The college’s Conservation Management Institute (CMI) is being aligned with the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation to maximize funding and research opportunities. “CMI has had phenomenal success as a college-level research center for many years,” said Dean Paul Winistorfer. “As we look forward to greater impacts by leveraging mutual interests with our academic program in fish and wildlife conservation, I am certain that the outcome will be positive from all perspectives.”

CMI provides multidisciplinary expertise in field ecology, geospatial information technology, resource assessment, and logistical support. It is supported by contracts and grants from numerous sources, including fish and wildlife agencies, federal refuges and parks, private conservation areas, and military installations throughout Virginia, across North America, and around the world. CMI has been awarded more than $40 million in research grants since 1999.

Much of CMI’s work has been allied with the fish and wildlife conservation program. “We are strategically aligning resources to be much more competitive for external funding and to raise the impact value of our work,” Winistorfer said.

“CMI has enjoyed many successful collaborations with faculty and students in the college,” said CMI Director Scott Klopfer. “The realignment will allow us to build upon those relationships and provide even more opportunities that will benefit our students and partners.”

“We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with CMI,” said Joel Snodgrass, head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “Our alignment with CMI will allow our students and faculty to realize even greater synergies between the department and the institute, and continue to provide our partners with the best scientifically based solutions to the natural resource challenges we face. Providing our students with experiences outside of the classroom contributes greatly to the development of soft skills that are valued by future employers.”

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