By DAWNE LEIKER

dleiker@dailynews.net

1"Who will take care of the cats if you leave, Brendon?" asked Jessica Braun, veterinarian and owner of the clinic.

He reassured her she wouldn't have to worry about that for at least a couple more years.

McCampbell, a Fort Hays State University sophomore, has been concerned about the feral cat population on the FHSU campus. Feral cats are generally lost, abandoned or born in the wild and have adapted to life with little or no human contact. They tend to be content with their outdoor lifestyles and do not easily reintegrate into households as pets.

Last year, Action for Animals, a campus organization started by McCampbell two years ago, began working to care for the campus feral cat population.

Since 2008, feral cats within Hays city limits have been a part of the city's trap, neuter and return program. In an effort to reduce the feral cat population, cats are caught using live traps, then spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies and distemper. The tip of one ear is notched to show the cat has been sterilized before it is released back in the location of its capture.

FHSU is not under the jurisdiction of the city of Hays' TNR program, therefore, McCampbell saw the need to implement a similar program for campus cats to humanely reduce the university's cat population and improve the health and longevity of campus cats.

The FHSU campus TNR program became operational in October after Action for Animals raised $1,000 to have campus feral cats sterilized.

Traps are set out once a week by the FHSU grounds department, then volunteers deliver the traps to the Animal Health Clinic. To assure the cats are not pets, their descriptions are printed in the newspaper. After sterilization, volunteers return the cats to campus.

Action for Animals also has set up shelters throughout the FHSU campus. Cats are fed and monitored by a volunteer.

Interest in Action for Animals activities has increased during the last year. In addition to the TNR program, it sponsors vegan meals approximately every three weeks.

"We've had more than 50 come to a meal ... which was really crazy, but also really hopeful," McCampbell said.

McCampbell doesn't exactly look like a typical FHSU campus leader. He reflects a counter-culture style of self-expression, wearing a nose ring and twisted hair.

An organization and coalition builder, McCampbell serves as president of three campus organizations, two of which he started himself.

"I'm very committed to my ideals. I support humans and animals. I wouldn't want to do something that didn't fully express it," he said.

McCampbell's seemingly endless energy is focused not only on human and animal rights, but also environmental issues. In addition to being president of Action for Animals, he also is president of both the Student Feminist Organization and Student Environmental Group.

He also acts as a campus leader for Kansas Corps, a statewide program to help link volunteers from colleges, universities and technical schools across the state. He also is working to launch a human rights organization on the FHSU campus.

His approach to his campus and community involvement is holistic.

"I try to make sure that all things are compatible. I wouldn't have a barbecue for the student environmental organization. ... I wouldn't use charcoal and certain kinds of foods while trying to do something for the environment."

When asked if he considers himself an activist, McCampbell hesistated.

"I guess I don't know what the definition of activist really is ... but I like working on awareness campaigns and projects like the feral cat program."

His first foray into grassroots organizing was during his junior year at Hays High School. McCampbell organized a march for Darfur, other related activities and a fundraiser.

"I enjoy the stress. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough going on, and I just want to get something going. ... It's how I'm driven," he said.

A conservation biology major, McCampbell, also is working on a minor in chemistry and English.

"I would be interested in being a veterinarian or working through an agency that does rehabilitation for animals ... or maybe wildlife and parks," he said about his future plans.

He would like to stay close to the Hays area after graduation.

"I do want to stay in western Kansas," he said. "I feel it's a really good place to get things done, especially environmentally ... mainly because we're so dependent on the land and so many people are farmers and agriculturally oriented."