Colorado State Announces Environmental Fellowship

Anheuser-Busch to Support Graduate Students Researching Wildlife Conservation

FORT COLLINS, Colo.– Marked by a commitment to preserve natural resources for future generations, Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources today announced a first of its kind endowed fellowship from the Anheuser-Busch Companies. The $50,000 Anheuser-Busch Environmental Fellowship to the university’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology will fund graduate students conducting research in wildlife habitat management and conservation.

“Colorado State is a leader in environmental research focused on wildlife conservation, and the selection of the university’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology to receive this new Anheuser-Busch fellowship is a reflection on the quality of the faculty and students in our department,” said Ken Wilson, head of the school’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. “The Anheuser-Busch fellowship allows us to meet a key university goal of enhancing opportunities for graduate student education while addressing environmental issues important to Colorado and the Front Range.”

The graduate student recipient will study wildlife habitat and the environment on Anheuser-Busch properties and may also study relevant local watersheds including the Poudre and Big Thompson Rivers.

“This fellowship provides a great opportunity for students of the Warner College of Natural Resources to continue their research in wildlife conservation,” said Glenn Wilson, senior plant manager of Anheuser-Busch’s Fort Collins brewery. “We think it’s important to help develop future leaders in wildlife preservation and environmental stewardship.”

Protecting the environment and preserving natural resources is nothing new to Anheuser-Busch. For generations, the company’s mission has been to brew, package and ship the freshest, highest quality beer in the world in the most efficient and responsible manner possible. In its continuing commitment to meet these goals, the company actively pursues policies and technologies that increase efficiency and reduce its environmental impacts.

Both the Fort Collins brewery and Anheuser-Busch’s Nutri-Turf land application sites have achieved Wildlife Habitat Council certification. Currently nine Anheuser-Busch facilities have earned this recognition. In addition, Anheuser-Busch’s Fort Collins facilities have also been named Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) sites and will be using on-site wildlife habitats for community education and Colorado State research. The CLL program is granted by the Wildlife Habitat Council and provides these designated sites with guidance on building, expanding and evaluating outreach programs.

Colorado State is collaborating with the Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins brewery on other on-going projects including partnering with scientists at the university and Platte River Power Authority to evaluate the use of alternative fuels. Additionally, the university is working with the brewery at its Nutri-Turf farm to grow biofuel crops and determine which crops work best as a reliable fuel source.

The Nutri-Turf farm is an important component of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. At the farm, employees apply nutrient-rich leftover water from the brewing process to help grow renewable biofuel crops. The facility is located six miles east of the brewery on 7,000 fenced acres of which 1,734 acres are under cultivation and irrigated with 38 water dispersing center pivots. Wheat, alfalfa and corn are the principal crops grown for cattle feed. This year, renewable energy crops - canola and camelina - were successfully planted and harvested, leading the company to investigate dedicating additional acreage to this fossil fuel replacement in the future.