timber-management
practices such as streamside-management
zones to improve water quality, immediate
replanting to ensure a sustainable forest,
continual forest management and wildlife
enhancement with on-staff biologists. The
company plants millions of trees each year,
harvests only in small compartments and
is the only major industrial landowner to
be recognized by the Alabama Forestry
Commission for pioneering forest management
techniques, wildlife enrichment efforts and
conservation practices.
The Westervelt Endowment is in place at
the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
— C
ontinued on page 12
10
Auburn University
d o n o r
p r o f i l e
Lyle C. Tom
Lyle C. Tom worked in the private forestry
industry for many years and understood
the importance of money management. He
was born on Sept. 18, 1930 in Monroe, Mich.
He completed his college career at the
University of Michigan where he attended
school on many scholarships. Lyle received a
Bachelor of Science in forest management in
1952 and a Master of Forestry in 1953.
outside and in the woods. We’d travel out West
hiking. He loved trees; he loved nature and was
very active. He ran and exercised, loved golf,
biking, reading and traveling.”
Lyle was a reserved man and moneyconscious. He never wasted a dollar because
he saw money as a sign of independence.
“He was a very quiet person. He had humor
but you had to get to know him because he
When he was in college, he worked one
summer in Missoula, Mont. as a smoke
jumper. Lyle was an extra in a movie, Red Skies
Over Montana, starring Richard Widmark.
It was based on the true story of the Man
Gulch Fire, a tragic forest fire that happened
in Missoula in the 1950s. Years later he would
learn that his future wife was living in Helena,
Mont. at the time and her father was one of the
people who went in by helicopter and saw the
smoke jumpers who didn’t make it out alive.
After graduating, Tom served in
the U.S. Marine Corps as a 1st Lt. from
1953-1955. His professional forestry career
began in 1956 with Bowater Paper Company.
He later retired from International Paper
Company in 1984 and started practicing
private forestry consulting. He was a 50-year
member of the Society of American Foresters,
a registered forester in the states of Alabama
and Mississippi, a member of the Alabama
Forestry Association and a past chairman of
the Alabama Forestry Council. He also served
on the Auburn University School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council for a
number of years.
Lyle got involved with Auburn because his
forestry career brought him to the South and
he enjoyed the region and continued to live in
Alabama after he retired.
“He loved being outside,” Susan Tom, Lyle’s
wife, said. “He was a hunter. He loved being
By Ashley Kilcrease
was shy; he had a zany sense of humor. People
called him frugal, some called him stingy,”
Susan said. “He never spent much money but
he wasn’t stingy on me. Whatever I wanted,
he got. And on vehicles, he wasn’t stingy. He
always bought top of the line.”
Since he passed away from cancer on April
24, 2005, Susan made sure to follow through
with Lyle’s wishes of creating an endowment at
Auburn University. The Lyle C. Tom Endowed
Graduate Award for a Graduate of the School
of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences provides
support to a forestry graduate who wants to
continue his or her education in the field of
business administration at Auburn University.
The fellowship is open to any current student
or an alumnus that is interested in coming
Billy Pope
— C
ontinued on page 12
11
d o n o r
p r o f i l e
The
Westervelt
Company
Clinton McClure
— C
ontinued from page 9
“Everything he did was to improve the
forestry,” Nall said. “He would just take out
the trees that weren’t good quality.”
McClure walked the land and committed
every tree to his memory. He even made a
hand-drawn, color-coded map that had the
exact number of trees and their locations
drawn on it. His love for forestry and his
family land kept him busy in his retirement.
In the summer of 2007, J.D. Nall ensured
that McClure’s land in Sumter County
was gifted to Auburn University’s School
of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. The
appraised value of the land and timber is
$1,181,000. McClure gifted this with the
confidence that the School would maintain
his land in the same fashion, rather than
sell it for profit.
“He was an active manager who
understood the long-term aspect of forest
management, and believed in use of the
forest for production of forest products,
wildlife habitat, recreation and aesthetic
enjoyment,” Dean Richard Brinker said. “We
will manage his forestland with the same
love and respect that Mr. McClure had for
his forest.”
The land is now managed by the School,
which utilizes the timber harvest profits for
the Clinton McClure Fund for Excellence.
The Fund’s primary priority will be to
sustain a fellowship awarded on an annual
basis in the name of Clinton McClure. The
Fund may also provide support for faculty,
graduate students or undergraduates.
“The money that goes into these
scholarships would make him extremely
happy. It would make him so happy to know
that he is contributing to someone who will
come back and give back to Auburn,” Nall
said. “And he loved Auburn. He once said,
‘There will never be another school like it.’”
12
Auburn University
— C
because the need for well-trained forestry
and wildlife professionals remains constant.
The endowment has grown to over $365,000
since 1952 and is currently being used
for the purpose of graduate fellowships
to allow the School to attract the most
promising students.
The leaders at The Westervelt Company
believe a successful career in forestry and
wildlife sciences begins with a quality
education, which they see at Auburn
University. The corporation has a strong
belief in Auburn graduates because many
of the company’s forestry and wildlife
management employees are graduates from
Auburn University.
Jim King, a 1980 Auburn School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences graduate,
and vice president of natural resources for
The Westervelt Company, can relate to many
students in forestry.
“As students of forestry and wildlife
management, you are stewards of our
natural resources and will impact the value
and enjoyment that future generations
experience,” King said. “Be ever mindful
of the trust that is placed in you by those
you serve and always regard the land you
manage as if it were your own family legacy
because in many ways it is.”
Recently, in 2005, the company
committed $100,000 to name the Wildlife
Physiology and Nutrition Laboratory in
the new School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences Building.
Sciences would like to thank The Westervelt
Company for their continued support.
Their generosity over the years has been
truly appreciated by many students,
faculty and staff.
Lyle C. Tom
— C
back to the AU College of Business to pursue
a master’s of business administration
degree. Tom believed that forestry graduates
would prosper if they had an additional
business background and Auburn’s MBA
program is well equipped to keep Auburn’s
forestry students a step ahead of their peers
from other institutions. Among public
institutions, Auburn’s graduate business
program is ranked 39th in the United States. After being married to Lyle for 23 years,
Susan knew him the best. Knowing the kind
of person Lyle was, she knows he’d be happy
with his endowment.
“Money was important to him but
not to buy fancy things like cars or a
mansion. It was to do good things with
it,” Susan said. “When he got sick, that’s
when he started making plans for his
money. He wanted his money to go to
something worthwhile.”
To date, there has yet to be a recipient
of the Lyle C. Tom Endowed Graduate
Award and the School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences would like to show
their appreciation to Susan Tom for
her husband’s gift by naming the first
recipient. The School is excited to be
able to offer any student or an alumnus
this opportunity.
“The School is forever grateful to Mr.
Tom for his generosity and foresight in
preparing foresters for the future,” Angie
Stephens, Director of Development, said.
Anyone interested in applying for
the fellowship may contact Sarah
Crim in Student Services at (334)
844-1050. To learn more about Auburn
University’s MBA program, log on to
www.mba.business.auburn.edu.
A l u m n i
A Message from Your
Alumni President
Greetings and salutations! This wraps up a quick two-year term for me as
your School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Alumni President. Ballots should
soon be reaching your mailbox asking for your selection for the 2008-2009
SFWS Alumni Vice President. Please take a moment and respond…unlike a
silviculture test, you can’t make a bad choice. David Carroll will assume the
responsibilities of the Alumni President in January 2008.
Last year, there was a national drop in the number of forestry graduates
by 7 percent and in the South there was a 32 percent drop. Auburn, however,
had an increase in the number of forestry graduates and was the only program in the South to have any
increase. You can look at those statistics in several ways, but I choose to think of that as an indication of the
recognition of Auburn as the pre-eminent program in the South. The ability to blend in on a logging job,
in a board of directors meeting, or in the legislature are all evidence of the adaptability and strength of our
graduates. We currently have over 2,500 SFWS alumni and every one is making an impact.
Now that the School has a new building, a new Institute, and since Auburn has a new president, maybe
we can start marketing the strong, viable and unique programs of Auburn’s School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences. Auburn’s biosystems engineering program is the only dual accredited forest engineering program
by the SAF and ABET, one of only three in the nation. The Longleaf Alliance, based out of the SFWS, is
recognized internationally as the pre-eminent source of information and restoration of the longleaf pine
ecosystem. Anyone with a question on quail or quail management is always referred to Auburn’s SFWS. It
seems to me that we need to market these programs, interest areas, and research. We need to share “the
best kept secrets in natural resources.”
Last year, I asked for your help in alumni support and many of you came through and helped. We
increased our number of alumni contributions from 17 percent up to 23 percent, but we still need more
contributions to compete with our peer universities in the South. Currently, Auburn is listed fifth behind
UGA, UF, MSU and LSU in percent of alumni contributions. The competition among our peer institutions
is based upon participation and not the size of the gift. I encourage you to make a gift in support of your
alma mater if you have not already done so this year.
War Eagle!
JOE D. ROBERSON
Alumni President
13
Top Row left to right:
William Starling ‘50,
Roy Gamble ‘51,
James Collins ‘49,
Dalton Smith‘53,
Lenoard Crain ‘53
MIddle Row:
John Crocker ‘54,
Aaron Levi ‘50,
Richard Otterberg ‘49
Front Row:
Ted Lynn ‘57,
Harold Coan ‘57,
Young Wood Rainer ‘49
Golden Eagles
By Ashley Kilcrease
Class reunions always bring back fond memories and
September 21, 2007 was a day full of Auburn memories from
many years passed. In conjunction with the Auburn Alumni
Association’s reunion, the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences invited the classes of 1948-1957 back to campus to
take part in the celebration.
At the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, eleven
Golden Eagles and their guests were given a tour of the new
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences building. Faculty
members gave presentations about current research projects
and facilitated a discussion about how much forestry has
changed in the last 50 years.
Dean Richard Brinker hosted a luncheon in the Conference
Hall and each alumnus was invited to share what they had been
doing in the last 50 years. Dean Brinker presented the Golden
Eagles with a gift on behalf of the School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences and also a special Golden Eagle pin.
14
Auburn University
“The Golden Eagles Reunion is definitely my favorite event
of the year. When these alums and their wives get together, the
stories are always intriguing, the reminiscing brings smiles
to all, and I can tell that the memories are just like yesterday,”
Dean Brinker said. “We all enjoy hearing about the careers
that evolved over the previous 50 years, the hard work, the
good times, the not-so-good times, and the warm feelings that
the foundation of their professional careers began at Auburn.
When your year comes up, please join us and visit with your old
classmates, some of whom you may not have seen since the old
college days. You will have a good time!”
This Auburn pin with
a gold background is
exclusively awarded to
Golden Eagles.
Alumni Updates
1949
Young Wood
Rainer, who has
a bachelor’s degree
in forestry, lives in
Abbeville, Ala., is retired
and enjoys fishing, bird
watching and charity
work. He is also a member of Golden “K” Club in
Dothan, Ala.
_______________________
1950
Frank Earl
Jones, who has a
bachelor’s degree in forestry management, lives
in Brewton, Ala. where
he enjoys playing tennis
during his retirement.
_______________________
1951
Herman E. Ball,
who has a bachelor’s
degree in forestry management, has worked
as a consultant in forest management and
prescribed fire use since
his retirement from the
USDA-Forest Service in
1982, but he is now
more retired than active
in his profession. He is a
member of the National
Association of Forest
Service Retirees and the
National Smokejumpers
Association.
Claude Smithson
Swift, who has a
bachelor’s degree in
forestry, is retired and
enjoys scuba diving,
flying and reading. He
is a former chairman
of the State Forestry
Commission and a
former chairman of
United Bank.
_______________________
1957
Ronald Gene
Davis, who has a
forestry management, is
retired and enjoys digital
photography, woodcarving, woodworking, collecting antique tools and
traveling. He completed
his graduate work in
photogrammetry at New
York State College of
Forestry and Syracuse
University.
_______________________
1960
Terry Sellers,
Jr., who has bachelor’s degrees in forestry
and forest products
and a master’s degree
in wood technology,
lives in Oneonta, Ala.
and retired in 2004
from Mississippi State
University as Professor
Emeritus of Forest
Products. He received
a doctoral degree in
wood engineering from
the University of Tokyo,
Japan in 1993. Terry
now enjoys genealogy,
travel and fruit trees. He
is the former President
of Forest Products
Society, received honors
from Forest Products
Society for his service
to the profession, was
named the MSU College
of Forest Resources
Sharp Professor
of Forest Products
and was named the
School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences’ 2006
Outstanding Alumnus at
Auburn University.
_______________________
1963
Dick Edwards,
degree in wood technology and a minor in botany and industrial management, is a retired
colonel in U.S. Army
Reserves. He worked at
The Celotex Corp as the
district sales manager
for the Southern Region
of Celotex until his retirement in 2001. Dick is
currently a part-time
building code consultant
and a certified Energy
Star HERS rater.
_______________________
1965
Kent Hanby, who
has a bachelor’s degree
in forestry management,
taught the fire course in
spring 2007 and is currently contracting with
the Alabama Forestry
Commission to complete
the Alabama Certified
Burn Manager training.
His wife and son, Rick,
own The Caramel Apple
Gift Company, LLC, which
has three locations: two
in Auburn and one in
Dadeville, Ala.
_______________________
1971
Jim Hyland, who
has bachelor’s degrees
in forestry management
and entomology, lives in
Montgomery, Ala. He
retired in 2005 from
Commission as a Forest
Health Chief.
_______________________
1976
Carl A.
Southern, who has
in forestry and graduated as a Distinguished
Military Graduate,
was assigned all of
ExxonMobil’s onshore
land related activity in
onshore and offshore
California in Feb. 2007.
He has also been heavily
involved in all aspects of
the Alabama offshore oil
and gas development in
Mobile Bay. E-mail him at
[email protected].
_______________________
1978
Venard Paul
Dean, who has bachelor’s degrees in forestry
management and computer science, works
for Forest Resource
Services in Cary, N.C. as
a consulting forester. He
is married to Barbara
and they have two children, Andrea and Chris.
David Neal
Pearce, who has
in forestry management, is retired from
Commission as Perry
County Forester and
enjoys gulf fishing. He
started Tropical Woods
& Flooring in Foley,
Ala. in May 2006 with
fellow forester and
Auburn alumnus, Chuck
Williamson, class of
1981. They specialize
in authentic hardwood
floors of all species. The
showroom and store is
located on Highway 59
at the beginning of the
Foley Beach Express.
_______________________
1980
George Irwin
Horton, who has a
bachelor’s degree in wildlife science, has worked
at Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
since Feb. 1985. He is
now the Senior Regional
Director, working as a
fundraiser and biologist,
at Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
in Memphis, Tenn.
_______________________
1988
Michael P.
Losito, who has
in wildlife science, is
a professor at State
University of New York
at Cobleskill. He teaches
a variety of wildlife management courses such
as ornithology, herpetology, evolutionary biology,
waterfowl ecology and
wetland delineation. He
has two children, Natalie
Antoinette Losito and
Lucas Philip Losito.
Odis Stacey
Trimback, who has
a bachelor’s degree in
forest engineering, has
worked at Meadwestvaco
as a Senior Landowner
Assistance Forester
since April 1990.
He assists private
landowners in managing their timber. He
married Montene on
Nov. 6, 2004.
1990
William (Bill)
Nelson Gray II,
degree in wildlife management, was promoted
to District Supervisor
of District 6 with the
Alabama Division of
Wildlife and Freshwater
Fisheries in Nov. 2004.
He is the district wildlife
manager for the 10
counties that comprise
southeast Alabama. In
Oct. 2005, he was recognized as the Wildlife
Biologist of the Year
by the Southeastern
Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies. His
second child, Rachel
Anna Gray, was born
March 13, 2006.
_______________________
1993
Jay Kimbrell, who
has a master’s degree
in forest management,
started working at CocaCola in Atlanta in April
2005 as a financial
analyst. He recently
earned the Certified
Management Accountant
designation in April
2007. His second child,
James Douglas Kimbrell,
was born May 24,
2006 and has an older
daughter, Rebekah, who
turned 7 in Feb. 2007.
Jay and his family live in
Tucker, Ga.
_______________________
1994
Amy Murphy
James, who has a
bachelor’s degree in forest resources, works
at Columbus Lumber
in Brookhaven, Miss.
as the Environmental,
Health, Safety and
Quality Manager. She
has a son, Grant James,
who was born in 1998.
15
Alumni Updates — C o n t i n u e d
Melissa (Hager)
Leembruggen’s
first book was
released in
August 2007.
The Sudan
Project is a children’s non-fiction
book covering culture and crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Forty percent of
Melissa’s royalty profits are donated to child protective programs, water yard development, and
supporting 90 schools with over 3000 students
in Darfur, Sudan.
Melissa graduated with a Master of
Communication from AU in 1994. She worked
as the first Communication Specialist for the AU
School of Forestry from 1993-1995. Currently,
Melissa Leembruggen is President of Clay Bridges
Communications training and development company. She home schools her three children as well.
1995
Tucker Alley, who
in forest resources, is
GIS and Land Records
Manager at Resource
Management Service,
LLC. He has two
children, Everett and
Mary Ellis.
Melissa V. Love,
who has a master’s
degree in forest management, started her
term on the Alabama
Forestry Commission in
Nov. 2006.
_______________________
1996
Jenny Alfano,
degree in forest resources, lives in Richmond,
Va. with her husband,
Brian, and their three
children, 10-year-old
Kira, 6-year-old Anthony
and 4-year-old Adah.
She works at the YMCA
in child care. Brian, an
Auburn alumnus, works
at a military contractor
as a design engineer.
Their family rescues
retired racing greyhounds and they have
three as pets. E-mail
Jenny at jennyalfano@
gmail.com.
16
Charles
Christopher
Dukes, who has a
forestry resources, has
worked at ScientificAtlanta, Inc. since Jan.
2001 in Lawrenceville,
Ga. As a senior network
engineer, he oversees
the support and development of IPTV network
systems. He is married
to Kristina Echols Dukes.
_______________________
1997
George Scott
Horn, who has a
wildlife science, currently
works at the U.S. Forest
Service in Athens, Ga.
as an entomologist. He
researches the impact
of forest management
on insect populations.
George is currently conducting research on the
impacts of an invasive
shrub, the Chinese privet, on insect communities of floodplain forests
in addition to looking at
different control methods
to limit the spread.
Adam McKay
Howard, who has
bachelor’s degrees in
forestry and business,
worked at International
Auburn University
Forest Company in
Odenville, Ala. as a nursery manager. He was
over the management of
the pine seedling nursery
of around 6 million seedlings. Adam is currently
working on his Master of
Business Administration
from Samford University
in Birmingham, Ala.
_______________________
1998
Tyson Fountain,
degree in forestry, lives
in Troy, Ala. with his
wife, Neana, and their
two-year-old daughter,
Brooklyn. Tyson works
with W.J. Sorrell Lumber
and Pulpwood Co., Inc.
Jonathon
Matthew Horne,
degree in forestry, is
a practicing attorney
at his law firm of J.
Matt Horne, Attorney
at Law, LLC in Clayton,
Ala. He is married to
Tessa and they have two
children, Matthew Hess
Horne and Jonathon
Hayes Horne.
Darren
McGilberry, who
in forest management, has two children,
5 year-old Chambers and
6 month-old Celie. He is
partner and president
of Wood Dealers South,
Inc., a progressive
wood dealer based out
of Selma. Darren has
a real estate broker’s
license and owns and
operates Thomaston
Land & Realty, LLC
out of Selma, a realty
company specializing
in recreational land,
timberland and rural
properties.
Scott G. Davis,
Jr., who has a bachelor’s degree in forest
engineering, lives in
Fayetteville, Ala. with his
wife, Nikki. They just had
their first child, Scott
Gregory Davis III on
May 17, 2007. Scott
is currently serving as
pastor of Fayette First
Baptist Church.
Chad A.
Manlove, who has
a master’s degree in
wildlife science, is the
Manager of Conservation
Planning at Ducks
Unlimited, Inc. in
Madison, Miss. He married attorney Jana Nye
Manlove in Feb. 2007.
Alan Trammell,
degree in forestry, is a
captain in the Marine
Corps. While in Iraq
in April 2007, he and
fellow Marine and AU
graduate Andrew Ladner
found themselves together and enjoyed talking
about Auburn football.
Ladner recently mailed a
flag he and Capt. Ladner
flew on a combat flight
to the School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences
in appreciation of
his education.
_______________________
1999
Edward Cole, who
in forest management,
lives in Jacksonville, Fla.
and works at Akerman
Senterfitt. E-mail him at
edward.cole@akerman.
com.
Stephanie Renee
Otis, who has a
wildlife science, works at
Chemonics International
in Washington, D.C. as a
program assistant.
James Mason
Parker, who has
both a bachelor’s degree
and a master’s degree
in forestry, has a new
e-mail address: james.
[email protected].
mil.
_______________________
2001
Donald Ivan
Mitchell
Enderle, who has a
bachelor’s degree in wild-
life science, has worked
at Photo Science, Inc.
in Tucker, Ga. since
June 2005. He is a
GIS Analyst.
Herby Peters,
degree in forestry,
was promoted to Area
Manager over Southeast
Oklahoma and Northeast
Texas for Hancock
Forest Management. He
has two children, Asher
and Cloie Belle.
_______________________
2002
Wendi Renee
Benson, who has
in wildlife science, is
working at Child Care
Resource Center in
Opelika, Ala. as the
administrative assistant.
She graduated in May
2007 with a Bachelor of
Fine Arts from Auburn
University, her second
bachelor’s degree.
Bradford M.
Brannon III, who
in forestry, is currently
in Naval Postgraduate
School in Monterey,
Calif. getting his master’s degree in national
security affairs of East
and Southeast Asia. He
and his wife, Christina,
an Auburn alumna,
have a 1 year-old son,
Dillon Fain.
Josh Benton
Brock, who has a
forestry, lives in Auburn,
Ala. and works at J. B.
Brock Realtors. His main
focus is helping people
buy and sell land. E-mail
him at jbbrockrealtors@
yahoo.com.
David Michael
Clepper, who has a
bachelor’s degree in forestry, works at Rayonier
in Barnesville, Ga. as a
procurement forester for
a private industry. He is
married to Lori.
2004
Patti
Chamberlin,
degree in forestry, lives
in Colorado Springs
with her husband,
Rodney. She received
her Certified Interpretive
Guide from NAI and
works at Bear Creek
Regional Park as a
naturalist. Rodney is in
the U.S. Army Special
Forces and will be moving to Ft. Benning, Ga.
after training. Patti plans
to move to Ft. Benning
in October 2007.
William Griffith
Johnson, who has
bachelor’s degrees in
forestry and wildlife science, works with the
Alabama Department
of Conservation and
Natural Resources as a
biologist and forester.
Jason Martin,
degree in forestry,
works for Sehoy Enon
Plantation in Hurtsboro,
Ala. as a forester. He
helps manage land
on the Sehoy Enon
Plantation and consults
with other landowners.
_______________________
2005
Jay Whitney
Myers, who has a
wildlife science, currently works at Fur and
Feather Outdoors in
Maxwell, Neb. as the
head guide for the fall
and spring. He guides
for bucks and turkeys
and is still a Life and
Health Specialist with
State Farm Insurance
in the summers when
he returns to Albertville,
Ala. from Nebraska.
2006
Timothy Luke
Ferguson, who has
in forest engineering,
works at Haines, Gipson
& Associates, Inc. as
project manager in
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Gavin Wayne
Jackson, who has
in forest engineering,
lives in Lake City, Fla.
with his wife, Heather.
He works at Bailey,
Bishop & Lane, Inc. as
a project engineer.
Randall Kraig
Jones, who has
in forestry, works for
the Florida Division of
Forestry in DeLeon
Springs, Fla. as a
Cooperative Forestry
Assistance Forester
for the Volusia County
Forester. He has
been there since
March 9, 2007.
Brandon
Russell Patrick,
who has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science, lives in
Birmingham, Ala. and
works as a chemist at
Alabama Power. He is
currently enrolled at the
University of Alabama at
Birmingham pursuing a
degree in environmental
management.
Elizabeth Ann
Peacock, who has
wildlife science, is currently in her fifth year
program at Auburn
University and will graduate in Dec. 2007. She
works in the College
of Education as a
Graduate Research
Assistant. She was married Oct. 6, 2007 to
Jeremy Johnson.
Justin Smith, who
in wildlife science, has
worked at Tall Timbers
Research Station in
Kenansville, Fla. since
April 2006 as a Game
Bird Technician. He conducts radio telemetry of
bobwhite quail and is a
researcher.
Walter Thomas
Edward Wade III,
degree in forest engineering, works at Lamar
Dunn and Associates
as a civil engineer in
Knoxville, Tenn. He is
married to Anna, an
Auburn alumna.
_______________________
2007
Richard
Ahlquist, who has
forestry, works at The
Westervelt Company
as a harvest scheduling
forester. His principle
responsibility is to work
as a field forester in
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Daniel A.
Crawford, who
in forestry, works
at James W. Sewall
Company as a forest
appraisal analyst in
Matthews, N.C. He is a
forestry consultant.
Dillon Epp, who
in forestry, works at
D-Dot Timberlands, a
family-owned business,
as the Quail Operations
Manager. He manages
timber and land with
the objective of quail
hunting. He is married
to Jessica.
Attention Alumni We want to hear from you!
Send information for next year’s magazine to:
 
Lane Messer
In Memory
Science mourns the loss of these
alumni and friends who passed away
the previous year.
Leon F. Estes, 1948
Francis Johnson, 1949
Denton R. Cook, 1950
Charles Mather Lloyd, 1950
Robert Lamar Thrower, 1950
D. Virgil Willett, Jr., 1950
Leslie E. Prouty, Jr., 1951
Martin L. Spangler, 1956
Robert A. Burk, Jr., 1966
Doris C. Glover, 1971
David Jackson Gamble, 1975
John Thomas Goodner, 1976
Thomas Monroe McDonough, Jr., 1979
Dr. Larry Robert Nelson, 1987
Representative
Allen Layson
Rep. Allen Layson passed away this year. He served
in the state House of Representatives for District
61 and was the only registered forester in a state
House or Senate in the nation. Layson was also a
member and president of the Alabama Wildlife
Federation, former president of the Alabama
Division for the Society of American Foresters
and a member of Auburn University’s School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council.
He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.
334-844-1001 • [email protected] or log on to www.sfws.auburn.edu/
SFWS_Alumni/ChangeAddressForm.htm to update your information.
17
Louise Kreher
The
Forest Ecology Preserve
Local area families
and Auburn
University students
have a wonderful
place to escape the
hustle and bustle of
an ever increasingly
hectic lifestyle.
18
Auburn University
Summer programs for students are part of the
educational component of the Louise Kreher
Forest Ecology Preserve.
It is not a remote island or a
desolate mountaintop, it is the
School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences Louise Kreher Forest
Ecology Preserve.
This beautiful 110-acre site is found right
in Auburn University’s back yard. The
diverse forest, interesting topography and
meandering waterways all lend themselves to
a quality experience in nature. The four miles
of trails, boardwalks, educational displays and
pavilions are well designed and maintained
for public and school age use.
Auburn University’s School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences received this
extraordinary land gift in 1993 from Dr.
Louise Kreher Turner and her husband, Frank
A. Turner. The Turners’ hope was to preserve
this land for all in a time of increased
residential and commercial development. Dr.
Turner developed and managed the Forest
Ecology Preserve and its programs with her
own personal funds for the first few years. On
November 29, 2000, the Preserve was officially
dedicated along with the Frank Allen Turner
Memorial Canopy. In January 2001, Dr. Turner
handed the Preserve’s management over to
the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
under the direction of Dean Richard Brinker
and Preserve Coordinator Margaret Holler.
Thanks to the tireless and energetic work
of Louise Kreher, Margaret Holler, Karni
Perez and many other dedicated volunteers
a positive and well-received educational
program was created.
In the summer of 2007, The School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences hired Jennifer
Reynolds Lolley, an Auburn alumna, as
the first administrator for the Preserve.
Lolley, with a strong background in nature
based education, hopes to help realize the
tremendous potential the Forest Ecology
Preserve offers both as a university and
community asset. “ We want to be a nature
and environmental learning center for the
community,” Lolley said, “and be able to
offer programs of interest to schools and
the public. Children and adults really enjoy
seeing an owl released into the wild, holding
a reptile, or studying an insect up close.
Most people have a keen interest in our
natural world.”
Lolley plans to keep the programs that
are already in place at the Preserve like the
annual 5k Run, educational lectures, fun
Christmas activities and summer camps
for kids. She is working to develop more
programs for our public and private schools,
preschoolers and home schooled children.
Some adult programs are also in the works.
Lolley, with the help of volunteers, hopes
to have one or two nature-based programs
a month. Educational programs for school
groups will be offered during the week.
Lolley is working on developing programs
that she can present in schools. Reptiles and
astronomy are her favorite teaching subjects.
“It is amazing to watch the transformation of
a timid child with a snake at the beginning
of a class to the end after they have learned
about the reptile and have draped the snake
over their shoulders,” she explained.
Lolley would like the entire Auburn and
surrounding areas to enjoy all the Preserve
has to offer. There are trails to hike and
explore, boardwalks to walk on and enjoy, an
old homestead, kitchen garden and barn to
visit, and a beautiful butterfly garden to feast
the senses on. A wide and flat handicapped
trail with accessible parking close by offers
easier access to the forest. Lolley said “ I
would like to see more people, especially
children, in this day of computers games and
play stations, outside and having fun! Studies
show that our children do better in school
and other activities when they spend more
time outdoors. Adults will find that a walk in
the woods can decrease blood pressure and
relieve stress. Listening to the leaves rustle,
the waterfall trickling, and birds singing can
be so peaceful and soothing.”
Lolley is the only paid staff member at
the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve,
but she hopes to gain more staff members,
volunteers, and Preserve members. She has
dreams of a children’s natural play area and
a discovery center with indoor classrooms
and offices to make this a first class nature
center for the university and community.
The Preserve will need the support of
members, alumnae, the local community and
businesses to make this happen. The Preserve
has approximately 100 members, but hopes to
gain more with a membership drive this fall.
Members of the Forest Ecology Preserve
receive a plant species and trail highlights
booklet, discounts on public programs
and children’s summer camps, early camp
registration, and member-only special
occasions. An individual membership is $25
and a family membership is $35. The money
is used to support the educational programs,
supplies, and upkeep of the Preserve Entrance
into the Preserve is free, but donations are
always welcome.
If you are interested in becoming a member or volunteer
for the Louise Kreher Forest
Ecology Preserve, please log on
to www.sfws.auburn.edu/ecosite or call (334) 502-4553 for
more information. The Preserve
is located on North College
Street near the A.U. Fisheries
and is open on Tuesday,
Saturday, and Sunday from
8 a.m. till sundown.
Jennifer Lolley
Administrator
Forest Ecology Preserve
Auburn University
3301 Forestry & Wildlife
Sciences Building
Auburn University, AL
36849-5418
(334) 844-8091 (office)
(334) 707-6512 (cell)
(334) 844-1084 (fax)
19
Forestry majors Dillon Epp, class of ‘07,
and Matthew Palmer, class of ‘08, plant
a Toomer’s Corner Oak tree at Smiths
Station Intermediate School.
20
Auburn University
Baby Oak Trees
By Ashley Kilcrease
On a crisp fall day in 2002, Auburn
football fans continued the timehonored tradition of rolling the two
Toomer’s Corner oak trees after a victory.
Some excited fan then decided to light
the toilet paper on fire to add an extra
spark to the celebration. The paper lit
up and soon the City of Auburn Fire
Department had to distinguish the
flames. The next week, Dr. Bill Walker
called Dean Richard Brinker of the
because Auburn almost lost one of its
famous trees.
Dean Brinker understood the
seriousness of losing a Toomer’s Corner
oak tree and thought of possible
solutions for when the tragedy does
occur. He decided that the replacement
Toomer’s oak trees, once the originals
die, should be direct descendents of the
original trees. He came up with a plan to
collect acorns and grow Toomer’s Corner
offspring to use as replacement trees
but also to sell as a fundraiser for the
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
The School started the Auburn Toomer’s
Corner Oaks project the following fall
by collecting acorns and growing the
first group of trees in the spring of 2004.
Seedlings were placed aside to be grown
as the replacement trees. The rest of
the seedlings were put up for sale and
completely sold out. The project has had
continued success each year.
“They grow about 500-800 per year,”
Brinker said.
Sadly, one day Auburn will have to
say ‘goodbye’ to the iconic oak trees and
plant one of the baby oaks. But how
much longer will the Toomer’s Corner
trees live?
“It could be anywhere from the next
15 minutes to who knows? The next
30-40 years,” Brinker said. “They’re in a
real difficult place to grow with all that
asphalt. One has been hit by a truck and
has a scar. One of the most traumatic
things is the high-pressure water used to
get the toilet paper off.”
As for the replacement trees, from
every crop a few new seedlings are kept
to grow as possible replacements. There
are about 12 trees that are hidden in a
“secret place” at a remote location.
“It’s a neat project that gets the
students involved,” Brinker said.
Both the Forestry Club and The
Wildlife Society have had trouble in
the past generating funds to support
activities such as attending conventions,
participating in conclaves, hosting
community activities and having club
social events. With the creation of the
Auburn Toomer’s Corner Oaks project, a
third of the profits are split between the
Forestry Club and The Wildlife Society.
Each club chooses an Oak Tree
Coordinator that assists with the oak
production. The coordinators have
important roles in planting the acorns
and caring for the seedlings, as well as
maintaining the schedule of volunteers.
For the 2007-2008 academic year, the
Forestry Club’s Oak Tree Coordinator
is Craig Bansbach and The Wildlife
Society’s Oak Tree Coordinator is
Alex Johnson.
These coordinators also organize
dates and times for club members to
repot oaks and to sell them. Each baby
Toomer’s Corner oak is sold for $50 and
can be purchased on campus during
select football games, especially the
Homecoming game. The trees can be
purchased online through Tiger Rags’
website with all proceeds going to the
When purchased, a baby Toomer’s
Corner oak tree comes with a certificate
of authenticity, which tells the history
of the Toomer’s Corner oak trees, and
each tree is numbered. Tree owners also
receive planting instructions and the
tree’s first roll of Auburn toilet paper.
In addition to funding the clubs, Dean
Brinker felt it would be beneficial for the
money to be used toward a scholarship.
The Toomer’s Oak Leadership
Endowment was created and receives the
remaining two-thirds of the profits.
The endowment allots for two
Toomer’s Oak Leadership Awards to
be given each year--one award to a
student in the Forestry Club and the
other award to a student in The Wildlife
Society. The recipients of the awards are
heavily involved in growing and caring
for the seedlings.
“They also maintain the leader spirit
of the Toomer’s Oak tree,” Brinker said.
If you would like to help with the
Toomer’s Oak Leadership Endowment
by purchasing a tree or the official
Toomer’s Oak Tree Tag for $5, please
contact Lane Messer at (334)844-1001
or online at www.TigerRags.com.
21
S c h o l a r s h i p
r e c i p i e n t s
The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences honored its outstanding students
on April 24, 2007 at the annual Spring Scholarship Banquet. The School awarded
$106,820 to forestry majors and $27,160 to wildlife science majors. Many donors
attended to present the recipients with their scholarships.
Rose Eugene Atchison
Endowed Scholarship
in Forestry
Caleb Garrett —
“The generosity of the donors has made
a profound impact on my life, and I am
truly grateful to be the recipient of these
scholarships. I plan to graduate in May 2008
with a degree in forestry.
Auburn without having to worry as much
about finances. I will graduate in May 2009
with degrees in wildlife science and zoology.”
Angelica Kallenberg
Frank W. Boykin/Tensaw
Land and Timber Endowed
Scholarship in Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences
Sarah Hamilton —
“My family and I are very thankful for
this scholarship. It has certainly eased the
financial burden of college tuition. I plan to
graduate with a degree in wildlife science in
spring 2009.”
Cassandra Gibbs —
“The scholarships awarded to me have offered
much needed financial support, but more
importantly, they represent recognition for my
academic achievements and encouragement
to continue my efforts, for which I am truly
grateful. I will graduate in May 2009.”
Sue Pearson presented Caleb Garrett
with the Rose Eugene Atchison
Endowed Scholarship in Forestry.
Randall Gibbs
Elizabeth Powers and John
Coleman Banks Endowed
Scholarship in Forestry
Seth Fillingham —
“I am very honored to have received this
scholarship award. Having help with the
cost of school will be a blessing for me and
my family.”
Norman Buce Bearden
Memorial Endowed Scholarship
in Wildlife Science
Laura Ellsaesser —
“I really appreciate both scholarships I
received this year. They will allow me to
finish out my undergraduate degrees here at
Gunn Boykin presented Randy Gibbs,
Sandi Gibbs and Sarah Hamilton with
the Frank W. Boykin/Tensaw Land
and Timber Endowed Scholarships in
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Lynn Dent Boykin Youth Wildlife
Endowment for Scholarships
Katherine Caldwell —
“I am so fortunate to receive this scholarship
as it has helped me to continue my studies
here at Auburn. I will graduate in 2009 with a
degree in wildlife science.”
Amber Dunn —
“I really appreciate the support this
scholarship has provided. This scholarship has
made it possible for me to fund my education
this year and has taken me another step closer
to my goal of being a wildlife interpreter.”
Nick Gilliland —
“This scholarship has been a tremendous help
to me and has enabled me to focus on my
studies here at Auburn. I greatly appreciate
the scholarship and I will make sure it is put
to good use. I plan to graduate in 2008 with a
degree in wildlife science.”
Donna Hesterman —
“This scholarship has been a great help to my
family. Going back to school after you have
children is a big financial
challenge. I look forward
to a new career after I
graduate in 2009 with
wildlife science.”
Alexander
Johnson —
“Being acknowledged as
a recipient of the Lynn
Dent Boykin Scholarship
for a second year means
a great deal to both
me and my family. The
funding provided allows
me to devote more time
to school and less time to
work while yielding many
opportunities.”
Thomas McMeans
Katherine Stewart
— Continued on page 24
22
Auburn University
Sixth Annual Governor’s
One-Shot Turkey Hunt
By Ashley Kilcrease
L-R: Dean Richard
Brinker, Tom McMeans,
Nick Gilliland, Alex
Johnson, Gov. Bob Riley,
Ivy Stewart, Katherine
Caldwell, Lauren Havens,
Donna Hesterman and
Amber Dunn
Killing two birds with one “shot,” the Sixth Annual Governor’s
One-Shot Turkey Hunt raised funds for the Lynn Dent Boykin
Youth Wildlife Scholarship Endowment, while it served as an
outdoor industry recruiting event for the state.
The Governor’s Hunt, held March 19-21, 2007, and hosted by
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in Montgomery, included live and silent
auctions. The proceeds from these auctions were donated to
the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation,
which funds the Lynn Dent Boykin Youth Wildlife Scholarship
Endowment at Auburn University.
The endowment is now at $300,000 and growing at
the rate of $50,000 per year. The Lynn Dent Boykin Youth
Wildlife Scholarship is the largest wildlife scholarship for
undergraduates in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
“It is very significant because wildlife scholarships are
limited and we have so many outstanding and deserving
students,” said Angie Stephens, Director of Development in the
For the 2007-2008 academic year, seven students who
received the Lynn Dent Boykin Youth Wildlife Scholarships are
Katherine Caldwell, Amber Dunn, Nick Gilliland, Jr., Donna
Hesterman, Alex Johnson, Tom McMeans and Ivy Stewart.
These students also attended the Governor’s Hunt and served
as ambassadors for Auburn University’s School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences.
The Governor’s One-Shot Turkey Hunt was an invitation-only
event. Invited guests included executives from Academy Sports
and Outdoors, EADS North America and Lockheed Martin.
State officials used the opportunity to foster relationships with
executives of outdoor industries. Officials had the chance to
showcase Alabama’s flourishing wildlife resources and all of the
outdoor recreational opportunities.
Celebrity guests, such as country music artist Aaron Tippin,
NASCAR driver Jeff Green and Jimmy Houston of Jimmy
Houston Outdoors, hunted alongside the executives as well as
local Auburn celebrities.
Each hunter was paired with a landowner and hunting
guide. The hunters then dispersed to approximately 80 different
hunting properties within a 75-mile radius of Montgomery.
At the end of the two-day hunt, it was Auburn University’s
running back coach, Eddie Gran, who won the hunt. He shot a
22-pound turkey on Dan Moultrie’s property in Chilton County.
Second place was awarded to Gregg Meunier of Evansville,
Indiana and Aaron Tippin claimed third.
This year, the Auburn University School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences received a check for $50,000 in
scholarship money.
“We greatly appreciate the vision of the Alabama Conservation
and Natural Resources Foundation in the creation of the Lynn Dent
Boykin Wildlife Youth Scholarship,” Stephens said.
23
S c h o l a r s h i p
r e c i p i e n t s
Christopher Horne
Burgin Companies’ Endowed
David Warren —
“This scholarship has truly been a blessing.
I am planning on graduating in 2009 with
a degree in forestry and this scholarship has
helped greatly in easing the financial costs
that I have incurred during my college career.”
Caterpillar Excellence
Fund Scholarship
David Walker
David Warren
Christen, DeBrunner, Posey,
Raper Endowed Scholarships
in Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences
Levi Adams
Thomas Hess —
“The Christen, Debrunner, Posey, Raper
Endowed scholarship has been a magnificent
surprise. The scholarship has taken a great
burden off of my shoulders and the shoulders
of my family, leaving me to focus my attention
on my studies.”
Matthew Taccon
Garden Club of Alabama
Forestry Conservation
Annual Scholarship
Steven Meadows, Jr. —
“The scholarship has been a financial blessing
and is a real incentive for those striving to do
well in school. I plan to graduate in spring
2008 with a biosystems engineering degree
with the forest engineering option.”
Steve Jackson Memorial
Annual Scholarships in Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences
Angelica Kallenberg
Cassandra Gibbs
Jordan Gentry —
“My scholarship gave me the financial
security I needed to succeed at Auburn. I will
graduate in spring 2008 with a dual degree
in wildlife science and zoology. I am also
attending veterinary school here at
Auburn University.”
Sarah Hamilton
Matthew Taccone
Edward A. Hauss Endowed
Scholarships in Forestry
Craig Bansbach
Jonathan Bartlett
Jenny Dickey —
“It’s an awesome feeling knowing that I will
be able to continue my education at Auburn
without the added worries of tuition costs. I
plan to graduate in 2011 with degrees in both
forestry and wildlife science.”
Michael Dillon
Caleb Garrett
Jacob Harper
Dick Martin presented Levi Adams,
Matthew Taccone and Thomas Hess
with the Christen, DeBrunner, Posey,
Raper Endowed Scholarship
in Forestry.
Michael Hartley —
“The Edward A. Hauss scholarship has greatly
reduced the financial strain on my family, and
has allowed me to fully concentrate on my
academics here at Auburn.”
Steven Meadows
Adam Merritt —
“I am very thankful for this scholarship. It
will help give me the opportunity to pursue
my goal here at Auburn. I plan to graduate in
2011 with a degree in biosystems engineering
with the forest option.”
Michael Murphy
Alexander Palmer —
“I was planning on working during my
undergraduate years, but now I will be able
to concentrate on my studies and not worry
about the financial aspects of support. I plan
to graduate with degrees in environmental
science engineering and chemistry.”
James Palmer
John Rains —
“Not only am I very grateful for receiving
this scholarship, but so are my parents and,
of course, their savings account. I plan to
graduate in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in
land management.”
Hugh Kaul Annual
Jonathan Daniels
Christopher Horne —
“This scholarship will ease my financial
burdens and worries. I feel very honored
to be a recipient of such an award. I plan
to graduate in spring 2008 with a degree
in forestry.”
Joshua Lively
W. Earl Hughes Annual
Memorial Scholarship
in Forestry
Jonathan Bartlett —
“Having grown up in a rural area, I have
always had a great love and appreciation for
the outdoors. This scholarship will help make
my dream of attending Auburn University to
obtain degrees in forestry and wildlife science
and a career in an outdoor field possible.”
Jonathan Daniels
Jacob Harper
Steven Meadows
24
Auburn University
Russell Lands Annual
Joshua Lively —
“This scholarship has allowed me to pursue
my dreams of earning a college degree
without a financial burden being placed on
myself or my parents. I will graduate in 2010
with a bachelor’s degree in forest engineering.”
William F. Sahlie Endowed
Memorial Scholarship in
Forestry
Frances Garner presented Seth
Fillingham with the Lowery Pulpwood,
Inc./James R. Lowery Memorial
Endowed Scholarship in Forestry.
Lowery Pulpwood, Inc./James
R. Lowery Memorial Endowed
Seth Fillingham
Dwain G. Luce Family Endowed
Craig Bansbach
Craig Bansbach
Robert Tufts Endowed
Wildlife Sciences
Laura Ellsaesser
Noll A. Van Cleave Endowed
Lacey Avery
David Warren
L. M. and Mary Ware Endowed
Caleb Garrett
Summer Practicum Stipend
Endowed Scholarship in
Forestry
Watters Family Endowed
Michael Dillon –
“This scholarship has been a true blessing to
me and given me the opportunity to pursue
my degree at Auburn. I plan to graduate in
2009 with a degree in forest engineering and
minors in forest resources and Spanish.”
James Palmer
David Warren
George Hazard
James M. Wells, Sr., Endowed
Memorial Scholarship in
Forestry
David Walker
Nichols Family Endowed
Jacob Harper —
“I am very grateful to have received this
scholarship. It has allowed me to continue to
stay focused on my school work and prepare
myself for a career in the forest industry.”
Henry and Elizabeth Posey
Endowed Scholarship in
David Walker —
“This scholarship has been a great help
to both me and my family. With it, I will
continue to pursue a degree in forestry and
will graduate in 2010.”
James W. Richardson Endowed
Seth Fillingham
James R. Taylor Endowed
Lacey Avery —
“I am very thankful for the scholarships I
have received because they help me attend
Auburn University and achieve my goal of
a forestry and geology dual degree. I plan to
graduate in 2010.”
Jonathan Bartlett
Emmett F. Thompson Endowed
Wildlife Sciences
George Hazard —
“This scholarship has helped in the
furtherance of my education at Auburn
University. It has allowed me to be one
step closer to achieving my academic goal,
which is to graduate in spring 2008 with a
degree in forestry.”
Dr. Emmett Thompson presented
the Emmett F. Thompson Endowed
Scholarship in Forestry to George
Hazard.
25
The Auburn
University
Natural Resources
Management &
Development
Institute: Taking
Comprehensive
Approaches to
Complex Issues
26
Auburn University
Our Mission:
The Auburn University Natural Resources Management
& Development Institute is dedicated to: the creation and
promotion of traditional and innovative natural resource
products and services, and to sustainable practices for the
benefit of communities today and for the well-being of
generations to come.
Alabama is blessed with an abundance of natural
resources. Such abundance in the face of looming global
scarcity—particularly for water and energy—demands that
we take the steps necessary to manage our natural resources
with an eye toward conservation and optimal use. As a landgrant university, Auburn University is uniquely positioned to
address these challenges. To that end, former President Dr. Ed
Richardson established the Natural Resources Management
& Development Institute in late 2006 so that a broad array
of expertise could be brought to bear on behalf of our
state and region.
Leading the new Natural Resources Management &
Development Institute (NRMDI) as Executive Director is Larry
Fillmer, an AU alum with 35 years of experience in managing
large, complex organizations.
The Institute is a multi-disciplinary effort involving
faculty and staff from across campus. Institute activity is
closely linked with a number of programs in the School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the College of Agriculture, the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and the Alabama
Agricultural Experiment Station. Working closely with Larry
Fillmer to coordinate and direct this activity is the NRMDI
Leadership Team.
Team members include:
Dr. Richard Brinker,
Dean of the School of
Dr. Richard Guthrie,
Dean of the College of
Agriculture and Director
of the Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station
Dr. Gaines Smith,
Director of the Alabama
Cooperative Extension System
Our Centers:
Recognizing the need for more energy options and the
opportunity for Auburn University to be a leader in that effort,
former AU President Ed Richardson created the AU Alternative
Energy Initiative in 2006 and committed $3 million toward
the alternative energy effort for fiscal year 2007 to support
the expansion of research, outreach, and education efforts in
alternative energy.
To kick off this effort, a conference focusing on alternative
energy solutions from Alabama’s natural resources was held
in Auburn in October 2006. A second meeting will be held in
spring 2008.
The scope of the alternative energy initiative has been
expanded and formalized into the AU Center for Bioenergy
and Bioproducts, which was established in January 2007 as
part of the Natural Resources Management and Development
Institute. The Center, like the Alternative Energy Initiative
before it, is a multidisciplinary effort involving faculty
from across the AU campus, as well as policymakers, other
educational institutions, and industry groups throughout the
state and region.
Steve Taylor, Professor and Head of the AU Department of
Biosystems Engineering, is serving as director of the Center
and is working with a 12-member interdisciplinary committee
guiding the Center’s development. Taylor, a registered
professional engineer, has been on the AU biosystems
engineering faculty since 1989 and has been department head
since 2003.
The Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts is dedicated
to advancing economic development in Alabama through
reinvigorating the present natural resource-based industries,
and establishing new industries based on energy and valueadded products from renewable biomass resources.
27
Utilizing a systems approach, the Center is addressing issues
across the entire spectrum of energy-related activity, from the
farm and forest, to the fuel pump and onto the highway. Center
research emphasizes a balanced portfolio of biomass feedstocks
including woody biomass, energy crops, and agricultural wastes.
From this portfolio, Auburn University and its energy partners
are able to produce fuel and energy products including diesel
fuel, ethanol, electric power and heat.
Current Center initiatives include targeted research by
Auburn University faculty and a number of pilot projects
around the state designed to solve local problems at the farm
and/or community level. These pilot projects include:
n
Biodiesel production for farms
and municipalities
n Dee River Ranch - currently
operational
n City of Gadsden - fall 2007
n Farms to be identified in north
Alabama - fall 2007
n City of Auburn - planned for spring
of 2008
n Mobile gasification, heat and
power generation
n Poultry farms to be identified in
central Alabama - planned for
Winter 2008
On the Auburn campus, plans are under way for a new
bioenergy and bioproducts laboratory designed and located to
encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation. The
laboratory will include facilities for:
n Feedstock processing and analysis
n Fractionation (separating biomass
into cellulose, hemicellulose,
and lignin)
n Fermentation and distillation
n Gasification, gas cleanup,
gas-to-liquids, etc.
n Transesterification
(biodiesel production)
n Fuel testing
28
Auburn University
While there are alternatives for petroleum, there are no
alternatives for water—a natural resource that is becoming
increasingly scarce. The days of endless supplies of reliable,
clean water are drawing to a close throughout the world. Water
consumption has been outpacing population growth at global
to regional scales for the past two decades, leaving more than
1 billion people without access to adequate supplies of fresh
drinking water.
Auburn University is home to a powerful array of expertise
that can be used to navigate our increasingly complex
interactions with water. Because of our vital research in the area
of water resources, former President Ed Richardson established
the Auburn University Water Resources Center in February
of 2007 as part of the Natural Resources Management and
Development Institute.
Graeme Lockaby, Professor and Associate Dean for Research
in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, is directing the
center and is working with a nine-member interdisciplinary
committee to guide the center’s development. Lockaby is known
for his academic contributions to the understanding of the
ecology of floodplain forests, and has been a primary catalyst
to interdisciplinary and collaborative work on the ecology and
functions of forest wetland systems of the southeastern United
States. He has been extremely successful in building research
teams of broad expertise and in securing resources to tackle
complex challenges in natural systems management.
The AU Water Resources Center is using an integrated
watershed approach so that issues can be addressed from
multiple perspectives and disciplines within the same scale. As
an example, topics such as inadequate water supply, polluted
water and a lack of public recognition of these issues are
components of a larger problem. However, river basins (or
watersheds) can be used as the organizational unit for focusing
interdisciplinary teams to connect and address these problems.
This holistic approach is rapidly becoming the preferred
method for assessing and managing both water quality and
quantity issues worldwide.
Over the coming months, AU Water Resource Center teams
will be using the integrated approach to model changes in flow
regimes in the Tallapoosa River Basin in central Alabama, and in
the Wolf Bay area along the Gulf Coast caused by climate change,
land-use change, water extractions for municipal, agricultural
and industrial uses, and other factors. The resulting data will:
n Assist in providing data upon which
policy makers can balance regional
economic needs against the
environmental integrity within
river basins;
n Provide accurate quantitative
estimates of the amount of available
water within river basins throughout
the state and region; and
n Allow researchers to assess the impact of population increases,
changes in climate, and changes
in land use on water quality and
quantity, and on the economy and
environmental conditions within
regional river basins.
A critical component of these integrated watershed projects
is a comprehensive outreach initiative linking water research
to the stakeholders within the river basins studied. Within the
context of the watershed projects, and separately throughout
the region, researchers associated with the AU Water Resources
Center are developing market-based approaches to both water
allocation and water quality issues. By providing financial
incentives to landowners, municipalities (as well as industry)
can protect and maintain supplies of ground and surface water.
The AU Water Resources Center is also committed to
establishing an Advanced Water Quality Laboratory on the
Auburn University campus in order to provide:
n Enhanced water analysis
capabilities;
n A centralized service/testing facility
for users on and off campus
n An environment that is conducive to
interdisciplinary collaboration
Our Future:
Exciting opportunities for research and
outreach emerge daily on the NRMDI horizon.
In partnership with commodity groups
and associations in the state and nation we
are providing the foundation for additional
technology development. Additional areas will
build on the collaborative, interdisciplinary
model that has been used for the Water
Resources Center and for the Center for
Bioenergy and Bioproducts.
Motorists traveling along I-85 between
Auburn and Montgomery will soon encounter
a new and truly unique destination—the E.V.
Smith Natural Resources Discovery Complex.
Featuring a proposed learning campus and
visitor park, this complex will merge public
amenities with educational facilities. Guests
will be able to experience first-hand the work
of the Natural Resources Management &
Development Institute and its constituent units,
including opportunities to view a biofuels pilot
plant, energy crops being grown and processed,
watershed studies along the Tallapoosa River,
as well as raised boardwalks and walking trails.
Visitors will also be offered a variety of naturebased activities including kayaking, fishing,
birding and hiking.
The water and energy issues facing our
state are complex; however, within Auburn’s
Natural Resources Management & Development
Institute and its related programs, the expertise
and insight exist to form comprehensive
approaches for meeting today’s challenges and
embracing tomorrow’s opportunities.
29
s t u d e n t
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Craig Bansbach
(right) in Birling.
He placed 9th.
L-r: Brandon Ison, David Heflin and Craig
Bansbach placed well during this years
Conclave.
Forestry Club
The Auburn University Forestry Club
accomplished a great deal in the spring of 2007
for both themselves and their surrounding
community. Early in the semester, the
club awarded prizes to the winners of the
annual Big Buck Contest. Awards donated
from various businesses were given to first
through fifth place, and the contest winner
was a beautiful 12-point whitetail taken by
senior Dillon Epp. The club also completed its
fundraiser for Log-A-Load for kids, which is
the second leading contributor to Children’s
Miracle Network. Forestry Club members
sold raffle tickets and gave 100 percent of the
proceeds to Log-A-Load. Prizes were again
donated and a drawing was held to award the
winners of the raffle.
In March, club members traveled to the
University of Tennessee to compete in the 50th
Annual Southeastern Forestry Conclave. Many
club members placed very well including Craig
Bansbach, who placed third in log-birling
and axe-throw and Brandon Ison and David
Heflin, who placed
first in the log-roll
and second in
men’s crosscut.
The team had a
Jennifer Gallagher
(left) and Laura
Hutchison in Crosscut
- Women's. They
placed 6th.
30
Auburn University
great showing and brought the club a fourth
place finish from a pool of more than 15
schools. The team’s finish ties a personal
record for the best placing ever by a team at
Auburn University.
As the semester drew to an end, the club
was well represented by its members at the
annual SFWS Awards Banquet. The many
scholarships and awards given were a sign of
all the hard work that the club members put
into academics. Club officers for the 2007-2008
academic year were also elected and the
expectations are higher than ever for the club
as it looks forward to another great year.
— Matthew Palmer
2007-2008 Forestry Club President
SOFWS SGA
Wildlife
Society
This has been a successful year for the Auburn
University chapter of The Wildlife Society. Nearly 60
members joined at the beginning of the fall semester.
Monthly meetings featured speakers from the wildlife
professions as well as collegiate programs.
The Wildlife Society volunteered for two Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Youth Dove Hunts at Auburn’s Piedmont Substation in
Camp Hill. I am appreciative of the job that Cody Green
did by organizing the volunteers for these hunts.
In September, two of our members, along with
Dr. Mirarchi, attended the National Wildlife Society
Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. This unique
opportunity was made possible by funds raised by the
sale of the Toomer’s Corner Oak trees. We’re grateful to
Coach Pat Dye for his promotion of our Toomer’s Corner
Oak tree project. He has been a wonderful spokesperson.
The annual Wildlife Youth Day was held in the spring.
This provides the Lee County community children in
grades three to five the opportunity to spend a day
learning about wildlife at The Louise Kreher Forest
Ecology Preserve.
Thirteen of The Wildlife Society members competed
in the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave hosted by the
University of Georgia at the Rock Eagle 4-H center.
Cody Green and Justin Brock placed second and
third, respectively, in the archery competition. John
Abernathy and Tyler Tucker finished fourth in the
canoeing competition.
— Tyler Tucker
AU Wildlife Society President
This past year in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the SGA has
sponsored and led several events. The year began with the Fall Icebreaker. At this
event, the faculty and staff gathered along with the students at the Mary Olive
Thomas Demonstration Forest. This event was a meet-and-greet for the students
to meet the faculty and staff, as well as fellow students. Hamburgers were grilled
for the event and each of the student organizations were there to sell memberships
and t-shirts. This was, once again, a huge success as there were many students in
attendance as well as many faculty members.
The next event was the Homecoming Barbecue. This took place at the School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building. Many students attended, along with some
faculty, staff, and alumni, to grab a bite to eat and get ready for the homecoming
football game. Pat Dye made an appearance and helped sell some of the Toomer’s
Corner oak trees. This was a good opportunity for everyone at the School to not only
meet him, but to hear some great stories, too.
During the spring semester, the big event was the SGA Awards Banquet. This
was held to recognize the new scholarship award winners of the School. Many
scholarship donors were there to present their awards to the recipients. The event
also recognized the new officers of each student organization. The new officers for
the 2007-2008 SGA are President Dustin Rogers, Vice President Dave Cambron and
Senator Josh Lively. The upcoming year, the SGA will again host the same events as
in years past. There are new things that the SGA are currently doing to promote the
School as well as increase student involvement. The fall semester is approaching
and the School will soon be looking toward a new academic year kicked off
again by the Icebreaker.
— Dustin Rogers
SGA President
Xi Sigma Pi
Xi Sigma Pi is a National Forestry Honor Fraternity that recognizes
undergraduate and graduate students for their academic achievements. Xi Sigma Pi
was first founded at the University of Washington in 1908 and there are now more
than 40 chapters across the nation, including the Sigma Chapter, which was formed
in 1952 at Alabama Polytechnic Institute. The society’s objectives, as stated in the
constitution, are “to secure and maintain a high standard of scholarship in forestry
education, to work for the upholding of forestry, and to promote fraternal relations
among earnest workers engaged in forestry activities.” The club is governed by an
Executive Council. There is a Forester, Assistant Forester and Ranger.
Members must be juniors in the Auburn Forestry program with a minimum
grade point average of 3.0. A student must also show an unselfish interest in
the forestry profession, be active in the School, have high ideals and qualities of
potential leadership to be a member of Xi Sigma Pi.
The members of Xi Sigma Pi Honor Fraternity also give back to the community
through service projects. This past year the club went to Smithstation Intermediate
School to talk to the students about the different aspects of forestry. The service
projects are a great opportunity for educating the next generation about forestry and
forest management.
— Craig Bansbach
Forester, Xi Sigma Pi
31
s t u d e n t
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Summer Practicum 2007
SOFWS
Ambassadors
started a student ambassador program in fall
2005. The program was created to allow students
to serve as representatives to the School during
alumni and recruiting events. The ambassadors
attend events such as the Homecoming Barbecue,
L-R: Lacey Avery,
Will Avery
(President), and
Kevin Guthrie
War Eagle Days, TALONS and the Spring Awards
Banquet. At recruiting events, such as TALONS,
the ambassadors set up a table display consisting
of information and photos about the different
We arrived at Summer Practicum on
May 16, a week after the spring semester
ended. My feelings upon arrival were
tangled between a touch of anxiety and a
bit of nervousness because of the horror
stories I had been told. I am not entirely
sure, but I don’t think I am the only person
that felt this way.
The summer practicum class of 2007
was composed of 31 students who share a
common interest in nature and a passion
for the forest industry. Our curriculum
for summer practicum, which I don’t
believe has changed much through the
years, lasted 10 weeks and consisted of
studying mensuration, forest biology, forest
operations, forest surveying and forest
management.
Though many hours were spent in
the classroom, most of the knowledge
gained at practicum came from handson application of skills that can only be
learned in the field. With the guidance
of our professors, we learned how to
properly cruise timber, design and apply
management plans and how to accurately
construct a timber inventory. I suppose
I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking
back on my experiences at the Dixon
Center, I believe I can speak for everyone
when I say that I have learned more in the
10 weeks at forestry practicum than in any
previous semesters at Auburn. Some things
just can’t be taught in a classroom.
Many nights were spent completing
our assignments for the day and studying
for quizzes that were usually given every
morning. After the coursework was
completed, free time was typically spent
riding the dirt roads on the property or
hanging out down at the spring. We also
had several musicians in our class who
would sit on the porch and pick on the
guitar and banjo late at night. I suppose the
bonds of friendship acquired at summer
practicum are what make forestry students
at Auburn such a close-knit group. I hope
this article has given some insight as to
how summer practicum has changed or
how it has remained the same throughout
the years. We are anxious to become a part
of the forestry profession and appreciate all
the support that has been given to us along
the way.
— Will Avery,
Summer Practicum President
32
Auburn University
courses and activities in the School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences. They also assist in
organizing the Homecoming Barbecue and the
Spring Awards Banquet and give visitors tours of
the new building.
The ambassador program consists of six
to 10 students in the School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences They must have completed two
semesters at Auburn University and have a grade
point average of at least 2.5. The current members
are Tom McMeans, Michael Dillon, Ed Bruce and
Craig Bansbach. Marla Hamilton, Dawn Eason,
Ben Jackson were also ambassadors this past
year and have recently graduated. The adviser for
the group is Sarah Crim. She organizes meetings
where the ambassadors discuss upcoming events.
The ambassador program is a great way to for
students to get involved in the School. It allows
students to meet alumni and school supporters,
while also recruiting new students interested in
forestry and wildlife sciences.
— Craig Bansbach
Ambassador
Unique Students
in the SOFWS
Carey and Sandi Gibbs
Carey and Sandi Gibbs not only share a love for each other, but also a love for
raptors. The married couple transferred to Auburn University in May 2006 and each
is majoring in wildlife science. They
both volunteer at the Southeastern
Raptor Center.
“I’ve always just loved animals.
I’ve always been fascinated with
wildlife and interested in reptiles and
amphibians,” Sandi said. “Birds really
weren’t my thing, but now that I’m
there, guess what my thing is!”
At the Southeastern Raptor
Center, Carey and Sandi work in the
rehabilitation section feeding and
weighing the birds. They also do
food training with the raptors and use this training when presenting educational
programs to the public.
During the educational programs, the Gibbs’ teach people that birds need to be
conserved in the wild. Sandi said that if anyone sees a bird in the wild, appreciate it
there; these birds are not meant to be pets.
In fall 2007, both Sandi and Carey hope to be primary caregivers, rather than
general volunteers. Carey hopes to be working with a new hawk that will be coming
to the Raptor Center and Sandi hopes to work with three baby screech owls.
Wei Ren
Wei Ren, receiving her doctorate in forestry, is the captain of the Auburn
Women’s Table Tennis Team. The team traveled to the national championship at
Ohio State University as the Georgia Division champion team March 29-April 1,
2007. This was the first time the women’s team had attended the championship
tournament. The Women’s Table Tennis Team placed fifth in the tournament.
Will Whitlow - Mic Man
Will Whitlow, a junior in forestry, has been
selected as the 2007 Mic Man. He will be on the
sidelines during every football game leading the
fans in cheers. Whitlow is from Muscle Shoals,
Ala. and wants to pursue a career in forestry so he
can work outdoors. After graduating, he wants to
pursue a post-graduate degree in either business
administration or forestry and would love to work
for a timber and land consulting firm.
“I am unbelievably excited about this football season,” Whitlow said. “I am just
thrilled at the chance to be on the field where so many great Auburn football games
have been played. I am also looking forward to supporting the other athletic teams
as well. I will represent Auburn University and the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences to the best of my ability.”
By Ashley Kilcrease
Donna Hesterman
Donna Hesterman, a student in wildlife science, is not
only a student but also a mother of two and a Marine.
She is a junior in the program but has a bachelor’s degree
in history, so she’s switching to a graduate course of
study in spring 2008. She will be working for a Master of
Natural Resources (Wildlife).
Hesterman was an active CH-46E helicopter pilot
in the USMC from 1994-2003. She is now serving in
the reserves and is assigned as the Marine For Life
Coordinator for Alabama.
Hesterman found her way to Auburn through her
husband’s career change. Her husband is still an active
duty Marine and they were stationed in Twentynine
Palms, Calif. He was deployed to Iraq, and she went back
on active duty for nine months to fill personnel shortages
on the base. When her husband’s tour was about to end,
he applied to be assigned as a Marine Officer Instructor
at one of several university NROTC programs. He chose
Auburn University as one of his five preferences and
fortunately was assigned to it. He called Hesterman from
Iraq to tell her the good news about moving to Auburn.
Hesterman did her research on Auburn University and
looked at all the programs the university had to offer. A
wildlife science degree looked like an interesting course
of study, and the department seemed to have a lot to
offer as far as getting graduates ready for the job market.
“I plan to go back to work when my husband
retires in six years, so it was a perfect option for me,”
Hesterman said.
Her children, nine-year-old Emily and four-year-old
Vic, went with her to the Smoky Mountains while she did
an internship this past summer. She says they both are
really interested in science, especially wildlife.
“On weekends, I took them swimming in the creeks
and out to see the sights in the park. They really loved it,”
she said. “They called our apartment ‘our little house in
the forest.’ The little one, Vic, still asks if we can go back.”
Hesterman will graduate in 2009. She would like to
work with the National Park Service before applying
to work as an environmental manager on one of the
military bases in the Southeast.
“We’re thinking about moving back into an RV for a
year or two so I can do some seasonal work within the
National Park Service. I think it would be great for the
kids to live in some places that most Americans only get
to visit,” Hesterman said.
33
f a c u lt y
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Life History Comparisons of
Urban and Rural Coyotes
Dr. Jim Armstrong, Principle Investigator
Graduate Research Assistants: Lauren Billodeaux,
Holly Jantz, Dalinda Dennis and Erica Santana
The Center for Forest Sustainability
has provided support for an ongoing
study of many life history comparisons of
coyotes (Canis latrans) in western Georgia
and eastern Alabama. Coyotes are adaptable, opportunistic
predators and scavengers; these characteristics have allowed
them to expand their habitats into urban areas. In addition,
human populations continue to expand into rural areas. The
combination of these expansions has created an environment for
positive and negative interactions between humans and coyotes.
Lauren Billodeaux, who now works as a wildlife biologist for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, completed the initial coyote
project, “The Presence and Public Perceptions of the Eastern
Coyote in Urban and Rural Communities,” in the spring of 2007.
Her study combined biological aspects of coyotes along a rural
to urban gradient with a human dimensions aspect involving
residents along that same gradient and their knowledge and
attitudes about coyotes. The biological aspect of the study
was based on occupancy modeling to predict the presence of
coyotes in an area based on “coyote season” (e.g., breeding, pup
rearing, dispersal).
34
Auburn University
Billodeaux has presented two lectures related to her findings.
“The Use of Digital Motion-Sensor Cameras to Capture Coyote
Presence in Western Georgia” was presented at the Wildlife
Damage Control Conference in Traverse City, Mich. and
“Occupancy and Detection of Coyotes in Urban and Rural Areas
in Western Georgia” was presented at the annual meeting of The
Wildlife Society held in Anchorage, Alaska. We are currently
working on two publications for peer-reviewed publications.
Most research raises more questions than it answers, and the
west Georgia coyote project was no exception. Three students,
who are all receiving a master’s of science, will be addressing
selected life history questions related to urban and rural coyotes.
All three studies will incorporate radio-telemetry and GIS in
identifying and describing coyote habitat and activities. Holly
Jantz will be monitoring home range, habitat use and survival of
urban coyotes based on “coyote season.” Dalinda Dennis will be
addressing reproductive activities of urban coyotes as compared
to rural coyotes. Erica Santana will be determining differences in
food habits of coyotes in urban areas and rural areas.
The combined results of these four studies will help refine
management strategies for coyotes at the interface between rural
and urban areas.
f a c u lt y
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An Interdisciplinary
Assessment of
Population Growth
and Development
Impacts on the Fish
River Basin Coastal
Community
Dr. Latif Kalin
Weeks Bay, one of only three designated
Outstanding National Resource Waters in the
state of Alabama, is under stress because of
population growth and urbanization in its
watersheds. High proportions of impervious
surface, a typical consequence of urbanization,
can lead to increased nutrient and sediment loading into streams.
Urban developments have also shown to increase heavy metals,
bacteria loadings, and stream temperatures. The assessment of
the impact of land use/cover (LULC) changes and build out on
the water quality of Weeks Bay’s major fresh water supplier (75
percent), the Fish River, is therefore of paramount importance for
the future management of the Bay area.
In this research project, we implement an interdisciplinary
approach to quantify the impact of LULC changes on several key
water quality parameters (nitrogen, phosphorous and suspended
solids) in the Fish River Basin. We will then disseminate this
knowledge to local community and decision-makers through
outreach activities to preserve and improve the environmental
and ecosystem health of the Weeks Bay area. Past, present and
future water quality of the Fish River watershed are assessed
through regression techniques and complex watershed modeling
that utilizes past observed data as well as new data that will be
collected. This project involves adding several innovative steps
to traditional water quality analysis and modeling in the Fish
River Watershed. These innovations include linking longitudinal
water quality analysis to geographic analysis of land use and
socio-economic changes, analyzing and demonstrating land use
practices that can be used by citizens, and policies that can be
used by government agencies to address water quality problems.
In the end, we will demonstrate how a community-based, citizenled approach to addressing water quality can create positive
change for the coastal community.
Results generated by this study will be helpful to communities,
watershed groups, private industry, and other stakeholders
working to protect, conserve or restore water quality and target
outreach efforts. This information is critical as resources are tight
and communities working to meet state and federal regulations
need to use funds and time efficiently.
35
f a c u lt y
r e s e a r c h
Modeling Water
Demand at Alabama’s
Watersheds
Dr. Daowei Zhang
As of 2006, Alabama was home to 4.6 million
people, roughly 2.5 times higher than in 1900.
The state economy grew in a much faster rate;
the total Gross State Product increased from $45
billion in 1963 to $151 billion in 2005 in real
2005 dollars. The increase in population and economic activities
has sparked demand for water. As a result, some regions in the state
have started to feel the pressure of water shortages reminiscent of
other parts of the United States.
Dr. Daowei Zhang and one of his research associates have
embarked a research project that models water demand in
watersheds in Alabama. They plan to use an end-use approach and
to cover all end-use sectors for water: thermoelectric, commercial,
domestic (or residential), irrigation, livestock, industrial, mining
and public use. Use factors—amount of water consumed per unit
of end-use activity level—will be estimated for each end-use
sector; multiplying it with the level of each end-use activity (such
as thermoelectric power generated or number of households)
produces an estimate of water demand or consumption by enduse sector. The water demand by end-use is then aggregated
along with net exports to provide total consumption of water in
a given watershed. Since this research method is first to be used
in watershed level demand study, they plan to test it in three to
five selected watersheds in Alabama: one to two watersheds in the
coastal plain, one in the piedmont, one in Appalachian ridge, and
one in the Tennessee River Basin.
Dr. Zhang sees that water supply stress has a natural as well
as economic dimension. Human consumption of water as a
commodity or human demand for water is influenced by price,
personal income, demographics, industrial activity and other
factors. When water demand outstrips supplies at certain price
levels, we have disequilibrium of water market in an economic
sense. Adjusting water price could restore the equilibrium.
Should this project succeed as they have envisioned, Dr. Zhang
and his collaborating scientists in the U.S. Forest Service Southern
Research Station plan to expand it to all 2,100 watersheds in
Alabama and other 48 states. These scientists in the U.S. Forest
Service have developed a water stress indicator at watershed level
that covers water supply such as rainfall, temperature, evaporation,
and evapotransportation. Incorporating water demand into the
water supply stress indicator provides a much richer understanding
of water markets in an economic sense. The results could have very
important policy implications as policy-makers in various offices
could use them to do water use planning and water conservation
using economic tools such as price change.
36
Auburn University
f a c u lt y
r e s e a r c h
Showcasing Forest and Wildlife
Management and Conservation:
The Lower Coastal Plain Substation
in Wilcox County
Dr. Becky Barlow Dr. Mark Smith
Forestlands play a key role in the
economic stability of many rural
economies in Alabama. In addition to
timber production, wildlife resources
associated with these forestlands provide
abundant recreational opportunities.
Despite the wealth of forest resources
in Alabama, few areas exist where
landowners can learn first-hand how to
best manage their properties to optimize
both timber and wildlife objectives. The
Lower Coastal Plain Substation (LCPS)
of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station is being developed to fulfill
this need.
Located in Wilcox County, the LCPS
will ultimately serve as a Natural Resource
Education Center (NREC) for Alabama
residents to learn about the wonders of
nature and how to manage and conserve
this valuable and cherished resource.
One of the goals of the NREC is to
provide forest and wildlife demonstration
and to provide research plots for natural
resource professionals to use to educate
landowners on the benefits and costs
of managing forestland for multiple
purposes. The primary uses are for
timber and wildlife (game and non-game
species) production.
Taking a lead role in the development
of the forestry and wildlife demonstration
areas are Alabama Cooperative Extension
Specialists Drs. Becky Barlow (forestry)
and Mark Smith (wildlife) from the
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at
Auburn University. They have developed
an array of innovative forest and wildlife
management practices that will be
showcased at the NREC.
Some of the demonstration sites
will feature biological and economic
effects of different thinning regimes
on timber volume and wildlife habitat,
management of mid-story hardwoods in
pine plantations using prescribed fire and
herbicide applications, and establishment
and management longleaf pine and native
warm season grasses.
Although only in the early stages of
development, the Natural Resources
Education Center will be a shining
example of sound, science-based
management and conservation of forest
resources for the benefit of all Alabamians.
f a c u lt y
NE w s
Faculty Awards
Professor Kathryn Flynn recently finished her term as
secretary for the Auburn University Senate. She served from March
2006-March 2007. She was also recently renamed as the Mosley
Environmental Associate Professor.
Dr. James B. Grand was recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Southeast Region, for his commitment to fish and wildlife conservation by
presenting him with the Regional Director’s Conservation Award. This award
was a token of the USFWS’s appreciation for his significant contributions to
the East Gulf Coast Plain Bird Conservation Initiative. Dr. Grand also received
the Leadership Excellence Award by the U.S. Department of the Interior,
U.S. Geological Survey. Nationally, Dr. Grand was one of three Cooperative
Research Unit scientists recognized for his leadership to the CRU program,
cooperators and to natural resource conservation.
Rhett Johnson was honored by the Clemson
University Forestry Alumni Association as its Outstanding
Forestry Graduate on Oct. 21, 2006. Johnson received a
master’s degree in forestry at Clemson in 1978.
Professor David Laband recently received a $116,000 matching
grant from the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry
Program, based on the recommendation of the National Urban and
Community Forestry Advisory Council. The School of Forestry and
Wildlife Sciences is providing the matching $116,000 toward his
overall $238,000 project that will test if shade trees can reduce the
use of electricity.
Dr. Graeme Lockaby received the Harold E. Christen Award in February
2007. He was also appointed as the director of the Water Resource Center
in April 2007. Dr. Lockaby is currently organizing the identification of
water related projects that the Center will support. These will be related
to characterization of natural flow regimes in major river basins within
Alabama and assessment of biological and socioeconomic outcomes of flow
modifications for industrial, municipal, and agricultural uses.
Dr. Hanqin Tian has been recommended by the AU
Alumni Professor Selection Committee to be awarded an
Alumni Professorship. The appointment will be effective for
five years beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year.
38
Auburn University
Faculty
Retirements
Dr. Terry Davis culminates a 43-year career
at Auburn University and has touched the
academic lives of many students. Starting his
career as a pathologist, Dr. Davis taught forest
pathology to all of the forestry students and,
in recent years, has taught the Forestry for
Small Woodland Owners course. Designed for
non-forestry majors, this course has attracted
hundreds of students from all majors on
campus. For many of these students, it is their
sole exposure to forestry and management of
small woodlots. Dr. Davis leaves our School as
one of the longest serving faculty members on
campus, and he will be greatly missed in the
Auburn University community.
Dr. R.C. Tang has
made significant
contributions in his
28 years at Auburn. He
is recognized
internationally as an
expert in wood physics and composite wood
products. His international reputation has
been a major factor in the development of
cooperative agreements between Auburn
University and National Chung-Hsing
University, National Taiwan University and
Nanjing University in China. Dr. Tang has had
a tremendous impact on students, as he has
taught one of the five different forest products
courses and numerous directed study courses
in forest products. Dr. Tang has contributed
greatly in his work as a scientist including
authorship of 132 refereed publications and
118 papers presented at professional meetings,
35 of which were invited papers. His work as
a scientist will have an impact for many years
to come, and he will be sorely missed in the
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and
at Auburn.
2006 Outstanding
Alumnus: Dr. Terry
Sellers, Jr.
By Ashley Kilcrease
Dr. Terry Sellers, Jr. graduated from Cordova
High School in 1956 as the valedictorian and
president of his class. He received the Gulf
States Paper Corporation/Westervelt Company
scholarship to assist him with his studies at
Auburn University.
While at Auburn, Dr. Sellers began his career
with summer employment for the U.S. Forest
Service in 1957 and the W.A. Belcher Lumber
Company in 1958. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in forestry in 1960 and a master’s
degree in forest products in 1961, both from
Auburn University’s School of Forestry. He was
active in the Forestry Club and inducted into
Phi Eta Sigma, freshman honorary; Xi Sigma
Pi, forestry honorary; and Alpha Zeta and
Gamma Sigma Delta, agriculture honoraries.
Following graduation from Auburn, Dr.
Sellers became a quality control director with
Koppers Company where he directed quality
control for two glulam plant operations in
North Carolina and Arkansas. In 1965, he
became a regional marketing manager with
Reichhold Chemicals where he coordinated
the technical and marketing development
activities for four production plants and 12
regional technical representatives.
In 1980, Dr. Sellers began work with
Mississippi State University in the Forest
SOFWS Faculty
and Staff Update
New SOFWS Faculty
Rebecca Barlow,
Assistant Professor, Extension
Specialist,
started Jan. 15, 2007.
Mark Smith,
Assistant Professor, Extension
Specialist,
started April 1, 2007.
Products Utilization
Laboratory. He taught courses,
conducted research and
directed graduate student
research. During his tenure
at MSU, he was awarded the
Sharp Professor title, the
most prestigious status for
professors in his college.
In 1993, he earned a Doctor
of Agriculture degree from
the University of Tokyo. His
doctorate specialized him
Dean Brinker, Dr. Terry Sellers, Jr. and
in wood-based material
Dr. Sellers’ wife Joan Estill
and timber engineering. Dr.
Sellers has written more than 140 publications
that are published globally and his travels as a
Alumni Association felt that Dr. Sellers
consultant involve academic, government and
deserved the 2006 Outstanding Alumnus
industry services in five continents. He retired Award because of his impressively successful
as Professor Emeritus in forest products from
career. He is listed in the 2004 Who’s Who of
Mississippi State University in 2004.
Professionals, honored by the U.S. Department
Since retiring, Dr. Sellers and his wife
of Commerce for international standards work,
of 46 years, Joan Estill, have moved to
and honored by the Shell Oil Company for
Oneonta, N.Y. They have two daughters,
team research on new adhesives and the Forest
Jill, an Emory alumna, and LeAnna, an
Products Society of outstanding service to
Auburn alumna. Retirement has allowed
the profession. Dr. Sellers represents the class
Dr. Sellers time to enjoy spending time with
his daughters and their families, including
of 1960 well, as well as Auburn University’s
three grandchildren.
Wayde Morse,
Assistant Professor,
Human Dimensions of Natural
Resources,
started June 1, 2007.
Indrajit Majumdar,
Post Doctoral Fellow,
started September 1, 2006.
New Staff
Jennifer Lolley,
Outreach Programs,
Forest Ecology Preserve,
Dengsheng Lu,
Research Fellow,
started Jan. 3, 2007.
Marie Quicke,
Research Associate,
Chad Newbolt,
Research Associate,
started April 1, 2007.
James Ransom,
Research Assistant,
started March 19, 2007.
39
f a c u lt y
NE w s
Hepp
Appointed
Ireland
Professor
Dean Richard W. Brinker
and the School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences hosted
a dinner on April 19, 2007,
at Five Star Plantation to
publicly appoint Dr. Gary
Hepp as the William R. and
William R. Ireland and Dr. Gary Hepp
Fay Ireland Professor of
Wildlife Science. Dr. Hepp completed a two-year postdoctoral ecological principles because these principles
position with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service form the foundation of successful wildlife
conservation and management. Dr. Hepp’s
at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and
research focuses primarily on the ecology and
spent three years at the University of Georgia’s
management of waterfowl and wetlands.
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory as an
Dean Brinker toasted the Irelands for their
Assistant Research Ecologist before coming to
faithful and longtime support to the wildlife
Auburn University in 1988.
program. Dr. Hepp said that it is an extreme
Dr. Hepp teaches both undergraduate and
honor to be chosen as the Ireland Professor of
graduate courses in the wildlife program. His
Wildlife Science.
courses emphasize an understanding of basic
Spirit of Auburn Credit
Card Benefits Scholarships
The Spirit of Auburn credit card is available
to alumni, students and friends of the
university. AU’s partner, Bank of America,
gives the university a percentage of the
amount of consumer purchases made on the
Spirit of Auburn card, which contributes to
Auburn’s scholarship fund.
You can do your part by using the card for
your normal, everyday purchases at places
like the gas pump, the grocery store or
anywhere else. Each use of the card helps
provide an Auburn educational experience to
students who have worked hard to earn the
opportunity – at no additional cost to you. And
your efforts will be rewarded, too! You’ll enjoy
redeeming all the WorldPoints® rewards you
earn for travel, merchandise or cash rewards.
For more information, or to apply for the
card, visit www.auburn.edu/spiritcard.
40
Auburn University
Advisory Council
The Advisory Council for the School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences is an important and essential support organization for the
school as it strives to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and
extension/outreach in forestry and wildlife.
This council is comprised of leaders in the forestry, wildlife
and conservation fields. These members donate their time to meet
once a year in Auburn to receive updates on our programs and
provide the external input that we need to insure that what we do
is relevant and necessary to accomplish our mission. We appreciate their dedication and support to help our program be a premier
program in the nation.
2007 Advisory Council Members
Dr. Lindsay Boring
Mr. Dennis LeBleu
Mr. Alan Bruce
Mr. Jim Leist
Mr. Pat Byington
Mr. Glenn Leuenberger
Mr. Bill Byrd
Mr. Kim Lloyd
Mr. David Carroll
Mr. Dwain Luce
Mrs. Linda Casey
Mr. Jim Martin
Dr. Kris Connor
Mr. Tommy McDonald
Mr. Frank Corley
Mr. Don McKenzie
Mr. Jeff Danter
Mr. Monty McKinley
Mr. Ken Day
Mr. John McMillan
Mr. Wilbur DeVall
Mr. Ted DeVos
Mr. Dan Dumont
Ms. Katherine Eddins
Mr. Mark Elliott
Mr. Eric Gee
Mr. Tim Gothard
Mr. Steve Guy
Mr. Pat Haney
Mr. Dwight Harrigan
Mr. Don Heath
Mr. David Helm
Mr. Gary Moody
Mr. Emory Mosley
Mr. Harry Murphy
Mr. Ken Nichols
Mr. Rick Oates
Mr. Corky Pugh
Mr. Dan Roach
Mr. Joe Roberson
Mr. Bob Rummer
Mr. Kevin Savoy
Dr. Terry Sellers
Mr. Harold Hill
Mr. Bob Sharp
Mr. Chris Isaacson
Mr. Gray Skipper
Ms. Michelle Isenberg
Mr. Jim Spears
Mr. Rick Jones
Mr. Frankie Stewart
Mr. John Kelly
Dr. Emmett Thompson
Mr. Michael Kelly
Mr. Erm Venuto
Mr. Earl Ketchum
Mrs. Sarah Watkins
Mr. Jim King
Mr. Danny White
Mr. Richard Koger
Mr. Ronnie Williams
Mr. Keville Larson
Mr. Phillip Woods
Get your SFWS Gear!
Shirts, Hats,
Mugs & More!
School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences
602 Duncan Drive
Auburn, AL 36849-5418
Order your SFWS gear online at
https://fp.auburn.edu/sfws/forclub/
or call 334-844-1001
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 150
Auburn, AL 36849

2007 News Magazine - Auburn University

Transcription

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