Ashley Whaley, graduate student in the biology department at Missouri State University, was awarded a $11,200 fellowship continuation by the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation. Whaley is evaluating a rangeland education curriculum developed by the Welder Wildlife Foundation and training teachers to use the curriculum. She also serves as the conservation educator at the Welder Wildlife Foundation refuge leading programs for students and the public.

“Ashley has completed one year of evaluations on the effectiveness of the curriculum on student knowledge and understanding of the benefits of rangelands, which are a vital part of Texas culture and history,” said Dr. Janice Greene, professor of biology. “It is important that students today understand the benefits of rangelands to water quality, wildlife diversity and the economy.”

Whaley is currently in her second year of the three-year fellowship. The Welder Wildlife Foundation has a national reputation in the wildlife management and conservation fields, and was established in 1954 to conduct research and education in those fields.

For more information, contact Greene at (417) 836-5306.

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