Natural Resources University

In this week's episode, the Pond University team talks with Assistant Professor Jake Hosen from Purdue University. Jake is an aquatic scientist and limnologist with expertise in building sensors to measure water quality parameters. Jake talks to us about some of the basics of water chemistry and how things like salinity and pH can influence pond management. He also talks to us about the exciting t...

Dr. Brady Self is an Extension Forestry Specialist at Mississippi State University. In this episode of Deer University, Dr. Strickland and Dr. Demaris chat with Brady on the ins and outs of pine management and how it may impact management of wildlife species.

We use fire to manage lands for specific species, but can this management technique also be used to alter the behavior of predators? Tune into today's episode of Fire University as Dr. Marcus Lashley chats with Dr. Michael Cherry of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and PhD student Marcelo Jorge of the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources as they disc...

When you're managing habitat for wildlife do you think more about plants than wildlife? Yeah, us too. So who better to chat with than one of the nation's leading researchers and educators on plant-wildlife interactions? In this episode, Jarred and Adam chat with author and University of Tennessee Extension Wildlife Specialist Dr. Craig Harper. Tune in for a masterclass on the importance of plants...

In this episode of Pond University, we talk with Professor Joe Morris from Iowa State University. Joe has worked in pond management and aquaculture for a long time and has a wealth of knowledge and experience on lots of different topics, including aquatic vegetation identification, management and control. Joe is also the director of the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center. Joe talks to us ab...

Supplemental feeding has become a common practice, but deer biologists are often concerned about the indirect effects and how the practice could degrade habitat quality and impact the native plant community. In this episode we interview Beau Navarre, a graduate student in the MSU Deer Lab, about his research where he measured all sorts of plant data around feeders that concentrated deer. So, does...

In today's episode of Fire University, Dr. Marcus Lashley sits down with returning guest John Gruchy of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to discuss brood rearing and nesting cover of wild turkeys and northern bobwhites. Join them as they discuss what makes for good brood rearing and nesting cover when managing for turkey poults and bobwhite chicks. ▬▬▬▬▬ UF DEER Lab Soc...

What do baseball and wildlife habitat management have in common? Take a listen to this week's episode as Adam and Jarred discuss what Adam calls "the Moneyball problem" of habitat management. They chat about how lessons learned from the best-selling book (and movie) - Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game – can be applied to habitat management. Help us improve the podcast by taking this Hab...

In this episode of Pond University, we talk with Ciera Baird. Ciera is an Aquatic Ecotoxicologist with Aquatic Control and is an expert on harmful algal blooms. Ciera talks to us about the difference between regular "green" algae and blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, and the types of conditions that can lead to harmful algal blooms. Ciera also discusses the negative impacts of these blooms and h...

Supplemental feeding of deer has become a common practice throughout most of the white-tailed deer's range. Deer biologists often warn of the potential risks of supplemental feeding related to transfer of disease among deer, other wildlife, and people.  In this episode we interview Miranda Huang, a graduate student in the MSU Deer Lab, about her research where she quantified disease risk from para...

In today's episode of Fire University, Dr. Marcus Lashley sits down with Dr. Bronson Strickland of the MSU Deer Lab and Dr. Will Gulsby of Auburn University to chat about deer habitat, timing of fire, and all the nuances of using fire as a tool to manage for deer. Tune in to learn how using prescribed fire can help you create both high quality cover and forage for your deer! Dr. Bronson Strickland...

Aldo Leopold's defined his 5 tools of game management when he wrote Game Management over 80 years ago. But what tools did he miss, or what tools have been developed in the 88 years since the book was published? Join Adam and Jarred as they share their thoughts on the habitat management tools that should be added to the list. What tools would you add to Aldo's list? Also, listen as Jarred tries to...

In this episode, the Pond University team talks with Wes Goldsmith. Wes is a Fish Management Specialist with Aquatic Control and is an alumnus of Purdue's Aquatic Sciences program. Wes talks to about assessing and managing fish populations, including how to fix common problems. We hope you enjoy this episode! Also, please consider taking our anonymous listener survey so that we can improve the pod...

William McKinley is a deer biologist and coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks and has been assisting hunters, managers, and landowners with deer management strategies for 20 years.  William has seen a lot of mistakes, but also has many success stories.  Join us for a fun and informative conversation with William.

How can you use fire to manage plant communities for quail? This week, Marcus sits down with Dr. James Martin of the University of Georgia and Dr. Mark McConnell of Mississippi State University to discuss the best management strategies using prescribed fire. This episode covers the best management practices including spatial scale, seasonality, and frequency of fire for quail. 

Our tour of Aldo's Tools comes to a close in this episode as we consider the last tool: the gun. From controlling certain game populations to engaging hunters in habitat conservation efforts in their own backyard or across the continent, Patt Dorsey, Director of Conservation Operations in the west for the National Wild Turkey Federation, breaks down how the gun does a lot of good for habitat in th...

In this episode, the Pond University team talks with Matt Rayl. Matt is a co-host of another podcast called Sitting Dockside, and is also the co-founder of a non-profit agency for pond and lake management called the Private Water Natural Resources Association. Matt talks about is passion and inspiration for building these educational forums for pond and lake management. He also goes into depth abo...

John Gruchy is a Private Lands Biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks and has been assisting landowners with habitat management for deer and other wildlife for over a decade. During that time, John has compiled a list of habitat management mistakes he sees over and over again. Join us as we review these mistakes with John and discuss how you can avoid these pitfal...

In this episode, Dr. Lashley sits down with his previous graduate students to talk about what they learned about fire, wildlife habitat and wildlife behavior, and how that's prepared them for their careers now.   ▬▬▬▬▬ NRU Social Media ▬▬▬▬▬ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/NR_University ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nr_university ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NRUniversity   ▬▬▬▬▬ UF...

Through large expanses of the U.S., wildlife live alongside, or are strongly influenced by, the footprint of crop production practices; what Leopold was referencing when he spoke of 'the plow.' In this episode, Adam talks to Ryan Heiniger from Pheasants Forever about the challenges and opportunities for wildlife habitat conservation with 'the plow' and how a more precision imagining of its utility...

Should we be burning while turkeys are nesting?  To cover this controversial topic, Dr. Lashley sits down with Dr. Mike Chamberlain of the University of Georgia and David Hawley of the Wild Turkey Report to discuss in detail the potential risks and benefits of burning during this time frame. Also, we cover burn window, scale of application, and influence on poult survival.  Relevant Papers: https:...

In this episode ft. Pond University, we talk with Bob Rode, the manager of Purdue's Aquaculture Research Laboratory. Bob has 30 years of experience in aquaculture and pond management. In this episode, Bob talks about the things to consider when stocking new fish into ponds, as well as some interesting ways to produce fish for food in your pond, including growing fish in cages. Also, please conside...

How can the axe – or forestry – be used as a habitat management tool? Jarred talks with Jordan Nanney, a Wildlife Forester with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about how he uses forestry to creatively manage wildlife habitat. As you'll learn in the episode it can really be a balancing axe {act}. < < Help us improve the podcast by taking this Habitat University Listener Feedback Survey >>...

Dr. Mick Hellickson joins Deer University again to compare deer management in South Texas and the Midwest.  Mick was born and raised in Iowa and grew up hunting in that agricultural environment, but then moved to South Texas for graduate school and now works there managing deer herds. Mick will review the most important limitations he faces managing deer in these very different environments. 

Taking the first steps into using prescribed fire can be daunting – Which tools are needed? How do you develop a plan? Where you can find help and consultation? Look no further! In this week's episode of Fire University, Dr. Marcus Lashley sits down with John Stivers and John Gruchy, both with years of experience helping private land owners get started with using prescribed burning, to discuss the...