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Wednesday, January 22
 

7:00am CST

Continental Breakast with Exhibitors
Wednesday January 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am CST
TBA
Wednesday January 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am CST
TBA

7:00am CST

Conference Registration Desk Open
Wednesday January 22, 2025 7:00am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
Wednesday January 22, 2025 7:00am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

8:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Conserving "native rough fish" through fisheries management in the Midwest
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Steven J. Herrington, The Nature Conservancy, MN-ND-SD;
Tyler Winter, Native Fish For Tomorrow;
Solomon R. David, The University of Minnesota
Matthew L. Miller, The Nature Conservancy, Science Communications

ABSTRACT: North America has the highest diversity of freshwater fishes of any temperate region worldwide. These species face numerous threats to their long-term conservation. Fisheries management is amongst the tools that governments, Tribes, and other interested parties can use to ensure this biodiversity sustainably persists and thrives into the future. “Rough fish” is a pejorative term often used by resource managers and anglers to group a large number of native fishes – including gars and numerous sucker species – that are perceived to have little fisheries or cultural value, and thus are often poorly managed and exploited. In 2024, the State of Minnesota passed the first law in the U.S. affording fisheries management protections for 26 native fishes now recognized by the state as “native rough fish”. This action sets a precedent for recognizing the inherent, cultural, and fisheries importance of these species that can be replicated or adapted by other states nationwide. This presentation will provide an historical perspective of “rough fish” regulations, recommendations for their future conservation management, and applicability to states in the Midwest.
Speakers
SH

Steve Herrington

Associate Director of Water, The Nature Conservancy, MN-ND-SD
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Population Characteristics of Buffalo in Wisconsin: Contribution and Resiliency to Bowfishing Harvest
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Daniel Isermann, USGS-Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Ryan Bohen, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Daniel Dembkowski, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Alexander Latzka, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Joseph Hennessy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus and smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus (herein buffalo) are native, non-game fishes that rarely receive management attention. Increased participation in bowfishing has prompted efforts to better understand the population dynamics of buffalo and other native fish to determine their resiliency to harvest. Buffalo are native to many water bodies in Wisconsin, but little information exists regarding their population dynamics and contribution to bowfishing harvest. Consequently, our research objectives were to: 1) describe age composition, reproductive traits, and population dynamics for buffalo populations in Wisconsin; 2) assess their resiliency to harvest, and 3) determine the contribution of buffalo to harvest at bowfishing tournaments. We collected buffalo from 14 Wisconsin waterbodies with the help of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Bowfishing Association (WBA). Fish were selected for age estimation using a modified age-length key approach. Lapillus and asteriscus otoliths were used for age estimation. Age structure of buffalo populations varied considerably among populations, with maximum ages ranging between 15 and 70 years. Maturation schedules also varied, with age at 50% maturity ranging between 2.0 and 6.5 years and length at 50% maturity ranging between 382 and 505 mm. Three populations were oversampled (100≤ fish) to determine the minimum number of fish in a subsample needed to fully represent age composition in the population. Bowfishing harvest was recorded at each WBA tournament in 2023 and will be recorded again in 2024. All fish brought to the weigh-in were enumerated and identified to species or species group. Contribution of buffalo to tournament harvest peaked at 70.9% at the first tournament and was lower at the next four tournaments at 10.7%, 6.0%, 0.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Our research provides fishery managers with landscape-level population information on buffalo in Wisconsin and that may help inform future management decisions.
Speakers
DI

Daniel Isermann

Unit Leader, USGS-Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-07: Aggregation for Eradication: An Exploratory Grass Carp Management Strategy in the Upper Mississippi River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Max Monfort, University of Wisconsin La Crosse US Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center; James Wamboldt, US Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center; Matthew Acre, US Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center; Andrew Mueller, US Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center; Dustin Broaddus, US Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center; Jacob Griffin, US Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center; David Schumann, University of Wisconsin La Crosse

ABSTRACT: Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) consumption of aquatic macrophytes can alter trophic dynamics when introduced to new aquatic ecosystems. Increased commercial captures and expansion into further reaches of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) could have negative affects to these aquatic ecosystems. Efforts to control this highly mobile and illusive species in the UMR and Great Lakes Basins are a substantial challenge to managers. A potential bait for Grass Carp has been evaluated at other invasion fronts (e.g., Lake Erie), but its application in the UMR has not yet been fully recognized. We refined methods and utilized 2023 longitudinal movement data to describe the utility of automated bait delivery systems to aggregate Grass Carp in pool 19 of the UMR in 2024. Specifically, our objectives were to: (1) describe Grass Carp movement ecology within the riverscape before, during, and after bait application, and (2) determine Grass Carp movement responses to baiting; use of the baiting area, time occupied at baiting area, and the effective attraction distance from the baiting area. Grass Carp (n = 90) behavior was evaluated in response to the deployment of a novel Grass Carp specific bait via automated bait delivery systems in four distinct habitats using acoustic telemetry arrays from March-November 2024. If successful, these methods could provide an exploratory, yet innovative, Grass Carp management strategy for more efficient removals within the UMR and other invasion fronts.
Speakers
MM

Max Monfort

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin La Crosse / USGS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-08: Crawfish Frog Conservation in the Midwest
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Nate Engbrecht, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife

ABSTRACT: The Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) is a fossorial, prairie-dwelling species of the central United States that has declined across several parts of its geographic range. Populations east of the Mississippi River have been especially impacted and it was recently designated as a Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Crawfish Frogs are "obligate crayfish burrow dwellers" that spend much of their lives in close association with their primary burrow, often returning to the same burrow following annual breeding migrations in excess of 1 km. The loss of grasslands, wetlands, and impacts to burrows through soil disturbance poses a triple threat to the frog's conservation status. Despite these challenges, Crawfish Frogs have shown a remarkable ability to colonize new areas once suitable habitat is made available, including reclaimed coal mines and military munition testing sites. Emerging data indicate that egg mass translocation may be effective tool for starting new populations at remote or isolated localities. This report provides an overview of Crawfish Frog life history, habitat use, and conservation implications across the species’ Midwestern range.
Speakers
NE

Nate Engbrecht

Herpetologist, DNR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-11: Molecular Surveillance of a Potential Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) Invasion in the Midwest United States
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Eric R. Larson, University of Illinois; Caitlin C. Bloomer, University of Illinois; Don Eaton, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Denver Link, University of Minnesota; Reagan Oller, University of Illinois; Gretchen J.A. Hansen, University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT: The signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, is among the most invasive crayfish species globally, with populations widely established throughout Europe and Japan. Signal crayfish have never been detected from eastern North America, although previous research has identified the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds as environmentally suitable for this invasive species. In October of 2023, ten signal crayfish individuals were trapped from a lake in west central Minnesota by a commercial bait harvester. We report here molecular surveillance of this possible, incipient signal crayfish invasion. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) barcoding identified the collected crayfish as P. leniusculus, resembling non-native populations of the species known from the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada. We collected environmental DNA samples in summer and autumn of 2024, including through sampling kits distributed to lake association volunteers, and used quantitative PCR with a signal crayfish-species primer and probe assay to survey for evidence of this species in the original lake and neighboring freshwater ecosystems. Our preliminary results are relevant to management responses for this novel, potentially impactful invasive species in the Midwest.
Speakers
EL

Eric Larson

Dr., University of Illinois
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-13: Practical data pipelines: from raw data to valuable product
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Ryan Bemowski, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT:  Data pipelines can be extremely complex, but they don’t have to be. In this talk, Ryan Bemowski, a data scientist from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will review practical data pipeline implementations in use by the largest, state run citizen science trail camera network in the world, Snapshot Wisconsin. Taking a non-technical approach, Ryan will explain what a data pipeline is, give examples of data pipelines, and review the benefits and drawbacks to implementing various data processing techniques. He will focus on situations where centralized, modern data processing are not available or are not practical, with examples from Snapshot Wisconsin. These situations often arise during novel data collection or where there is lacking technological support for data of interest. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of data pipelines and confidence to improve current and future projects with practical data pipeline techniques.
Speakers
JS

Jennifer Stenglein

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-14: Managing for Resilient Walleye Populations: Avoiding an Ecological Tipping Point
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Greg G. Sass, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Colin Dassow, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Holly Embke, United States Geological Survey; Zachary Feiner, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Madison; Joseph Mrnak, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Stephanie Shaw, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Many walleye populations in the Midwestern United States have declined due to inconsistent or failed natural recruitment, with stocking often failing to rehabilitate natural recruitment or sustain quality fisheries for tribal subsistence and angler harvest opportunity. Numerous factors have been implicated in walleye natural recruitment declines including climate change and phenological variability, habitat loss, production overharvest, invasive species, fish community compositional change, and fisher behavior. Walleye populations have also been shown to be prone to depensation. Still, some walleye populations have remained resilient to these disturbances offering hope for continued natural recruitment and population persistence. We discuss several alternative management strategies to maintain walleye population resilience by focusing on the probability of depensation in a walleye population (rather than assuming compensation) and assessment of yield:production ratios. Critical depensation is a positive adult biomass or abundance threshold below which a population collapses. Because the probability of depensation for Wisconsin walleye populations is unrelated to population productivity, resilience to depensation is critically dependent on maintaining sufficient adult densities to avoid crossing this ecological tipping point. Resilience can also be maintained by estimating walleye population adaptive capacity to harvest and ensuring that yield does not exceed annual production. Both strategies suggest an immediate need to reduce exploitation rates and create cultivating conditions for walleye to ensure the greatest probability of not crossing a depensatory threshold. Further, walleye “bright spots” (i.e., populations showing evidence for the greatest resiliency now and in the future) should be managed most conservatively as they are likely to draw the most fisher effort to remaining harvest opportunities. Recognizing walleye fisheries as social-ecological systems, ecosystem-based fisheries management approaches, and challenging traditional fisheries management paradigms will be paramount to ensure the sustainability of walleye populations.
Speakers
GS

Greg Sass

Fisheries Research Team Leader, Wisconsin DNR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-15: An Overview of the Sustainable Rivers Program
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Dr. Heidi Mehl, The Nature Conservancy

ABSTRACT: For much of the 20th century, the United States built thousands of large dams and other water projects to meet the nation’s growing need for water, food, flood risk reduction, hydropower and navigation. Since their construction, the operations of very few public dams have been fully reviewed and updated to meet environmental needs. Dams and other river infrastructure disrupt natural flow patterns that are critical to the health of rivers and the flora and fauna that depend on them. Seasonal patterns of high and low flows support animal and plant lifecycles, preserve water quality and maintain diverse habitats. By artificially stabilizing river levels across the seasons, dams can set off cascading effects that negatively impact whole freshwater ecosystems and the diverse array of benefits they provide to people. Science has shown that altered rivers systems are a major factor in 40 percent of the nation’s fish species and 70 percent of freshwater mussel species being listed as imperiled, and why many commercial fisheries have been decimated. To help address these negative impacts, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—the largest water manager in the nation—launched a collaborative effort to find more sustainable ways to manage river infrastructure to maximize benefits for people and nature. Known as the Sustainable River Program (SRP), the program has grown to include 66 federal dams on 16 rivers in 15 states. This presentation will provide a history and overview of SRP.
Speakers
HM

Heidi Mehl

Kansas Director of Water and Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-16: Migratory Birds and Climate Change: Symposium Opening Remarks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Doug Gorby

ABSTRACT:
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-17: The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of Midwest Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Lou Cornicelli, PhD, Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: Effective fish and wildlife management requires meaningful interaction with all segments of society, not just the people who buy hunting and fishing licenses. States’ mission statements often reflect their broad responsibilities on behalf of all residents; however, significant segments of the public who do not hunt, fish, or enjoy wildlife may not be aware of their state fish and wildlife agency at all, much less its responsibilities, services, and benefits provided. This hinders states’ abilities to effectively communicate and engage with the public and deliver programs relevant to each state’s diverse range of communities. Through a grant awarded to MAFWA through the R3 committees and funded by a multi-state conservation grant program, midwestern states were surveyed to capture the opinions and perceptions of: 1) residents not engaged in traditional state-managed activities (fishing, hunting, boating and similar), 2) residents who do not engage in any outdoor activity, 3) residents who identify as traditional stakeholders. The results will help states better understand how the broader public perceives their conservation agency and how to implement efforts to increase public awareness, engagement, and support for conservation.
Speakers
LP

Lisa Parks

Project Manager, Southwick Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-19: Midwest Landscape Initiative and the Midwest Conservation Blueprint
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Rachael Carlberg, US Fish & Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: This session will provide a brief overview of the Midwest Landscape Initiative (MLI), with an emphasis on MLI's efforts related to Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and State Wildlife Action Plan coordination and support. Participants will learn about resources for at-risk species conservation developed by MLI as well as opportunities for engagement. Participants are also encouraged to attend the remaining sessions of this symposium, which will provide diverse examples of landscape conservation efforts across geographies and sectors.
Speakers
RC

Rachael Carlberg

Spatial Ecologist, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

S-18: FishCAST: Introducing the North Central Division Fisheries Community Advocacy and Sustainability Team
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Brittany Harried, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, Columbia, MO; MJ Oubre, Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society; Jory Jonas, Michigan Department of Natural Resources


ABSTRACT: The Fisheries Community Advocacy and Sustainability Team (FishCAST) was established following in-depth discussions on the critical need for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the North-Central Division (NCD) at the 2024 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Formed in March 2024, FishCAST aims to provide resources and opportunities to support its members, fostering a strong sense of belonging and improving the retention and recruitment of diverse members within the fisheries community.

At the upcoming 2025 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, FishCAST will host a dedicated symposium titled “FishCAST: Working Towards a Better Future for all Fisheries Professionals”. We will start this symposium by introducing FishCAST and its mission, purpose, and goals. Then, we will identify existing DEI committees within the NCD, allowing time for representatives of these committees to introduce themselves and share their mission, purpose, goals, and accomplishments. Finally, we will introduce the session which will consist of a wide array of presentation topics and will conclude with a moderated panel discussion.
Speakers
avatar for Brittany Harried

Brittany Harried

Postdoctoral Fellow, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri
Brittany is a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Jacob Westhoff and Dr. Craig Paukert at the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse in 2014 and 2016 with a B.S. in Aquatic Biology and a M.S. in Biology, respectively... Read More →
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am CST
TBA

8:00am CST

CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS & ORGANIZED SYMPOSIA
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

8:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Evaluating Lake Sturgeon Spawning Site Use and the Relative Contribution of Spawning Tributaries to Harvest in the Lake Winnebago System
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Samantha A. Embersits, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Daniel A. Isermann, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Daniel J. Dembkowski, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Margaret H. Stadig, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: The Lake Winnebago System (LWS) population in east-central Wisconsin represents one of the largest self-sustaining populations of lake sturgeon Acipenscer fulvescens in North America that supports an annual spearing fishery each February. Lake sturgeon spawn at more than 70 locations within tributaries to the LWS, but the extent and timing of spawning that occurs at many sites remains unknown. Understanding lake sturgeon use of spawning locations is important in allocating sampling effort needed to mark fish and obtain population estimates used in setting safe harvest levels for the fishery. Furthermore, some spawning sites represent habitat improvement efforts implemented by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and little to no evaluation has been performed at these sites to determine relative use and potential for successful hatching. Our objectives were to describe lake sturgeon use, measure egg deposition rates and survival, and verify whether hatching is occurring at selected spawning locations in the Wolf River drainage, including sites where habitat improvements have occurred. Spawning sites were or will be visited repeatedly during the 2024 and 2025 spawning seasons and lake sturgeon are visually counted along defined transects. Eggs are collected with a manual transfer pump and D-frame drift nets are used to collect larvae. We will present results from our first sampling season. The information from our research may help the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources strategically allocate spring sampling effort so that more sites can be sampled and could provide guidance regarding future habitat improvement projects.
Speakers
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Samantha Embersits

Graduate Research Assistant, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Looking Towards the Future: Individual Identification Tag Exploration on Bigmouth Shiners for use on Small-bodied At-risk Fish in Nebraska
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Joe Spooner, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Kali Boroughs, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Thad Huenemann, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

ABSTRACT: Multiple options exist to tag freshwater fish including batch marks (Visible Implant Elastomer-VIE or fin clips) and individual marks (P-Chip Microtransponders or Passive Integrated Transponder-PIT tags). Few options exist for individually marking small-bodied fish (i.e., < 100 mm TL) where upon recapture individual identification can be obtained without mortality. Nebraska is home to 26 at-risk listed fish species including many that are small-bodied. There is a lack of information on demographic rates across Nebraska on our small-bodied at-risk. To determine demographic rates through mark-recapture methods, marking techniques are required that enable individual identification, do not modify behavior or mortality of individuals, and remain readable during the duration of the study. In some cases, multiple size options are available with varying results from previous studies on post tagging fish survival and retention rates. New technology also becomes available that have minimal testing results promting the need to test multiple tag options. The objective of this study was to determine post tagging survival and tag retention for four tag types including three PIT tags (8 mm Biomark, 8 mm Voda IQ, 7 mm Voda IQ) and a newly released tag (FRyID) on Bigmouth Shiners Notropis dorsalis in a laboratory setting. Results indicated that fish survival did not differ between any of the tag types and control fish. However, tag retention was significantly lower for FRyID than PIT tags. The results of this study will provide options for use on small-bodied at-risk fish in Nebraska to monitor population demographic rates over time. Some studies may include estimating movement rates, survival, or population size. This will help managers determine their status in the state and may inform if intervention is needed.
Speakers
avatar for Joe Spooner

Joe Spooner

Fisheries Biologist, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

S-07: Fisheries dependent and independent data inform a capture technique for an emerging invasive fish species in the mainstem Mississippi River; Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Kroboth, P. T., M. E. Colvin, C. L. Broaddus
U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO 65201


ABSTRACT: Black Carp Mylopharongodon piceus were imported into the United States in the 1980s for use in aquaculture. Since then, escapes have occurred and reported wild captures have increased. Black Carp are a concern because of potential impacts on native ecosystems and direct predation on native imperiled mollusks. Based on commercial captures, hoop nets set in mainstem riverine habitats of the Mississippi River during spring and summer are a potential capture method. We assessed commercial fisheries Black Carp catches by kernel density analysis to identify an area of increased catch. Within this area we assessed the seasonality and rate of commercial captures, and tested targeted hoop net effort for Black Carp during 2021 and 2022. We compared Black Carp catch and co-occurring species using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling. We fit Black Carp catch and environmental covariates by general linear models: Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated Poisson, zero-inflated negative binomial, hurdle Poisson, and hurdle negative binomial, with the top fitted models selected based on ΔAIC < 2. The model set was refitted for predictions and inference on the model confidence set. Hoop net captures were 63% of commercial records (n=759). The confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers had the greatest density of commercial captures with 39% of hoop net captures in this area, primarily during July-September. Captures were characterized by median water temperature 26.7°C, median river stage 5.02 m, and median day of year 231 (DOY; mid-August). Ordination identified similarity in covariates of Smallmouth Buffalo Ictiobus bubalus and Black Carp catch. Most captures occurred in select outside-bend or secondary-channel habitats. The probability of capturing ≥ 1 Black Carp increased with depth, DOY through September, and declined with increasing current velocity. Results indicated catch was maximized in summer and early fall when stage and current velocity are lower allowing net sets in deeper areas.

Speakers
PK

Patrick Kroboth

Research Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

S-08: The Status of the Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus, in Kansas
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: J. Daren Riedle
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Ecological Services Section, Pratt, KS, USA.

ABSTRACT: The Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus, has been known from Kansas since the early 1900’s. They are thought to be locally common in remnant tallgrass prairie, although its relatively brief breeding season and secretive habit of remaining in burrows creates the perception of rarity. The distribution of the species in Kansas appears to range along the eastern edge of the Flint Hills eastward to the Missouri border and south in Oklahoma. The Crawfish Frog was originally listed as Threatened under the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975 but was down-listed to a Species In Need of Conservation in 1993. While no systematic surveys have been completed for the species, it is thought that the distribution has changed little, although some evidence has suggested some population declines.
Speakers
DR

Daren Riedle

Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

S-11: Development of Point-of-Use Detection Tools for Prevention and Control of Red Swamp Crayfish
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Caden J. Jungbluth, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Molecular Conservation Genetics Lab; Amy L. Springer, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Molecular Conservation Genetics Lab; Stephen F. Spear, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; Jared J. Homola, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit

ABSTRACT:  Prevention of new invasive species often hinges on early detection and quick removal. Aquatic invasive species can be especially difficult to detect without extensive sampling due to habitat complexity and low initial abundances. Point-of-use biomolecule detection methods provide a possible solution via near real-time identification of DNA or other biological materials. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) provides a user-friendly approach for environmental (e)DNA detection that can be easily deployed in the field and yield diagnostic results within 40 minutes. Water can be filtered and the eDNA can be rapidly extracted with a Chelex resin and a portable heat block. We are developing a LAMP assay for red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to enable identification of introductory pathways (e.g. the pet trade) and monitoring of the spread of established invasion sites. We generated 36 candidate primer sets that we evaluated in silico for red swamp crayfish specificity using the program BLAST to identify DNA sequence alignments to other species in the NCBI database. Sixteen species-specific candidate primer sets were then optimized for temperature of the LAMP reaction and brand of master mix. The optimal set of conditions were then used to further evaluate species-specificity through test amplifications of extracted DNA of related species (i.e. other Procambarus crayfish). Finally, we performed limit of detection testing down to a concentration of 1 copy/μL of target DNA, with consistent detections present at 100 copies/μL. Field collection of eDNA water samples from known infested waterbodies is underway to identify potential environmental inhibitors to our ability to detect red swamp crayfish presence. This tool could be implemented to detect—and possibly prevent—invasions through rapid field-based monitoring in areas where red swamp crayfish are a concern for introduction and spread.
Speakers
CJ

Caden Jungbluth

Graduate Research Assistant, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

S-13: Harmful Algal Blooms, Leveraging Remotely Sensed Data for Timely Decisions and Long-term Understanding
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Nick Sievert, Missouri Department of Conservation; Matt Combes, Missouri Department of Conservation; Steffanie Abel, Missouri Department of Conservation; Emily Sinnott, Missouri Department of Conservation; Jessica Scholz, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Harmful algal blooms, caused by outbreaks of cyanobacteria, pose substantial health risks to humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife. Often, the monitoring of harmful algal blooms is conducted based on reported observations from the public or through formal monitoring programs. While this approach is effective in many ways, there are limitations to the scope of coverage and the timeliness of detection. To reduce the harm caused by these events, it is important to both quickly identify active blooms to provide notice to the public and facilitate additional data collection and to evaluate long-term patterns to better identify at risk areas and develop management strategies for reducing the frequency and severity of outbreaks. Remotely sensed data, made available by the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), provides daily estimates of cyanobacteria cell counts for thousands of waterbodies across the United States. With these data, we are developing methods and tools for early detection and reporting of potential harmful algal blooms, evaluating waterbody specific historical outbreaks and contextual variables such as watershed land cover and climate data, and using observational and monitoring data to validate the remotely sensed data for Missouri waterbodies. The next day delivery of this information and the broad-scale coverage of waterbodies in the CyAN dataset provides a valuable resource for both timely decision making and long-term research efforts.
Speakers
NS

Nicholas Sievert

Spatial Application Developer, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA

8:20am CST

S-14: Seeing (bright) spots: Factors related to unexpected walleye success
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Christopher I. Rounds, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota; Holly S. Embke, USGS, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center; Zachary S. Feiner, Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Quinnlan Smith, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Olaf P. Jensen, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jake Vander Zanden, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Daniel Isermann, USGS, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point; Gretchen J.A. Hansen, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT: Many fields rely on the identification and understanding of “bright spots” (i.e., populations that are performing better than predicted based on environmental conditions) to determine successful management approaches and to replicate success elsewhere. Walleye, a culturally and ecologically important cool water species, has declined in many locations where it once thrived, while at the same time other walleye populations have thrived under similar environmental conditions. These heterogeneous responses have raised questions regarding the role of the environment versus management in shaping walleye populations and how to best manage for resilient populations under changing conditions. Here, we discuss a conceptual “bright spot” framework and differentiate it from a related, but different concept of “hot spots” (i.e., populations that are predictably performing better than average for a given metric). We apply a bright spot analysis to lakes in Minnesota to understand where and why certain walleye populations are performing better than expected. We describe walleye “hot spots” and “bright spots” for walleye recruitment to age-0 and adult relative abundance and highlight actionable factors that are associated with “bright spots”. We welcome discussion on our approach and the relevant metrics of success as a part of this presentation.
Speakers
CR

Christopher Rounds

Graduate research assistant, University of Minnesota
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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8:20am CST

S-15: Modifying Water Velocities to Promote Lake Sturgeon Spawning Success on the Mississippi River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Sarah Peper, Missouri Department of Conservation; Ryan Swearingin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Travis Moore, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Lake Sturgeon are an endangered species in Missouri, Illinois and ten other states. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began recovery efforts, centered around juvenile reintroduction, in 1984. In 2015 the first wild spawn of the reintroduced population was confirmed in the tailwaters of Mel Price Locks and Dam on the Mississippi River. Despite intense monitoring of the site over the next 5 years, no further spawning events were observed. In 2021, MDC and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began working together to improve conditions for Lake Sturgeon spawning success at the site. The team received an SRP grant to fund monitoring efforts and to build a hydraulic model of the tailwaters. Using the hydraulic model as a guide, tailwater velocities were modified to mimic those recorded during the 2015 spawn. We observed successful Lake Sturgeon spawning in the first year the project was implemented. Continued success has brought interest in replicating this project at other dams. USACE is currently leading efforts to evaluate all 27 dams/tailwaters on the Mississippi River for Lake Sturgeon spawning habitat suitability.
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Peper

Sarah Peper

Fisheries Management Biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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8:20am CST

S-16: Climate Science in Service of Migratory Bird Management
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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AUTHORS: Olivia LeDee, U.S. Geological Survey

ABSTRACT: Given their essential role to people and ecosystems, migratory birds have been the focus of monitoring and research even before the inception of scientific inquiry. As a well-studied resource with demonstrated responsiveness to weather and latitudinal diversity, migratory birds were also some of the first subjects in studies of the effects of climate change on fish and wildlife. In this presentation, I’ll briefly review the history of climate science related to migratory birds. I’ll then focus on advances in climate impacts and adaptation science in the last 15 years, focusing on what we have learned and applied to migratory bird management. I’ll conclude with a review of key knowledge gaps that merit attention from the science and management community to effectively manage migratory birds in an era of climate change.
Speakers
OL

olivia ledee

Regional Administrator, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, USGS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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8:20am CST

S-17: Is It Working? An Evaluation of a State's R3 Programs
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Cynthia Longmire, DJ Case & Associates
Hiro Hayashi, DJ Case & Associates
Eric Edwards, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Across the country, agencies and their partners have implemented countless R3 programs, workshops, trainings, and other efforts. At the core, these efforts are concerned with motivating program participants to start or increase participation in outdoor activities. People are often motivated by external factors, yet just as often, they are motivated from within. This interaction between external forces and intrinsic motives drives behavior. Self-Determination Theory is a well-known theory of human motivation based on the idea that people have three basic psychological needs that drive their behavior. 1) The need to feel they have a choice in the decision to do an activity (autonomy); 2) the need to feel they have the skills to do the activity and be effective at it (competence); and 3) the need to feel a sense of belonging (relatedness). The better these needs are met, the more likely an individual will participate in the activity.

In 2022, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) fielded nearly 300 R3 programs. With this project, MDC, working with DJ Case & Associates, evaluated these programs to understand better how well they recruit, retain, or reactive hunters, anglers, and shooting sports participants. R3 program participants were cross-referenced with permit sales data to determine how these programs helped achieve the Department’s R3 goals. Permit sales are a critical metric but fail to account for the important role that programs can play in helping individuals along their journey to becoming hunters, anglers, or sport shooters. In addition to evaluating traditional R3 outcomes, the project uses R3 program participant interviews to explore the programs’ impact on participants' perceived competence, relatedness, and autonomy.
Speakers
CL

Cynthia Longmire

Senior Social Scientist, DJ Case & Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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8:20am CST

S-19: The Five Land Languages: How Differing Perceptions of Place Constrain Conservation Delivery, and What We Can Do About It
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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AUTHORS: Karl Malcolm, U.S. Forest Service

ABSTRACT: The perspectives, philosophies, and relationships of individuals differ in terms of how we perceive and experience land, and how and why (or whether, even) we value fish, wildlife, and undeveloped places. Global urbanization and associated distancing of people from the natural world present conservation professionals with the challenges of trying to connect our work to rapidly shifting and potentially disinterested publics. In some cases, our organizational language, reputation, history, modes of communication, rate of adaptation, and internal and external social and political pressures make this work even more difficult. By considering the various forms of relationships (i.e., Land Languages) “spoken” by those we seek to serve, we can inform and reimagine the framing of our efforts, and perhaps even influence our own personal perspectives as conservationists such that the concepts underpinning our work are of undeniable relevance and value to all members of society. As we grapple with the need for broader support in conservation mission delivery in North America, a shift in framing has the potential to fully honor the generations of leadership and investment that have helped stem the tide of species and habitat loss since the 19th century while still allowing space to imagine what might be different in our approaches now and in the future. A consideration of land languages (i.e., ontologies) that predate European arrival on the continent, and which remain at the core of numerous contemporary cultural identities, has tremendous applicability in these explorations as we chart a path with hopes for greater sustainability and conservation engagement. This presentation will explore sources of divisiveness and disconnection while also highlighting critical common ground and offering examples and ideas for our shared journey ahead.
Speakers
KM

Karl Malcolm

Assistant Director, Renewable Resources, USDA Forest Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am CST
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8:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Assessing Age and Incremental Growth Rates in Cedar River Shovelnose Sturgeon through an 18-year Mark-Recapture Dataset
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Juliana Kaloczi, Iowa State University; Michael J Moore, U.S Geological Survey, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Iowa State University; Martin Hamel, University of Georgia; Gene Jones, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Ryan Hupfeld, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Rebecca Krogman, Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

ABSTRACT: Globally, sturgeon populations have declined due to overharvest for caviar and habitat fragmentation due to dam construction that impairs water quality and disrupts spawning migrations. North American species have had harvest restrictions enacted to recover populations. While similar life history characteristics make Shovelnose Sturgeon vulnerable to many of these same stressors, populations in the Mississippi River basin still support limited commercial and recreational fisheries for roe and meat - conferring the species’ economic, recreational, and cultural importance. Enacting harvest regulations, such as minimum length limits, ensures sustainable harvest and requires knowledge of dynamic rates such as age-specific growth rates. However, the Shovelnose Sturgeon’s long life span and slow growth make estimating these parameters notoriously difficult with traditional methods that rely on annuli counts on bony structures. As a result, there is a lack of reliable growth rates for this species across its range. Therefore, we used an 18-year mark-recapture dataset for Shovelnose Sturgeon collected by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in the Cedar River at Palisades-Kepler State Park to evaluate incremental growth models for Shovelnose Sturgeon. The Fabens modification of the Von Bertalanffy growth function was used within a Bayesian framework to determine how growth rates vary within the population. Additionally, bomb-radiocarbon age estimates were used to inform a second model within the Bayesian framework to assess how the incorporation of previous knowledge may improve the model. Age estimates and growth rates can be used in population simulations to evaluate sensitivity to harvest under harvest regulations and can inform management across the species’ range.
Speakers
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Juliana Kaloczi

Graduate Student, Iowa State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Taxonomic and Functional Shifts in Riverine Fish Community Assemblages Across Midwest National Parks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Lily Thompson, University of Missouri; Gregory Jacobs, Cornell University; Brandon Gerig, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Allison Pease, University of Missouri

ABSTRACT: Species introductions and biodiversity loss can result in the global change phenomenon of biotic homogenization, or the process of ecological community assemblages becoming more similar to each other over time. Freshwater fish communities are understood to be particularly at risk for biotic homogenization and shifts in fish community composition can jeopardize the distinctiveness of native communities and the ecosystem services they provide. The US National Parks Service (NPS) is tasked with preserving unimpaired natural and cultural resources, including fish community assemblages. Therefore, there is a clear interest in understanding levels of biotic homogenization in the fish communities within NPS properties. We evaluated changes in fish community assemblages in midwestern National Parks using data from the NPS Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network in two time periods: 2006–2008 and 2021–2023. Our goals were to characterize variation in fish assemblage structure among Parks, to test whether biotic homogenization has occurred over the approximately 15 years between sampling periods, and evaluate whether some Parks have shifted assemblage structure more than others. We explored both taxonomic and functional changes in local contributions to beta diversity of these sites to understand the potential for loss of unique species identities and ecosystem functions, respectively. We compared Park specific estimates of beta diversity change and assessed whether these differences could be explained by associated environmental variation. Overall, we found evidence for both homogenization and differentiation among these midwestern National Parks depending on whether taxonomic or functional homogenization metrics were used. This suggests that ecosystem function may be maintained in these locations even if the species’ identities in the fish assemblages change.
Speakers
LT

Lily Thompson

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-07: Development and Assessment of Novel Tools and Techniques for Capture, Deterrence, and Monitoring of Invasive Carp
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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AUTHORS: Jesse R. Fischer, US Geological Survey; Josey L. Ridgway US Geological Survey

ABSTRACT: Several technologies were recently developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide managers and researchers with cost-effective solutions to assess, deter, and capture invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations. These tools and techniques were designed to exploit the unique physiological and behavioral characteristics of Silver Carp. Specifically, Silver Carp exhibit strong schooling, jumping, and net-avoidance behaviors that have often created challenges for traditional methods of capture. Research on Silver Carp from a variety of habitats and population densities throughout the Mississippi River Basin has demonstrated a widespread need to create new methods to capture, deter, or control these invasive populations. Nets were developed to target low-to-intermediate densities of invasive carp by eliciting jumping while limiting bycatch. Surface-floating gill nets provide a cost-effective tool for assessing and monitoring invasive carp populations (e.g., population assessment, capturing individuals for telemetry studies). For high density populations, a corral net was designed and tested for concentrating large biomasses of fish with an emphasis on preventing escape and maintaining survival until removal. Both novel nets were designed to be used in conjunction with substrate-to-surface block-nets that can control and direct movements of individuals. Additional tools to be used with these nets include deployable underwater speakers with remote operation capabilities. These mobile acoustic deterrents were created and assessed for modifying invasive carp behavior, such as, stimulating jumping or directing movement towards areas for increased capture. Semi-autonomous watercraft were also designed and extensively field-tested to assist with invasive carp assessment and monitoring using consumer-grade sonar to estimate abundance and biomass and control strategies using remotely operated stimuli (e.g., acoustic, bubbles, lights) to concentrate fish or to elicit jumping for capture objectives. Future work will continue to demonstrate and transfer new technologies to non-USGS partners to accomplish research and management objectives across subbasins within the Mississippi River.
Speakers
JF

Jesse Fischer

Research Fish Biologist, USGS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-08: Evaluating the Status of Crawfish Frogs (Rana areolata) in Oklahoma through Frog Call Surveys and Species Distribution Models
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Kaleb M. Banks, Oklahoma State University; Owen M. Edwards, Oklahoma Biological Survey; Bo Zhang, Oklahoma State University; Michael S. Reichert, Oklahoma State University

ABSTRACT: Crawfish frogs (Rana areolata) are in decline across much of their range, primarily due to habitat loss and degradation from agricultural practices that disrupt prairie ecosystems and soil structure. These declines are most pronounced east of the Mississippi River, where R. areolata has been extirpated from 59% of its historical counties. In Oklahoma it has been over 70 years since Arthur Bragg's 1953 crawfish frog study, and the contemporary distribution and status of the species is unclear. Since much of eastern Oklahoma is characterized by low-intensity agriculture, such as cattle ranching, we hypothesize that crawfish frogs in the region may be less vulnerable to population declines compared to other states. To investigate this, we conducted comprehensive frog call surveys, deployed acoustic recorders, and performed visual encounter surveys to identify new populations. Additionally, we used species distribution modeling to identify suitable habitat. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, we conducted 754 frog call surveys, identifying crawfish frog populations at 276 sites. Additionally, acoustic recorders and visual encounters confirmed frogs at 27 more sites, bringing the total to 303. Our surveys verified populations in all 23 counties originally documented by Bragg, along with four new county records. Our species distribution model identified annual rainfall and the percentage of untilled prairie as the most significant variables influencing crawfish frog range. These findings suggest that low-intensity cattle ranching and lack of tilled soil are likely contributing to this species' success in Oklahoma.
Speakers
KB

Kaleb Banks

PhD Student, Oklahoma State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-11: Red Swamp Crayfish Home Range and Movement in an Invaded Lentic Ecosystem
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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AUTHORS: William Ota, Michigan State University; Aaron Sullivan, Michigan State University; Sarah Walker, Michigan State University; Brian Roth, Michigan State University

ABSTRACT: Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are the planet's most widely distributed invasive crayfish. They are a keystone species that can alter shoreline stability, macroinvertebrate communities, trophic interactions, water quality, and macrophytes in invaded ecosystems. This species became established in Michigan in 2017 within ponds and lakes, initiating an adaptive management plan to monitor, mitigate, and/or eradicate invasive populations. From 2021-2023, we tracked red swamp crayfish using radio telemetry in seven ponds in Southeast Michigan. Crayfish from 32 - 42 mm were tagged and tracked weekly for 5-6 months per individual over 2 years. A total of 235 crayfish were tagged and successfully tracked. Red swamp crayfish home range size was significantly affected by pond size (p
Speakers
WO

William Ota

Research Associate, Michigan State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-13: Integrating Long-term Assessment Data to Evaluate Muskellunge Stocking across Wisconsin Inland Lakes
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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AUTHORS: Alexander Latzka, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Dan Oele, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Colin Dassow, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Zach Lawson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Muskellunge are the state fish of Wisconsin, are heavily targeted by dedicated anglers, and are relatively large and long-lived. In many Wisconsin lakes, there is little or no natural reproduction, so these fisheries must by supported by stocking. And because budgets are limited, there is a constant need to ensure stocking produces the best bang-for-the-buck. However, evaluating musky stocking events’ impacts on fishery metrics 10-20 years later is inherently difficult, with data accumulating over several decades but at various frequencies across hundreds of lakes, evolving data standards and monitoring protocols, and changing stocking practices. In this talk, we will share our attempt at making the most of these messy and asynchronous—but nonetheless crucially valuable—data to answer a seemingly simple question: where and when is musky stocking successful? We found that stocking events that occurred 3 to 16 years prior to a population survey were most predictive of population outcomes, and used that time window to calculate cumulative stocking rates preceding each population survey. We then used generalized additive mixed models to assess the effects of cumulative stocking rate on musky populations across different lake types and environmental conditions. We are now using these models to recommend updates to muskellunge stocking policies, aimed at ensuring lake-specific objectives are in line with expected stocking performance and prioritizing stocking where it will provide the best returns.
Speakers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-14: Understanding and building resilience in Green Bay walleye populations
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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AUTHORS: Daniel Dembkowski, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Daniel Isermann, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Jason Breeggemann, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Troy Zorn, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Green Bay supports one of the most prominent recreational walleye fisheries in North America. The recreational fishery provides annual harvests that exceed 100,000 fish and millions of dollars to local economies. Additionally, walleye in Michigan waters contribute to an important tribal subsistence fishery designated by the Great Lakes Consent Decree for the 1836 Treaty of Washington. The popularity and socioeconomic importance of this fishery makes walleye a species of primary management interest for the Wisconsin and Michigan Departments of Natural Resources, who jointly manage this important resource. The current status of the Green Bay walleye fishery represents the successful culmination of several recovery efforts. Following collapse of walleye stocks in the 1960s due to habitat destruction, pollution, overexploitation, and invasive species, walleyes were intensively stocked by the Wisconsin and Michigan Departments of Natural Resources. Stocking in Wisconsin waters was largely discontinued in the mid-1980s and the stock is now entirely supported by natural recruitment. Conversely, the stock in Michigan waters in the northern portion of the bay has not fully recovered despite continued stocking. We will provide perspectives on how factors including productivity, dreissenid mussels, prey diversity, thermal-optical habitat, and portfolios of potential recruitment sources may contribute to the overall resilience of walleye stocks in Green Bay and the potential disparity in resilience between stocks in the northern and southern portions of the bay. We will also discuss various management and research activities that have helped maintain, and can potentially help build, resilience of walleye populations in Green Bay and elsewhere.
Speakers
DD

Daniel Dembkowski

Fisheries Research Scientist, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-15: Lake Sturgeon Response to Modified Flows on the Salt River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Annie Hentschke, Missouri Department of Conservation; Travis Moore Missouri Department of Conservation; Justin Garret, USACE

ABSTRACT: The Salt River in northeast Missouri is a tributary of the Mississippi River and was dammed in 1984 to create Mark Twain Lake. The Clarence Cannon Dam, operated by the Corps of Engineers and the Southwestern Power Administration, influences the flow out of the dam for water control and hydropower generation. In addition, there is a re-regulation dam below MTL, which was implemented to allow the reuse of downstream water for hydropower. While re-regulation is extremely rare, flows out of MTL and the re-regulation pool significantly impact the lower Salt River species. The river hosts various species of interest, including the state-endangered lake sturgeon, which has seen a recent aggregation below the re-regulation dam during the spawning season in some years. The Sustainable Rivers Project, a proactive initiative, has allowed the Missouri Department of Conservation, in coordination with the Corps of Engineers and SWPA, to evaluate and create consistent seasonal flows to promote native fish aggregation, successful spawning, and reproduction. The Sustainable Rivers Program has allowed for funding for modeling, monitoring, and assessment of existing conditions. In 2023, this SRP team successfully initiated optimal and consistent flows to attract lake sturgeon near the re-regulation dam on the Salt River.
Speakers
AH

Annie Hentschke

Fisheries Biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-16: Microclimates and Species Life History Differences Inform Climate Vulnerability in a Grassland Songbird Community
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Benjamin Zuckerberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Christine Ribic, University of Wisconsin-Madison

ABSTRACT:  Assessment of species' vulnerability to climate change has been limited by a mismatch between coarse macroclimate data and the fine scales at which species select habitat. Habitat is an important mediator of climate, and fine-scale habitat features may permit species to exploit favorable microclimates, but habitat preferences and life histories of species can also constrain their ability to do so. Few studies have examined how habitat selection and life history can interact to affect microclimatic exposure. We leveraged fine-resolution models of near-surface temperature and humidity in temperate grasslands to understand how microclimates affect climatic exposure and demographics in a declining grassland songbird community. We asked: 1) Do species select favorable nest-site microclimates? 2) Do habitat preferences limit the ability of species to access potentially favorable microclimates? 3) What are the demographic consequences of microclimatic exposure? We found limited evidence that grassland birds select beneficial cooler microclimates. Instead, many species appeared constrained by habitat preferences. While facultative generalists displayed flexibility to nest in denser vegetation that provided thermal buffering, most obligate species were associated with more exposed microclimates. Nesting success in facultative species was not well explained by microclimate variables, but success in specialized grassland obligates declined with elevated microclimate temperatures. These findings suggest that habitat specialists may be more vulnerable to future temperature extremes because of a limited ability to take advantage of favorable microclimates. More broadly, our work illustrates how microclimate and species life history can interact to influence the potential vulnerability of species to climate change.
Speakers
BZ

Benjamin Zuckerberg

Professor, University of Wisconsin
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-17: Attracting Diverse Participants to School Shooting Sports Programs (Formal Project Title: Youth Shooting Sports Diversity and Engagement)
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Matt Harlow, DJ Case & Associates; Holly Mauslein, DJ Case & Associates; Megan Wisecup, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Keith Warnke, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

ABSTRACT: Youth shooting sports programs are among the fastest growing youth sports programs in the country, but little is known about participation of underrepresented groups. By understanding the barriers these populations face, coaches and other practitioners can develop strategies to increase their participation and representation in the shooting sports. The goal of this project was to understand how to increase and improve efforts to recruit more diverse participants into youth shooting sports such as archery and trap shooting.
The DJ Case team conducted 19 focus groups with shooting sports coaches and participants as well as with students who do not participate in shooting sports. Findings include insights into:
•Why students do/don’t participate in high school sports, in general
•Why students do/don’t participate in high school archery teams
•Why students do/don’t participate in high school shooting sports teams
These findings, combined with the findings of past studies, were used to develop recommendations for how high school shooting sports teams could best attract more diverse participants. These recommendations include the use of:
•Diversified imagery and representation to showcase different genders, ethnicities, and physical abilities
•Strategic messaging and imagery to address perceived barriers
•Specialized new shooter events to bridge first-time to competition-style learning
This project was the first phase of a two-phase project, with Phase One (2023) focusing on data collection, research, and analysis. Phase Two (2024) will use the results from Phase One to develop specific marketing and communication tools and strategies and make them available to shooting sports team coaches.
This presentation summarizes the findings of the Phase One focus groups conducted by DJ Case & Associates to help inform the development of recruitment tools and efforts. We will also present an initial sample of the communications and marketing tools currently being developed in Phase Two of this ongoing project.
Speakers
HH

Hiroto Hayashi

Engagement Strategist/Project Manager, DJ Case & Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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8:40am CST

S-19: Promoting Habitat: Engage, connect, empower and instill an ownership. People protect what they value
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: David D. Hoffman, Widlife Research Technician, Iowa Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: A primary mission of the Iowa DNR: To conserve and enhance our natural resources in cooperation with individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life in Iowa and ensure a legacy for future generations. A primary objective in achieving this is by protecting and restoring habitat. “Trumpet the Cause for Wetlands” is one of the wildlife and habitat restoration slogans. It is one method being utilized to connect, empower and instill an ownership with the people we serve. Trumpeter swans serve as excellent ambassadors for promoting wetland values, water quality, the environment, and enriching the quality of life. Over 450 swan releases and 40 winter swan viewing events “Swan Soiree” have been conducted by IADNR and county conservation staff. School children, media, legislators and the public have been invited to attend. The goal is to educate, engage and connect people with the Trumpeters and especially their habitat. An estimated 5,000-15,000 students and public have been impacted annually since 1995. Observed results have included a greater awareness, appreciation and empowerment. This has translated into additional wetland habitat acres being restored, improved water quality at restoration sites and increased wildlife populations including Trumpeter swans. Donations have also been received at these events to help support swan and wetland restoration. Money has come from a wide variety of swan enthusiasts, conservation groups, and charities. When combined with considerable soft match/in-kind contributions, a conservative estimate totaling over 1.5 million dollars has been raised to directly to fund swan and habitat reintroduction in Iowa. Additional outreach includes a Trumpeter swan and wetland education and activity manual. The manual was developed in 1996 has been distributed to Iowa school teachers and recently updated and offered for nationwide distribution. The public outreach effort has been a huge success by raising awareness in regards to these magnificent birds, habitat and by providing critical funding to carry out the work. It is important to engage, connect, empower and ultimately instill an ownership of our natural resources with the public. How do we measure this value? During challenging times with budget and staff cuts, outreach and education is often a low priority, plus many employees are not often skilled, educated or feel comfortable with this type of public involvement. People protect what they value. How do we better connect and empower the public and Gen Alpha to value and protect habitat?
Wednesday January 22, 2025 8:40am - 9:00am CST
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9:00am CST

Fisheries Track: If at First You Don’t Succeed: The Evolution of Capture Methods in Great Lakes Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) Control
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Robert Mapes, University of Toledo; Christine Mayer, University of Toledo; Song Qian, University of Toledo; Robert Hunter, US Geological Survey; Matt Acre, US Geological Survey; James Roberts, US Geological Survey; Ryan Young, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Ryan Brown, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Lucas Nathan, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Eric Weimer, Ohio Department of Natural Resources; John Dettmers, Great Lakes Fishery Commission

ABSTRACT: Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) control efforts in the Great Lakes follow an adaptive management framework to continually improve removal efficiency. Initial planned action events suggested a combination of electrofishing toward trammel nets (combination method) was the most effective method to herd fish for capture. However, these initial attempts had low catches and were focused on locations with low apparent grass carp densities. Following substantial project expansion and increased effort in areas with higher apparent densities of grass carp, field crews began to experiment with other methods. A second post-hoc method comparison found electrofishing without the trammel nets to be at least >2.8 times more efficient than the combination method. The project adapted and began focusing on electrofishing while continuing to explore ways to improve efficiency by leveraging telemetry information and experimenting with other capture methods. Field crews tested passive overnight gill net sets in locations informed by telemetry and previously high capture rates. These efforts collected more grass carp in one night than the previous month of electrofishing. Expanding gill net use has contributed to more grass carp being captured during 2024 than in any other year since control efforts began in 2018. Designing a project to capture novel species with limited information is challenging and therefore an adaptive approach that analyzes data in real time is vital to invasive species control. A multi-disciplinary team with diverse skills, enables near real time incorporation of information to inform ongoing removal efforts. Although adapting to new gears has resulted in increased captures, changing methods creates challenges evaluating the effectiveness of the program through statistical models. The adaptive management framework allows for Great Lakes Grass Carp practitioners to quickly leverage data as it is collected and make concurrent changes in the field, which is invaluable to control the spread of invasive carp.
Speakers
RM

Robert Mapes

Field Research Crew Leader, University of Toledo
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
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9:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Molecular Sexing of Lake Sturgeon Allows for Determination of Sex Ratios and Sex-Specific Growth Rates in the St. Clair – Detroit River System
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Andrew Briggs, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Justin Chiotti, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; James Boase, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jan-Michael Hessenauer, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Jeannette Kanefsky, Michigan State University; Brad Utrup, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Todd Wills, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have been conducting Lake Sturgeon surveys in the St. Clair – Detroit River System (SCDRS) since 1996. Over this period determining sex of Lake Sturgeon has been difficult as the primary method to determine sex has been expulsion of gametes, which rarely occurs (particularly for females). Recent advances in genetic methods have shown that sex of Lake Sturgeon can be determined from a tissue sample or fin clip through molecular sexing. MDNR and USFWS have collected pectoral fin rays from Lake Sturgeon for aging purposes since their surveys began and have stored them over the years, allowing for a portion of these fin samples to be clipped and used for molecular sexing. MDNR and USFWS combined to provide over 2,700 tissue samples to Michigan State University for molecular sexing with 53% of the Lake Sturgeon being classified as female. This presentation will examine if sex ratios differed by location within the SCDRS, how sex ratios change by length, and sex-specific growth rates of Lake Sturgeon.
Speakers
AB

Andrew Briggs

Fisheries Research Biologist, Michigan DNR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-07: A New and Innovative Method for Invasive Carp Ichthyoplankton Dispersal Control and Monitoring in Open-River Conditions
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: P. Ryan Jackson, U.S. Geological Survey; Vindhyawasini Prasad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Henry F. Doyle, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Amy E. George, U.S. Geological Survey; Cory D. Suski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Benjamin H. Stahlschmidt, U.S. Geological Survey; Jesse R. Fischer, U.S. Geological Survey; Duane C. Chapman, U.S. Geological Survey; Anne M. Herndon, U.S. Geological Survey; Curt G. Byrd, U.S. Geological Survey; Rafael O. Tinoco, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT: Management of invasive carp populations in North America has long relied on harvest of adult fish. However, to effectively suppress population growth, it may be necessary to harvest invasive carp at multiple life stages, including ichthyoplankton (eggs and larvae). Despite substantial advances in understanding invasive carp reproduction requirements over the past decade, management agencies currently lack the necessary tools to control early life stage invasive carp and reduce recruitment and dispersal. An interdisciplinary team of biologists, hydrologists, and engineers has spent the past three years developing and testing a method for passive capture of invasive carp eggs and larvae drifting downstream in an open channel without disruption to navigation or conveyance. Inspired by microplastic collection systems deployed in Europe, this novel method uses a bubble screen to induce secondary flows in the channel, which redirect invasive carp eggs and larvae to passive collection gears. This presentation will summarize the results of this study to date, discuss new methods for experimentation with preserved eggs and surrogates, discuss the challenges of passive capture of ichthyoplankton in open-river conditions, and present our ongoing research and vision for the future of this emerging technology. Furthermore, insights gained from this study can inform the design of physics-based egg and larval traps, both with and without bubble screens, for monitoring and early detection. The potential for application to passive ichthyoplankton monitoring with improved probability of detection will also be discussed.
Speakers
RJ

Ryan Jackson

Hydrologist, USGS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-08: Current status and future directions for Crawfish Frog conservation in Arkansas
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Amanda R. Bryant, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (Presenting); Chelsea Kross, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Elliot Lassiter, University of Arkansas; Ethan Royal, University of Arkansas; J.D. Wilson, University of Arkansas;


ABSTRACT: Crawfish Frogs historically occurred within all ecoregions of Arkansas with the majority of populations concentrated in tallgrass prairie habitats within the Ozark Highlands and the Arkansas Valley. This species’ need for large areas of prairie and grassland habitat with adjacent suitable breeding wetlands makes them especially vulnerable to habitat alteration and fragmentation. Widespread land use conversion for agriculture and urban development is considered the primary cause of declines in this species, particularly in the Ozark Highlands. In an effort to conserve this species within Northwest Arkansas, two State Wildlife Grant funded projects were recently completed. The first focused on distribution and occupancy and as a result of these efforts, Crawfish Frogs were detected within ten protected areas along with several other detections on private lands. However, no individuals were detected at several previously known populations within the Ozark Highlands. Due to the rapid urbanization and fragmentation of the Ozarks, the most stable populations of this species occur within the Arkansas Valley and around a protected network of smaller prairies preserves as well as Fort Chaffee. The second SWG project focused on terrestrial habitat use in this prairie network to determine if these currently protected areas are sufficiently large to protect remaining populations. This research found that Crawfish Frogs in this area migrate roughly half as far from their breeding wetlands as those in Illinois and Texas and also identified key breeding wetlands on private lands adjacent to currently protected areas. It also identified currently protected areas that would benefit from artificial breeding wetland creation. This research is being used to guide targeted acquisition of these breeding wetlands and to increase our capacity to protect this species and ensure continued health of these populations.
Speakers
AB

Amanda Bryant

Herpetologist, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-11: Habitat Selectivity by Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Sarah Walker, Michigan State University; Brian Roth, Michigan State University; William Ota, Michigan State University; Colin Assenmacher, Michigan State University; Aaron Sullivan, Michigan State University

ABSTRACT: Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are global invaders that negatively affect ecosystems worldwide through bank erosion, trophic interactions, and competition. There is limited research about their habitat preferences in invaded areas inside North America or in lentic ecosystems. Our study evaluates habitat selectivity by red swamp crayfish in southeastern Michigan ponds where red swamp crayfish were first found in 2017. We used radio telemetry to track the movement and habitat characteristics of confirmed locations for 46 crayfish at 4 sites in June through September of 2022. We used remotely sensed habitat characteristics from 2022 NAIP aerial imagery and determined macrophyte cover, terrestrial vegetation cover, and shore use of each detection. We then analyzed these classifications for selectivity using Ivlev’s Electivity Index. We gave further context to these classifications and selectivity by analyzing them with our field habitat observations in a logistic regression. Our index indicated a strong avoidance of shore areas, an avoidance of no cover areas, and a non-selective use of macrophyte areas. We also demonstrated slightly more selectivity for areas with terrestrial cover in male I crayfish and less avoidance of terrestrial vegetation cover areas in ponds with less macrophytes. Field observed deep water habitat characteristics significantly (p-value
Speakers
SW

Sarah Walker

Research Technologist I, Michigan State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-13: A Long-Term Study of the Impacts of Patch-Burn Grazing with Cattle as a Prairie Management Tool on Remnant Tallgrass Prairie in Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
A Potential New Way Forward in the Use of Adaptive Management and Decision Triggers to Inform Management Decisions Regarding a Controversial Management Action: Lessons learned on a Long-Term Study of the Impacts of Patch-Burn Grazing with Cattle as a Prairie Management Tool on Remnant Tallgrass Prairie in Missour


AUTHORS: Tom Thompson, Grassland Ecologist, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Adrienne Dykstra, Biometrician, Missouri Department of Conservation.
ABSTRACT: Beginning in 2001 the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has utilized patch-burn grazing with cattle (hereafter, PBGC) as a prairie management tool. Because of concerns voiced by different external conservation organizations and stakeholders on the potential impacts of PBGC to remnant prairie plant communities a long-term study was designed and implemented to assess, within an adaptive management framework, what the impacts are of PBGC to the plant community composition, plant species populations of concern, and vegetation structure response at five MDC managed prairies. Additionally, as part of this adaptive management study, a priori decision triggers were established for the different plant community and vegetation structure response metrics by an MDC team composed of relevant managers, natural history biologists, scientists, and supervisors before data were analyzed. Decision triggers were based on PBGC team experience and opinion and were framed over the first 5-year assessment period to track trends or major shifts in metric responses.  These decision triggers define levels in the status of these monitored biological metrics that indicate when to undertake a management action to meet a specific objective or to avoid an undesirable change in the community. Data were then summarized, analyzed, and evaluated based on these a priori decision triggers, and then shared with external and internal stakeholders. This talk will focus on the importance of long-term studies, applications and cautions in use of an adaptive management framework and decision triggers, the importance of external and internal support and involvement, and lessons learned from this on-going long-term study.   
Speakers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-14: The Recovery of Saginaw Bay Walleye, a Case Study in Resiliency
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: David G. Fielder, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Alpena Fisheries Research Station

ABSTRACT: The Walleye population of Saginaw Bay was historically among the largest in the Great Lakes. The early commercial fishery averaged a yield of nearly 480 metric tons annually from the 1880s to the middle of the Twentieth Century. The population collapsed, however, due to water quality declines, sedimentation of off-shore reef spawning habitat, the construction of dams that impeded spawning migrations, and the effects of invasive species. The population endured declining conditions for some decades but finally succumbed in the mid-1940s after successive year class failures. The commercial fishery was formally closed in 1970. The basis for recovery began with the passage of clean water legislation in the early 1970s. A fingerling stocking program was established by the early 1980s and a recreational fishery emerged soon after. A recovery plan was developed by the Michigan DNR in the 1990s and called for creating a predation barrier to the invasive Alewife which by then had been implicated as a major impediment to reproductive success of Percids. The strategy was to increase stocking to more than 2 million spring fingerlings per year. Other strategies called for improvements to spawning habitat including the restoration of off-shore reefs and dam removal. A profound food web shift unexpectedly took place in 2003 which resulted in the sudden collapse of the lake wide Alewife population. Released from this deleterious impediment, reproductive success of Walleye in Saginaw Bay exploded. Stocking was discontinued in 2006. Recreational harvest rate increased 555% and harvest by 311% since 2005 compared to pre-recovery averages. The Walleye population continues to expand and today is believed to number more than 12 million age-2 and older. The rapid recovery of Walleye in Saginaw Bay illustrates the remarkable resiliency of the species. When obstacles to reproduction are removed, the species can respond quicky.
Speakers
avatar for David Fielder

David Fielder

Fisheries Research Biologist, Michigan DNR
Great Lakes, Walleye, Stock Assessment, Cisco
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-15: Assessing the effects of experimental flow releases on Shovelnose Sturgeon spawning in the Des Moines River, Iowa
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: McKensie Vaske, Iowa State University; Ryan Hupfeld, Iowa DNR; Gene Jones, Iowa DNR; Rebecca Krogman, Iowa DNR; Daniel Paulson, Iowa State University; Michael Weber, Iowa State University; Michael Moore, U.S. Geological Survey

ABSTRACT: Environmental flows in large rivers are crucial for maintaining ecosystem health, supporting biodiversity, and ensuring the sustainability of water resources for human, wildlife, and fish populations. Low and rapidly fluctuating river levels due to drought and dam operations downstream of impoundments may adversely affect the reproduction of native fishes by disrupting migratory cues and the transport of larvae to downstream nursery habitats. The United States Army Corps of Engineers and The Nature Conservancy developed the Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP) to implement science-based management of 45 river ecosystems across the nation. At the Des Moines River SRP site in Iowa, partners hypothesized that implementing experimental spring flow pulses at Red Rock Dam could promote native fish reproduction, including Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) in low-flow years. However, it remains unclear whether these actions have been effective. Therefore, from 2021-2023 we conducted larval drift sampling to examine relationships between flow pulses, water temperatures, and reproductive timing of Shovelnose Sturgeon, a long-lived periodic spawning species found throughout the Mississippi River basin. We sampled four sites from April through June spanning ~84 river kilometers in ~15-20°C water temperatures 1-2 times each week. We collected 4 eggs/larvae in 2021, 17 in 2022, and 20 in 2023. There was a positive relationship with discharge and the number of Shovelnose Sturgeon eggs/larvae collected during 2021-2023. We conducted larval drift sampling again in 2024 in additional rivers to compare flow-reproduction relationships between the regulated Des Moines and Iowa rivers with the less-regulated Cedar River. These data may allow dam managers to adjust the timing and magnitude of flow pulses to benefit native fish reproduction without also promoting the reproduction of later spawning invasive carps.
Speakers
MV

McKensie Vaske

Graduate Research Assistant, Iowa State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-16: Factors driving long-term changes in duck harvest distributions in the Central and Mississippi Flyways
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Bram H. F. Verheijen, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri; Elisabeth B. Webb, U.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri; Michael G. Brasher, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Heath M. Hagy, Habitat and Population Evaluation Team, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


ABSTRACT: Geographical distributions of migrating and wintering ducks are likely influenced by climate, habitat availability, and land use. Shifts in wetland availability related to changes in climate, land use, and other factors could lead to temporal mismatches in habitat provision and harvest management decisions if informed by historical duck distributions. Earlier research reported that centroids of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) band recovery distributions moved north by >550 km in December and January for some subpopulations between 1960–2019. To identify potential causal mechanisms underlying these changes, we used band recovery data from 1984–2019 and tested relative effects of several weather and land use variables on changes in mallard band recovery distributions over time. Preliminary results for January recoveries show that weather variables have greater effects than land use variables on average band recovery distributions and long-term changes therein. Relative density of band recoveries per hunting day increased with precipitation, cropland cover, and wetland cover, decreased with number of frost days, snow depth, and urban land cover, with the greatest band recovery densities observed at intermediate values of minimum temperatures. When explaining long-term changes in band recovery distributions, we found that areas into which recoveries expanded in the 2010s experienced greater increases in temperature (0.8 vs. 1.1°C) and cropland cover (0.1 vs. 1.0%) than areas abandoned since the 1980s, whereas changes in other covariates were minimal. Distributional changes could alter the timing of local habitat management decisions and possibly reduce hunting and recreational opportunities in southern states. Climate, land use, and changes in breeding populations likely all influence autumn and winter distributions of ducks. Understanding temporal, interspecific, and intraspecific variation in waterfowl distributions and its drivers will help inform future conservation and management at broad geographic scales.
Speakers
BV

Bram Verheijen

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-17: Attracting New Adult Hunters with Tested Messages and Ideal Media (Formal Project Title: New Hunter Ads for Target Audience)
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Matt Harlow, DJ Case & Associates; Holly Mauslein, DJ Case & Associates; Hiro Hayashi, DJ Case & Associates; Matt Dunfee, Wildlife Management Institute; Rob Southwick, Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: The R3 community has invested heavily in reversing the downward trend in hunting participation by expanding its understanding of prospective hunters. A critical part of this expansion has been understanding and engaging so-called “adult-onset hunters”—people who did not grow up in hunting families but whose interest in the activity is rooted in complex values.
This presentation is an amalgam of three Multi State Conservation Grant projects that used qualitative & quantitative research and monitored media placement to build an understanding of the messages that motivate potential new hunters to consider the activity and the media channels that successfully reach them.
The MSCG’s include:
•YouTube to Attract Hunters
•LearnHunting.org Pilot Marketing
•New Hunter Ads for Target Audience
The research team on these projects included the Wildlife Management Institute, International Hunter Education Association, DJ Case & Associates, and Southwick Associates.
These projects resulted in a large collection of high-performing, publicly available ads and media strategies that are being shared with the R3 Community in the New Hunter Ad Toolkit. This toolkit is in development and will be available to access from the R3 Clearinghouse.
This presentation provides attendees with information about the New Hunter Ad Toolkit, the ideal media mix, and the recommended combinations of the ads featured in this project.
Speakers
HH

Hiroto Hayashi

Engagement Strategist/Project Manager, DJ Case & Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-18: Overview of DEIJA and Indigenous relations in AFS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jory Jonas, Co-chair FishCAST AFS Standing Committee;
Nivette Perez-Perez, Co-chair FishCAST AFS Standing Committee;
Greyson Wolf, Co-chair Committee FishCAST AFS Standing Committee

ABSTRACT: The AFS FishCAST Standing Committee was recently renamed from the Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee. A primary objective of the FishCAST Standing Committee is to provide oversight for AFS efforts to increase and maintain diversity in membership and the fisheries profession, and to assure that all AFS activities and programs are fully inclusive. Committee efforts are aimed toward improving communications and leveraging resources within the society to best understand and address systemic barriers to member participation. The committee serves as a centralized organizational network which facilitates effective communication among related committees and teams. Successful efforts will enhance communications among interest groups, establish platforms for connection, and streamline redundant processes. By creating an environment where members can learn from each other and adapt to increasingly complex landscapes, the goal is to improve satisfaction, recruitment, and retention for a broader range of current and future members. We look forward to sharing and having discussions regarding initiatives occurring withing the AFS FishCAST.
Speakers
avatar for Jory Jonas

Jory Jonas

Fisheries Research Biologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:00am CST

S-19: Missouri Habitat Strike Teams: Partnering for Collaborative Landscape Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Megan Buchanan, The Nature Conservancy; Nate Muenks, Missouri Department of Conservation; Andrew White, Quail Forever Pheasants Forever; Ryan Gauger, The Nature Conservancy; Keith Summerville, Drake University

ABSTRACT: Landscape conservation requires us to work collaboratively, across property boundaries and throughout generations. The remnant prairies, working ranches, forests, woodlands, and numerous other habitats that stitch together Missouri’s unique landscapes are facing increasingly complex threats, and the long-term health and resilience of these landscapes depends on a long-term collective commitment from all of us. But collectively, we simply aren’t managing enough habitat acreage annually to keep up with succession, invasive species, and the life history needs of Missouri’s full suite of biodiversity. We have a critical need for more habitat and invasive species management. Missouri’s habitat strike teams were developed to bridge this gap, working collaboratively at the landscape scale.

The habitat strike teams are strategically positioned in Missouri Priority Geographies and Conservation Opportunity Areas: key landscapes that hold high potential for conserving our state’s diverse habitats and the plants and animals that depend on them. Within these landscapes, the mobile strike teams work across public and private land, providing basic habitat management such as prescribed fire, invasive species control, and forest stand improvements. These teams are integrated within the landscapes they serve, working alongside local conservation partners and developing relationships with private landowners. For public land management agencies, the strike teams add critical boots-on-the-ground habitat management capacity, especially important for maximizing acres managed during narrow treatment windows. Because the strike teams provide private landowners with initial habitat management services free-of-charge, they reduce the upfront cost barrier and better position landowners for continued conservation management through existing means, such as government cost-share programs. The habitat strike teams are also helping develop the future conservation workforce, providing college students with summer internships through partnerships with local Universities.

In this talk, you’ll hear the story of the Missouri habitat strike teams and partnering around a shared vision for collaborative landscape conservation.
Speakers
MB

Megan Buchanan

Director of Resilient Lands, The Nature Conservancy in Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Alternative Data Sources Predict (Dis)similar Connectivity Networks Among Minnesota Lakes
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Aaron Muehler, Ball State University; Amy Kinsley, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Nicholas Phelps, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Paul Venturelli, Ball State University



ABSTRACT: Recreational anglers and boaters can be a major vector of the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), but movement patterns are oftentimes poorly understood due to the difficulties of collecting data. Currently, Minnesota collects movement data through statewide watercraft inspection stations. In the past these data have been leveraged to predict movement patterns of anglers and boaters. As such, these data are the current gold standard, but there may be another option. A potentially innovative and economical solution is to obtain movement data from smartphone applications (apps) in the form of angler recorded catch times and locations. Aggregate forms of these data can then be used to describe and predict the relative popularity of lakes, and the flow of traffic among them. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the ways that big data can improve predictors of pathways of AIS spread. To that end, we employed predictive modeling previously used to build a movement network with watercraft inspection data and applied it to data from a popular fishing app, Fishbrain. We found that these two networks were comparable and displayed a high level of connectivity among Minnesota waterbodies, potentially furthering the spread of AIS. Although similar, differences present likely stemmed from biases in which group of anglers were surveyed within each collection method. Simply, watercraft inspections only targeted watercraft users, while Fishbrain provided data for both shore and private access anglers, along with boaters. These insights are essential to the design and optimization of prevention, detection, and monitoring efforts for Minnesota and may allow for enhanced resource allocation. These results also provide insight into how this approach can be expanded to inform larger efforts (e.g., the Great Lakes Region, contiguous U.S.), and set the stage for future work.
Speakers
AM

Aaron Muehler

Graduate Student, Ball State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Intraspecific variation in stable isotopes provides insight into adfluvial migrations and ecology of brook trout in Lake Superior tributaries
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Brandon Gerig1, School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204. Email: gerig@uwm.edu

Troy G. Zorn Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, Marquette Fisheries Research Station, 484 Cherry Creek Road, Marquette, MI 49855, USA. Email: zornt@michigan.gov

Kevin Pangle, Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, 1455 Calumet Court, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA. Email: pangl1k@cmich.edu

Nick Peterson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Lake Superior Area Fisheries, 5351 North Shore Drive, Duluth, MN 55804. Email: nick.peterson@state.mn.us

Henry Quinlan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, 2800 Lake Shore Drive East, Ashland, WI 54806, USA. Email: henry_quinlan@fws.gov

1Presenting author


ABSTRACT:  Abstract
Identifying streams that host scarce migratory salmonid life histories, such as coaster brook trout, is challenging due to the lack of inexpensive, non-lethal techniques for confirming Great Lake to stream migrations from observations of fish from a single sampling event. We examined prior foraging (and inferred residency) of brook trout using stable isotope analysis of fin clip tissue from 589 fish captured in Lake Superior or tributaries with vs. without access to Lake Superior. We observed strong isotopic separation in δ13C brook trout between Lake Superior and Lake-inaccessible reaches and developed a linear discriminant function (LDF) which assigned fish to these environments with over 97% accuracy. LDF and Bayesian stable isotope mixing models used to estimate stream and lake energy sourcing by brook trout collected from Lake-accessible reaches identified stream of origin and brook trout length as significant covariates influencing energy sourcing. Brook trout caught in Lake-accessible reaches had isotope signatures and sizes that were intermediate to fish from Lake-inaccessible reaches and Lake Superior, potentially indicative of Lake Superior to stream migrations or possibly an energy subsidy from adfluvial migrants in streams. The LDF was used to estimate the probability that recently grown fin tissue from brook trout collected in Lake-accessible reaches resulted from foraging in Lake Superior, with data on fish length and probability of Lake Superior assignment (Pr) used to identify tributaries with “likely” coaster brook trout. However, further research is needed to distinguish between Lake Superior-based foraging and subsidy effects from adfluvial fishes.
Speakers
BG

Brandon Gerig

Assistant ProfessornSchool of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-07: Effectiveness of an invasive carp underwater acoustic deterrent system at Mississippi River Lock 19
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Janice L. Albers, Jessica C. Stanton, Andrea K. Fritts, U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; Nicholas Swyers, Matthew D. Sholtis, U.S. Geological Survey Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory; Jon Vallazza, Dan Gibson-Reinemer, U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; Theodore R. Castro-Santos, U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center; Christa M. Woodley, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center; Marybeth K. Brey, U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

ABSTRACT: Invasive bigheaded carps, with their unique hearing specialization, exhibit behavioral responses to underwater acoustic signals. This intriguing behavior has prompted further research into whether these signals could be used to deter invasive carps from moving into sensitive areas or further upstream. Preventing or slowing movements of invasive carps around movement bottlenecks, such as navigation locks and dams, can minimize propagule pressure in upstream locations and provide additional time and opportunity for removal or other management actions while also minimizing impact on native species. Testing of underwater acoustic signals at large, management-relevant scales is a necessary step in determining the feasibility of this tool for long-term management of invasive carps. We evaluated an underwater acoustic deterrent system (uADS) installed in the downstream approach of the navigation lock at Lock and Dam 19 on the Mississippi River near Keokuk, Iowa. We analyzed the movement behaviors of invasive carp (bighead, silver, and grass carp) and various native species, implanted with acoustic transmitters, in relation to the uADS operation status and environmental covariates. Using multiple analytical approaches, we assessed the impact of the uADS on upstream lock passage; the rate that fish enter and exit various zones in the lock approach; and movement behavior around the deterrent. Results from this study will inform managers about the effectiveness of a uADS at preventing upstream lock passage by invasives relative to native fish species, movement behavior of fish as they interact with the deterrent and lock structure, and logistics and maintenance of uADS installations.
Speakers
JA

Janice Albers

Fish Biologist, USGS UMESC
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-08: Status of the Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) in Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jeffrey T. Briggler, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Crawfish Frogs are a grassland-dependent species that historically occurred throughout former native prairie habitats in northcentral and southwestern Missouri. This decline of this species of conservation concern has been primarily linked to the destruction of upland grasslands where individuals spend most of the year inhabiting crayfish burrows, and the draining of seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands where they breed during late winter and early spring. Overview of their status, distribution, and threats in Missouri will be discussed. In addition, conservation efforts, such as population surveys, land acquisitions and conversions, wetland constructions, and reintroductions will be highlighted. With increased efforts to establish a collaborative network to focus on the recovery of this at-risk grassland species, the snoring call of the Crawfish Frog will continue to be heard for future generations.
Speakers
JB

Jeff Briggler

State Herpetologist, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-11: Influence of Environmental Characteristics on Procambarus clarkii Burrowing in Southeast Michigan Golf Course Waterbodies
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Colin Assenmacher, Michigan State University; William Ota, Michigan State University; Kathleen Quebedeaux, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division; Brian Roth, Michigan State University

ABSTRACT: Procambarus clarkii are the world’s most widespread invasive crayfish species established in Michigan since 2017. P.clarkii is of high concern due to their extensive burrowing behavior, which can damage human infrastructure through bank erosion and decreased bank stability. Our research aimed to investigate how soil and environmental characteristics of pond banks relate to P.clarkii burrow density. We measured key soil characteristics and potentially influential environmental variables from July to August of 2024 at 74 sites invaded by P.clarkii in Southeast Michigan to quantify which physical properties influence variations in burrow density within a waterbody and across multiple waterbodies. These sites were spread across 13 invaded waterbodies at three golf courses with varying burrow densities. Calculated burrow density was based on surveys conducted during the 2023 and 2024 field seasons and ranged from 0 to 8.42 burrows per square meter across sample sites and targeted waterbodies. We collected soil cores at each site to determine particle size, percent organic matter, penetration resistance, bulk density, and profile soil horizons. Bank slope, percent vegetation cover, and canopy cover were measured at each coring location. Preliminary analysis indicates regions of low burrow density are associated with steeper pond banks, particularly in the first 50 cm from the waterline. Mean vegetation cover ranged from 80 to 84% across burrow density classes and 35 to 99% over all sites. Penetration resistance was highest in areas of no burrow activity. We found less variation in soil bulk density and percent canopy cover in areas with high burrow density. This indicates that P.clarkii has preferred soil and environmental characteristics when burrowing. These findings help to identify the physical characteristics of high burrowing areas, which will be used to assist in the development of preventative management strategies against P.clarkii establishment and burrowing.
Speakers
CA

Colin Assenmacher

Graduate Student, Michigan State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-13: Incorporating Long-term Fisheries Data to Understand Fish Recruitment in a Dynamic Ecosystem
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Andrew Foley, The Ohio State University; Jim Hood, The Ohio State University; Lindsey Bruckerhoff, The Ohio State University; Stuart Ludsin, The Ohio State University

ABSTRACT: Lake Erie fisheries are a unique case study of conservation interest as many surrounding agencies are focused on understanding their population dynamics. Within the lake, sportfish populations vary in response to human-driven environmental change, including climate change, altered nutrient inputs, and invasive species. Understanding how these ecosystem changes impact fish during susceptible life stages is vital to maintaining healthy fish stocks. While the exact mechanisms interacting with these fisheries have generally remained elusive, processes operating during early life stages (e.g., egg, larval, and juvenile) are thought to be the primary driver of variability in recruitment to Lake Erie’s recreational and commercial fisheries. One population that has declined during the past decade for unknown reasons is central Lake Erie Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), with no strong year-classes occurring since 2012. We hypothesized failed recruitment to the age-0 juvenile stage, is primarily due to recent increases in top predators, including invasive White Perch (Morone americana) and native Walleye (Sander vitreus), with zooplankton (prey) limitation during spring being of secondary importance. Fortunately, a wealth of long-term data exists from 2000-2023 on many biotic and abiotic mechanisms known to impact fish recruitment. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed data from multiple management agencies across a long time series and broad spatial scale to better understand fish recruitment during this time of management need. Using Generalized Additive Models, we tested the effects of zooplankton (prey) availability, temperature, predation pressure, river discharge, and hypoxia on Yellow Perch recruitment. Herein, we report findings from our modeling, which indicate recruitment and the processes driving it have varied through time as well as spatially across the central basin. We discuss the value of our research as a case study for understanding the long-term impacts of human-driven environmental change on recruitment using historical datasets and their application to fisheries management.
Speakers
AF

Andrew Foley

Graduate Research Assistant, The Ohio State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-14: Managing Sustainable Walleye Harvest on Lake Erie
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Travis Hartman, Ohio DNR-Division of Wildlife

ABSTRACT: Lake Erie’s walleye population has a long history of resiliency while providing sustainable harvest for sport and commercial fisheries. Walleye have endured system-wide habitat alterations, impactful contaminants, invasive species, and greatly improved fisheries efficiency over the past 125 years. Management agencies acknowledged the need for lake-wide collaboration and began quota management in the 1970s through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s facilitation of the Lake Erie Committee. During 50 years of quota management the process has evolved to include a published management plan that was informed by stakeholder input and utilizes long-term datasets to annually run a population model that is paired with harvest control rules which allows the Lake Erie Committee to deliberate and set safe harvest levels. As one of the five Lake Erie Committee agencies Ohio provides technical representation on the Walleye Task Group, provides both fishery data and fishery-independent survey data for the modeling process, and sets fisheries regulations that are responsive to annual safe harvest levels. Lake Erie has been widely recognized as the “Walleye Capital of the World” and Ohio’s sport fishery has harvested from 2.0 to 2.6 million walleye annually since 2019. While management challenges and environmental variability have been a constant even during the recent increases in walleye abundance, the long-term outlook for Lake Erie walleye is exceptional.
Speakers
TH

Travis Hartman

Lake Erie Fisheries Program Administrator, Ohio DNR-Division of Wildlife
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
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9:20am CST

S-15: Shovelnose Sturgeon Summer Habitat Selection on the Des Moines River, Iowa
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Daniel Paulson, Iowa State University; McKensie Vaske, Iowa State University; Michael Moore, U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Michael Weber, Iowa State University

ABSTRACT: Alterations to natural flow regimes from hydroelectric dams, channelization, and land-use practices degrade riverine habitats for native lotic fish. For instance, over the course of multiple summers, including 2024, more than 10,000 Shovelnose Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus have died on the Des Moines River, IA predicted to be from river alterations creating suboptimal habitat conditions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Sustainable Rivers Program has expressed interest in restoring environmental flows and providing heat relief pulses which could improve available habitat for native lotic species. Since Shovelnose Sturgeon habitat requirements have not been studied on the Des Moines River, our objective is to quantify their habitat use and selection to determine the environmental conditions that contribute to survival during the summer months. From 2022-2024, we acoustically tagged 69 Shovelnose Sturgeon and actively tracked them 2-3 times a week from June-September 2024 (31 total events). At each fish location, we measured macrohabitat (main-channel, main-channel border, side-channel, pool, backwater, or tailwater) and microhabitat characteristics (water temperature, surface water velocity, substrate, and depth). We identified 84 Shovelnose Sturgeon locations (23 individuals; mean detections per fish = 4). These sturgeon occupied water velocities ranging from 0.23 m/s to 1.56 m/s (mean = 0.87 m/s) and water depths between 0.6 m to 3.7 m (mean = 2.01 m). Sand was the most occupied substrate (50% observations) with gravel and cobble evenly split (25% observations). We will repeat this work during 2025 to gain a better understanding of habitat use and selection on this altered river. This research could help guide management efforts on regulated rivers to promote better resiliency for downstream biota by giving insight onto what conditions are critical for Shovelnose Sturgeon during this stressful period.
Speakers
DP

Daniel Paulson

Graduate Research Assistant, Iowa State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-16: Predicted Migratory Landbird Response to Climate Change in Texas and Louisiana
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., U.S. Geological Survey; Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Cherokee Nation System Solutions; Lori A. Randall, U.S. Geological Survey; Amanda Y. Crandall, Cherokee Nation System Solutions; R. Randy Wilson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jeffrey J. Buler, University of Delaware

ABSTRACT: Texas and Louisiana comprise a large and diverse landscape that supports billions of landbirds each migration season as they stopover to rest and refuel. The stopover habitats used by migrants are often in areas experiencing human population growth and are impacted by natural disturbances and climate change. Over the next several decades, climate change impacts (e.g., sea-level rise, extreme weather events, changes in temperature and precipitation) are expected to intensify, which may lead to habitat loss and, subsequently, loss of birds. Consequently, natural resource managers need information on how climate change indicators, such as sea-level rise and land cover change, influence stopover distributions in order to identify areas of conservation priority. We investigated predicted landbird response to climate change using historical weather surveillance radar (WSR) data and historical as well as predicted environmental variables. Our predictor variables included distance from the Gulf of Mexico and future estimates of temperature, precipitation, and several land cover variables. We used forecasted predictor variables for three future years (2030, 2060, and 2080) under two representative concentration pathways (RCP; 4.5 and 8.5). Using training data sampled from 15 WSRs across Texas and Louisiana from 13 years, we predicted estimated bird density using boosted regression tree models during spring and autumn migration for our response variable. For autumn, regardless of RCP and year, the highest estimated density of migrants was in the western Texas panhandle and the lowest density was within the Lower Rio Grande Valley. During spring migration, regardless of RCP and year, the highest densities of migrants are predicted to be in the Trans-Pecos Mountains and within the Lower Rio Grande Valley, whereas the lowest densities appear to be in the Texas panhandle as well as extreme eastern Louisiana and western extents of Texas.
Speakers
TZ

Theodore Zenzal

Research Ecologist, USGS
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-17: Harnessing the Growth in 35–44-Year-Old Participation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Lou Cornicelli, Ph.D., Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: According to the Multistate Grant-funded license sales dashboard, license sales only achieved a net 1% increase from 2016 through 2021. For nearly all age groups, license sales fell. Sales to 18-24- and 25–34-year-olds fell 4% and 3% respectively, while 45-54-year-olds purchased 5% fewer licenses. The real surprise is 35-44-year-olds, whose license purchases grew 9%. This growth is organic as very few R3 efforts are systematically targeting the 35-44-year-old age group. Why are sales growing among this Gen Y/Millennial age group? Is this growth related to factors faced by 35-44-year-olds today or were they exposed to the outdoors in their youth and now finally have the opportunity to go on their own? Can any reasons driving this growth be harnessed by R3 professionals to further expand participation? This project connected with license buyers using qualitative and quantitative methods to identify reasons for this spike. Investigators developed recommendations for actions and strategies R3 professionals can implement to fuel further growth within this demographic.
Speakers
LP

Lisa Parks

Project Manager, Southwick Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-18: A History of STEM and DEIA: Challenges, Trailblazers, and What the Future Holds
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Gweniviere Oubre, Wilmington Substation, Carterville FWCO, USFWS, gweniviere_oubre@fws.gov

ABSTRACT: In recent years, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field has made significant strides toward embracing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) principles. However, many marginalized communities within STEM still face systemic barriers that hinder their full participation and success. Although some research has explored these challenges, there is a notable gap in the recollection of historical figures and accounts from historically excluded communities. Incorporating historical perspectives is essential to understanding the context of current DEIA efforts in STEM. By critically examining the past, we can gain valuable insights into the roots of these barriers and develop more effective strategies for creating an inclusive and equitable future.
Speakers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:20am CST

S-19: Collaborative Conservation for the Next Generation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Rachael Carlberg, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Claire Beck, Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies; Kate Parsons, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Lorisa Smith, Missouri Department of Conservation; Alexander Wright, US Fish & Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: This symposium will conclude with a panel discussion offering diverse backgrounds and perspectives on working in collaborative landscape conservation. Panelists will share their professional journeys and what led them to engage in collaborative work. The panelists will discuss how conservation practitioners across different roles and organizations can advance landscape conservation in the Midwest. They will be asked their vision for shaping the future landscape of the Midwest, including what they foresee as the toughest challenges. The panel will also discuss skillsets needed to successfully engage in collaborative landscape conservation and how early-career professionals can advance this work in their careers. Everyone is invited to join the conversation, especially students to focus on the future of collaborative work. We encourage the audience to ask questions and share their perspectives. We invite all backgrounds to join this conversation, from directors to management biologists to students to field technicians to policy analysts and everyone among and between. The work in our region is enhanced by the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives shared.
Speakers
RC

Rachael Carlberg

Spatial Ecologist, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:20am - 9:40am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Tracking the Spread of Invasive Mollusks in the Illinois River Watershed
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Nicholas Iacaruso, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey; Joel Corush, Illinois Natural History Survey; Mark Davis,University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey

ABSTRACT: Aquatic invasive mollusks (gastropods and bivalves) are among the most ecologically and economically impactful groups of non-native species to the Midwest United States. They can achieve hyper-abundance in freshwater ecosystems, negatively impacting native mollusk biodiversity, damaging infrastructure, altering ecosystem characteristics, and facilitating other invaders. Early detection of new populations before they become hyper-abundant can be an effective strategy for mitigating their worst impacts. However, their small size and cryptic life history often make new invasions difficult to identify. Here, we deploy environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to detect aquatic invasive mollusks across the Illinois River waterway, an aquatic highway connecting the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. We focused on six focal species with varying levels of establishment and distribution throughout the Illinois River. We sampled the Illinois River and 24 tributaries over two years to estimate the relative distribution of each invasive mollusk. We also performed eDNA metabarcoding to detect the native mollusk and fish communities in each tributary. We intend to find correlations between the presence of the invasive mollusks and the physical habitat measurements, land-use metrics, or native mollusks and fishes that may inform the current heterogeneous distribution of aquatic invasive mollusks. Our study will also serve as a model for studying the fine-scale spatial distribution of aquatic mollusk eDNA and aid in understanding why some tributaries are more heavily invaded than others.
Speakers
NI

Nicho Iacaruso

Graduate Research Assistant, Illinois Natural History Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Using Eye Lenses to Identify Rearing Origin of Large, Fingerling Walleye
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Justin Sturtz, South Dakota State University; Benjamin J. Schall, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Matthew J. Ward, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Cody E. Treft, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Christopher Cheek, South Dakota State University

ABSTRACT: Determining the natal origins of fish can provide critical information for fisheries management and conservation efforts. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are advanced, fish-rearing setups that filter and recycle water within the system, significantly reducing the need for fresh water and allowing for high-density rearing of fish under efficient growth conditions. In contrast, traditional fish stocking often involves rearing fish in raceways or outdoor ponds. Differences in forage between RAS (pellet-fed) and pond (natural forage) reared fish may result in unique isotopic signatures in the fish tissue. Historically archived isotope signatures in fish eye lenses may be useful in differentiating rearing sources, providing an additional tool for delineating stock contribution. This study investigates the feasibility of using isotopic composition of fish eye lenses to discern the known rearing environment (RAS vs. pond vs. wild) of fall, advanced fingerling age-0 Walleye (Sander vitreus). We collected 10 RAS-reared, pellet-fed walleye from Cleghorn fish hatchery in Rapid City SD (mean = 159mm), 10 pond-reared natural source-fed walleye from Blue Dog hatchery in Waubay SD (mean = 179mm), and 10 wild- caught walleye from Clear Lake in Sioux Falls SD (mean = 170mm). Eye lens layers were delaminated to remove ~300 µm for each layer, resulting in 3 to 4 layers per fish including the core. Eye lens layers were sent for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis, and whole eye lenses from the second eye were sent for δ13C, δ15N, and sulfur (δ34S) analysis. Preliminary δ13C and δ15N results illustrated unique signatures among stocking sources, high signature precision for the pellet-fed RAS fish, and shifting signatures with known changes in diet for pond-reared fish. The results of this study could be used by managers who are focusing on identifying the stock contribution of RAS and pond-reared fishes.
Speakers
BS

BJ Schall

Fisheries Biologist, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-07: Deterring Upstream Movement of Invasive Carp in the Kansas River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Liam Odell, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; Chris Steffen, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

ABSTRACT: Introduced invasive carp have become established throughout the Missouri River basin. The feeding habits, population densities, and interactions with river users cause significant ecological damage as well as lower the desires to use bodies of water with established invasive carp populations. The Kansas River is a major tributary of the Missouri River and is one of three publicly accessible and navigable waterways in the state of Kansas. Upstream from the Kansas River are several large reservoirs that are highly utilized for outdoor recreation such as fishing, boating, nature watching, etc. The Bowersock Dam serves as a critical control point for the management of invasive carp in the Kansas River system. Only six bighead carp have been documented upstream of this structure. These six bigheads were previously assumed to have passed over the Bowersock Dam during an extreme flood event in 1993 (120,000 cfs). A recently completed study has raised concerns that invasive carp can pass over the Bowersock Dam at much lower flows (25,000 cfs). Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will integrate a physical deterrent at the Bowersock Dam to prevent invasive carp from moving over the dam and making their way upstream into reservoirs and the rest of the Kansas River.
Speakers
LO

Liam Odell

Invasive Carp Biologist, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-08:A Brief History and Status Update of the Northern Crawfish Frog in Iowa
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Paul W. Frese, Iowa Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: The Northern Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus, has not been documented in Iowa since 1942 and is classified as endangered in the state. In the last three decades, concerted efforts by multiple researchers have failed to find any sign of the crawfish frog in Iowa and they are almost certainly extirpated. Crawfish frogs have experienced declines throughout their range due to habitat loss or degradation and there is no evidence that crawfish frogs were extirpated from Iowa due to factors other than habitat destruction. Recent research has provided vital information on the natural history and ecology of crawfish frogs as well as habitat suitability assessments of potential release sites giving us tools and knowledge to improve the success rate of a species restoration project. I will review the known historical record of crawfish frogs in Iowa and give an update of the status of potential repatriation efforts in the state.
Speakers
PF

Paul Frese

Research Technician, State of Iowa, DNR
herpetologycrayfishodonatessmall mammalsfishesprairieshuntingfishing
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-13: Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project: Adapting to change
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Shelby Timm, MO Department of Conservation; Brad Graham, MO Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) was initiated in 1989 by the Missouri Department of Conservation and was designed to continue for over 100 years. MOFEP experimentally investigates the landscape-scale impacts of uneven-aged and even-aged forest management practices on a range of ecosystem components. MOFEP was designed to be adaptive so that lessons learned can be applied throughout the life of the project. Over 30 research projects have been initiated on MOFEP in collaboration with numerous partners. Of those projects, five are considered “core” projects that are repeated periodically to monitor changes throughout the life of MOFEP. Due to the extensive temporal and spatial scales, MOFEP has faced a range of challenges over the first 35 years. Some of those challenges include maintaining data throughout the evolution of technology and software advances, maintaining clean datasets across sampling intervals and researchers, and maintaining relevance in the face of new conservation challenges and priorities. Despite these various challenges, MOFEP continues to adapt and inform forest management actions throughout the Central Hardwood Region. As technology advances, so does the range of opportunities to use these long-term data to investigate new questions and contribute to new priorities. Currently, MOFEP data are being used to develop multiple new planning tools and forest models that will contribute to Missouri’s tiered approach to natural community and habitat management.
Speakers
ST

Shelby Timm

Habitat Management Coordinator, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-14: Using angler derived data to assess walleye fisheries and resilience
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jeff Kopaska, American Fisheries Society

ABSTRACT: Each year, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invests significant resources to support its walleye fishery. Determining the success of stocking activities is imperative, but collection of broodstock for hatchery production dominates the appropriate timeframe for sampling and population monitoring, thus only a handful of the stocked waterbodies are ever surveyed. Creel surveys are conducted at a limited number of fisheries. From 2022 to 2024, Iowa DNR partnered with MyCatch, an app-based tournament platform, to conduct a state wide catch-photo-release fishing tournament to determine if angler reported data could provide a reasonable overview of walleye catch rates and length distributions for waterbodies across the state. Sampling survey data were used as a benchmark to evaluate similarity to angler derived data, and initial comparisons were promising but limited. Results from 2022-2024 will be addressed. Scientifically, if angler reported catches are consistent with the standardize sampling and/or creel surveys, it could provide a new, cost-effective way to develop a state-wide assessment of the walleye populations. Identifying locations where stocking success/failure occur, and resilient populations persist, will allow more effective allocations of limited hatchery resources.
Speakers
JK

Jeff Kopaska

Executive Director, American Fisheries Society
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-15: Movement of Pectoral Sandpipers from an Iowa stopover site
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Victoria Fasbender, Iowa State University; Stephen Dinsmore, Iowa State University

ABSTRACT: Migratory birds rely on stopover sites as a place to rest and refuel before continuing their migration. One site, Lake Red Rock in central Iowa, has implemented a water drawdown by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to benefit migrating waterbirds as part of the Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP). Our objectives are to document space use and movement patterns and estimate residency time of fall migrating Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) in relation to the drawdown timing. We fitted Pectoral Sandpipers with GPS satellite tags to gather local and global movement information in 2023 and 2024. Of the 25 birds tagged in 2023, seven stayed at Lake Red Rock during their battery life duration, seven made landfall in either Colombia, Venezuela, or the Dominican Republic, and eleven had their battery die while making a long movement south. Pectoral Sandpipers at Lake Red Rock had an average home range of 10.5 km2 (SD = 11.7) and a mean minimum stopover duration of 8.4 days (SD = 3.4). The average distance traveled at Lake Red Rock per day was 3.4 km (SD = 2.0). The average flight speed of departed birds (n = 18) was 47 km per hour (SD = 5.9). Those that left and made landfall (n = 7) flew an average of 4,788 km (SD = 607) with an average nonstop flight time of 98 hours (SD = 17). Our work showed that sandpipers closely tracked the shallow water/mud interface during their stopover and that their refueling efforts were sufficient to fuel a non-stop flight to northern South America. This work highlights the benefits the SRP can have for migrating waterbirds and encourages similar management at other dammed lakes.
Speakers
VF

Victoria Fasbender

Graduate Research Assistant, Iowa State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-16: Navigating Change: Creating Resilient Urban Landscapes for Migratory Birds
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Abigail Derby Lewis, Field Museum; Doug Stotz, Field Museum

ABSTRACT: We will discuss impacts of climate change on migratory birds in urban landscapes, and share examples of actions that can be taken to help birds not only survive, but also thrive, in cities. Rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns and extreme climatic events impact migratory birds in a multitude of ways, including the ability for individuals to find food, shelter, and nesting sites. Additionally, many of the bird species in the habitat groups most vulnerable to climate change are frequent as passage migrants or breed in urban areas. As a result, migratory birds now face the challenges that have arisen due to urbanization– including heat island effects, green spaces dominated by non-native vegetation, small habitat patches, phenological shifts, greater exposure to extreme climatic events, light pollution and building collisions– in an environment compounded by climate change. As daunting as these challenges may be, there are coalitions of committed and highly engaged people across U.S. cities tackling these issues head on. Increasingly, there is a focus to identify opportunities where alignment can exist between community interests and urban bird conservation goals, allowing engagement with a wider cross-section of urban residents to take up actions that increase both environmental and human health. We will share examples of how seeking out diverse partnerships that center and uplift community needs can lead to greater conservation impact for people and nature.
Speakers
AD

Abigail Derby Lewis

Senior Conservation Ecologist, Field Museum
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-17: WAFWA Hunter Personas and Evolutionary Path
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: Many current R3 and hunter education efforts incorporate the five “stages” or “phases” that describe hunter evolution and their “lifetimes” as participants in the sport. However, these phases are based on a single study published 38 years ago (Jackson et al, 1984) that focused on male Wisconsin duck hunters. Hunting has undergone significant cultural, participatory, and communications shifts since 1984, and today these phases are likely quite different for women and other critical demographics, as well as other types of hunting. Basing today’s R3 efforts on the experiences of localized duck hunters nearly 40 years ago is likely misleading. Led by subject experts, this project examined people’s motivations to hunt and participate in recreational shooting. Statistical consumer segmentation techniques were employed to scientifically separate hunters and recreational shooters into unique personas based on their participation motivations and preferences and to then identify how people’s motivations shift over their lifetime as a hunter and/or target shooter. The results can significantly improve the effectiveness of R3 and marketing efforts within the hunting and recreational communities.
Speakers
LP

Lisa Parks

Project Manager, Southwick Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

9:40am CST

S-18: A Systems Approach to DEI Planning at a State Agency
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jory Jonas, Michigan DNR, jonasj@michigan.gov, 231-350-6429

ABSTRACT: A nine-step process was employed to organize DEIJA responses within a state agency. We used a Systems Approach to understand structures within the agency and crowd sourced creation of Guiding Star and Problem Statements to orient actions. Systems were broken down into five subject matter categories (staff composition and hiring, public perception and partnerships, training and education, employee engagement, and workplace rules, power and hierarchy). Nearstar (shorter term) objectives were established within each subject matter category. Recommendations were shared with each division (forestry, law, marketing, history, wildlife, fisheries, finance, executive) via a recommendations document. Division teams were asked to create strategic plans and report on metrics. The different sections within the agency are in varying levels of implementation but are making progress and generally orienting around shared goals and objectives.
Speakers
avatar for Jory Jonas

Jory Jonas

Fisheries Research Biologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:40am - 10:00am CST
TBA

10:15am CST

Time and Place DeBrief Meeting (For host team representatives from Missouri (2025) and Indiana (2026)
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:15am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:15am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

10:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Assessing Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Abundance Dynamics in Tailwater Habitats Using Side-scan Sonar Techniques
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Adam C. Jones, US Geological Survey; Jesse R. Fischer, US Geological Survey; Josey L. Ridgway, US Geological Survey.

ABSTRACT: There are over 40,000 dams in the Mississippi River Basin, and concentrations of invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) below them are well documented as populations attempt to migrate, reproduce, and establish in upstream ecosystems. Consumer-grade sonar and image analysis techniques provide an efficient and cost-effective approach to evaluate and monitor the density of invasive carp populations in these unique and intensely managed areas of interest. Current automated image analysis tools are reliable and used throughout the Mississippi River Basin to count, measure, and understand the behavior of invasive carp populations in a diversity of habitats. However, these tools are ineffective in quantifying targets within high density groups (i.e., schools), prompting the need for additional image analysis techniques and an improved understanding of the three-dimensional distributions of invasive carp individuals and concentrations. Overall, our objective is to evaluate fine-scale and reach-wide abundance dynamics through time (i.e., day, night, and season) and environmental conditions (i.e., water discharge, velocity, temperature). We conducted repeated sonar surveys using side-scan and down-imaging sonar in the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley tailwaters (Tennessee River and Cumberland River respectively) throughout 2023 and 2024. Four parallel transects were conducted for each 5-km reach downstream of each dam. Surveys began at the dams and moved downstream at ~8 km/h to ensure consistent images. Current data processing involves the manual identification of fish groups (i.e., area) within side-scan sonar images and the use of simultaneously recorded down-imaging sonar images to quantify depth distributions of high-density schools to estimate volumetric abundances of invasive carp. Manual processing will be used to train machine learning models similar to approaches being used to estimate individual fish targets. These results will inform future research objectives to improve survey design as well as management efforts, such as deterrence and removal actions in these critical bottleneck habitats.
Speakers
AJ

Adam Jones

Fish Biologist, United States Geological Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

Fisheries Track: History of Fish Production and Design in North America
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Matt Cochran, HDR Engineering, Inc.

ABSTRACT: The beginning of formal fish culture in North America dates back to the 1800s when some of the first references to hatcheries being used for population mitigation purposes surfaced. While the early efforts were focused on the actual science of fish culture, the need to support culture efforts with facilities specifically designed to aid production soon followed. The design of coolwater, warmwater and coldwater fish production facilities ranges from simple repairs at existing facilities to full scale renovations or brand new state of the art hatcheries that can meet the needs of conservation based fish culture. This talk will outline the history of facilities in North America and highlight design features utilized for sportfish and conservation focused facilities.
Speakers
MC

Matt Cochran

Director of Fisheries, HDR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-07: Assessment of Sampling Gears for Adult Invasive Carp in Mid-Order Rivers in Nebraska
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Brett Anderson, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Jonathan J. Spurgeon, U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

ABSTRACT: Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis (hereafter bigheaded carp) have invaded tributaries to the Missouri River and Platte River in Nebraska. Herding is a method used to increase the capture efficiency and detection probability of adult bigheaded carp by using active and passive sampling gears simultaneously. Nevertheless, more information is needed about how herding can be applied to mid-order rivers and how it compares to more conventional methods such as electrofishing. During June-July 2023, four herding techniques were assessed regarding their ability to elicit directional movement past an enclosure gate. Herding using an underwater speaker and pulsed-DC electrofishing proved effective at directing bigheaded carp into a capture area. From June-August 2024, herding was conducted on three tributaries to the Missouri River and one tributary to the Platte River to assess the effectiveness of gill-net sets at removing fish from a capture area. Herding and standard electrofishing were assessed based on catch rates, labor hours, and crew sizes. The results of this study will provide managers, researchers, and stakeholders knowledge regarding efficient and cost-effective sampling strategies for invasive bigheaded carp that enable assessments of presence and population status as well as provides control options for population reduction and potential removal.
Speakers
BA

Brett Anderson

Graduate Research Assistant, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-08: Status of the Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) in Illinois
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Scott Ballard
Herpetologist
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Crawfish frogs are an Illinois Species of Greatest Conservation Need that historically occurred in roughly the southern one-third of Illinois. Declines can be attributed to the alteration of wetland breeding habitat that affects the water table, hence reducing crayfish occupation and the burrows this species relies on. Overview of the species legal status, distribution, breeding phenology, population status, threats, and conservation efforts will be discussed.
Speakers
SB

Scott Ballard

Herpetologist, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-11: Habitat Associations of Invasive Rusty Crayfish and Native Virile Crayfish in a Shallow, Eutrophic Natural Lake
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Dalton Clayton, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University;

Dr. Michael Moore, USGS Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit;

Dr. Michael Weber, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University;



ABSTRACT: The introduction of aquatic invasive species can have negative ecological impacts on invaded ecosystems. Rusty Crayfish (Faxoninus rusticus), a species native to the Ohio River Basin, has extended its range into 28 US states, 3 Canadian provinces, and Western Europe. Rusty Crayfish can displace native crayfishes through competition, destabilize aquatic food webs, alter habitat through bioturbation and consumption of aquatic vegetation, and predate on fish eggs, presenting management challenges. Managers currently lack information on Rusty Crayfish distribution and habitat selection in shallow lakes and wetlands in the glaciated, agriculturally dominated landscapes found near the southern and western margins of their introduced range. Thus, our objective is to determine the habitat associations of Rusty Crayfish in Storm Lake, IA, to help understand Rusty Crayfish habitat selection in a novel habitat on their invasion front and its relationship to native crayfish habitat selection. To explore our objective, we deployed 708 baited minnow traps to sample crayfishes from June through August of 2023 and 2024, across three depths bins (~0-1.5m, 2-3m, 3+m). We also collected habitat data, including dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, dominant substrate, and presence of cobble and macrophytes at each trap location. We captured 85 invasive Rusty Crayfish and 47 native Virile Crayfish (Faxonius virlis). Rusty crayfish capture probability increased with cobble substrate, macrophytes, and earlier in the summer. Virile Crayfish capture probability was positively associated with macrophytes, they were more likely to be captured later in the summer and were more likely to captured in the medium and deep depth bins. Our results suggest that Rusty Crayfish and Virile Crayfish are not overlapping in habitat usage, which may suggest competition or niche partitioning.
Speakers
DC

Dalton Clayton

Graduate Student, Iowa State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-14: 40 Years of Walleye Observations in Pool 14 of the Upper Miss. River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jeremiah Haas, Constellation
Dr. David Bergerhouse, Southern Illinois University Carbondale


ABSTRACT: The Quad Cities Nuclear Station has monitored fish populations in Pool 14 as part of its environmental impact monitoring program for electricity generation since 1971. In 1984, the Station established a fish hatchery onsite with operational support from Southern Illinois University. Walleye is a significant species produced at the hatchery. The Station began stocking walleye in Pool 14 in 1985, and later would include Pool 13 at a lower level, all with the goal of observing population increases from low level stocking in such a large system. This presentation will review the Walleye population changes during that period, using the long-term monitoring data and spring hatchery brood stock data. Fishing regulation changes during that time, which could also have impacted the population dynamics of Walleye populations, will be reviewed as well.
Speakers
JH

Jeremiah Haas

Prin. Aquatic Biologist, Constellation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-15: USACE Mobile - Improving Fish Passage, Mussel Habitat, and Fish Spawning Habitat Through Modification of Federal Reservoir Operations
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: T. Rickey, USACE Mobile
R. Allen, USACE Mobile

ABSTRACT: The USACE Mobile Disrict has been participating in the Sustainable Rivers Program for three years. In those three years the District has worked across three states to improve fish passage, improve water quality, improve mussel habitat, and create spawning habitat using existing federal infrastructure. Using in field operational experimentation and biological and hydrological survey techniques the team has been able to study changes to projects and how to benifit species.
Speakers
TR

Terry Rickey

Senior Biologist, USACE
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-16: Joint Venture Decision Support Tools: Brainstorming Ideas to Account for Climate Change
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Mohammed A. Al-Saffar, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: Breeding populations of many birds have been declining in the Midwest region for decades while climate is changing, and human population is increasing. The Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture aims to understand and address this condition while integrating objectives across bird groups, as well as human dimensions. To guide conservation actions under the current conditions, we generated decision support tools that focus on breeding and non-breeding habitats while integrating predictions for current human use and benefits from these landscapes (bird hunting and watching as well as other recreation activities and ecological goods and services). Although the JV lacked sufficient demographic and density data to develop population models for birds and predict species response to climate change, we developed spatial models to target current habitat objectives using species occurrence and land cover data, and we proposed further geospatial analysis to account for climate change. We provided a framework that is transparent, flexible, and ready to integrate biological and social objectives and add climate objectives, as needed, to increase the relevance of bird conservation to society now and in the future.
Speakers
MA

Mohammed Al-Saffar

Wildlife Biologist, U S Fish and Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-17: Exploring R3 Opportunities in Midwestern State Parks
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Keith Warnke, Midwestern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies;
Lou Cornicelli, Southwick Associates;
Luke Boehm, Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: Since the COVID-19 pandemic attendance at most state parks has increased, in some cases dramatically. This has placed a strain on park personnel and financial resources. A similar pandemic bump in hunting and fishing license sales was also observed. However, the boost in hunting and fishing sales has since subsided, and the trend of decreasing license sales across the United States dating back to the early 2000s has continued. Because state park visitors are interested in the outdoors, there may be potential for greater recruitment from this population. To better understand the recruitment potential into hunting, fishing, and target shooting, a panel of people who’ve taken at least one trip to a Midwestern state park in the past two years were surveyed. In this survey, trends in state park visitors hunting, fishing, and target shooting participation rates as well as their interest in continuing or starting these activities were identified. Additionally, visitors were surveyed to determine the communication channels, programs, and incentives that would make them more likely to participate in the future. The results of this survey can be used to help inform states on how to increase hunting, fishing, and target shooting recruitment from state park visitors.
Speakers
LP

Lisa Parks

Project Manager, Southwick Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-18: Survey Says: We are not meeting the needs of students and ECPs within the NCD
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Shaley Valentine, Aquatic Ecology Lab, Ohio State University

ABSTRACT: Recruitment and retention of students and early career professionals (ECPs) is an ongoing issue throughout all levels of AFS. Engaging students and ECPs is critical to their recruitment and retention, but AFS activities may need to adapt to engage students and ECPs. To garner ideas on how to best engage students and ECPs, I administered a survey throughout the North Central Division. A total of 176 respondents ranked their perception of current and proposed benefits of AFS and provided written open-ended feedback on activities that would benefit rising professionals. Students and ECPs called for more tangible and monetary benefits that would allow them to network and gain technical and soft skills to kickstart their future careers. From the inclusivity side of the survey, marginalized individuals almost always stated a greater benefit or need for proposed workshops and benefits than majority identifying individuals. Write-in responses repeatedly stated a need for more diversity and inclusion initiatives. Poignantly, women and women of ethnic minorities reported feeling lower levels of acceptance in the fisheries community compared to men. Combined, these results suggest the needs of students and ECPs are not met within the Division, and there is a clear need for more volunteers to create and offer tangible benefits. Results also highlight a clear need for diversity initiatives throughout the NCD but beginning and maintaining these diversity initiatives may be an ongoing challenge.
Speakers
avatar for Shaley Valentine

Shaley Valentine

Post Doctoral Researcher, Ohio State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:20am CST

S-19: A Partner-Focused Path Forward To Conserve Grasslands and Midwest Communities
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Alex Wright, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Kelly VanBeek, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Tyler Harms, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Doug Gorby, Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Bill Moritz, Wildlife Management Institute; John Carlson, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Kelley Myers Tymeson, US Fish & Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: Ranchers, farmers, water resource managers, wildlife biologists, agronomists, corporate sustainability officers, and policy makers have all voiced their desire to see a collective, collaborative approach to conserving and managing grasslands. The Midwest Grasslands Summit was held August 27-29, 2024 at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa to chart a partner-focused path forward for our most critically imperiled ecosystem in the Midwest, the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem. The summit engaged a broad and diverse audience of representatives from government agencies, Native Nations, NGOs, industry and agricultural organizations, and private landowners to develop a collective vision and identify collaborative actions to advance grassland conservation in the Midwest. We will report out on these efforts to begin (1) Shaping a unified vision for native and surrogate tallgrass habitats across the Midwest, (2) Build an active coalition of people invested in increasing grasslands on the landscape, and (3) Identify collaborative actions to pursue next steps moving forward to realize the vision of this effort.
Speakers
AW

Alex Wright

Landscape Science Coordinator, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Bioprogramming: A Tool to Help Guide Hatchery Design into the Modern Era
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Baylee Thornton, HDR; Matt Cochran, HDR

ABSTRACT: The origin of fish propagation for population recovery dates back to the mid-1800s. Throughout the centuries to follow, fish hatcheries have been designed to focus on mass production. While previous criticisms of such mass production were founded on the basis of environmental harm – including nutrient pollution from fish waste, extirpation of native species by hatchery fish, disease, and the introduction of invasive species – fish hatchery management has entered a new era. Fish hatcheries are now shifting the production focus to enhance conservation and recovery programs of native fishes, in addition to sport fish production. HDR has constructed a tool to help guide management decisions for designing facilities surrounding such programs. Fish hatchery biological programming (“bioprogramming”) is a tool used to analyze biological questions and anticipate the fish rearing environments necessary to answer these questions. The process references fish culture specifications obtained from recognized fish culture manuals, established fish rearing facilities, and fish production managers. The modeling process anticipates fish growth, desired rearing space, and required flow and oxygen demands to produce healthy fish, making it a valuable tool for managing challenges and conflicts in fish hatchery design. It has been used to model and support recovery strategies for several fish species across North America, including Gila trout in Arizona, Pacific salmon species in Washington, coolwater fish in the Midwest, and salmonid species in Canada.
Speakers
BT

Baylee Thornton

Environmental Scientist, HDR Engineering, Inc.
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Evaluating juvenile Grass Carp behavioral responses to sound
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Christina M Mackey, US Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Craig Paukert, US Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Mark L. Wildhaber, US Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center; Allison A Pease, School of Natural Resources - University of Missouri; Jacob D Faulkner, US Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center; Robin D Calfee, US Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center

ABSTRACT: In the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes of the USA, behavioral deterrents that utilize acoustic stimuli are being considered for deployment in rivers to deter movement of invasive carps. Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella are ostariophysans that possess an inner ear connection to the swim bladder allowing them to detect a broader range of frequencies compared to non-ostariophysans. This provides the potential for a greater range of response to acoustic stimuli. Previous research demonstrated the ability of Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix to avoid acoustic stimuli in the laboratory. Prior to this study, limited data were available to support avoidance of acoustic stimuli by Grass Carp. We evaluated acoustic stimuli as a deterrent for Grass Carp by exposing two naïve juvenile carp together to a recording of one of three acoustic stimuli—a 10 second chirp (0.3 – 5 kHz), continuous 100 horsepower boat motor (0.6 – 10 kHz), and 3-6 beats/second percussion (0.375 – 23.5 kHz). Trials were conducted in a 720-liter indoor tank and Grass Carp behaviors (swimming velocity, proximity among individuals, time near stimulus) were measured for 10 minutes prior to (baseline behavior) and during the presentation of the stimulus (response). Grass Carp swimming velocity was statistically similar among stimuli, though carp in percussion trials appeared to show a slight increase. Compared to baseline behavior, Grass Carp spent more in close proximity when exposed to chirp stimulus and farther apart during exposures of boat motor stimulus. All three acoustic stimuli appeared to increase the time Grass Carp spent near the stimulus source, although responses varied among trials. Preliminary results suggest that Grass Carp response to acoustic stimuli presented in this study is complex and of relatively modest magnitude. The immediate value of acoustic stimuli as a deterrent is unclear from these results and warrants further study.
Speakers
avatar for Christina Mackey

Christina Mackey

Graduate Student, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-07: Silver Carp Biomass Estimation Using Low-Cost Consumer-Grade Technology to Inform Management Strategies
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Josey L. Ridgway, U.S. Geological Survey; Jesse R. Fischer, U.S. Geological Survey; Jessica M. Howell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; John Schulte, Missouri Department of Conservation; Adam C. Jones, U.S. Geological Survey; Jason M. Goeckler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Robin D. Calfee, U.S. Geological Survey.

ABSTRACT: Invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations can reach extremely high densities and severely affect biodiversity and ecosystem function. There are currently few sampling or monitoring techniques available to natural resource managers that reliably quantify population responses to management actions. Consumer-grade sonar offers a cost-effective approach for mapping distributions and evaluating density before and after intensive control efforts. Recent advancements in consumer-grade technologies have vastly improved resolution and dependability sufficient for fisheries research and management. We developed cost efficient semiautonomous watercraft for surveying fish and aquatic habitats by combining low-cost, consumer-grade technology (i.e., sit-on-top kayaks, electric trolling motors, side-scan sonar). Semiautonomous watercraft are advantageous for surveys of invasive Silver Carp populations because of GPS-guidance capabilities with consistent tracking and speed, quiet propulsion system to minimize fish disturbance, and the potential to deploy multiple survey vessels for increased survey efficiency, while minimizing the effect of fish movements. We used two semiautonomous watercrafts to conduct repeated surveys on a population of Silver Carp in Creve Coeur Lake, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (130-ha oxbow lake of the Missouri River). Surveys were conducted at night (≥1h after sunset) and were 2-h in duration. We used an image-analysis software to automate fish target detection and size estimation to estimate density and biomass. Fish targets in side-scan sonar imagery were apportioned by size using fish community capture data collected using electrified trawl that was conducted approximately one week after seasonal surveys. Bathymetry data were used to convert counts to fish density (number)/volume (m3) and biomass (kg)/volume (m3). Preliminary estimates suggest Silver Carp biomass was over 228,600kg. Repeated surveys will be used to assess variability among estimates and to determine which season is optimal (e.g., limiting fish-boat avoidance) for standardizing future Silver Carp surveys. Final population estimates will assist in establishing harvest objectives for Creve Coeur Lake.
Speakers
JR

Josey Ridgway

Research Fish Biologist, US Geological Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-08: An Update on the Status and Conservation of Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) in Indiana
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Nate Engbrecht, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife

ABSTRACT: Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) are a state endangered species that have been the subject of considerable research along the eastern edge of their range in Indiana. Contemporary data indicate the species has undergone a range contraction along the northern and eastern periphery of its distribution in the state, and that extant populations tend to be isolated and widely separated by miles of uninhabitable farmland. The species has shown a remarkable ability to colonize restored sites when suitable habitat becomes available and nearby source populations are present; however, a lack of connecting corridors is restricting natural dispersal. To restore Indiana’s Crawfish Frog populations, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has begun translocating egg masses from a robust population in Greene County to a recovery site along the Ohio River where a historic Crawfish Frog population once existed, before disappearing in the 1980s. This presentation discusses the historic decline of Crawfish Frogs in Indiana, their current conservation status, and the early stages of species recovery through habitat management and human mediated translocation.
Speakers
NE

Nate Engbrecht

Herpetologist, DNR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-11: Stress levels of P. Clarkii and F. Rusticus differ along the Chicago River
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: John F. Bieber, Loyola University Chicago; Ivàn Beck, Colorado College; Reuben Keller, Loyola University Chicago

ABSTRACT: The Chicago River represents a system that is at the edge of several invasion fronts; two of which are the invasive crayfish P.clarkii and F. rusticus. For years, these populations have remained in distinct areas of the Chicago River with little overlap, however; the factor(s) that limits their spread is not known. This project used complimentary field and lab experiments to investigate how stress levels (measured via hemolymph glucose) differed among the populations along a gradient in the Chicago River to inform where populations are in the river.

For the field study, we trapped crayfish in the Chicago River and immediately drew hemolymph from captured individuals. We hypothesized that stress would be the greatest for P.clarkii near Lake Michigan, where populations have not yet been found, and simultaneously would be the lowest for F.rusticus as they are established in Lake Michigan.

In the lab study, we collected P.clarkii along with water from the area where they were captured for holding in lab. Crayfish acclimated in lab before the tanks were filled with Lake Michigan water, and hemolymph was collected after a 90 min period. We hypothesized that P.clarkii populations near Lake Michigan would show lower relative stress to immersion in lake water compared to individuals further downstream and compared to individuals that were not flushed with lake water.

Interestingly, we found that individuals further downstream exhibited elevated glucose compared to individuals closer to Lake Michigan, and our lab studies showed that immersion in Lake Michigan water reduces stress compared to individuals without immersion. Collectively, our results suggest environmental contaminants may be driving the distribution of crayfish. Additionally, this work highlights the importance of considering physiology when managing an invading species.
Speakers
JB

John Bieber

Research Associate, Loyola University Chicago
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-14: Lake Pepin - Perspectives from 60 Years of Annual Monitoring
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Nick Schlesser, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) provides intensive monitoring for the ten largest Walleye (Sander vitreus) lakes in Minnesota through the Large Lake Program. Lake Pepin, located in Pool 4 of the Mississippi River, is the southern most body of water in Minnesota’s Large Lake Program. With a 60-year history of annual sampling the Walleye population from Lake Pepin has been monitored through exposure to numerous stressors but remains one of the most productive fisheries in Minnesota. How some of these stressors have impacted the population and what aspects of the population make it resilient to change will be discussed.
Speakers
NS

Nick Schlesser

Lake City Area Fisheries Supervisor, MN Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-15: Native Freshwater Mussels in the Allegheny River: Science to Support the Sustainable Rivers Program
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Teresa Newton, US Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; Jeff Cole, US Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Water Science Center; John Young, US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center; Jordan Allison, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; Nate Welker, US Forest Service; Kristi Dobra, US Army Corps of Engineers; Molly Reif, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center

ABSTRACT:  The Sustainable Rivers Program, a national partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was created to modernize water infrastructure to maximize ecological benefits. In the Allegheny River (PA), resource managers are considering modifying flows at the Kinzua Dam but are concerned about effects of altered flows on sensitive species, such as native freshwater mussels. Prior to implementing a revised flow regime, resource managers requested baseline data on existing mussel resources. We developed a robust sampling design to (1) understand how mussels are spatially distributed across the riverscape, (2) estimate density, population size, and recruitment strength of mussels, and (3) obtain remotely-sensed habitat data across a 135 km reach of the Allegheny River downstream of the Kinzua Dam. In June 2024, divers obtained data on mussels from 300 systemically placed quadrats across the reach. From the quadrat data, multiple metrics of the relative health of mussels will be estimated (e.g., species richness, mortality, age and length demography, recruitment). From high-resolution aerial and boat-borne sensors (e.g., bathymetric lidar, hyperspectral imagery, sonar), characterization of in-channel mussel habitat will be obtained and used to create hydrodynamic and habitat models to explain patterns of mussel distribution at a variety of flows. Currently, resource managers rely on data obtained from project-specific studies to make management decisions. The addition of systemic baseline data on mussels across an entire reach of the Allegheny River will facilitate more informed decisions about how mussels may respond to proposed changes in river flows.
Speakers
TN

Teresa Newton

Fisheries Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-17: Insights from the Offal Wildlife Watching Project: Engaging the Hunting Community to Advance Understanding and Conservation of Scavenger Species at Hunter-Provided Gut Piles
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Grace Milanowski, University of Minnesota Extension; Ellen Candler, University of Alaska; Amy Rager, University of Minnesota Extension; Joseph Bump, University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT: The Offal Wildlife Watching project is a participatory science project that engages the deer hunting community in wildlife research. The goal of the project is to better understand the ecology of scavenger species that visit deer gut piles across Minnesota and to create a novel and meaningful program for hunter participation in research. We recruit and invite hunters to deploy remote cameras at white-tailed deer gut piles that resulted from their freshly killed deer. Thus far over 180 hunters have contributed images and recorded at least 60 different scavenger species over 6 seasons. We will present results of scavenger community biodiversity at hunter provided carrion, and visit/use dynamics across biomes. We will share successes and challenges from creating collaborations across sectors such as citizen hunting groups, the public, and researchers and recommendations for how this project can be adapted to other hunted species, biomes, and states. The results from this research will not only inform policy makers regarding protection and preservation of scavengers, but also contribute to the growing field of carrion ecology and establish data needed to clarify the impact that an anthropogenic, consolidated, and large pulse of carrion has on scavenger species.
Speakers
GM

Grace Milanowski

Program Coordinator, University of Minnesota Extension
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-18: Moderated Panel Discussion for FishCAST Symposium
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Brittany Harried, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, Columbia, MO; MJ Oubre, Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society; Jory Jonas, Michigan Department of Natural Resources


ABSTRACT: The Fisheries Community Advocacy and Sustainability Team (FishCAST) of the North Central Division (NCD) will conclude the “FishCAST: Working Towards a Better Future for all Fisheries Professionals” symposium by hosting a moderated panel discussion. This interactive segment will provide a safe space to foster open dialogue and active engagement among participants. Questions will be submitted anonymously by participants and screened by the moderators to maintain a safe and open environment while allowing for productive conversations. Invited panelists will consist of NCD members and experts with experienced backgrounds in diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility initiatives. Discussions from this panel will be summarized and shared in the Spring 2025 NCD Mainstream Newsletter. Additionally, FishCAST will use information gathered during this symposium to identify and prioritize areas of short- and long-term growth within the NCD.
Speakers
avatar for Brittany Harried

Brittany Harried

Postdoctoral Fellow, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri
Brittany is a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Jacob Westhoff and Dr. Craig Paukert at the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse in 2014 and 2016 with a B.S. in Aquatic Biology and a M.S. in Biology, respectively... Read More →
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-19: Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act: An Underutilized Tool for Conservation Planning
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Rebecca Sloan, Merjent

ABSTRACT: Landscape-level conservation planning is key to the long-term protection of the ecosystem services that support species habitat, however, funding to implement conservations projects is limited. Habitat protection and restoration projects to offset or mitigate impacts to threatened and endangered species from public or private construction, operations, and maintenance projects are relatively common but typically occur in a “piece-meal” fashion outside a larger planning context. As a result, these projects are less likely to result in meaningful conservation or contribute to species’ recovery goals.
Habitat Conservation Plans or HCPs offer a potential compromise. While HCPs are prepared as part of an application for an incidental take permit under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act, they also provide an opportunity to receive federal funding for landscape-level planning. HCPs include typical conservation planning components such as biological goals and objectives, monitoring and adaptive management programs, and long-term planning horizons. Also, HCPs provide an excellent framework for multi-stakeholder decision-making.
HCPs are best suited for public or private entities that have relatively frequent endangered species permitting needs across a large geographic area; require regulatory certainty to meet construction, operations, or maintenance program schedules; and/or seek to maximize the conservation value from environmental impact funds. In this session we will discuss the required components of an HCP and how they relate to landscape-level planning. We will also discuss how HCPs can be used to benefit both listed and non-listed species; protect and restore ecosystem processes such as flooding or connectivity; and serve as a central planning document for stakeholders with varying goals and objectives. Lastly, we will touch upon the diversity of scenarios for which an HCP may be suitable and how to most effectively take advantage of available federal funding.
Speakers
RS

Rebecca Sloan

Senior Conservation Planner, Merjent
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:00am CST
TBA

10:40am CST

S-16: Moderated Panel Discussion
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: 

ABSTRACT: 
Speakers
MA

Mohammed Al-Saffar

Wildlife Biologist, U S Fish and Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Using Side-Scan Sonar and N-Mixture Models to Estimate the Abundance of Invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in the Lamine River, MO
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Cade Roach, University of Missouri; Matthew R. Acre, US Geological Survey; Allison A. Pease, University of Missouri

ABSTRACT: Efficient methods for estimating species abundance are critical for assessing the status of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in the Mississippi River basin, given the ecological and economic threat this invasive species poses to water resources. Measuring Silver Carp abundance helps to characterize range expansion dynamics and evaluate management strategies. Recreational-grade side-scan sonar (SSS) offers a novel approach to monitoring fish abundance, yielding estimates comparable to traditional mark-recapture methods but at a much lower cost. Regardless of the approach used to estimate abundance, imperfect detection resulting from factors such as survey method, observer subjectivity, environmental conditions, and species behavior can lead to inaccurate estimates. N-mixture models, a suite of hierarchical regression techniques, simultaneously estimate abundance and detection probability from spatially and temporally replicated count data, addressing the issue of imperfect detection. Our study aimed to estimate the abundance of Silver Carp before, between, and after mechanical removal efforts to determine the efficacy of successive removals and characterize the ensuing population dynamics. We conducted SSS surveys in the Lamine River, a tributary of the Missouri River, before and after each of two removal efforts carried out by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in September 2024. We georectified the SSS images, used semiautomated image processing to extract counts of Silver Carp, and fit N-mixture models in frequentist and Bayesian frameworks to estimate abundance and detection probability. Here, we compare abundance estimates between different stages of the removal efforts to quantify removal success and identify trends in population dynamics. We also compare the estimates of abundance and detection, computational intensity, and measures of fit between the frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Finally, we discuss potential methods to improve the differentiation of Silver Carp from other species with similar morphology in SSS imagery.
Speakers
CR

Cade Roach

Graduate Research Assistant at the School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Variation in Fatty Acid Composition of Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish in Two Central Ohio Reservoirs
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Steven Gratz, The Ohio State University; Jacob Bentley, The Ohio State University; Stuart Ludsin, The Ohio State University

ABSTRACT: Fatty acids are vital for human health and affect overall well-being while reducing disease risk. Fish tissue contains a plethora of fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are primarily found in fish and help the human body to function properly. Little research has been conducted studying the fatty acid composition of freshwater fishes with a majority of research focusing on saltwater fishes. However, it is important to understand the fatty acid composition among freshwater fishes that support locally sourced food. We sought to understand species, size, and seasonal variation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and Channel Catfish (I. punctatus) within two central Ohio Reservoirs to help locavores make informed decisions on which type of fish to consume. Belly fillets with skin attached were collected from Blue Catfish (n=37) and Channel Catfish (n=39) in the summer and fall of 2022 from Hoover Reservoir and Channel Catfish were also collected from Alum Creek Reservoir in the summer of 2022 using short-term gill net sets. We hypothesized that beneficial fatty acid concentrations would vary with environmental seasonal changes (e.g., water temperature) and fish size and species due to differences in feeding ecology. We also expected to observe increasing concentrations of EPA and DHA with an increase in fish size. While understanding the fatty acid composition of different fishes can help locavores make informed decisions, it is dually important to conduct a risk-benefit assessment to ensure that fish have adequate levels of fatty acids while also following fish consumption guidelines to maintain a safe level of contaminant exposure.
Speakers
SG

Steven Gratz

Research Associate, The Ohio State University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-07: Missouri River Tributary Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Population Assessment
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Kellie Hanser, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jessica Howell, jessica_howell@fws.gov; Jason Goeckler, jason_goeckler@fws.gov

ABSTRACT: Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) relative abundance and demographic information is essential to guide management and control measures. Interconnection across river basins has allowed Silver Carp to establish a reproducing population along the entirety of the free-flowing portion of the Missouri River and its tributaries. Population information is being collected with an electrified dozer trawl to establish baseline invasive carp data in tributary confluences to monitor populations and guide management efforts as they begin to increase. Because Silver Carp are located throughout the Missouri River, tributaries are sampled along a large spatial gradient (river miles 170 – 800) to help track and delineate populations trends across the basin. From 2020 – 2023, a total of 611 transects have been completed collecting over 29,000 individuals from 50 different species. However, most fish sampled are invasive carp with the total number of individuals exceeding 15,000. Data shows that Silver Carp across tributaries are demographically similar, with large older individuals in the higher latitude tributaries. Age data indicates the 2019-year class is still currently dominant across the basin. Annually, the relative abundance, size structure, body conditions, sex ratio, age structure, recruitment, growth, and mortality are analyzed and provided through the Missouri River Basin Invasive Carp Partnership in a collaborative effort to help inform the Silver Carp status for the basin.
Speakers
KH

Kellie Hanser

Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-08: Multiple lines of evidence reveal interspecific hybridization between the Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata) and two sympatric congeners
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Owen M. Edwards, Oklahoma Biological Survey; Neil R. Balchan, Oklahoma State University; Kaleb M. Banks, Oklahoma State University; Michael S. Reichert, Oklahoma State University; Fabio A. Machado, Oklahoma State University; Bo Zhang, Oklahoma State University; Damien Esquerré, University of Wollongong


ABSTRACT: During the breeding season, male anurans utilize advertisement signals to attract mates. However, in many scenarios, mate signaling and subsequent reproduction can occur in shared bodies of water in which numerous different species congregate and reproduce at the same time. As a result, natural hybridization between closely related species is not uncommon, and can have major consequences on fitness and evolutionary processes. The crawfish frog (Rana areolata) is a secretive anuran that has disjunct distribution in the southern and midwestern United States. Over the last 50 years, there has been a rapid and ongoing population decline of these frogs in many states in their range, largely attributed to habitat loss and landscape changes. We conducted population monitoring using drift fences and pitfall traps in a breeding population of R. areolata in Oklahoma. During the first year of the study, we discovered individual putative R. areolata hybrids at our study pond: one breeding adult resembling R. palustris x R. areolata, and another breeding adult resembling R. sphenocephala x R. areolata. Here, we confirm the status of these hybrid individuals using 1) cranial morphology via microCT scanning and 2) genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. Hybrid skulls represent phenotypic intermediate between parental populations, and preliminary analysis of SNP data indicate that both hybrid individuals are F1 crosses (with R. palustris a R. sphenocephala respectively). Our data confirm the ability of R. areolata to hybridize with congeners in a wild population, and offer the first documentation of hybridization occurring in R. areolata. We demonstrate that contemporary gene flow may be important for divergent ranid frogs, and suggest that associated conservation implications may be present.
Speakers
OE

Owen Edwards

Research Scientist, Oklahoma Biological Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-11: Parasite-Induced Trophic Cascade via Trait-Mediated Effects on Invasive Crayfish
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Cheyenne E. Stratton, Missouri Department of Conservation; Donald C. Behringer, University of Florida; Jamie Bojko, Teesside University; Margaret L. Taylor, University of Florida; Lindsey S. Reisinger, University of Florida

ABSTRACT: Parasites can affect their hosts’ ecological impacts by reducing host density and altering host traits such as behavioral traits. Most research focuses on density-mediated impacts, but trait-mediated impacts may be equally or more important as they control the interactions among organisms. Parasites can act as top-down forces in ecosystems and can trigger trophic cascades through density- or trait-mediated effects. We investigated how a parasite alters the well-documented ecological impacts of the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus). In 2019, we discovered a significant decline in the F. rusticus population in a Wisconsin lake corresponding to an outbreak of a microsporidian parasite, Nosema rusticus, which reduced infected crayfish activity levels. We hypothesized that infected crayfish, due to reduced activity and lethargy, would have lesser impacts on lower trophic levels including macrophytes and leaf litter (i.e., a trait-mediated trophic cascade). We also predicted that N. rusticus would increase crayfish mortality. To test this, we conducted a 4-week mesocosm experiment in which we varied parasite prevalence to test the trait-mediated indirect effects of the microsporidium on resource biomass and abundance. We also varied crayfish density to compare the strength of trait-mediated effects to a reduction in crayfish density. In support of our hypothesis, we found that less macrophytes and leaf litter were consumed in mesocosms with infected crayfish. Our results also suggest that this parasite is likely to cause density-mediated effects because crayfish infected with N. rusticus had higher mortality rates. These results suggest that parasites can mitigate the impacts of invasive species through both trait- and density-mediated trophic cascades.
Speakers
CS

Cheyenne Stratton

Aquatic Invertebrate Ecologist, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-14: Devils Lake Walleye: History and Factors Impacting Sustainability.
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Todd Caspers, North Dakota Game and Fish Department

ABSTRACT: Devils Lake is one of North Dakota’s most important fisheries. Devils Lake is the state’s 3rd largest waterbody overall and is the largest natural lake in the state. Walleye have long been and continue to be one of the most abundant and sought-after gamefish species in the lake. Walleye were not native to the lake, but were stocked in 1970, and stockings have occurred most years since then. Beginning in 1993, a prolonged period of wetter climatic conditions caused Devils Lake to grow greatly in size and depth. The influx of water also caused the salinity of the lake to decline, which improved walleye spawning success. After 32 years of data collection on Devils Lake, changes in the walleye population have become evident. Over the years, recruitment has increased. The walleye population has also increased in density over time. Smaller walleye in particular have increased in density. However, the increasing walleye densities have led to changes such as lower walleye body condition and reduced growth rates. Lower walleye body condition and reduced growth rates have also occurred in spite of increasing angling pressure and walleye harvests. Potential factors that contribute to the resiliency of the walleye population of Devils Lake include a relatively simple fish community, consistent recruitment, supplemental stocking, adequate growth rates and relatively low mortality rates.
Speakers
TC

Todd Caspers

District Fisheries Biologist, North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-15: Environmental Pool Management on Corps Pools and Reservoirs: A Clear Case for Ecological Benefits
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Liam Wallace, US Army Corps of Engineers; Joan Stemler, Liam Wallace, US Army Corps of Engineers ; Dave Busse, Liam Wallace, US Army Corps of Engineers Lane Richter, US Army Corps of Engineers

ABSTRACT: Environmental Pool Management (EPM), beginning as a request by natural resource partners, is a strategy for improving environmental benefits above navigation dams on the Mississippi River while maintaining a mandated nine-foot navigation channel depth. For the past 30 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District has worked with resource agencies to implement pool drawdowns during the growing season that promote emergent and aquatic plant development over more than a thousand acres above the three locks and dams (approximately 100 river miles) on the Upper Mississippi River between Louisiana, MO and West Alton, MO. The timing and duration of these drawdowns change annually based on environmental conditions and partner input which results in varied plant response. EPM has been successfully implemented in at least one of the three pools in 25 of 30 years. In recent years, operational changes have been evaluated to expand the plant response from annual emergent plants to aquatic plants in portions of the pools. Monitoring of plant response has shown high productivity and seed production from plants with high value for migratory waterfowl as well as the return of formerly more abundant perennial aquatic species.
Speakers
LR

Lane Richter

Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-17: Attracting Participants to LearnHunting.org (Formal Project Title: LearnHunting.org Pilot State Marketing)
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Matt Harlow, DJ Case & Associates; Holly Mauslein, DJ Case & Associates; Alex Baer, International Hunter Education Association

ABSTRACT: Research shows that many new hunters are interested in having mentors who can help introduce them to hunting. LearnHunting.org is a website designed to broker relationships between new adult hunters and experienced hunters who can offer one-on-one guidance and social support. The website’s roster of mentors has been prepopulated with state-certified hunter education instructors who are willing to provide guidance and support through this non-traditional medium.
The International Hunter Education Association-USA (IHEA-USA), eight pilot state agencies, and DJ Case & Associates (DJ Case) focused on creating and testing marketing campaigns in eight pilot states. These campaigns directed new and potential hunters to LearnHunting.org and encouraged them to select a hunting mentor through the platform.
Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington participated in this marketing effort for LearnHunting.org. Unique digital ads were created for each state, linking to state-specific landing pages where a new adult hunter could select a mentor who met their needs, such as location, gender preference, etc.. Media where ads were tested included Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Pilot test results show that social media can provide a high number of impressions, but often at a higher cost. Paid search ads generate the next largest number of impressions but at a much lower cost per conversion and with a higher conversion rate. Simply stated, in this test, social media ads got agencies in front of the largest volume of people, while paid search ads got agencies in front of the right people at the right time. Key recommendations include using state logos in ads, performing social media burst campaigns that run prior to and overlap with an upcoming hunting season, and funding ongoing paid search campaigns to connect with new adult hunters during the right time in their hunting journey.
Speakers
HH

Hiroto Hayashi

Engagement Strategist/Project Manager, DJ Case & Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:00am CST

S-19: Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape – Making Connectivity Progress in a Fragmented Landscape
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Michael Spalding, Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape and Conservation Law Center; Robert McCrea, Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape and Conservation Law Center

ABSTRACT: Sentinel Landscapes are areas where conservation, working lands, and national defense interests converge to work towards achieving mutually shared goals. They are anchored by at least one military installation and contain high priority lands for USDA, DOD, and DOI. Designated in 2022, the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape (SISL) covers a 3.5-million-acre region of Southern Indiana. SISL Partners are working together to preserve and protect military missions, support sustainable farming and forestry, restore and sustain ecosystems, bolster human communities and partner capacity, and increase landscape resiliency. Our presentation will highlight several early successes of this young partnership that demonstrate how landscape level conservation is possible in a highly fragmented midwestern landscape (90% of the land in this area is privately owned). We will explain how the partnership leverages partner resources, utilizes federal funding opportunities, and develops innovative tools to build an overall program for landscape scale conservation. We will specifically discuss how the partnership: (1) utilizes the USDA NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program to increase private landowner engagement with conservation and permanently protect and restore over 2,500 acres of forestland through conservation easements, restore an additional 5,000 to 10,000 acres of oak-hickory forest ecosystems; (2) organizes projects for land protection with funding from The Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program; and (3) developed two GIS web-based applications. One assists private landowner access to all available cost share and technical assistance programs. The other helps SISL partners determine connectivity priorities for land conservation.
Speakers
avatar for Michael Spalding

Michael Spalding

Coordinator, Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape - Conservation Law Center
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:20am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Enhancing proactive aquatic nuisance species management by developing a standardized risk screening workflow
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Lindsey A.P. LaBrie: Graduate Research Assistant (Ph.D.), Arkansas Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Arkansas, Department of Biological Sciences, Fayetteville, AR, 72703. Email: llabrie@uark.edu

Caleb P. Roberts: Unit Leader, U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Arkansas, Department of Biological Sciences, Fayetteville, AR, 72703. Email: cr065@uark.edu

ABSTRACT: Preventing new invasions from occurring is the most effective way to avoid the negative ecological, economic, and societal impacts of invasive species. Two established and highly related methods for preventing new invasions are horizon scans and risk screening. Horizon scans use expert consultation and consensus building to conduct rapid risk screening. Arkansas, like the rest of the U.S., is experiencing negative impacts of invasive species, and thus, there is a critical need to prevent new invasions and thereby avoid new negative impacts. Here, we met this need through three objectives: we 1) extracted risk screening results for fish in trade from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Horizon Scan of Vertebrates in Trade and adapted these results to Arkansas, 2) used the fish species screened in the USGS Horizon Scan to determine how climate matching scores shifted under future climate scenarios, and 3) developed a standardized workflow for risk screening for aquatic nuisance species in the United States that incorporates risk of establishment under future climate scenarios. To accomplish the first objective, we pulled risk screening scores (comprised of risk of establishment, invasion history and pathways, and potential negative impacts) for the 319 fish species identified in the USGS Horizon Scan. For the second objective, we used all fish species identified and screened in the USGS Horizon Scan. Then, using future climate models (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways models) for the years 2040, 2070, and 2100, we calculated climate matching scores between potential fish invaders’ native ranges and the climate in the U.S. For the third objective, we created a future risk factor scoring protocol for risk of establishment under future climate scenarios and applied the scoring to all fish species from Objective #2. Under current and future climates, only Prochilodus lineatus and Chondrostoma nasus received high risk scores in Arkansas. However, 11 species moved from low to medium risk under future climates, reflecting increased establishment potential. Most of the species that moved from low to medium risk are known invaders outside the U.S. and are known to have strongly negative ecological impacts in their introduced ranges, such as Clarias gariepinus, Abramis brama, and Hemichromis lifalili. Although climate change is increasing the potential for invasive species to establish in Arkansas, we show that prioritizing invasive species for prevention and watchlists is still feasible as the climate changes. Species identified as medium and high risk in this project are strong candidates for in-depth risk screening summaries and adding to an invasive species watchlist for Arkansas.
Speakers
LL

Lindsey LaBrie

Graduate Research Assistant (PhD), University of Arkansas
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Influence of Thermal Variation on Paddlefish Thermal Tolerance, Recovery and Post-Release Behavior
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Shasta Kamara, Program of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Jackson Glomb, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Cory Suski, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT: American Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) have important commercial and recreational fisheries throughout their range, which covers a wide latitudinal gradient. Seasons for Paddlefish angling and harvest are broad and often set by dates, and, as a result Paddlefish can experience capture and release across a range of temperatures. Currently, the impact of thermal variation on Paddlefish response to capture stressors has not been defined, precluding us from making informed management decisions regarding the timing and duration of angling and harvest seasons. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the response of Paddlefish to simulated capture and release across a range of temperatures using two experimental approaches. In the first study, juvenile Paddlefish were acclimated to 13, 17.5, and 22° C. Fish from each of these temperatures were subjected to a simulated angling experience and recovered for 30 minutes, 4 hours, or 8 hours; a second group of fish were given a critical thermal maximum test (CTmax) to quantify heat tolerance. The second study sought to quantify post-release behavior of adult Paddlefish after simulated commercial capture at different temperatures using tri-axial accelerometers. Results from the first study showed that Paddlefish acclimated to 13°C recovered from exercise within 4 hours, while fish acclimated to 22°C did not recover, even after 8 hours. The 17.5°C and 22.0°C treatments had higher CTmax than the 13.0°C treatment suggesting an upper limit to thermal tolerance. Results thus far indicate that Paddlefish experiencing warmer temperatures have reduced performance relative to cooler fish, suggesting that temperatures over 20 degrees may be stressful for released Paddlefish after exercise. Together, these projects can help inform how Paddlefish respond to capture stressors across a range of temperatures and inform future management options to minimize impacts on individuals.
Speakers
SK

Shasta Kamara

Graduate Research Assistant, Univeristy of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-07: Length-based stock assessments for grass carp in Lake Erie
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Tammy M. Wilson, U.S. Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center
Michael E Byrne, Department of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia
Thomas W. Bonnot, Department of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia
Robin D Calfee, U.S. Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center
Matthew R Acre U.S. Geological Survey - Columbia Environmental Research Center

ABSTRACT: Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are nonnative, herbivorous freshwater fish that represent an invasive, ecological threat in North American waters. They originate from eastern Asia, consume large amounts of aquatic vegetation, and establishment in novel waters can cause significant ecosystem changes. There is particular concern for grass carp establishment within the Lake Erie basin, where multi-jurisdictional grass carp removal efforts have been ongoing since 2017 to reduce Lake Erie's population and the chance of dispersal to the rest of the Great Lakes. However, effectiveness of removal efforts has yet to be quantified. Grass carp in Lake Erie are data-limited as catch numbers are < 100 per year. Therefore, we used multiple length-based stock assessment methods to evaluate if removal efforts were sufficient to reduce population size. We used a combination of length-based indicators (LBI), the length-based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR), and the length-based Bayesian biomass estimation (LBB) method to assess the stock. Although these length-based methods run on the assumption of a stock at equilibrium rather than a potentially growing population, by using multiple length-based methods to assess this stock, we worked to minimize biases that may have occurred. Preliminary results highlight the absence of immature removals and indicate that removal efforts may need to target smaller fish to collapse the population.
Speakers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-08: Future headstarting plans for Indiana’s endangered Crawfish frogs
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Blake Klocke, Indiana DNR

ABSTRACT: The Indiana DNR is launching a new headstarting program for Crawfish frogs (Lithobates areolatus), a state endangered species since 1988, with the purpose of reestablishing the species in extirpated areas within its historic range. Habitat conversion to agriculture has limited the ability of this species to disperse and recolonize areas of suitable habitat across the landscape. We plan to rear Crawfish frog tadpoles in outdoor mesocosms. These rearing methods are modeled after successful headstarting and reintroduction of Dusky Gopher frogs and Gopher frogs, two closely related species in the Southeastern U.S. We will complete a simple density-dependent tadpole rearing experiment to inform husbandry methods and conduct a chytrid/ranavirus coinfection trial to better understand how these endemic diseases may affect tadpole survival in the wild. Metamorphed froglets will be housed in a soft-release enclosures for two weeks at the reintroduction site before release. We are working closely with land managers to enhance Crawfish frog habitat through the creation and modification of breeding wetlands at recovery sites. After this initial pilot year, we will include a radiotelemetry study to better understand dispersal and survival. The Crawfish frog headstarting program in Indiana will build upon achievable initial goals to restore this species in an adaptive management framework.
Speakers
BK

Blake Klocke

One Health Biologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-14: Factors affecting year-class strength of Walleye (Sander vitreus) populations in western irrigation reservoirs
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Laurel H. Sacco, Jeremy L. Kientz1 Gene F. Galinat1, Bill Miller, Jacob L. Davis1
and Steven R. Chipps2

Department of Natural Resource Management
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD, 57007

1South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks
TOC West-4310 Adventure Trail
Rapid City, SD, 57702

2U.S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007

ABSTRACT:  Understanding population recruitment is an important step in developing effective Walleye management strategies. In western South Dakota, Angostura, Belle Fourche, and Shadehill reservoirs provide important irrigation needs and flood control. These reservoirs also represent popular destinations for Walleye anglers, although the recruitment dynamics of these fisheries are poorly understood. In Angostura Reservoir, the stocking of larger, fingerling fish successfully augmented year class strength and was the principal driver of Walleye recruitment. In reservoirs where stocking was absent or inconsistent, Walleye recruitment dynamics were influenced by abiotic factors, particularly temperature and hydrologic conditions. Spring temperatures were universally influential in recruitment outcomes, although environmental conditions in late summer and fall were also important. Because recruitment bottlenecks generally occur during early life stages for Walleye, warming rate and(or) elevated temperatures, particularly during spring, may have negative impacts on cohort survival in western irrigation reservoirs.
Speakers
SC

Steve Chipps

South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-15: Sustainable Rivers Program E-Flow and E-Pool Efforts on the Kansas and Osage Rivers
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Marvin Boyer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District; Laura Totten, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District

ABSTRACT: The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have partnered to form the Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP) to examine opportunities to optimize reservoir releases and river flows to benefit river ecology while maintaining the federal mandates of the reservoir systems within the United States. The mission of the SRP is to improve the health and life of rivers by changing water infrastructure operations to restore and protect ecosystems, while maintaining or enhancing other project benefits. The USACE Kansas City District and TNC Kansas and Missouri added the Kansas River and the Osage River to the SRP. Workshops were held with regional biology and hydrology experts to help guide the process of identifying e-flows and e-pool management measures. Literature reviews and data mining exercises were undertaken for the Kansas and Osage River systems to identify flow-dependent fish, mussels, and other species and their habitats, examine changes in these species over time, and propose the likely causes of these changes. This information was used to better understand reservoir operation impacts and examine possibilities for reservoir management modifications within the range of authorized reservoir releases that would create flows beneficial to the Kansas and Osage Rivers ecosystems. SRP expanded from traditional e-flows work and began funding projects that targeted managing pool levels at USACE reservoirs, raising and lowering the water surface elevation of wetlands, lakes, or river pools for the purpose of stimulating aquatic seed germination, improving aquatic plant and animal diversity, consolidating wetland soils, and other ecological and environmental effects. The SRP USACE team is currently working to find opportunities to implement test flows outlined in workshops and incorporate recent Kansas and Osage Rivers e-flow and e-pool information into ongoing reservoir Water Control Manual Updates.
Speakers
MB

Marvin Boyer

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-17: U.S. and Midwestern Hunting and Fishing Participation Trends via R3 Dashboard
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Rob Southwick, Southwick Associates;
Lou Cornicelli, Ph.D., Southwick Associates

ABSTRACT: Knowing where to apply R3 efforts and when to make improvements requires monitoring participation trends in a timely manner. Likewise, understanding participation trends helps states and NGOs better identify and explain the issues needing attention. To better identify participation trends, state fish and wildlife agencies, industry, and NGO partners created the R3 dashboard that summarizes license sales and participation trends at the state, regional, and national levels. The work is funded by a Multistate Conservation grant. Using this resource augmented with other data sources, this presentation will report trends regarding hunting and fishing license sales by day/month/year, recruitment trends, and churn rates with insights provided by age, gender, and residency. The purpose is to help inform state and regional R3 planning efforts by showing where growth is happening, and where assistance may be needed.
Speakers
LP

Lisa Parks

Project Manager, Southwick Associates
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:20am CST

S-19: Development and Implementation of Missouri's Landscape Health Index
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Jon Podoliak Missouri Department of Conservation; Tom Bonnot US Fish and Wildlife Service; Nate Muenks Missouri Department of Conservation; Shelby Timm Missouri Department of Conservation; Billy Huggins University of Missouri

ABSTRACT: The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has been a leader among states in advancing landscape conservation. Through landscape-scale planning and prioritization as part of the implementation of the Missouri Comprehensive Conservation Strategy, we have identified 11 Priority Geographies (PGs) in which we are working with partners, including private landowners, to conserve species, habitats, and ecosystem functions. These PGs represent areas with some of the most opportunity for conservation success and remaining intact habitat. To assess ongoing management actions and community engagement within PGs, the department and partners developed a prototype for a Landscape Health Index (LHI) that collects, analyzes, and integrates a variety of data to monitor the responses of species and landscapes to conservation efforts and measures progress over time. Data on biotic communities, landscape processes, and social condition are combined into one score for each PG that can be tracked over time. Further, the index is built on layers of data that can be assessed individually, allowing practitioners to assess which aspect of a landscape may not be meeting expected levels based on predefined goals and respond accordingly. The LHI has been implemented in two pilot PGs and work is ongoing to implement in the remaining nine. We will detail the results from the two pilot PGs as well as updates to the process and ongoing efforts.
Speakers
JP

Jon Podoliak

Landscape Ecologist, Missouri Department of Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:20am - 11:40am CST
TBA

11:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Spatial and Temporal Variation of Invasive Carp Spawning Activity in the Illinois River Basin
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Braden Whisler, Eastern Illinois University; Robert Colombo, Eastern Illinois University; Daniel Roth, Eastern Illinois University; Eden Effert-Fanta, Eastern Illinois University

ABSTRACT:
Bighead Carp (Hypophtalmichtys nobilis) and Silver Carp (H. molitrix), often referred to as bigheaded carps (BHC), have invaded many rivers throughout North America and the Mississippi River drainage. With their niche occupation and feeding habits, evidence suggests the degradation of native fish assemblages through competition. Although there are spawning populations located throughout the BHC invasion, few studies have focused on visualizing the timing and location of spawning events. The aim of this study is to examine how spawning BHC utilize tributary versus mainstem river sites throughout the year and in varying environmental conditions. From April to September of 2021-2024, BHC ichthyoplankton were collected from mainstem and tributary sites in the La Grange Pool of the Illinois River throughout an array of different environmental conditions (flood, high/low stream velocity, temperature). Consistent with previous studies, flood pulses, higher water velocities, and temperature thresholds triggered spawning events, contributing to higher densities of BHC ichthyoplankton drifting in the current. High-water years also facilitated the movement of BHC into tributary systems, contributing to spawning events and larger BHC ichthyoplankton catches in the tributaries. This study demonstrates the importance of continued monitoring of spawning conditions and timing in areas where BHC are already established. By developing predictive models for BHC spawning events in both mainstem and tributary habitats, resource managers can implement targeted removal strategies for spawning adults at invasion fronts or areas of special concern, such as the Laurentian Great Lakes. These proactive measures have the potential to significantly reduce year class sizes and mitigate the ecological impact of BHC invasions.
Speakers
BW

Braden Whisler

Graduate Assistant, Eastern Illinois University
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Understanding fecal microbiome of Pallid Sturgeon
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Israt Jahan, Samodha Fernando, Chris Chizinski, Mark Pegg

ABSTRACT: The gut microbiome plays a vital role in the health and survival of aquatic species, including the endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), which is experiencing reproductive challenges due to habitat alterations. While hatchery augmentation remains a key strategy to bolster Pallid Sturgeon populations, the reduced survival rates of hatchery-raised individuals present a significant obstacle to delisting efforts. This study investigates the gut microbiomes of wild-caught Pallid Sturgeon from Platte River and hatchery-raised Pallid Sturgeon from Gavin's Point National Fish Hatchery to identify differences and their potential management implications. Fecal samples were collected from both groups, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified to sequence and characterize the microbial communities present. Findings indicate that wild-caught sturgeon exhibit a more diverse and adapted gut microbiome than their hatchery-raised counterparts. These differences may challenge hatchery-raised individuals in adapting to natural environments post-release, potentially affecting their survival and reproductive success. Furthermore, alterations in gut microbiota composition may influence nutrient absorption, immune function, and overall health. Integrating gut microbiome dynamics into management strategies is essential for conserving endangered species, underscoring the necessity for adaptive management approaches incorporating microbial ecology principles to ensure the long-term survival of Pallid Sturgeon populations.
Speakers
IJ

Israt Jahan

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-07: Limited Catch: The Use of Supplementary Biological Data To Further Develop Our Understanding Of Lake Erie Grass Carp
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Dillon Weik, University of Toledo; Christine Mayer, University of Toledo; Tammy Wilson, US Geological Survey; Ryan Young, US Fish & Wildlife; Eric Weimer, Ohio Department of Natural Resources; John Dettmers, Great Lake Fishery Commission

ABSTRACT: Invasive grass carp have been captured in Lake Erie since the mid-1980s, and spawning in tributaries to the lake was confirmed in 2015. In response, a multi-jurisdictional partnership was established to target grass carp for removal with increasing effort since 2017. However, capture data is limited, making supplemental biological data, such as growth histories estimated from bony structures, especially useful in describing trends in the population or individual traits. Age was estimated using vertebrae for all fish removed from Lake Erie since 2012, and growth was back-calculated using the Biological Intercept Model. The back-calculated growth was then fitted to a Von Bertalanffy Growth Function. Lake Erie grass carp age-at-maturity (as indexed by a decrease in growth rate) of diploid fish was estimated to be ~3 years. In contrast, literature derived age-at-maturity ranges from 1-10 years. Current removal methods select fish > 880 mm (age-4). Consequently, recruitment may occur before fish are vulnerable to removal. Therefore, future efforts are needed to target smaller fish by exploring alternative habitats or examining new sampling gears to remove these cryptic individuals before they are able to successfully recruit to the population.
Speakers
DW

Dillon Weik

Master's Student, University of Toledo
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-08: Management of crawfish frogs (Lithobates areolatus) based on breeding pond manipulation, head starting, and disease implications at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern I
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Joseph R. Robb, Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: The 50,000-acre Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) contains one of the largest populations of crawfish frogs (Lithobates areolatus) in Indiana. The crawfish frog, a state endangered species in Indiana, is a burrow obligate species that is currently declining throughout much of its range. Sporadic recruitment and woody habitat intrusion were likely responsible for limiting this population at Big Oaks NWR. We initiated several management and research projects to better understand and mitigate this issue during 2004-2024. Occupancy modeling identified focus areas for breeding wetland restoration where quality grassland habitat existed, but populations were absent. This modeling approach also identified aspects of breeding pond use where the most parsimonious model indicated that crawfish frogs selected relatively larger ephemeral wetlands, emergent vegetation present in less than 50% of the wetland, and the absence of woody vegetation. Combining this knowledge with the results from an early pilot project investigating how experimentally drained ponds increased crawfish frog use and reduced their predator and competitor communities, we designed and constructed breeding wetlands to improve the management of this species. We also used several head starting techniques to increase the productivity of this species in quality habitat. Monitoring of these breeding wetlands has shown newly established populations, increased breeding adult use, and increased recruitment. However, the potential for larval disease outbreaks (i.e., Perkinsea sp. and Ranavirus) complicates management. The success of this management regime could be replicated to restore populations in appropriate habitat to stabilize population declines throughout their range especially if management could be used to reduce disease outbreaks.
Speakers
JR

Joe Robb

Refuge Manager, USFWS - Big Oaks NWR
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-14: How RAD are Walleye Fisheries at the Southern End of their Range?
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Melissa Wuellner, University of Nebraska at Kearney; Keith Koupal, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

ABSTRACT:  The recruitment of Walleye (Sander vitreus) has become less reliable through time as these populations face high angler exploitation and changing climatic conditions. While the native range of Walleye does extend to the Gulf of Mexico, the populations in Nebraska represent the southern and western edges of traditional natural recruiting populations. As such the challenges these populations face potentially represent the challenges the populations in more traditional northern climates may face as climatic conditions become more variable. In Nebraska, Walleye management in many reservoirs would fall under the “Resist-Accept” continuum as the sustainability of these populations relies largely on stocking. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework has been used to frame Walleye management decisions, but the question remains as to whether the RAD framework applies to populations where summer ambient temperatures may be much warmer than locations where related research has been published. In this presentation, we will present case studies that illustrate the history of stocking over more than 40 years, whether stocking helps to meet reservoir-specific management goals, and what the future of the Walleye stocking program may be. Context for the advantages and disadvantages of the variable approaches to maintain Walleye populations along with potential consequences will be discussed.
Speakers
avatar for Melissa Wuellner

Melissa Wuellner

Associate Professor, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-15: Where Do We Go From Here? - Advancing the Sustainable Rivers Program to New Rivers and Opportunities in the Midwest
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Brian Johnson, US Army Corps of Engineers - St. Louis

ABSTRACT: The US Army Corps of Engineers is one largest water resource management agencies in the United States, managing over 460 reservoirs and providing over 50% of the nation’s entire flood storage capacity. In addition, the Corps manages 237 navigable locks throughout the country. All told the Corps operates and maintains approximately 740 dams and associated structures which directly impact over 52,000 miles of rivers. In recognition of the magnitude and breath of the impact of USACE water infrastructure across the country, the Corps began partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2002 on the Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP). The SRP Program has the clear mission of working at Corps operating projects to improve the health and life of rivers by changing infrastructure operations to restore and protect ecosystems, while maintaining or enhancing other project benefits. To date the program has worked on over 40 rivers impacting over 12,000 miles. Within the Midwest there are active SRP projects in at least 8 states, including Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Corps has continued to partner with TNC to deliver the SRP Program, most recently with the release of TNC’s Resilient & Connected Network analysis of the USACE sites, which helps identify those sites with the highest resilience and biodiversity. The results of that work show there is still abundant need and potential for new projects and opportunities within the Midwest region. This presentation will discuss that potential, delve into the SRP process, and discuss how to work with USACE to submit and propose new projects.
Speakers
BJ

Brian Johnson

Env. Compliance Branch Chief, US Army Corps of Engineers - St. Louis
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-17: Quality Programs Deserve Qualitative Methods
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS: Amy Bousman, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks; Susan Steffan, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks

ABSTRACT: Participant feedback is critical to understand the impact R3 programs are having on participants; therefore, the greater goal of recruiting, retaining, or reactivating participants. We typically collect this feedback through formal, quantitative surveys. However, it is increasingly difficult to get participant feedback due to survey fatigue and program logistics (e.g., outdoor setting, language barriers, working with children, etc.). We will discuss the pragmatic, often qualitative, methods we used to collect participant feedback for programs that targeted underserved and nontraditional communities such as refugees and Indigenous peoples. We hope you can learn from our successful (and not-so-successful) efforts to maintain and strengthen these positive relationships while still capturing the much-needed participant feedback.
Speakers
avatar for Amy Bousman

Amy Bousman

Education Specialist, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
Hello! I am the Education Specialist for northeast KS with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. My public programs focus heavily on full-circle, field to fork events with a holistic emphasis (whole animal usage, leave no trace, etc). Along with my partners, I create educational... Read More →
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA

11:40am CST

S-19: Planning for Pollinators: How Voluntary Conservation Agreements Can Encourage Landscape-Scale Conservation
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
AUTHORS:  Catherine O'Reilly, University of Illinois Chicago

ABSTRACT:  Pollinator species have seen sharp population declines throughout this century, which has severe ramifications for ecosystem stability. Finding creative solutions to restore pollinator habitat is vital to preserving both pollinators and ecosystems, and this requires developing landscape-scale conservation initiatives for pollinators that involve non-traditional conservation landscapes and partners.

One method for engaging non-traditional stakeholders in pollinator conservation is through Section 10 Conservation Benefit Agreements (CBAs). These agreements, established under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, are voluntary conservation agreements between non-federal landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in which participating organizations agree to provide a net conservation benefit to targeted species in exchange for assurances that additional or management activities for these species will not be required. This encourages pollinator conservation from non-traditional conservation partners by offering operational flexibility and regulatory certainty to participants while establishing clear standards for what conservation actions are required to achieve a net conservation benefit for the targeted species.

A Section 10 agreement that promotes pollinator conservation on non-traditional conservation landscapes is the Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly (the Monarch CCAA). The Monarch CCAA is a Section 10 agreement between the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and energy and transportation companies that is designed to create habitat for monarchs on energy and transportation rights-of-way. A similar agreement has been developed by UIC and partners which focuses on at-risk bumble bee species, building upon the conservation success of the CCAA.

I will present on how CBAs encourage landscape-scale conservation efforts from non-traditional partners by offering flexibility and assurances in exchange for conservation actions, and what motivates the creation of a CBA. Brief updates on the Monarch CCAA and bumble bee agreement will be shared to exemplify how Section 10 agreements work in practice.
Speakers
CO

Catherine O'Reilly

Partner Coordinator, University of Illinois Chicago
Wednesday January 22, 2025 11:40am - 12:00pm CST
TBA
 

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  • S-01: Flight of Discovery: Bird Research & Monitoring within the Mississippi Flyway
  • S-02: Connecting the Dots: Addressing Aquatic Habitat Fragmentation Across the Midwest
  • S-03: CWD: A Wicked Challenge
  • S-04: Building Resilient Salmonid Populations with Multi-faceted Management and Research Approaches (PART 1)
  • S-04: Building Resilient Salmonid Populations with Multi-faceted Management and Research Approaches (PART 2)
  • S-05: Working Lands & Resilient Streams: The Power of Partnering with Landowners
  • S-06: Restoring and Reconstructing Endangered Ecosystems in Missouri: Case Studies of Prairie/Savanna/Woodland and Wetland Natural Communities
  • S-07: Sharing Knowledge Across Sub-basins: Invasive Carp in the Missouri River Basin and Beyond
  • S-07: Sharing Knowledge Across Sub-basins: Invasive Carp in the Missouri River Basin and Beyond (PART 1
  • S-08: Conservation of Crawfish Frogs and Other Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest
  • S-09: Conservation Social Science: Informing Management and Enhancing Engagement in the Midwest
  • S-10: Charting a Path Forward - Fisheries and Aquatic Plant Management Now and in the Future
  • S-11: Crayfish Conservation and Management
  • S-12: Not Just for Ducks…Reframing Marshes as Working Water Gardens
  • S-13: Living Data on the Road to Resilience: Opportunities/Challenges/Best Practices
  • S-14: Thriving Amidst Challenges: Examining Resilient Walleye Populations
  • S-15: The Sustainable Rivers Program - Reoperating Corps of Engineers Water Infrastructure to Enhance Environmental Benefits
  • S-16: Migratory Birds and Climate Change: Science to Inform Management
  • S-17: Applied Science and Adaptation of R3 Efforts
  • S-18: FishCAST: Working Towards a Better Future for All Fisheries Professionals
  • S-19: How is Landscape Conservation Relevant to You?
  • Student Event