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<div>Hi all,</div><div><br></div><div>Have you ever stumbled upon a
group of donkeys near campus and thought, "What's up with those
donkeys?" I certainly have! Donkeys are a major part of the campus and surrounding
community, but little is known about what they're up to and how healthy
they are. Unfortunately, there is also woefully little information on
the impact the donkeys are having on the surrounding ecosystems. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Given the general interest in donkeys and their little-known ecological role, the CCB graduate student group and SEEDS (<span>Strategies
for Ecology, Education and Diversity and Sustainability)</span> are
starting a working group focusing on local donkey ecology and conservation. We're
starting the working group this quarter to consider how best to study
the donkeys, their ecology, and where to apply for funding to begin
donkey research. <br></div><div><br></div><div>If you, like me, are deeply curious about the donkeys, please consider signing up for our working group! Please fill out this <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScI5vmb1sJ2pVIX2GQ-QvRA5winya5-H3llHyc3mblD0pOKKQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank">brief form</a> by Monday, October 17th, if you're interested.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Our
plan for this quarter is to have one or two meetings to gather all of
the background information available and then plan next steps. Faculty,
grad students, and SEEDS members are all welcome. No need for an
ecology/conservation background to join, just an interest in donkeys!
Please let me know if you have any questions.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div>
Elijah<br clear="all"><div><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Elijah Hall</span><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Ph.D. candidate</div><div><a href="https://raffertylab.ucr.edu/" target="_blank">Rafferty Lab</a><br></div><div>Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology</div><div>University of California, Riverside</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>