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  • December 02, 2022 9:45 AM | Anonymous

    Mike has been watching our nest cam since 2010 when Liberty & Belle were the resident pair. He'd seen on our website about captured photos and shared a couple that he'd gotten! 

    Bella snow covered.


    Bella feeding while Smitty watches.


    Fledge day with Smitty and Ozzy.



  • July 21, 2022 9:15 PM | Anonymous

    Welcome to NCTC!

    Explore some of the new activities and events happening on campus through this link: https://trainingcenter.fws.gov/maps/content/index.html#/.

    Please note, these activities are available to guests attending courses or on-campus events only.

  • May 11, 2022 11:56 AM | Anonymous

    Archery Training

    • The Archery training at NCTC will occur on Thursday, June 9th. This will be a 4-hour afternoon session in the NCTC Physical Training Building.
    • Participants will need to also complete a 4-hour online session PRIOR to attending the in-person class on June 9th.
    • Note: Participants do NOT need to have any prior experience with archery in order to take this training.
    • Interested participants need to RSVP by Thursday, May 12th (send an email to jennifer_gedert@fws.gov).

    Climbing Wall

    • The NCTC Climbing Wall training has been rescheduled for August (they're currently looking at the week of August 15th for this training). 
    • The course will be a 20-hour in-person course over 3 days. 
    • Participants MUST be able to comfortably top-rope at a 5.8 level. 
    • Anyone interested in leading sessions on NCTC's climbing wall needs to successfully complete this training to get certified. 
    • Interested people need to RSVP by June 1st (send an email to jennifer_gedert@fws.gov).


    NCTC will provide any equipment needed.

    First Aid training will be required of all the volunteers. NCTC will also provide this training for free.

    Volunteers will not need a PIV card or parking pass to attend these trainings, but will need to complete a background check prior to facilitating the archery groups.

    Anyone who is interested should email jennifer_gedert@fws.gov to RSVP and/or to get more information.

  • April 30, 2022 7:56 PM | Anonymous


    Last weekend, volunteers gathered at NCTC to celebrate Earth Day by planting about 300 trees from NCTC’s plant nursery. They were placed inside white plastic tubes to protect the young seedlings from deer and mice.


    The tree species that were planted are: mockernut hickory, shagbark hickory, tulip poplar, black walnut, black cherry, sycamore, and redbud.

    We want to send a big thank you to all the volunteers!

    Photo credits: Jennifer Gedert.


  • January 31, 2022 2:15 PM | Anonymous

    Looking for a great new read? This website includes a link to the monthly "Wild Read" book discussions. Soar into the New Year by reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service!

    And take a look at the FWS Scholar pages, where you get to know more about the USFWS employees! 


  • January 13, 2022 1:49 PM | Anonymous


    On Thursday February 2, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) Author and wildland firefighter Kevin Brown will present “The Devils Hole Pupfish: Survival, Extinction, and Environmental History in the US West” online on the National Conservation Training Center Livestream at https://nctc.fws.gov/broadcasts.

    The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) is an endangered fish species confined to one small habitat east of Death Valley, in southern Nevada. Despite its small range and population size—which has never been more than a few hundred individuals—this species has been a frequent subject of scientific study since the early twentieth century. The Devils Hole pupfish also became one of the first controversial endangered species of the modern environmental era, with “Save the Pupfish” and “Kill the Pupfish” bumper stickers circulating around Nevada in the 1970s. Kevin Brown uses tools from environmental history to examine the pupfish’s past and explore what the species’ recent history can tell us about survival and extinction.

    Kevin C. Brown is the author of Devils Hole Pupfish: The Unexpected Survival of an Endangered Species in the Modern American West (University of Nevada Press, 2021). He earned his PhD in history at Carnegie Mellon University and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Brown first began writing about the Devils Hole pupfish while working as a researcher for the American Society for Environmental History and Death Valley National Park. He currently works as a wildland firefighter in California.

    This talk is as part of NCTC’s Conservation Lecture Series, which is cosponsored by The Friends of the NCTC (http://www.friendsofnctc.org). 

    For more information, please contact Mark Madison (304-876-7276; mark_madison@fws.gov) or visit nctc.fws.gov/history/publiclectures.html

  • October 16, 2021 7:51 PM | Anonymous

    NCTC's Land Management would like your help volunteering for the Annual deer hunt.

    We need volunteers to assist in coordinating the hunters. For example, volunteers sign hunters in and ensure they know which hunting stand they've been assigned.

    Fall 2021 Dates that We Need Help With (all on Saturdays):

    • October 23 (5:30 a.m. to noon) - one person
    • October 23 (noon to 7:30 p.m.) - one person
    • October 30 (noon to 7:30 p.m.) - one person
    • November 13 (noon to 6:30 p.m.) - one person
    • November 27 (5:30 a.m. to noon) - two people
    • November 27 (noon to 6:30 p.m.) - two people
    • December 4 (noon to 6:30 p.m.) - one person
    • December 11 (noon to 6:30 p.m.) - two people
    • December 18 (noon to 6:30 p.m.) - one person

    *COVID precautions such as masks and distancing are required of staff and hunters. A limited number of people can be in the check station area at one time.*

    Individuals that are interested can email Phil Pannill at phil_pannill@fws.gov.

    Thank you in advance; we appreciate your assistance!


  • August 16, 2021 6:53 PM | Anonymous

    Friends of NCTC Annual Meeting
    Invitation

    2020-2021

     

    Wednesday, September 8 from 7:00-8:00 pm

    This will be via Zoom

    If you wish to attend, please email Ellen Andersen, the outgoing Board President, directly at wormstress@gmail.com

    She will send you an invite to your email address with the information to access the Zoom meeting

    Members, please attend the Friends of NCTC Annual Meeting to learn about our progress this past year and our plans for the upcoming year.

  • August 09, 2021 4:02 PM | Anonymous

    Dear Friends of NCTC,


    Preparations are underway for the nineteenth annual managed deer hunt at NCTC.  The first of these was held in 2003 after careful consideration and an environmental assessment, to deal with a burgeoning deer population. The hunting program here serves to help keep the population in balance with available habitat, resulting in healthier deer, reduced damage to native plants and the various types of wildlife that depend upon them, reduced risk of deer diseases and diseases that can spread to humans such as Lyme disease.  And, of course, there are the vehicle accidents. 


    You can find out about the hunt on our deer hunt website: https://nctc.fws.gov/campus/deer-hunt

    If you, or hunters you know, might be interested, please check this out.  Applications must be submitted online by August 31.  


    We are once again looking for volunteers from Friends of NCTC to help run the hunt. Tasks include checking hunters in and out, weighing deer, providing direction, and answering questions. If you are an outdoors person, so much the better for helping with the field aspects. Look at the hunt dates - all are Saturdays - to see if some of them would work for you. More info on volunteering will be showing up in your inbox.


    Phil Pannill, Land Manager

    National Conservation Training Center

    Shepherdstown, WV  25443

    304-876-7432; phil_pannill@fws.gov


    THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION TRAINING CENTER IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE OUR 2021 HUNTING SEASON. THIS YEARS DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

    October 16 – Shotgun & Archery - (Buck or Antlerless) – Special Season October 23 – Shotgun & Archery - (Buck or Antlerless) – Special Season October 30 - Shotgun & Archery - (Buck or Antlerless) – Special Season November 13 – Archery only (Buck or Antlerless)

    November 27 - Shotgun & Archery (Buck or Antlerless)
    December 4 – Shotgun & Archery (Buck or Antlerless)
    December 11 – Shotgun (Antlerless) and Archery (Buck or Antlerless) December 18 - Muzzleloader and Archery (Buck or Antlerless)

    For applications, regulations and additional information please visit the NCTC website at http://nctc.fws.gov/campus/deer-hunt/ , email nctc_deerhunt@fws.gov, or call 304-876-7474. The hunt is open to all persons, including out-of-state hunters and hunters with disabilities. A West Virginia hunting license and a hunter safety certification are required prior to hunting. Applications must be received by August 31.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing access to this activity for all participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting services, close captioning, or other accommodation needs to 304-876-7474, email nctc_deerhunt@fws.gov , or TTY 800-877-8339 with your request by close of business August 31, 2021.

  • March 22, 2021 3:26 PM | Anonymous

    We at the Friends of the NCTC are pleased to announce the eagles have two new additions to their family. Click this link to see them at the NCTC Facebook page.

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