Every year the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation awards scholarships to college students pursuing careers in wildlife and conservation who exhibit outstanding leadership. First given in 1991, in the 17 years the foundation has given the awards, 141 students from 48 universities have received $215,000 in scholarships. Many past winners are now conservation leaders and have stayed ardent supporters of the Elk Foundation.

Applicants must list their leadership activities, hobbies, employment and accomplishments as they relate to wildlife or natural resources in their communities. They must also write short essays describing important conservation issues facing North America, the role of hunting in conservation, and how the scholarship would benefit them in achieving their career goals.

Winners each receive $2,000 and a one-year membership with the Elk Foundation.

Curt Rollman, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Curt Rollman loves hunting with hounds. “My favorite part is seeing a hound grow up from a puppy,” Curt says, “He’s your hunting partner and you do the hunt together.” Curt has hunted with hounds since he was nine years old, a tradition passed down through his family. He received his first hound at age 16 from his uncle, and Curt now spends all year training with them for hunting in the fall. 

Hound hunting helped introduce Curt to the outdoors. Now a major in wildlife ecology, Curt served last year as vice president for the University of Wisconsin-Madison student chapter of the Wildlife Society. Through it he has planned and led highway cleanups, fi eld trips, prairie restorations, student recruiting and ther events. Next year, Curt will take the reins as chapter president.

“Working with the Wildlife Society opened my eyes to the many different perspectives people have in the field of wildlife conservation,”  Curt says. Both Curt’s father and uncle introduced him to the value of the outdoors through their own interest in wildlife conservation. Curt’s job with USDA Wildlife Services honed his interest and helped him decide his major. “Ever since then, I’ve focused on resolving human-to-wildlife confl icts,” he says.

Over the past two summers Curt has worked on the nuisance bear program through technical assistance and live trapping. The Gerald L. (Jerry) Turpin Wildlife Leadership Award from the Elk Foundation will help Curt work towards a profession centered on helping critters and humans coexist.

Derek Bossell, Frostberg State University, Maryland

Derek, a wildlife and fisheries science student with a minor in general biology and forestry, says it was sping peepers that captivated him as a young boy, hooking him into the study of reptiles and amphibians before he’d even heard the word herpetology. The peeper remains one of Derek’s favorites, and his fascination led him into biology and eventually to Frank Ammer, a professor at FSU who encouraged him to join their Wildlife Society chapter. He eventually became secretary and recently vice president. Ammer also helped Derek land a job with FSU’s Biology Department, where he worked collecting and identifying herps.

Derek is a member of the Phi Mu Delta. Although the fraternity doesn’t have a direct link to wildlife conservation, it improves his overall attitude. “Phi Mu Delta teaches us how to treat other people, how to respect other people, how to become a good leader, and how to be a good person. It impacts your outlook on life and how you do things.” This fall, Derek will earn his bachelor’s degree and he’s already looking at grad schools. He plans on working in biology or ecology and—no surprise—he aims to continue studying herpetology.