Natural Resources University

Everything from grasshoppers to a bison graze and can have drastic impacts on vegetation on which many other wildlife species depend. Unsurprisingly, many wildlife managers are therefore interested in understanding and using grazing animals to create the unique places where animals, or in the case of the blowout penstemon, unique plants, thrive. In this wide-ranging discussion, Adam talks to The N...

In this episode of Pond University, we talk with Amie Robison, an Aquatic Ecologist from Robison Wildlife Solutions in Oklahoma. Amie, who is also known as "The Pond Lady", has over 20 years' experience helping landowners and homeowner communities manage their ponds. Amie provides invaluable advice on how to start planning now for management that you should consider in the spring. She discusses ev...

We get asked all the time "what's the best food plot forage to plant for deer?"  Well, as hunters and managers, we were interested in that question too. Bronson, Steve, and Marcus discuss a food plot forage selection project conducted by former graduate student, Jacob Dykes. Cereal grains, clovers, and brassicas all have different growth rates and maturation dates, making their quality and nutrien...

Fire was playing an important role in upland hardwood ecosystems when the current mature oaks germinated a century ago. While those mature oaks are still common in the overstory, the next generation of oaks to replace them are not present across much of the central hardwoods and Appalachian regions. Instead,  fire exclusion over the last several decades allowed mesophytic (moisture-retaining) spec...

How can prescribed fire be used creatively to create and enhance habitat for wildlife? Dr. Marcus Lashley , Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist at University of Florida and host of Fire University, joins the podcast to tackle this question, and we take a deep dive into prescribed fire as a habitat management tool. < < Help us improve the Podcast by taking this Habitat University...

In this episode of Pond University, we talk with Scott Wagner, a Certified Agricultural Engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Scott has worked on pond construction and maintenance (among many other things) for over 18 years. Scott discusses the importance of proper planning and permitting for pond construction, and conducting annual inspections for maintaining your pond....

We may have more acres to burn than we have time, personnel, and resources to burn it. It is imperative that our tools become more efficient especially with ever-growing societal constraints and considerations. In this week's episode of Fire University, Marcus Lashley sits down with Kevin Robertson, Morgan Varner, and Kevin Hiers at the Tall Timbers Research Station where they discuss the socio-ec...

Most hunters and managers are aware of the benefits of prescribed fire on deer habitat.  Fire can be used to set back plant succession (reduce the woody vegetation) and stimulate the growth of forbs (increase the herbaceous vegetation). In the Southeastern US, deer nutrition is often limited during the summer when bucks are growing antlers and does are producing fawns and lactating. Often limitati...

Welcome to the third episode of Pond University! In this episode, we talk with Sandy Clark-Kolaks, the Southern Fisheries Research Biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Sandy has worked on fisheries management projects for over 13 years, including improving fish habitat in reservoirs and lakes. Today, Sandy talks about the importance of fish habitat and describes the di...

For as long as people have been interacting with wild animals, they have been manipulating the places where wild animals live. So, is habitat management the oldest job in the world? Join Adam and Jarred as they chat about the history of wildlife habitat management, dig deep into the central premise of habitat management – plant succession – and introduce the five tools for habitat management that...

Fire and herbivory have always been important disturbances in grasslands and their interaction may be particularly important for wildlife habitat. In this week's episode, we talk to Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University and Bob Hamilton of The Nature Conservancy about using patch-burn-grazing to mimic that natural process. Strategic use of prescribed fire and cattle may lead to habitat i...

Knowing where to get information, training, experience, and help is critical to success in prescribed burning. In this episode of Fire University, Marcus Lashley talks with fire professionals Zach Prusak and Andy Rappe to discuss the tools and resources available to fire practitioners and private landowners no matter where you are and why collaboration throughout the fire community is imperative t...

Some hunters think Chronic Wasting Disease is no big deal, some hunters even think CWD is good for a state wildlife agency because the disease will bring with it an abundance of federal funding. Our interview with Jason Sumners of the Missouri Department of Conservation, and Cory Gray of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will fully explain the issues this disease brings to wildlife management...

In this episode of Fire University, Dr. Marcus Lashley visits old friends and colleagues Dr. Craig Harper, John Gruchy, and Jordan Nanney and discusses burning in upland hardwoods. The conversation focuses on habitat improvement for white-tailed deer and wild turkey, as well as implementation strategy to maximize success. Enroll now in our free wildland fire course . Available to all! This podcast...

What do you picture when you hear "habitat"? Habitat is one of the most important concepts in wildlife management, but what does it actually mean? Join Adam and Jarred as they define "habitat" and discuss why its use is a "panchreston problem." We'll explain what the heck "panchreston" means and discuss why we should be careful about how we talk about habitat to minimize confusion and clarify obje...

Welcome to the second episode of Pond University! In this episode, we talk with Purdue Extension Educator David Osborne. Dave has been helping landowners manage their ponds for over 20 years and has a wealth of knowledge on many pond management topics. Today, he talks about how your pond changes during winter and things that you can do to prevent negative impacts on fish populations. Please see be...

Just when are deer most attracted to acorns? You might think - all the time! And hey, you may be right. In this episode with former MSU Deer Lab graduate student Moriah Boggess, we review his research where he monitored deer acorn use throughout the year and see that deer can be attracted to acorns much later in the year than you might expect. This can have important implications when hunting duri...

Where do bucks go during hunting season?  Does hunting pressure change where bucks spend time? In this episode Bronson, Steve, and former MSU Deer Lab graduate student Colby Henderson, review research findings from a 2-year study where about 50 bucks were marked with GPS-enabled collars and we monitored their movements throughout a hunted landscape over the hunting season. First, what is habitat "...

Welcome to the very first episode of Pond University! Pond University is hosted by Mitchell Zischke and Megan Gunn from Purdue University and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. In this first episode, we talk with Purdue Aquatic Sciences major Logan Halderman about all the different parts of the pond ecosystem. Please see below for useful links: Mitch's profile page: https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/Pages/Profil...

Welcome to Habitat University! In this introductory Episode, Habitat University co-hosts Jarred Brooke and Adam Janke discuss the vision for the podcast and how it fits into the new collaborative science-based podcast series called Natural Resources University. Jarred and Adam share information about their background, what they do as state wildlife extension specialists, and where they plan to tak...

Fire University is a science-based podcast covering the latest research in fire ecology and how it relates to management of wildlife and plant communities. In this first episode, Dr. Marcus Lashley sits down with communications specialist Charlotte Nowak to introduce this series on fire ecology.   Twitter: https://twitter.com/UFDEERLab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ufdeerlab/ Facebook : htt...

In this first episode, meet the team of researchers and extension specialists that make up the Natural Resources University network! Subscribe to NRU for all episodes or join an individual series on its respective podcast feed.  Fire University | Dr. Marcus Lashley Deer University | Dr. Bronson Strickland & Dr. Steve Demarais Habitat University | Adam Janke & Jarred Brooke Pond University | Dr. Mi...