College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

As I sit quietly in the darkness of my hunting blind, I wait with great anticipation for the potential opportunities that may appear after first light. I woke early with much excitement and arrived at my blind about an hour too early. Sitting in the dark while struggling to stay warm, my mind races with thoughts of past hunting experiences and hopes for future encounters. One of many thoughts racing through my head is my kids. As a father of a 2 and 4 year old, my future hunting experiences will hopefully involve them. To my surprise, now, the thought of experiencing the thrill and tradition of hunting and gathering with my children by my side, excites me the most. As our family grows, I think about how I can conserve the tradition of conservation.

I wasn’t raised in a hunting family. My hunting and conservation story took a different path. Fortunately, I was influenced by several conservation minded individuals; my father - a man of methodical tradition, a friend who was a talented angler and a Forestry Professor/Christmas tree extraordinaire. All taught me valuable lessons in the outdoors. Intertwining the tradition, work ethic, diligent and patient practice of conservation, I began my career as a Forester and an outdoor conservation enthusiast.  Quickly, forestry, fishing, hiking, morel gathering, small and big game, upland bird and waterfowl hunting became a dominant focal point of my life. Like then, and still today, I am learning more and more about the conservation efforts that went into and continue to be put forth in promoting our wild critters and landscapes.

It is and always will be my goal, as a dad and consulting forester, to promote the wise conservation of our lands. Giving my time to the MSU Forestry Alumni Association (FAA) is just one of the ways I hope to contribute to the overall goal of conservation and land stewardship. As a board member of FAA, I strive to contribute to our profession as well as motivate others to advance service, philanthropy and professional engagement throughout the Forestry and Conservation focused professions.

As you prepare for the long winter ahead, make time to get out snowshoeing, skiing or enjoying a little late season Steelhead fishing, and consider what you are doing to help conserve our wild places throughout this state. If you feel so inclined, reach out to us here at the MSU Forestry Alumni Association with any ideas of a conservation activity in your area that FAA could promote or participate in. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are eager to connect with more MSU Forestry friends to learn how we can better contribute to the profession. 

Your friend in conservation,

Jason Darling
Vice-President, MSU Forestry Alumni Association
Owner – Darling Forestry, LLC