The Wildlife Woman

Kids who visited our table in the Discovery Room were placed in the role of a bird, and Jada and myself were scientists. Each kid had their wingspan measured, age and gender information noted, and were assigned a special species code and number. After that a unique bird-band bracelet was crafted and tied to their wrists. It took each child through the process, first hand. They were then ‘released’ and called 'recaptures’ if they came back to see us again later that day. We 'captured’ almost 500 'birds’ at our banding station! What an awesome outreach event.

Recreational firearm use is a huge part of Midwestern culture, and I’m proud to work at an MDC shooting range! I help enforce safety rules as the Range Safety Officer, educate shooters on the firing line and in the classroom, encourage youth to be active in hunting sports, and assist with wildlife and firearm related programs for the public.

My most recent adventure has been outreach and education with the Missouri Department of Conservation Northwest Regional Office and with Parma Woods. I’ve had the opportunity to lead and assist with nature hikes, Discover Nature program planning, pelt demonstrations, snake demonstrations, and getting creative with displays.

Broodstock sampling project with Resource Science! Here we are on the Missouri River, checking and setting trot-lines to catch pallid sturgeon. We caught lake sturgeon, catfish, and carp, but no pallid sturgeon this trip! Still a really fun experience handling the fish, taking measurements, and learning how to properly set a line in the river.

The Missouri Natural Resource Conference was held at TanTarA again this year, and I was fortunate enough to present two posters! One regarding my time at Lakeside Nature Center doing interpretive teaching and rehabilitation, and another discussed my urban wildlife goose management project! Met some really interesting professionals, and enjoyed talking to others about my experience.

Another Eagle Days has come and gone! This event is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the MO Master Naturalists, and The Wildlife Society volunteers. A great opportunity to connect with kids and adults about bald eagle biology and ecology - their diet, migration patterns, reproduction, morphology, and the history of Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. 54 eagles were spotted on the refuge that day, as well as 500,000 snow geese!

Insect-O-Rama is a Missouri Department of Conservation sponsored outreach and education event for for the community. Guests are welcome to participate in insect themed activities, taste gourmet insects prepared by a chef, and check out various invertebrates under student-operated microscopes. The kids have the most fun - coloring pages, puzzles, scavenger hunts, a chance to catch inverts out of the pond, pick and choose their microscope specimens, and of course, eat bugs.

My summer internship was at the Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City for education and animal rehabilitation! I loved my time at the center. I was responsible for infant animal care and injured animal treatment, including feedings, stimulation, injections, oral medications, bandaging, cleaning, and pen set-up. I was also responsible for answering phone inquiries, utilizing the educational animals to interact with guests, handling the educational raptors, display care, assisting with kid’s summer camp activities, and assisting with a couple animal presentation programs.

Educating the public about nature and conservation is crucial to the future of the outdoors- if people can learn about common biotic processes, species interactions, and how humans fit into the preservation of the ecosystem, then they can grow to appreciate it and will want to protect it.

Orphaned babies probably require the most attention. Just like human babies, wild animal infants require around the clock feedings and stimulation. Of all the baby animals I cared for at the center, I think squirrels and opossums were my favorites.

Animal rehabilitation was extremely tedious! There were so many different medications, conditions and diseases, procedures to learn, and special diets to prepare. It was crucial to know how to handle the animals safely, and how to properly administer the care they needed. Everyone at the center works together closely. I’m so grateful for everyone who helped teach me at Lakeside, and for the awesome friendships I made. It was truly a priceless, hands-on, down and dirty kind of summer!

Just like last year, the geese were running rampant on our campus this spring. We acquired the proper permits to addle the eggs- that is, oil the exterior of the eggs to prevent early development, in hopes of shrinking the population and minimizing the damages to campus property. 

Occasionally while bird-banding, a Sharp-shinned Hawk can become ensnared in the mist-nets. These are the smallest hawks in North America and use their short wings and long tail to navigate the forest in search of songbirds and small rodents. My first time seeing one, and I even got to hold her!

I recently attended the Western Conclave at Texas A&M University-Kingsville with three other peers. What an amazing experience this was! We toured the graduate facilities, attended a falconry demonstration, met the graduate professors, toured an exotic ranch and whitetail breeding facility, participated in several competitions, and saw Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. There are so many great pictures and other posts as well so be sure to look through them. Photos are credited to myself, Matt Steinlage, Daniel Roberton, Ben Olsen and Calvin Wakefield.

We chose to tour the 7C’s Whitetail Ranch - a deer breeding facility known for their monster bucks.There were several pens and deer with color-coded tags to tell their age and gender. We got to go behind the scenes and look at the chutes, their equipment, and the trophy rooms! I’ve never seen such large antlers - they feed with tons of protein and keep the bucks stress-free to encourage antler growth.

The Texas A&M - Kingsville Graduate Student facilities were so awesome. We toured the aviary, the necropsy lab, and the deer study area. Nicole showed us around her study - she is going to raise a series of fawns in two different condition variants and see if temperature effects their growth or development. Pretty neat! We got to pet the deer and feed them. Bucks have their antlers removed to keep them from injuring each other, and some of the pedicles are being tested in stem cell research.