DOCTORAL CANDIDATE TY WERDEL TOOK A NON TRADITIONAL PATH TO BECOME A RISING STAR IN THE FIELD OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT. He worked as a professional-rodeo bareback rider before his path led him back to college and a field of study that reflects the values he, his family and their Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe share in honoring the land and all creatures on it. Werdel’s research is focused on helping species return to their native land after being extirpated, or wiped out completely, in a section of their natural habitat. He started by helping the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department restore the bighorn sheep population to the Black Hills by relocating a herd from Alberta, Canada, to South Dakota. That project began while he worked on a master’s degree at South Dakota State University. He continues to monitor the situation and says the new bighorn herd faces another challenge. According to Werdel, the original herd was wiped out in that part of the state because of overhunting, and now it faces a deadly form of pneumonia brought to the region by domestic sheep and goats. Now at K-State, Werdel works with his graduate professor, Adam Ahlers, to understand how landscape changes are affecting swift fox populations in shortgrass prairies of western Kansas. “We’ve learned a lot,” Werdel said. “One thing that surprised us is how well the swift fox can adjust to crop f ields. They burrow right in. But they aren’t doing so well in the fields where the non-native grasses are higher than the surrounding prairie. The taller grass makes it difficult for the swift fox to see its prey and escape predators.” Ahlers said Werdel’s research at K-State is advancing the f ields of landscape ecology and wildlife ecology – and his teaching is transformative. “Ty is also a graduate teaching assistant for my wildlife management courses, and every semester he gives an amazing lecture on traditional ecological knowledge,” Ahlers said. “He encourages students to open their minds and see things from a new lens.” Werdel said he explains that western science and traditional knowledge are becoming more aligned and gave this example: “Native Americans were taught to never overhunt the largest rams or you’ll hurt the herd. We were told if there are no big rams left, the lambs won’t know how to grow up to be the leaders. Western science is teaching that now, too. “I want students to understand that the science they learn at K-State and the traditional knowledge they learn from their parents and grandparents, who may be Native Americans or fourth- or fifth-generation farmers, is a powerful combination.” Werdel said it was his mother, LuAnn, who taught him to value education and always encouraged him to return to school. His mother is the grant coordinator of the Graduate Studies Department at Oglala Lakota College, a Tribal College located at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, one of the most economically disadvantaged places in the United States. “She never stops pushing her students to study hard, to go to college. She helps them understand that an education can be their ticket out of poverty,” Werdel said. “I’m very proud of her.” Werdel has been recognized with many prestigious grants and awards over the years, including the Gates Millennium Scholarship, Advancing Agricultural Science Opportunities for Native Americans award, and the College of Agriculture Graduate Student Recognition of Achievement. But now, he spends more time helping other students attain the awards and funding they need. Werdel currently serves as the program coordinator for the Native Student Professional Development Grant, an organization associated with the Native Peoples’ Wildlife Management Working Group of The Wildlife Society. His job is to help ensure scholarships and other funding are available to help pay tuition and conference expenses for Native American students.
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