North Carolina Chapter of
The Wildlife Society

To guide and promote the conservation and management of wildlife resources throughout North Carolina.

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COWCH Committee

Chair: Jon Heisterberg

Members: Carl Betsill, Ted Dossett, Bob Hazel

Mission: To Celebrate Our Wildlife Conservation Heritage.

2011-2012 Goals:

COWCH Videos

What is the Celebrating Our Wildlife Conservation Heritage (COWCH) Project?

As several key representatives of the first generation of wildlife professionals passed away in 1999, The Wildlife Society (TWS) Council adopted the COWCH Project with the goal of preserving the history and evolution of the wildlife profession by interviewing influential wildlife biologist, educators, managers, and other pioneers.

This video is the first in a series of excerpts from COWCH Interviews the Chapter has conducted over the last few years. This video is part of an Interview of Dr. Eugene Hester. Dr. Hester began his career at NCSU then Auburn University. His degrees include both wildlife and fisheries management. Starting in 1963 he became Coop Unit Leader at NCSU. Later he moved up to Chief of Fisheries Research with USFWS, then Director of Research and became Deputy Director in 1981. For almost a year he was Acting Director following the dismissal of Lynn Greenwalt. Dr. Hester is also an accomplished wildlife photographer and an avid fisherman, fishing little known small creeks and streams within Washington, DC while he was stationed there. In this excerpt he provides advice to beginning wildlife students as well as to mid-career wildlife professionals that are faced with that inevitable choice of becoming leaders in the profession or "keeping on the hip boots". Conducting the interview is Bob Hazel (to Dr. Hester's left) and Dr. Tom Quay (on his right).

Charlie Woodhouse is featured in our 2nd COWCH interview.  Charlie was one of the first, if not the first, biologist hired after the NC Wildlife Resources Commission was formed in 1947.  Charlie was a WWII veteran and a graduate of NC State University with a wildlife management degree.  Charlie tutored many young biologists during his long career with the Commission.  He worked out of his home in Holly Springs.  He was known particularly for his work with the farm game program and technical guidance to landowners.  In this COWCH interview excerpt, Charlie is talking about his experience with the first deer restoration project on private lands.  Charlie passed away on January 25, 2011 at his home in Holly Springs.  To those of us that knew Charlie it marked the end of an era.  Charlie was truly a pioneer in our young profession.  Charlie was a member of the first generation of wildlife biologists.  He had no one to tell him what a state biologist was supposed to do.  He had to figure that out on his own.  He made a good model for the rest of us to follow.