It's the end of the first semester of my PhD, and let me tell you: it happened too fast! I'm back in student mode once again submitting finals and papers and finishing what I think is the last formal statistic class I'll ever have to take (wooo!). FYI, biologists use lots of statistics. All that's left is for me to finish grading mammalogy papers, and then it's time to search for wildlife in Texas- I mean go see my family ;).
It's December 15th, which means a lot of humans are frantically trying to sort out those holiday gifts. We always try to buy local, ecologically-conscious or educational gifts that are useful in the long term, so I thought now might be a good time to promote some conservation and nature-centric options for your gift-giving needs. Conservation is cool year round, of course, and in 2017 our efforts in conservation will be more important than ever (more on that later). If you're looking for unique gifts from reputable organizations, look no further. These are great options for biologists of all ages and skill levels, and these supplies and organizations are trusted by biologists every single day.
Make a conservation donation in someone's name.
5. Panthera
7. Working Dogs for Conservation
Get some field guides:
1. SIbley Guide to Birds
2. Peterson's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians
3. Peterson's Field Guide to Mammals
4. Mammal Tracks & SIgn
5. Peterson's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North American North of Mexico
Buy some cool books:
1. Wild Mammals of North America; Biology, Management and Conservation. Fedlhamer et al.
2. The Wildlife Techniques Manual; Research (Vol I); Management (Vol II). Nova Silvy.
3. Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians; Kentwood D. Wells.
4. Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. Michael Lannoo
5. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Vitt and Caldwell.
6. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Petranka.
7. Handbook of The Mammals of the World (Vol 1: Carnivores). Wilson and Mittermeier.
8. Snow Leopards- Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. McCarthy.
9. Animal Skulls- Guide to North American Species. Elbroch.
Gift a state or national park membership
Help them help nature with gear:
1. Binoculars
2. Headlamp
3. GPS Unit
4. Infrared camera trap
This is only a partial list of the great things you can do to help and promote stewardship for wildlife conservation! What did I leave out? Let me know! Happy holidays!