Warner College of Natural Resources

Congrats to Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Associate Professor Becky Niemiec, who was appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission by Governor Jared Polis!

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is a citizen board with 11 voting members that sets regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks and wildlife programs.

As the founder and co-director of CSU’s Animal-Human Policy Center, Becky brings expertise in conservation social science, animal protection policy, and human-wildlife coexistence to the role.

“I am honored and excited by the opportunity to bring my expertise in the human dimensions of wildlife management to practice and policy through my role as a commissioner,” she said.

Read more on SOURCE: https://warnercnr.source.colostate.edu/rebecca-niemiec-appointed-to-colorado-parks-and-wildlife-commission/

Career Spotlight | Meet Case Depoy!

Last summer, Casey worked as a forestry crew member with Larimer County Conservation Corps as a forestry crew member.

“What I liked most about this job was getting to earn experience with running a chainsaw and all the people I meet,” said Casey.

As a Forest and Rangeland Stewardship major, Casey was able to gain hands-on experience that complemented his studies 🌲

Are you studying or working somewhere cool this summer? Send us a DM – we want to feature you!

POV: Geosciences Field Camp kicks off at CSU Mountain Campus 🪨

Next stop: The Colorado mountains.

🌻🌻Happy World Environment Day 🌻🌻

📷photos by

Did you participate in any May 2026 Commencement activities, recognition ceremony, University-wide ceremony and/or commencement planning? If so, we want to hear from you!

Fill out this survey by June 10, and help us improve the commencement experience 👩‍🎓🧑‍🎓

https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3rAITBjiPD36L42

Career Spotlight | Meet Julia Lankisch!

Julia is a Master’s student pursuing her Environmental Leadership degree, and her thesis examines the governance dimensions of wildlife crossings.

Last summer, she served as the project assistant for the Center for Collaborative Conservation’s North Sand Creek Restoration Partnership, and as the intern for Colorado State Extension’s Native Bee Watch.

According to Julia, the best parts of her work were:
🐝 watching people with diverse perspectives learn to collaboratively solve the issues facing the land they love
🐝 sharing her love of pollinators with the enthusiastic Colorado public

Are you studying or working somewhere cool this summer? Send us a DM – we want to feature you!

In honor of World Bee Day, learn some bee facts brought to you by the Mola Lab!

Did you know?
🐝 North America is home to around 4,000 species of native bees, and over 1,000 species can be found in Colorado.
🐝 Most bee species are solitary.
🐝 Solitary bees nest in the ground, in hollow stems, or in leaf litter.
🐝 Honey bees are not native to Colorado, or even North America!

How you can help bees:
🌸 Avoid using pesticides around your home and in your garden.
🌸 Leave areas in your yard with fallen leaves and patches of bare soil – bees nest and overwinter here! Wait as long as possible in the Summer before mowing your lawn, and/or leave unmown patches if you can.
🌸 Plant native plants. Did you know there is a free native plant swap at FoCo Ecofest each summer?
🌸 Get involved in citizen science! You can volunteer with Colorado Native Bee Watch through CSU Extension or the Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas via the Xerces Society.

About the Mola Lab:
The Mola Lab (aka the FRSBEE Lab) works on bee conservation, life history, and nutrition; as well as honeybee-native bee competition, forest ecology, and urban ecology.

They are passionate about outreach and science communication, and their core lab group includes lab leader John Mola, four Ph.D. students, one research associate/lab manager, and their fearless undergraduate research assistants.

Learn more about how you can get involved with the Mola Lab here: https://molalab.org/

📸 Photos by Nathan Comai, Laura Lukens, and John Mola