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Anheuser-Busch and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Award 15 Conservation Scholarships

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Anheuser-Busch and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced today the winners of the fourth annual Budweiser Conservation Scholarship Program.

The Foundation awarded scholarships based on merit, student's academic achievements and their ability and commitment to developing innovative solutions designed to address real and pressing issues affecting fish, wildlife and plant conservation. Each scholarship winner will receive up to $10,000 to help finance their field research, tuition, and other related expenses. Listed below are the Budweiser Conservation Scholarship winners for 2004 with the school they are currently attending:

Lauren M. Chan of Redondo Beach, Calif., Cornell University

Jeffrey T. Foster of Winchester, Mass., University of Illinois, Urbana-

Champaign

Suzanne C. Griffin of Missoula, Mont., University of Montana

Richard B. Gwozdz of Bellingham, Wash., Western Washington University

Faith M. Inman of Olympia, Wash., North Carolina State University

Jeff R. Jones of Fort Collins, Col., Colorado State University

Sandra E. Koi of Hollywood, Fla., Florida Atlantic University

Kurt P. Kowalski of Chelsea, Mich., University of Michigan

Brian D. Lutz of Lordstown, Ohio, The College of Wooster

Denise E. McKinney of Erie, Pa., North Carolina State University

James M. Mize of Los Angeles, Calif., University of California, Los

Angeles

Mark S. Ogonowski of Utica, N.Y., University of Arizona

Markus Nils Peterson of College Station, Texas, Michigan State University

Leslie K. Rossmell of Phoenix, Ariz., Washington State University

Joshua D. Voss of Orlando, Fla., Florida International University

"The Budweiser Conservation Scholarship Program gives students an opportunity to research and address conservation issues in innovative ways," said MaryAlice Ramirez, director for environmental outreach at Anheuser-Busch. "This is a great opportunity for Anheuser-Busch to demonstrate its commitment to the environment by supporting the ground-breaking research of tomorrow's leaders. For more than 150 years, Anheuser-Busch has upheld a tradition of the highest quality products and services -- we apply the same quality standard to protecting the environment."

Anheuser-Busch began the scholarship program, for students 21 years of age and older in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as a way to support higher education programs that address the many challenges facing fish, wildlife and their habitats.

"One of the most important investments we can make on behalf of conservation is to develop the next generation of leaders," said John Berry, executive director of the Foundation. "Today's scholarship winners may influence the direction of future conservation efforts, and also lead the way in preserving fish, wildlife and their habitats. Thanks to Anheuser-Busch, these students are being given the opportunity to make a significant difference."

Summaries for each student's project are attached. For more information on the scholarship program, visit http://www.nfwf.org/programs/budscholarship.htm . Founded in 1852, Anheuser- Busch has been committed to supporting the environment and conserving natural resources. The company has been the recipient of numerous environmental awards over the years for its programs and stewardship. In 1995, the world's largest brewer bolstered its support by creating the "Budweiser Outdoors" program. To learn more about Anheuser-Busch's environmental programs, visit http://www.abenvironment.com/ . Budweiser, the world's best-selling beer, is brewed by Anheuser-Busch Inc.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization established by Congress in 1984 and dedicated to the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants, and the habitat on which they depend. The Foundation creates partnerships between the public and private sectors to strategically invest in conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. The Foundation distributed 687 grants in 2003 and has leveraged $261 million in federal funds since its establishment, for a total of more than $786 million in on-the-ground conservation.

2004 Budweiser Conservation Scholarship Program

Winning project summaries

Lauren M. Chan, Cornell University - Chan will focus her studies on the sand dune lizard, a small North American lizard in the dunes of New Mexico and Texas. The results of this study will provide more effective conservation criteria for the species and will demonstrate the value of an integrated approach for studying species with small "patchwork" habitat needs.

Jeffrey T. Foster, University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign - Foster will study how the invasion of exotic birds into Hawaiian forests may play a role in the spread of native and invasive nonnative plants. In Hawaii, as in many areas throughout the United States, invasion of nonnative plants are among the most severe threats to native habitats. This work will provide land managers with useful information in their fight to protect habitats from invasive plants.

Suzanne C. Griffin, University of Montana - Griffin will determine the role that the landscape plays in controlling the spread of the Olympic marmot among local populations in the Olympic Peninsula. In collaboration with Olympic National Park personnel, she will develop a marmot monitoring and management program based on current and future distribution and demographics, habitat needs, landscape use and population genetic structure.

Richard B. Gwozdz, Western Washington University - Gwozdz plans to examine how sea grasses may effect and respond to changes in sedimentation, elevation and sea level in Padilla Bay, an estuary in Washington state. Data collected will be used to modify existing models used to predict the rate of sea grass growth. Data also could be used to predict how environmental alterations such as floodwater diversions and proposed management plans could impact sea grass habitat.

Faith M. Inman, North Carolina State University - Inman will determine if natural reproduction of native trees that produce food for the endangered Puerto Rican parrot is increased by creating canopy gaps in abandoned timber plantations within Rio Abajo State Forest. Results of this study will provide the Puerto Rican Department of Natural Resources with information about habitat enhancement methods in state forests in the Karst region of Puerto Rico.

Jeff R. Jones, Colorado State University - Jones plans to examine collaborative stewardship opportunities on farm and ranch lands and public grazing areas which host some of the state's most important wildlife habitat and wetlands in the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado. Jones will then share the results of his research and tools for developing collaborative stewardship activities at a workshop with local, state and federal land management staff and interested landowners.

Sandra E. Koi, Florida Atlantic University - Koi's project involves the reestablishment of naturally sustainable populations of the atala butterfly and coontie -- a host plant during its larval stage -- to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and other state park and forest sites. Future butterfly introductions also may include federal lands such as Everglades National Park, which currently has one of the largest natural populations of coontie.

Kurt P. Kowalski, University of Michigan - Kowalski will help reestablish wetland vegetation near Crane Creek, a small stream that flows into western Lake Erie. He also will explore whether wetlands with dikes in the Great Lakes may be restored in the long-term. Restoration of these wetlands would improve vital fish habitat and could create good habitat for struggling native clam populations. Results from this research could apply to other restoration and management projects.

Brian D. Lutz, The College of Wooster Wetland - Lutz will study ways to identify and reduce invasive plant impacts associated with restoring wetland ecosystems in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northeast Ohio. Information collected from his project will be used to alter invasive plant management procedures.

Denise E. McKinney, North Carolina State University - There is growing interest in cover crop-based no-till vegetable production to conserve soil, decrease pollution of waterways, manage weeds and increase income potential. McKinney's project will review a no-till, organic fall cabbage production. It also will determine if growers can harvest and sell their summer cover crop as organic hay -- the demand for which is increasing due to new federal organic standards -- without compromising the benefit of using the cover crop as a weed suppressor.

James M. Mize, University of California/Los Angeles - Mize plans to research the legal implications in developing marine reserves as fish conservation measures. The project will investigate the constraints involved in the development of reserves, federal/state jurisdiction overlap, intersection with other conservation laws and potential legal challenges to the implementation of marine reserves.

Markus Nils Peterson, Michigan State University - Peterson will conduct research that integrates concepts from wildlife ecology and human culture for the purpose of improving policies for managing diverse ecosystems. He will survey three U.S. counties to help determine what brought migrants to the area and if Endangered Species Act regulations have made wildlife conservation an important issue to migrants. Results from the research will support the conservation community's attempt to integrate endangered species management and informed ethical civic engagement in wildlife conservation.

Mark S. Ogonowski, University of Arizona - Ogonowski will estimate and compare burrowing owl demographics in three urban areas within the Tucson metropolitan area to help determine the reasons for the decline in their population. Successful conservation of this species may provide a model to stop the decline of other species before they reach critically low numbers.

Leslie K. Rossmell, Washington State University - Rossmell will examine butterfly behavior to help bolster the population size of an endangered grassland butterfly -- the Feder's blue butterfly -- at The Nature Conservancy's Willow Creek Nature Preserve in Eugene, Ore. This rare behavioral approach, which strives to link on-the-ground restoration projects to the population of an endangered species, has the potential to greatly aid in planning restoration strategies for endangered grassland species.

Joshua D. Voss, Florida International University - Voss will study environmental and coral community factors that may influence coral diseases in three Caribbean regions. This project will investigate the effect of disease outbreaks on coral populations and community structure. The integrated approach taken in this project is essential for the advancement of coral epidemiology and subsequent efforts toward coral reef conservation.

Anheuser-Busch

CONTACT: Thuy Luu-Beams of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,+1-202-857-5675, or Ken Colombini of Anheuser-Busch, +1-314-577-9625

Web site: http://www.abenvironment.com/http://www.nfwf.org/programs/budscholarship.htm

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