January 2008

January was very busy with planning for the Idaho Chapter AFS meeting in Post Falls, ID.  However we still managed to have “Fishbowl” with 18 members participating in the snowy conditions.  There were a few injuries, but everyone left with a smile.  We also hosted Dr. Don Chapman as a guest speaker at the end of January.  Don gave two lectures on Jan. 28.  The first was a talk about global warming impacts on anadromous fish in the Columbia River basin and the second was a talk about careers in fisheries where he shared some stories, advice, and reflections based on his remarkable 50 year career.

In February, we attended the Idaho Chapter meeting in Post Falls.  Students were an integral part of the meeting and helped carry out numerous tasks.  Dave Ayers organized judging and Tarah Johnson helped organize the poster session.  All of the 28 students that attended volunteered with lighting, A/V, fundraising, and many other tasks.  The Palouse Unit celebrated its 30^th year with a special session which featured 4 guest speakers: Dr. Dudley Reiser, Russ Strach, Kajsa Stromberg, and Jordan Nielson.  The session was a great look at the past and an inspiring glimpse of the future.  After the session we headed to the Pizza Factory for our annual student-professional mixer, which was a huge success drawing in hundreds of attendees.  The following day one of the Palouse Unit’s great mentors, Ed Schriever, was given a standing ovation while receiving the mentor of the year award.  Ed was recognized for not only his contribution to students who work with and for him, but also to other employees and students who work outside the Clearwater Region.  That evening, at the social students again helped with the delivery of prizes and auction items while they were dressed up in some rather intriguing outfits (see pictures).  Overall the meeting was a huge success.

October and November 2007

October and November have again been very busy months for the Palouse Unit AFS!  We hosted two guest speakers, Dr. Gary Thorgaard, a fish geneticist from WSU and Marylin “Guppy” Blair from the Idaho Fish Health Center (USFWS).  They both gave very fun and informative talks and joined students for an ice cream social after their presentations’.  We held a quizbowl and pizza party at a general meeting in October and had a great time, although it is unclear how the undergraduates did so well against some of our graduate students in a game of fisheries quizbowl!  We also had a powerpoint slideshow where members showed all of us what they did for summer employment.  Carlos Camacho and Tarah Johnson put this together, and they did a great job!  It was a very informative and educational presentation that all of our members enjoyed.  

Dave Ayers and Carlos Camacho visited a 4H program and helped about 30 elementary students learn about Idaho’s natural resources, they had a great time helping these kids and did a great job promoting the Palouse Unit’s mission!  Tarah Johnson has been organizing and facilitating community education programs that the PUAFS can be involved in and I think many more school kids will be hearing from PUAFS members!

Before Thanksgiving break the PUAFS held its annual salmon bake.  Freshly grilled Chinook salmon donated by Christine Moffitt made for an appetizing lunch and a successful fundraiser.  Jordan Nielson, John Erhardt, and Andrew Gibbs did a great job grilling the fish (although sometimes not fast enough!) and only sustained minor burns while lighting the barbeque!  Dawn Trottier brought enough potato salad and desserts to feed most of the CNR, and we thank her for her contributions.  Many other members brought great side dishes and did an excellent job of cooking, serving, and cleaning up. 

September 2007

The Palouse Unit AFS is in full stride now that we are over 5 weeks into classes at the University of Idaho.  We had a successful introductory meeting/BBQ where new and returning students got to meet all 8 of our club officers and hear about many of the upcoming activities the Palouse Unit AFS has planned for the 2007-08 year.  In mid-September we assisted the U.S. Forest Service with annual Bull Trout redd counts in the upper St. Joe River, Idaho.  The redd counts were completed with employees and volunteers from the USFS, North Idaho Flycasters, and the Idaho Fish and Game.  The following week we met with fish and wildlife professionals from the Clearwater Region of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.  The meeting location was a remote cabin owned by IDFG on the Snake River, and while interacting with IDFG staff we were able to have a great time fishing for white sturgeon and smallmouth bass.  The trip was a tremendous success and you can read about it on the Sturgeon Trip section of the website.  Finally, we have Josh Murauskas coming to the University to discuss methods of describing fish migrations.  After his talk the Palouse Unit will hold an evening social where student’s will be able to interact with Josh and discuss many topics including fishery resource issues.     

June 2007

The Palouse Unit is preparing to celebrate our 30th year as a student organization!  This club was founded in 1978, and in 2008 we will turn 30 making us one of the oldest student sub-units in AFS history.  We have many exciting events planned for the coming year.  These events include a sturgeon fishing trip, redd surveys, fish tagging clinics, professional conferences, and other interactive service opportunities.

April 2007

The Wild Game Feed was held April 7 at the American Legion Hall and was attended by many of our great supporters.  The items raffled off or auctioned away included Tomerelli Prints, fly rods, float tubes, fishing trips (including a steelhead trip with our own Dr. Ken Cain), and many other great prizes.  Funds raised from the Wild Game Feed support our club's service and learning activities throughout the year.  Finally, at the end of the month we elected our next group of officers to lead the club in 2007-08.

February 2007

The Palouse Unit attended and participated in the Idaho Chapter AFS Annual meeting this month.  We had a record number of students attend and help with setup, audio/visual tasks, and many other important functions to help make the meeting a success.  Our own PUAFS member and past President Nate Jensen won the Student Best Paper award for his presentation on Burbot culture.  The Palouse Unit AFS also extends a sincere congratulations to Steve Elle for receiving the 2007 Outstanding Mentor Award.  Steve has been a friend to nearly every student who attends the annual meetings and he has a sincere way of making all students feel welcome.  Congratulations on your well deserved award Steve!