Mendham Resident Earns Cookingham Scholarship

The New Jersey Chapter of The Wildlife Society announced the award of the Russell A. Cookingham Scholarship to Mendham resident Dan Mayer, a student at Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks. Mayer was one of a pool of very qualified candidates chosen based on a combination of academics, experience in the field of wildlife conservation, and service to natural resources and the wildlife management and conservation profession.

Mayer is majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife Science, and will earn a certificate in GIS and a minor in Business Administration. Mayer was a field research intern studying the effect of climate change on breeding ecology of songbirds in the shrub-tundra of central Alaska. Mayer has been a Stewardship Team Leader for the Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham. That role found him monitoring wood turtle nests and bluebird boxes, eradicating emerging invasive plants, and maintaining hiking trails and gardens. His participation with the Paul Smith’s College Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society has included running a volunteer deer check station, building wood duck boxes, and presenting his research to his peers.

The $1000 Cookingham Scholarship is offered annually to a qualified undergraduate student in the wildlife, fisheries or biological sciences field. This scholarship is made possible by an endowment from the late Russell A. Cookingham, former Director of the New Jersey DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife. It is intended to assist qualified students in the wildlife/fisheries or conservation education/communication field with college and related expenses. Students must reside permanently in New Jersey to be considered. New Jersey residents attending school out-of-state are eligible.

The New Jersey Chapter of The Wildlife Society, a chapter of The Wildlife Society, represents professional wildlife managers employed by state, federal and other government agencies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and private companies that address wildlife issues.