2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

arrow_back View All Dates

7:00am CST

Continental Breakast with Exhibitors TBA Conference Registration Desk Open TBA

8:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Conserving "native rough fish" through fisheries management in the Midwest TBASteve Herrington Fisheries Track: Population Characteristics of Buffalo in Wisconsin: Contribution and Resiliency to Bowfishing Harvest TBADaniel Isermann S-07: Aggregation for Eradication: An Exploratory Grass Carp Management Strategy in the Upper Mississippi River TBAMax Monfort S-08: Crawfish Frog Conservation in the Midwest TBANate Engbrecht S-11: Molecular Surveillance of a Potential Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) Invasion in the Midwest United States TBAEric Larson S-13: Practical data pipelines: from raw data to valuable product TBAJennifer Stenglein S-14: Managing for Resilient Walleye Populations: Avoiding an Ecological Tipping Point TBAGreg Sass S-15: An Overview of the Sustainable Rivers Program TBAHeidi Mehl S-16: Migratory Birds and Climate Change: Symposium Opening Remarks TBA S-17: The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of Midwest Fish and Wildlife Agencies TBALisa Parks S-19: Midwest Landscape Initiative and the Midwest Conservation Blueprint TBARachael Carlberg S-18: FishCAST: Introducing the North Central Division Fisheries Community Advocacy and Sustainability Team TBABrittany Harried CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS & ORGANIZED SYMPOSIA 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 TBASamantha Embersits Fisheries Track: Looking Towards the Future: Individual Identification Tag Exploration on Bigmouth Shiners for use on Small-bodied At-risk Fish in Nebraska TBAJoe Spooner 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 TBAPatrick Kroboth S-08: The Status of the Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus, in Kansas TBADaren Riedle S-11: Development of Point-of-Use Detection Tools for Prevention and Control of Red Swamp Crayfish TBACaden Jungbluth S-13: Harmful Algal Blooms, Leveraging Remotely Sensed Data for Timely Decisions and Long-term Understanding TBANicholas Sievert S-14: Seeing (bright) spots: Factors related to unexpected walleye success TBAChristopher Rounds S-15: Modifying Water Velocities to Promote Lake Sturgeon Spawning Success on the Mississippi River TBASarah Peper S-16: Climate Science in Service of Migratory Bird Management TBAolivia ledee S-17: Is It Working? An Evaluation of a State's R3 Programs TBACynthia Longmire S-19: The Five Land Languages: How Differing Perceptions of Place Constrain Conservation Delivery, and What We Can Do About It TBAKarl Malcolm

8:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Assessing Age and Incremental Growth Rates in Cedar River Shovelnose Sturgeon through an 18-year Mark-Recapture Dataset TBAJuliana Kaloczi Fisheries Track: Taxonomic and Functional Shifts in Riverine Fish Community Assemblages Across Midwest National Parks TBALily Thompson S-07: Development and Assessment of Novel Tools and Techniques for Capture, Deterrence, and Monitoring of Invasive Carp TBAJesse Fischer S-08: Evaluating the Status of Crawfish Frogs (Rana areolata) in Oklahoma through Frog Call Surveys and Species Distribution Models TBAKaleb Banks S-11: Red Swamp Crayfish Home Range and Movement in an Invaded Lentic Ecosystem TBAWilliam Ota S-13: Integrating Long-term Assessment Data to Evaluate Muskellunge Stocking across Wisconsin Inland Lakes TBAAlexander Latzka S-14: Understanding and building resilience in Green Bay walleye populations TBADaniel Dembkowski S-15: Lake Sturgeon Response to Modified Flows on the Salt River TBAAnnie Hentschke S-16: Microclimates and Species Life History Differences Inform Climate Vulnerability in a Grassland Songbird Community TBABenjamin Zuckerberg S-17: Attracting Diverse Participants to School Shooting Sports Programs (Formal Project Title: Youth Shooting Sports Diversity and Engagement) TBAHiroto Hayashi S-19: Promoting Habitat: Engage, connect, empower and instill an ownership. People protect what they value TBA

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 TBARobert Mapes 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 TBAAndrew Briggs S-07: A New and Innovative Method for Invasive Carp Ichthyoplankton Dispersal Control and Monitoring in Open-River Conditions TBARyan Jackson S-08: Current status and future directions for Crawfish Frog conservation in Arkansas TBAAmanda Bryant S-11: Habitat Selectivity by Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish TBASarah Walker 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 TBATom Thompson S-14: The Recovery of Saginaw Bay Walleye, a Case Study in Resiliency TBADavid Fielder S-15: Assessing the effects of experimental flow releases on Shovelnose Sturgeon spawning in the Des Moines River, Iowa TBAMcKensie Vaske S-16: Factors driving long-term changes in duck harvest distributions in the Central and Mississippi Flyways TBABram Verheijen S-17: Attracting New Adult Hunters with Tested Messages and Ideal Media (Formal Project Title: New Hunter Ads for Target Audience) TBAHiroto Hayashi S-18: Overview of DEIJA and Indigenous relations in AFS TBAJory Jonas S-19: Missouri Habitat Strike Teams: Partnering for Collaborative Landscape Conservation TBAMegan Buchanan

9:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Alternative Data Sources Predict (Dis)similar Connectivity Networks Among Minnesota Lakes TBAAaron Muehler Fisheries Track: Intraspecific variation in stable isotopes provides insight into adfluvial migrations and ecology of brook trout in Lake Superior tributaries TBABrandon Gerig S-07: Effectiveness of an invasive carp underwater acoustic deterrent system at Mississippi River Lock 19 TBAJanice Albers S-08: Status of the Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) in Missouri TBAJeff Briggler S-11: Influence of Environmental Characteristics on Procambarus clarkii Burrowing in Southeast Michigan Golf Course Waterbodies TBAColin Assenmacher S-13: Incorporating Long-term Fisheries Data to Understand Fish Recruitment in a Dynamic Ecosystem TBAAndrew Foley S-14: Managing Sustainable Walleye Harvest on Lake Erie TBATravis Hartman S-15: Shovelnose Sturgeon Summer Habitat Selection on the Des Moines River, Iowa TBADaniel Paulson S-16: Predicted Migratory Landbird Response to Climate Change in Texas and Louisiana TBATheodore Zenzal S-17: Harnessing the Growth in 35–44-Year-Old Participation TBALisa Parks S-18: A History of STEM and DEIA: Challenges, Trailblazers, and What the Future Holds TBAGweniviere Oubre S-19: Collaborative Conservation for the Next Generation TBARachael Carlberg

9:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Tracking the Spread of Invasive Mollusks in the Illinois River Watershed TBANicho Iacaruso Fisheries Track: Using Eye Lenses to Identify Rearing Origin of Large, Fingerling Walleye TBABJ Schall S-07: Deterring Upstream Movement of Invasive Carp in the Kansas River TBALiam Odell S-08:A Brief History and Status Update of the Northern Crawfish Frog in Iowa TBAPaul Frese S-13: Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project: Adapting to change TBAShelby Timm S-14: Using angler derived data to assess walleye fisheries and resilience TBAJeff Kopaska S-15: Movement of Pectoral Sandpipers from an Iowa stopover site TBAVictoria Fasbender S-16: Navigating Change: Creating Resilient Urban Landscapes for Migratory Birds TBAAbigail Derby Lewis S-17: WAFWA Hunter Personas and Evolutionary Path TBALisa Parks S-18: A Systems Approach to DEI Planning at a State Agency TBAJory Jonas

10:15am CST

Time and Place DeBrief Meeting (For host team representatives from Missouri (2025) and Indiana (2026) TBA

10:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Assessing Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Abundance Dynamics in Tailwater Habitats Using Side-scan Sonar Techniques TBAAdam Jones Fisheries Track: History of Fish Production and Design in North America TBAMatt Cochran S-07: Assessment of Sampling Gears for Adult Invasive Carp in Mid-Order Rivers in Nebraska TBABrett Anderson S-08: Status of the Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) in Illinois TBAScott Ballard S-11: Habitat Associations of Invasive Rusty Crayfish and Native Virile Crayfish in a Shallow, Eutrophic Natural Lake TBADalton Clayton S-14: 40 Years of Walleye Observations in Pool 14 of the Upper Miss. River TBAJeremiah Haas S-15: USACE Mobile - Improving Fish Passage, Mussel Habitat, and Fish Spawning Habitat Through Modification of Federal Reservoir Operations TBATerry Rickey S-16: Joint Venture Decision Support Tools: Brainstorming Ideas to Account for Climate Change TBAMohammed Al-Saffar S-17: Exploring R3 Opportunities in Midwestern State Parks TBALisa Parks S-18: Survey Says: We are not meeting the needs of students and ECPs within the NCD TBAShaley Valentine S-19: A Partner-Focused Path Forward To Conserve Grasslands and Midwest Communities TBAAlex Wright

10:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Bioprogramming: A Tool to Help Guide Hatchery Design into the Modern Era TBABaylee Thornton Fisheries Track: Evaluating juvenile Grass Carp behavioral responses to sound TBAChristina Mackey S-07: Silver Carp Biomass Estimation Using Low-Cost Consumer-Grade Technology to Inform Management Strategies TBAJosey Ridgway S-08: An Update on the Status and Conservation of Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) in Indiana TBANate Engbrecht S-11: Stress levels of P. Clarkii and F. Rusticus differ along the Chicago River TBAJohn Bieber S-14: Lake Pepin - Perspectives from 60 Years of Annual Monitoring TBANick Schlesser S-15: Native Freshwater Mussels in the Allegheny River: Science to Support the Sustainable Rivers Program TBATeresa Newton 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 TBAGrace Milanowski S-18: Moderated Panel Discussion for FishCAST Symposium TBABrittany Harried S-19: Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act: An Underutilized Tool for Conservation Planning TBARebecca Sloan S-16: Moderated Panel Discussion TBAMohammed Al-Saffar

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 TBACade Roach Fisheries Track: Variation in Fatty Acid Composition of Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish in Two Central Ohio Reservoirs TBASteven Gratz S-07: Missouri River Tributary Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Population Assessment TBAKellie Hanser S-08: Multiple lines of evidence reveal interspecific hybridization between the Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata) and two sympatric congeners TBAOwen Edwards S-11: Parasite-Induced Trophic Cascade via Trait-Mediated Effects on Invasive Crayfish TBACheyenne Stratton S-14: Devils Lake Walleye: History and Factors Impacting Sustainability. TBATodd Caspers S-15: Environmental Pool Management on Corps Pools and Reservoirs: A Clear Case for Ecological Benefits TBALane Richter S-17: Attracting Participants to LearnHunting.org (Formal Project Title: LearnHunting.org Pilot State Marketing) TBAHiroto Hayashi S-19: Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape – Making Connectivity Progress in a Fragmented Landscape TBAMichael Spalding

11:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Enhancing proactive aquatic nuisance species management by developing a standardized risk screening workflow TBALindsey LaBrie Fisheries Track: Influence of Thermal Variation on Paddlefish Thermal Tolerance, Recovery and Post-Release Behavior TBAShasta Kamara S-07: Length-based stock assessments for grass carp in Lake Erie TBATammy Wilson S-08: Future headstarting plans for Indiana’s endangered Crawfish frogs TBABlake Klocke S-14: Factors affecting year-class strength of Walleye (Sander vitreus) populations in western irrigation reservoirs TBASteve Chipps S-15: Sustainable Rivers Program E-Flow and E-Pool Efforts on the Kansas and Osage Rivers TBAMarvin Boyer S-17: U.S. and Midwestern Hunting and Fishing Participation Trends via R3 Dashboard TBALisa Parks S-19: Development and Implementation of Missouri's Landscape Health Index TBAJon Podoliak

11:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Spatial and Temporal Variation of Invasive Carp Spawning Activity in the Illinois River Basin TBABraden Whisler Fisheries Track: Understanding fecal microbiome of Pallid Sturgeon TBAIsrat Jahan S-07: Limited Catch: The Use of Supplementary Biological Data To Further Develop Our Understanding Of Lake Erie Grass Carp TBADillon Weik 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 TBAJoe Robb S-14: How RAD are Walleye Fisheries at the Southern End of their Range? TBAMelissa Wuellner S-15: Where Do We Go From Here? - Advancing the Sustainable Rivers Program to New Rivers and Opportunities in the Midwest TBABrian Johnson S-17: Quality Programs Deserve Qualitative Methods TBAAmy Bousman S-19: Planning for Pollinators: How Voluntary Conservation Agreements Can Encourage Landscape-Scale Conservation TBACatherine O'Reilly