The 2026 Ecology Scholarship Awards Celebration was held on October 21st at the Emerson Center for Arts & Culture. We had approximately 90 people in attendance.  Sidewall Pizza catered the food, and a photo booth, trivia contest, and prize raffle kept things lively.   We thank everyone for coming--especially our scholarship donors/family members who make these scholarships possible.   The recipients for this year's scholarships are listed below.

Matthew F. Clow Memorial Award

Matthew Clow was an MSU graduate student who died in 1998 while conducting research on whirling disease and wild trout.  The award was established by his parents in his honor to recognize graduate students who share Matt’s love and commitment to wild trout and native fishes. There are two awards in 2026, each for $2,150.

Recipient #1:  Madeline Wilson

Madeline studies brown trout recruitment and mortality in the Upper Clark Fork River and its tributaries.

Recipient #2:  Maxwell Randels

Max is studying habitat use and movement patterns of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake.

 

Jim Belsey Graduate Student Scholarship

Jim Belsey was an avid trout angler and conservationist.  Jim established this award to support graduate students pursuing a degree with research emphasizing coldwater fisheries. In the last few years, the trout populations in the Big Hole, Ruby and Beaverhead Rivers have declined precipitously. The cause (or causes) of these declines is not clear and research is urgently needed. For the 2024 award cycle, the Belsey scholarships will be directed to graduate students who are doing research on these three rivers.  There are two awards in 2026, each for $3,200.

Recipient #1:  Nicholas Hudson

Nick studies the complex dynamics of trout life history, production, recruitment, and physiology, with a specific focus on juvenile trout.

Recipient #2:  Max Rubino

Max investigates components of adult mortality of trout using fish tagging, tag return, and recapture estimates to integrate both social science and fisheries science.

 

William Gould Memorial Scholarship

William Gould IV established this memorial scholarship in honor of his late father, William Gould III. As a fisheries biologist, William worked with Montana Fish and Game, the Fish Technology Center and several other state and federal organizations on projects ranging from fish distributions to physiology to human impacts on fish populations. While at the University, he taught classes and directed undergraduate and graduate students. After retirement, he authored the Key to Fishes of Montana in 1996 and coauthored Fish of the Rockies in 2009.  The recipient will be pursuing an advanced degree in Fish and Wildlife Management and demonstrate passion for and research relating to fish ecology and fisheries in freshwater ecosystems. The 2026 award is $1,000.

Recipient:  Kelson Hickman

Kelson is evaluating the effects of snag and release angling on American paddlefish survival and reproduction on the Missouri River.

 

Jim Posewitz Memorial Scholarship

Jim Posewitz was one of Montana’s most respected conservation leaders who pioneered protections for fish and wildlife during his 32-year, distinguished career with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The family and friends of Jim Posewitz wanted to honor his conservation legacy through establishment of the Jim Posewitz Memorial Scholarship. Jim was a fisheries biologist and administrator who worked to protect in-stream flows for fish and wildlife. The 2026 award is $1,000.

Recipient:  Lydia Bushey

Lydia studies crayfish in Montana’s rivers by evaluating their burrowing activities and behaviors across water temperature gradients.

 

Sara Amasa Madsen Conservation Biology Scholarship

Mary and Jerry Madsen established this fund in loving memory of their daughter, Sara Amasa Madsen, who graduated from the University in 2019. This scholarship supports students that share Sara’s heart and enthusiasm for the wilderness, particularly wildland firefighting and water resources. There are two awards in 2026, each for $2,200.

Recipient #1: Caroline Kane

Caroline studies fire ecology, forest management, and habitat connectivity to better understand wildfire behavior and fuels management.

Recipient #2:  Itai Namir

Itai studies black-tailed prairie dogs to understand how plague mitigation strategies affect prairie dog populations and their ecological role in the environment.

 

The Daniel Goodman Conservation Biology Scholarship

This scholarship honors Dr. Daniel Goodman, a quantitative ecologist and conservation biologist, who was a professor in MSU’s Ecology Department from 1981 until his death in 2012. This scholarship supports an MSU Ecology Department graduate student whose research is both quantitative and within the broad field of conservation biology, with potential to improve the management of at-risk species or ecosystems. The 2026 award is $2,500.

Recipient:  Parker Levinson

Parker studies Weddell seals in the Antarctic to better understand population demographics and dynamics, including reproductive output and patterns of immigration. 

 

Jim Patton Wildlife Management Scholarship

Jim Patton served as Undersecretary at Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries from 1998-2004. Both of Jim's parents and his maternal grandfather attended Montana State College. The scholarship honors Jim’s Montana heritage, recognizing the importance of the quality education provided by Montana State University. The scholarship supports a Master’s student with wildlife ecology as their area of study. The 2026 award is $1,000.

Recipient:  Chase Dart

Chase studies how public harvest, prey availability, and intraspecific competition influence gray wolf group composition and size.

 

The Don C. Quimby Graduate Wildlife Research Scholarship

This scholarship honors Dr. Don C. Quimby, a biology teacher, student advisor and founder of the Wildlife Program with Montana State University’s Biology Department in 1948.  Dr. Quimby served as the head of that program until his retirement in 1975. This scholarship supports a student with a field research project focused on a free-ranging wildlife species within the state of Montana and a commitment to a career in wildlife management. The 2026 award is $2,300.

Recipient:  Owen Kanter

Owen studies genetics and movement of the swift fox to determine what factors are impacting reestablishment on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

 

Kevin Hurley Wild Sheep Biology Award

This award was established and endowed by The Wild Sheep Foundation in recognition of retired Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife manager, Kevin Hurley, for his exemplary accomplishments, tireless efforts, and contributions toward conservation and management of wild sheep in North America and beyond to recognize his dedication and commitment to wild sheep. The purpose of this award is to support the development of the next generation of wildlife biologists and scientists devoted to the management and conservation of wild sheep.  In 2026, there is one award for $3000.

Recipient:  Max Evans

Max studies risk factors that influence the probability of close contact between bighorn sheep and domestic sheep and goats.

 

Sacajawea Audubon Society Bob Moore Scholarship

The Board of Trustees of the Sacajawea Audubon Society established this scholarship in honor of Dr. Bob Moore, Professor Emeritus of Biology at MSU, who taught vertebrate ecology, evolutionary biology, and field ornithology. The recipient of this award will be a graduate student pursuing a degree from the Department of Ecology, with research focusing on ecology and conservation of avian communities and their habitats, including research and/or education in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem or Montana. In 2026,there is one award for $3,000.

Recipient:  Anna Freundlich

Anna studies how herbicide application affects vegetation, pollinator, and avian communities in eastern Montana to help land managers rehabilitate degraded sagebrush habitat.

 

John H. Rumely Award

This award supports the instructional, research and scholarly activities of the curricula traditionally known as Botany, and supports graduate students conducting field studies of native Montana plants. There is one award in 2026 for $3,000.

Recipient:  Malia Naumchik

Malia studies how forest management and revegetation techniques impact plant and pollinator communities in southwestern Montana.

 

Dr. Lynn Irby Fish & Wildlife Biology Graduate Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Jeff Carpenter in honor of Dr. Lynn Irby, who was his advisor while at MSU. Dr. Irby’s studies improved management of wild ungulates and carnivores throughout the Northern Rockies and Great Plains and he chaired 43 graduate committees during his 26-year career at MSU. The recipients of this award will be graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in the Ecology Department.  There are two awards in 2026, each for $2,500.

Recipient #1:  Nolan Helmstetter

Nolan is evaluating marten distributions and occupancy throughout Montana to inform harvest strategies and management into the future.

Recipient #2:  Anna Kusler

Anna is studying the survival, reproduction, population growth rates, and movement of Cheetahs in relation to human activities and competitors such as lions in Zambia.