We are pleased to announce the recipients for The Fur-Bearers Arts & Science Scholarship for 2022: Caroline O’Connor and Tammy McClennan. This is the second year the scholarship has been offered by The Fur-Bearers and we thank everyone who applied and has shown interest in the scholarship program.
The Fur-Bearers Arts & Science Scholarship was created in 2021 to support individuals who are committed to improving coexistence with wildlife in Canada. The scholarship is awarded to support projects designed to promote coexistence through the use of art or through science-based projects. This year, The Fur-Bearers is awarding a scholarship in both the Arts stream and the Science Stream. Click here to learn more about the Arts & Science Scholarship.
2022 Arts & Science Scholarship Recipients
We are happy to announce our scholarship winners for 2022 and the projects that the scholarships will support.
Caroline O'Connor, Alberta
With the use of in-situ interviews, this project will explore the following questions: (1) What are people’s emotions towards coyotes? (2) What influences emotions to change or remain consistent? (3) How do emotions influence an individual’s willingness to adopt lethal or nonlethal mitigative methods used on coyotes? Understanding emotions toward wildlife is crucial for promoting coexistence because emotions influence people’s perceptions and behaviours towards wildlife. Understanding emotions can help identify knowledge gaps and predict reactions and abidance to management policies.
Existing research suggests that emotions are critical to consider in the development and implementation of wildlife management strategies. If emotions are not understood or acknowledged, the public may react in protest to a management strategy or not be willing to adopt the recommended management practice. This project will contribute to a better understanding of human-coyote relationships, to shift from conflict to coexistence.
Follow Caroline’s research at the Canid Conservation Science Lab on Instagram at @canid_lab.
Tammy McClennan, Ontario
This video project will demonstrate how beavers engineer ecosystems beneficial to themselves, the environment, and others. It will focus on the beavers’ ability to mitigate forest fires with their habitats. The project will demonstrate that beavers are not pests, but beneficial stewards of our environment. The detrimental effects of climate change and human impact can be overwhelming and disheartening, and this project will inspire optimism for our environment and appreciation for the North American Beaver, demonstrating how wildlife enrich the landscapes around us, encouraging consideration for greater wildlife conservation and protections.
View Tammy’s work at tammymcclennan.art and on Instagram at @tammcclennan and @beaverbloglog.
Congratulations to our 2022 scholarship recipients! Click here to learn more about the scholarships offered by The Fur-Bearers.
Are you interested in beaver management and compassionate conservation? Do you want to develop and learn skills to promote and implement non-lethal solutions for beavers in your community and region? The Fur-Bearers is offering a full scholarship for the Beaver Institute’s training program. Applications for the scholarship will open in January 2023, click here to learn more and read the details about this program.
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