Membership

Membership

* If you are already a Western Section member, you will be automatically added to the mailing list.  If you are not getting periodic email (1-3 per month), please check your spam or filtered mail folders. If you have unsubscribed yourself or you are not receiving any Constant Contact emails, you can use the link above to re-subscribe.

Become a Section Member:

Membership in the Western Section offers many benefits. If you are ready to become a member or renew your membership in the Western Section, there are several ways to do so:

You can also join local Chapters at the same time as you join or renew or separately at the Chapter websites.

If you are a member of TWS international, you can add or renew Section membership on the TWS website.

Benefits of Membership:

  • Regular updates via the Constant Contact mailing list
  • Voting privileges for the Section
  • Discounted registration at the Annual Meeting and outstanding professional development workshops
  • Continuing education credits towards Certified Wildlife Biologist® and Professional Development Certificate Programs
  • A devoted, lively, and engaged network of members who can provide mentoring for the next generation of wildlife professionals
  • Access to Western Section grant and scholarship funding
  • An active awards program that recognizes extraordinary biologist or organizations, outstanding service to the Society, and student posters at our Annual Meeting.
  • An opportunity to interact professionally and socially with other wildlife professionals from all over the region
  • Great resources for students and young professionals
  • And much more

Levels of Membership and Dues

Membership in the international organization of The Wildlife Society, in The Western Section of The Wildlife Society, and in your local Chapter are independent from each other. Each level of membership has its own dues as well as member benefits. TWS and Section dues are based upon the member’s join date and are good for 12 months and are not based on the calendar year.

The Western Section has several levels of membership:

Level Amount Description
Standard $30/yr Regular membership for Professionals
Standard – Supporting $60/yr Regular membership for Professionals, Supporting level
Standard – Contributing $90/yr Regular membership for Professionals, Contributing level
Early Career Professional $15/yr Recently employed in entry level position or less than full time position or recently graduated and seeking employment.
Student $15/yr Enrolled in college level or post-secondary courses
Retired Professional $15/yr Retired from full time employment and paid standard dues for at least 3 years
Youth $8/yr 18 years old and younger
Lifetime Member $675 Payable in 1, 2, or 3 installments

You can also join one or more of the local Chapters:

  • Central Coast: Regular – $10/year; Student – $5/year
  • Hawaii: $5/year
  • Humboldt State Student Chapter: $6/semester ($10/year)
  • North Coast: $10/year or $20/3 years
  • Nevada: $10/year
  • Univ. Nevada Reno: $6/semester (TWS National member) or $10/semester otherwise
  • Sac-Shasta: $10/year
  • S.F. Bay Area: $10/year
  • San Joaquin Valley: $5/year
  • So. California: $10/year
  • Davis Student Chapter: $5/quarter ($15/year)
  • UC Santa Barbara: $5/year

Become a Member of TWS International

TWS, the international society under which the Western Section is formed, has many membership options including regular, student, early career professional, retired, commercial, international, and government agency. TWS members receive free access to the Journal of Wildlife Management and Wildlife Society Bulletin, a bi-monthly members magazine The Wildlife Professional, and weekly eWildlifer news updates as well as member discounts for the TWS Annual Conference and discounts with the Society’s publishers. If you do not pay TWS dues, you are a Section Associate member. You can vote on Section business and attend Section events at member prices, but you cannot become an officer or chair a committee.  To see membership options and rates please visit the TWS membership page.

Membership Demographic Codes

The Western Section strives to provide services to the all wildlife professionals that represent the diverse populations of our Section area. In order to assess how well we are doing, we ask for your voluntary information on our membership forms. We use the following codes:

Degree:  HS = High School/GED; AS = Associate; BS = Bachelor’s; MS = Master’s; PhD = Doctorate;OTH = OtherAffil / Employer:  ST = State/Province/Tribe; FED = Federal; UNIV = University/College; CSLT = Consulting Firm; CORP = Corporation; NGO = Non-governmental Organization; OTH = Other; SELF = Self Employed; RET = Retired; LOC = Local Govt

Position:  ADM = Administration/Project Management; COMM = Communications/Marketing; CPLN = Conservation Planning; CPOL  = Conservation Policy; EDCO = Education-College/Professional; EDPU = Education-K-12/Public; HAB = Habitat/Wildlife Management; HDIM = Human Dimensions; LAW = Law Enforcement; LEG = Legislative/Regulatory; RES = Research; TECH = Technician; OTH = Other; RET = Retired

Expertise (up to 3): ADM = Administration/Project Management; BDIV = Biological Diversity; BMET = Biometrics; COMM = Communications/Marketing; CECO = Conservation Education-College/Professional; CEPU = Conservation Education-K-12/Public; CPLN = Conservation Planning; CPOL = Conservation Policy; EBRD = Ecology & Conservation-Birds; EMAM = Ecology & Conservation-Mammals; EHRP = Ecology & Conservation-Reptiles/Amphibians; ENDS = Endangered Species; EIMP = Environmental Impact Assessment; ELAW = Environmental Law/Regulation; FIRE = Fire Ecology; FRST = Forest Ecology; GEN = Genetics; GIS = Geographic Information Systems.; GRAS = Grasslands/Desert Ecology; HAB = Habitat Management; HDIM = Human Dimensions; INTL = International Experience; INVS = Invasive Species; LAW = Law Enforcement; ECON = Natural Resource Economics; PHYS = Physiology/Nutrition; REST = Restoration Ecology; RIPN = Riparian Habitat Ecology; RSEN = Telemetry & Remote Sensing; TOX = Toxicology; URB = Urban Wildlife; WETL = Wetland Ecology; WDNS = Wilderness Ecology; WDIS = Wildlife Diseases; POPN = Wildlife Population Management; DAMG = Wildlife Damage Management