Fred S. Guthery, Bollenbach Chair in Wildlife Ecology,
Oklahoma State University
BOLLENBACH CHAIR IN WILDLIFE ECOLOGY
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
HISTORY
Dr. Charles J. Scifres, formerly Associate Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station at OSU, and former Governor Henry Bellmon began developing the idea of an Endowed Chair in Wildlife in the 1980s. Dr. Charles Browning, Dean Emeritus of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Governor Bellmon, and Mel and Merle Bollenbach took the lead in raising private funds ($500,000), which were matched by the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education to establish the necessary endowment. Finally, a significant long-term commitment by the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station was made and the Chair became a reality. The Chair is named after the late Irvin Bollenbach, long-time friend of Governor Bellmon and well-known rancher and bobwhite hunter and enthusiast from Kingfisher, OK. Fred S. Guthery became the first Bollenbach Chair in August 1997.
The Chair operates under the auspices of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. Salary comes from the Experiment Station and from revenue earned by the Bollenbach Endowment housed at the OSU Foundation. The endowment may provide additional revenue to support graduate students and research costs.
MISSION
Establish biologically and economically viable management systems for private range and forest lands,
Advise and direct graduate students doing research on natural resources,
Collaborate with wildlife, forestry, and range specialists to get management information into the hands of users, and
Conduct research on game and nongame birds in upland settings.
ACTIVITIES
Academic
The Bollenbach Chair holds a 100% research, eleven-month appointment at OSU. However, teaching activities accrue through guest lectures in graduate and undergraduate courses. Also, the direction of graduate students involves a good deal of teaching.
The Chair also serves on the M.S. and Ph.D. committees of graduate students that he does not direct. These students may come from departments other than Forestry, such as Zoology and Plant and Soil Sciences.
Extension
Extension (technical guidance) involves, in general, the transfer of knowledge gained in research to individuals who can apply the knowledge or otherwise benefit from it. The Bollenbach Chair is involved in the following extension activities:
Visits farms and ranches in Texas and Oklahoma to provide management recommendations.
Gives invited lectures at conferences and symposia sponsored by state and federal agencies and conservation organizations.
Sponsors symposia on wildlife management (e.g., Bollenbach Symposium).
Publishes Quail News twice yearly (March and October).
Responds annually to dozens of phone calls, letters, and e-mail messages concerning wildlife management.
Professional
Academicians have an obligation to participate in and contribute to the profession within which they operate. Accordingly, the Bollenbach Chair is or has recently been involved in the following:
Editorial duties (Editor, Associate Editor, and Book Review Editor for The Journal of Wildlife Management).
Review of articles submitted to refereed journals.
Committee service for state and national chapters of The Wildlife Society.
Review of research proposals submitted to private foundations or state or federal agencies.
Research
At universities, the bulk of research accomplishments come from projects done by graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D. candidates) and directed by a major professor. The Bollenbach Chair’s research program depends heavily on graduate students.
Opportunities for creative endeavor also arise outside of research involving graduate students. For example, the Bollenbach Chair has collaborated with biologists from the University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, University of Wisconsin, Arizona Game and Fish, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Kansas Division of Wildlife and Parks.. These collaborative efforts may lead to refereed publications involving mathematical and computer modeling, analysis of long-term research results, and issues in the philosophy of science and management.
NEEDS
A research program is innovative and productive to the extent that reliable sources of funding are available for projects. The typical M.S. project costs $30,000–40,000 and the typical Ph.D. project $50,000–80,000. The bulk of these expenses go to stipends (salaries) for graduate students, who are considered half-time employees.
There is a need for additional funding (endowments, cash gifts) to support research activities. Such funding will insure a steady stream of new information on the biology, conservation, and management of bobwhites, other quails, and upland wildlife.