B&C Fellow Nora Hargett studying a nest and measuring its perimeter while conducting field work on sandhill cranes.

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Boone and Crockett Fellowship Program

Since 2012, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has offered the Douglas R. Stephens Boone and Crockett Club Fellowship in Wildlife Conservation, awarded to undergraduate students who display academic excellence and are interested in gaining a background in wildlife conservation and leadership skills. The faculty-mentored student research fellowships further the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club and advance the educational, research, and outreach mission of the College of Natural Resources. UWSP's Wildlife Ecology program has over 300 undergraduate majors and seven fulltime faculty members. The program emphasizes undergraduate teaching and incorporates research in areas such as conservation biology, avian ecology, predator ecology, wetland ecology, wildlife health, population dynamics, wildlife damage management, and habitat management. Practical, hands-on experience inside and outside the classroom is a cornerstone of the program. Undergraduate courses focus on the problem-solving and scientific skills needed to understand the ecological interactions affecting wildlife management, including game, non-game, endangered, and invasive species. Graduates of the Wildlife Ecology and Management program are academically qualified to become Certified Wildlife Biologists. UWSP's Wildlife Society Student Chapter is consistently among the best in the nation.

Graduates of the Wildlife Ecology and Management program are academically qualified to become Certified Wildlife Biologists, as stipulated by The Wildlife Society (TWS). UWSP's Wildlife Society Student Chapter is among the best in the nation. In 2016, they were awarded the National Student TWS Chapter of the Year and the North Central Section Student Chapter of the Year.

Boone and Crockett Fellow Profile

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Nora Hargett

Nora recently completed her bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Riddle. As a recipient of the Douglas R. Stephens Boone and Crockett Fellowship at UW- Stevens Point, Nora conducted an undergraduate research project focused on nest characteristics of sandhill cranes in Horicon Marsh, WI. Data from her study will be used to evaluate suitable nesting habitat for endangered whooping cranes in this area. Following completion of her degree, Nora was hired as a field technician at Forbes Biological Station in Havana, IL, where she is studying nest success and movement behavior of waterfowl. Her experience as a Boone and Crockett Fellow allowed her to make many great connections in the field and she hopes to further her education by pursuing an M.S. degree in the future.

The Wisconsin Center for Wildlife hosts "Voices for Conservation in Wisconsin History," the 2026 WCW Spring Seminar Series. Fran Hamerstrom was perhaps one of the most unlikely women of her generation to become an internationally renowned wildlife biologist. Come to “Fran Hamerstrom: A Woman’s Voice in Wildlife Conservation,” presented by UW-Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources Dean Emerita, Christine Thomas, and explore Hamerstrom’s journey. A voice for conservation in her own right, Thomas was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame for her own contributions to Wisconsin’s conservation legacy. She served UW-Stevens Point for 40 years as a professor and later as CNR Dean, was appointed by the Secretary of Interior during the George W. Bush administration to serve on the Sporting Conservation Council in 2005, and was appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture in the Obama administration to the position of vice chair of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council in 2010. Join us for Dean Emerita Thomas’s reflection on the life and legacy of Fran Hamerstrom and other remarkable women in Wisconsin’s conservation history