The Shadow
LEXINGTON — The Appalachian Habitat Association (AHA) is offering two scholarships in 2019 for students who intend to or are currently pursuing a degree related to wildlife habitat, conservation, forestry, conservation criminal justice, wildlife biology or a related field.
One scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $2,000 and one will be awarded for $1,000.
Graduating high school seniors and current college students from the seven-county AHA service area are eligible to apply for the scholarships. The service area includes the counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland and Rockbridge.
Applications have been sent to the guidance offices at the high schools in the service area and are available through the Dabney S. LancasterCommunity College Forestry Department. Applications are also available by emailing appalachian.habitat. assoc.@gmail.com.
Applications are due by May 31. Awards will be announced in July.
Applications will be judged on an essay, grades, community and school involvement and leadership.
The Appalachian Habitat Association is an organization that was formed in 2018 and is in the process of qualifying as an IRS 501(C)3 non-profit.
The organization’s mission is to establish, maintain and promote the science-based management of wildlife habitat for the benefit of game and non-game species by raising funds for on-the-ground work on public lands within its service area; by supporting wildlife habitat education and research, and by encouraging wildlife habitat improvement on private lands.
“We are excited to offer these two scholarships, and look forward to growing this into a much larger program as students are the future of our wildlife conservation and hunting sports,” AHA President Wayne Anderson explained.
The organization evolved from the Western Virginia chapter of the Virginia Deer Hunter’s Association (VDHA), which has been involved in supporting habitat work on national forest and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife management areas for several years.
That organization has also awarded scholarships such as the ones for forestry students and to support research into deer predation by Virginia Tech graduate students.
In 2018, the AHA financially supported habitat work on national forest land in Alleghany County in association with the Covington-Alleghany Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).
The AHA also purchased a specialized bush hog for the VDGIF to be used on wildlife management areas in the seven-county service area. The organization is currently reviewing other habitat projects on public lands.
The AHA Board of Directors is composed of residents from the counties in the service area with members whose backgrounds include involvement with the VDHA, the NWTF, pollinator organizations, the timber industry, bear hunters, wildlife land management consultants, hunters and 4-H.
The AHA held its first fundraising banquet in August 2018 in association with the VDHA. Funds from the banquet are used for the habitat work. The AHA will hold another fundraiser in September.
For more information about the AHA, email appalachian.habitat.assoc@gmail.com.
