| Washington Chapterof The Wildlife Society |
Welcome to The Washington Chapter of The Wildlife Society Our mission is to enhance the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society. The Washington Chapter encourages research and professional growth through grants, workshops, annual meetings, and scholarships. |
Congratulations to our New 2025 Board Members!
Their additions to the team bring a wealth of experience and perspectives, and we are excited to see them contribute to the organization's success. We look forward to working with them.
For more details and bios for each board member please visit our leadership webpage here.
WATWS IS Launching a 2025 Mentorship Program!
The Washington Chapter of The Wildlife Society (Chapter) is happy to announce that we are launching a mentorship program to pair established wildlife professionals with students and early career professionals. Depending on interest, we may include peer-to-peer mentoring as well. The goals of the program are to:
- Learn from each other by sharing experience and insights
- Promote professional development
- Increase the transfer of institutional knowledge in the face of a changing workforce
- Promote a sense of community within the Chapter
- Promote a culture of diversity and open dialogue
- Retain current Chapter members and attract new members
Below is additional information on the program followed by a poll indicating your interest. We will send out a survey later this summer for the purposes of pairing mentors and mentees.Please forward this information to anyone you think may be interested, and thank you for your consideration!
How long is the program and what is the schedule?
At this time we envision the program will run approximately 8 months, from October through June. The general timeline is as follows:
- Send out a survey in August to identify mentors and mentees;
- Notify matches in September;
- Program kickoff meeting in October
- In-person event at our Joint Annual Conference (April 6-9, 2026 at the Wenatchee Convention Center in Wenatchee, WA, in partnership with the Washington-British Columbia Chapter of The American Fisheries Society)
- Program closing event in June
How often will mentors and mentees meet?
Mentor/mentee pairs will determine the frequency of their meetings throughout the year and there is no set requirement; however, mentors and mentees must be willing and able to devote enough time to make the mentoring relationship meaningful. We recommend meeting at least once per month.What is the monthly time commitment?
How many mentees would be assigned to each mentor?
Approximately 4-5 hours per month
Up to 2Can I be a mentor if I have limited experience?
Do I have to be a WATWS member to join the program?
Yes, though we recommend that mentors have at least four (4) years of professional experience. We will provide links to informational materials and some limited coaching.
No, but we encourage you to join WATWS. We also encourage mentors to sponsor student membership.Do I have to be a wildlife biologist to be a mentor?
Mentors do not have to be wildlife biologists specifically but should be in a related field. We encourage people from all sectors of the wildlife or environmental profession to participate as mentors, including graduate students and postdocs.How will mentors/mentees be paired?
Mentors and mentees will fill out a survey identifying skills, experience, profession, goals, where they are located, and time capacity. The Mentorship Committee will make every effort to make the most successful pairings possible where the mentor’s expertise aligns with the goals and objectives of the mentee.Will meetings be in-person or virtual?
In-person meetings are highly encouraged and pairings will be made to accommodate location to the best of our ability, but mentors and mentees can also arrange virtual meetings on an agreed-upon platform. We will schedule an in-person gathering for all program participants at our annual meetings, which are usually in March/April.Please take a moment and complete the poll HERE by close of business August 1, 2025.
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