This Saturday at 10 am, we are having our last meeting of the Fall 2021 Semester (please hold back your tears </3). We are going to be burning the piles of accumulated plant debris throughout the South Arboretum Woods, and we will meet at the Red Bison shed. To RSVP for this meeting, please fill out this Google Form.

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Since there will be a fire at this week’s meeting, we will require you all to be extra conscious about what you’re wearing. Long pants will be required and jeans are preferable. Do not wear any synthetic or plastic materials. It can melt your skin off when mixed with fire! For your top layers, it would be best to stick to cotton materials or natural fibers (like real leather). Wearing closed-toed shoes will also be necessary, and please be sure to bring plenty of water for yourself. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

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We also wanted to remind members that Red Bison has created their first Annual Undergraduate Award to help support an underrepresented individual who is passionate about the environmental sciences. This $500 award is open to all full-time undergraduate students of any major. The deadline to apply is December 31st at midnight. For information on applying for this award, please refer to this document.

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We’d also like to promote a UIUC RSO that reached out to us this week in search of new members. The club is called the American Fisheries Society, and they want to spread the word on internships, social hours, and all things aquatic! If you’re interested in keeping up with these activities, here are some links for ya:

Email listserv:  https://bit.ly/3kS2qRL
Twitter: @afs_uiuc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AFSUofIStudentSubunit
Please direct any questions to the RSO president George Balto at gbalto2@illinois.edu

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Lastly, I’d like to recognize that my time as a member of Red Bison is quickly coming to an end. I want to express my sincerest gratitude for all the years I’ve spent within this club. Everyone I’ve met in Red Bison has been so passionate, kind, and fun to work with. This chapter of my life is one that I will reflect on with great fondness for many years to come, and I wouldn’t have had such a great experience without everyone’s eagerness to get their hands dirty with some restoration ecology practices. Thank you all so much for connecting with me during this time and giving me the opportunity to grow within this amazing club. :’)

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I’ll see you all on Saturday! Have a good week.

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Best,

Rachel Waltermire (she/her)

Soon-to-be-former Secretary of Red Bison