2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

April Simmons

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Fisheries Management Biologist

9:00am CST

W-01: Introduction to Map Making in R (CAPACITY FULL) Grand B (4th Floor) W-03: Traditional Age Structured Fish Population Modeling and Simulation Mills 9 (4th Floor)

6:00pm CST

Welcome Networking Social - Sponsored by USFWS Grand Foyer (4th Floor)

8:00am CST

Plenary Session 1 and Awards Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)Ben Batten • Jim Inglis

10:05am CST

Coffee Break - Sponsored by Wildlife Management Institute Grand Foyer (4th Floor)

10:30am CST

North Central Division AFS Business Meeting Grand A (4th Floor)Daniel Isermann

12:00pm CST

Lunch On Your Own Offsite

1:00pm CST

Lake and Reservoir Management Committee Meeting Mills 3 (4th Floor)Will Radigan

1:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Effects of Flow Variation on Recruitment in a Central Missouri Stream Fish Assemblage Regency D (2nd Floor)Connor Church S-05: Fishers & Farmers Partnership: Energizing Healthy Farms & Fish Habitats Through Neighbor Connections Grand B (4th Floor)Ben Lubinski

2:00pm CST

Fisheries Track: Diet and Niche Overlap of Blue Catfish and Resident Reservoir Sportfishes to Inform Stocking Decisions Regency D (2nd Floor)Jacob Bentley

2:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Evaluating the influence of climate change on walleye and largemouth bass consumption rates in a northern Wisconsin lake Regency C (2nd Floor)Jeston Hassler S-02: Beyond barriers: Fish communities in a recovering tributary of Lake Erie Regency B (2nd Floor)Matthew Acre S-04: The Meramec River Brown Trout Dilemma - a Case Study of a Missouri Ozark Stream's Salmonid Management Grand A (4th Floor)Jen Girondo

2:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: First occurrence of American Brook Lamprey (Lethenteron appendix) in the Cuyahoga River, OH Regency D (2nd Floor)Zane McAdams S-05: Conservation Counts: Building Urban and Rural Partnerships to Address Stream Biological Impairments Grand B (4th Floor)Josh Balk

3:00pm CST

Coffee Break Grand Foyer (4th Floor)

3:20pm CST

S-01: A framework to facilitate habitat conservation for marsh birds in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions Sterling 9 (2nd Floor )Michael Monfils S-02: Can We Have Our Cake and Eat It to? Retrofitting an Aging Urban Dam for Multiuse, Including Recreation and Fish Passage. Regency B (2nd Floor)Donald Pereira

3:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Using Live Freshwater Mussels as Habitat Regency D (2nd Floor)Madison Dunlap S-02: Utilizing the USFWS National Fish Passage Coordination Map and the SARP National Aquatic Barrier Inventory and Prioritization Tool to Assess Stream Connectivity Across the Western Great Plains Regency B (2nd Floor)Jacob Zona S-04: Evaluating Brown Trout strains stocked into Spring River, Arkansas Grand A (4th Floor)Joseph Kaiser

4:00pm CST

Fisheries Track: Evaluation of otolith and eye lens chemistry for identifying stocked Walleye Regency C (2nd Floor)Joshua Fluur S-04: Evaluation of the Effects of a Slot Length Limit and Stocking Changes for Rainbow and Brown Trout in Lake Taneycomo, Missouri Grand A (4th Floor)Shane Bush

4:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Addressing the Data Need to Manage Future Change in Fisheries Regency D (2nd Floor)Madalyn Siller S-04: From Rod to Research and Resilience: How Anglers Enhance Fisheries Research and Management in Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior Grand A (4th Floor)Nick Peterson

4:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Assessing Habitat Quality Changes for Cool- and Warm-Water Fishes Regency D (2nd Floor)Madalyn Siller

6:00pm CST

Offsite Dinner and Social ($) - Sponsored by Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation Anheuser-Busch Brewery

8:00am CST

Plenary Session 2 and Awards Grand Ballroom (DEFGH)Rob Hunt • Roger Still

10:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Apples and Oranges? Using radio and acoustic telemetry to evaluate restoration success. Regency D (2nd Floor)Seth Fopma S-10: Shifting Perspectives: The Role of Aquatic Plants in the Future of Fisheries and Angling Regency B (2nd Floor)Steven Bardin

10:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Using GPS and Side Scan Sonar Data to Track Yearly Electrofishing Path Variation and Fish Community Assemblages Regency C (2nd Floor)Drew Holloway S-04: Evaluating Lake-Run Brown Trout in Saginaw Bay Using Acoustic Telemetry Grand A (4th Floor)April Simmons S-08: Conservation of Missouri’s State Endangered Amphibian and Reptile Species Grand B (4th Floor)Jeff Briggler S-10: Aquatic Vegetation Management Challenges and Opportunities Regency B (2nd Floor)Nate Long

11:00am CST

Fisheries Track: A Wide Net: Identifying Habitat Across Species and Age Groups of Fish for a Holistic View of the Ecosystem Regency D (2nd Floor)Kayla Lenz Fisheries Track: Big River Bluegill: How and why bluegill population dynamics vary along a large river gradient Regency C (2nd Floor)Kristen Bouska S-04: Salmonid Movement and Habitat Use in Warming North Shore Tributaries to Lake Superior Grand A (4th Floor)Dylan Undlin S-07: Assessing Variation in Habitat Quality to Inform Preventative Management of Invasive Species Regency E (2nd Floor)Brenden Elwer S-09: Improving Dialogues in Multi-stakeholder Settings: an Experiment Mills 3 (4th Floor)Kristin Hurst S-10: Fisheries Response to Lake Restoration Projects in Northwest Iowa Natural Lakes Regency B (2nd Floor)Michael Hawkins

11:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Microplastic Abundance in Fish Species with Differing Feeding Habits in a Large Midwestern River Regency C (2nd Floor)Michael Louison S-08: The Return of Alligator Snapping Turtles to Their Former Range in Kansas Grand B (4th Floor)Daren Riedle S-10: Why I'm establishing aquatic plants, and you should too! Regency B (2nd Floor)Nick Kramer

11:40am CST

S-04: Assessment of Isotope Shifts in Northern Pike in Response to Increased Rainbow Trout Stocking Length Grand A (4th Floor)Jeremy Kientz S-08: Adaptive Management for a Reintroduced Population of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) Grand B (4th Floor)Callie Klatt Golba S-10: Aquatic Plant Assessment and Mapping Methods: Finding the sweet spot between frequency and abundance Regency B (2nd Floor)Ray Valley

1:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Age and Growth Analyses on a Stunted vs. Non-Stunted Population of White Perch in Southeastern Nebraska Reservoirs Regency D (2nd Floor)Cali Engel Fisheries Track: Impacts of Habitat Enhancement on Fish Assemblage Integrity in Several Midwestern Streams Regency C (2nd Floor)Ryan Skowronski S-04: Advancing Cold Water Beyond Trout: Characterizing Aquatic Biota and Habitat Across Thermal Gradients in Missouri Grand A (4th Floor)Natalie Coash

1:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Smallmouth Bass Demographics in the Kaskaskia and Vermilion Rivers Regency D (2nd Floor)Ethan Scott S-10: From Past Failures to Future Successes: Efforts to Establish Aquatic Vegetation in Arkansas Reservoirs. Regency B (2nd Floor)Jeremy Risley

2:00pm CST

Fisheries Track: Characterizing Riverine Habitat through the Use of UAS and Side-Scan Sonar Regency C (2nd Floor)Tyler Hessler Fisheries Track: Exploring Assessment Techniques for Minnesota's Newest Sport Fish: the Burbot Regency D (2nd Floor)Kristen Patterson S-04: Brook Trout Management in the Iowa Driftless Region Grand A (4th Floor)Mike Siepker

2:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Built to Last? Evaluating the Condition of Fish Habitat Structures in Missouri’s Ozark Reservoirs Regency C (2nd Floor)Tyler Ham S-04: Assessment of Coldwater Fisheries Resources in Northeast Iowa. Grand A (4th Floor)Gregory Gelwicks S-09: Quantifying angler harvest decisions using four decades of creel survey data Mills 3 (4th Floor)Ben Neely S-10: Aquatic Vegetation Survey Methods in Iowa Regency B (2nd Floor)Jason Euchner

2:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Assessment of Channel Catfish Population Demographics in Illinois Impoundments and Evaluation of Spawning Boxes Regency D (2nd Floor)Danielle Shubat S-08: Herpetofauna use of canebrake habitat in southern Illinois Grand B (4th Floor)Thanchira Suriyamongkol S-12: Native Landscapes: Engaging and Empowering Community Sterling 3 (2nd Floor)Cydney Ross

3:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Identifying potential sources of natural recruitment of muskellunge in Green Bay, Lake Michigan Regency D (2nd Floor)Ryan Eastman Fisheries Track: Linking Stream Fish Thermal Ecology and Adaptive Capacity to Prioritize Watershed Areas with Greatest Value for Conservation Regency C (2nd Floor)Brittany Harried

3:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Examining stunted Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) population in River Reservoir Regency D (2nd Floor)Kaden Ball S-10: Employing Recreational Side-Scan Sonar to Evaluate the Relationship between Aquatic Vegetation and Sportfish Catch Rates across Ohio Reservoirs Regency B (2nd Floor)Gus McAnally

4:00pm CST

Fisheries Track: Dispersal of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon Stocked in the Saginaw River Basin Regency C (2nd Floor)Maxwell Majinska S-10: In the Weeds: The Role of Aquatic Macrophytes in Predicting the Success of Walleye Recruitment in Minnesota and Wisconsin Regency B (2nd Floor)Robert Davis

4:20pm CST

Fisheries Track: Reproductive Characteristics of a Vulnerable Riverine Specialist in the Unchannelized Missouri River Regency C (2nd Floor)BJ Schall S-08: Weather weirding and frog phenology: how some species may adapt to climate change Grand B (4th Floor)Melissa Youngquist S-10: Public and Professional Perspectives on Aquatic Plant Management and Research Regency B (2nd Floor)Zachary Feiner

4:40pm CST

Fisheries Track: Native Rough Fish Management Progress in Minnesota Regency C (2nd Floor)Shannon Fisher

6:00pm CST

Poster Session & Tradeshow Social - Co-Sponsored by Aquatic Control, HDR Engineering & NASA Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)

8:00am CST

Fisheries Track: Conserving "native rough fish" through fisheries management in the Midwest Regency C (2nd Floor)Steve Herrington Fisheries Track: Population Characteristics of Buffalo in Wisconsin: Contribution and Resiliency to Bowfishing Harvest Regency B (2nd Floor)Daniel Isermann S-08: Crawfish Frog Conservation in the Midwest Grand B (4th Floor)Nate Engbrecht S-13: wdnr.fmdb – A case study of living data in Wisconsin DNR’s Fisheries Management Program Sterling 3 (2nd Floor)Paul Frater S-15: An Overview of the Sustainable Rivers Program Grand A (4th Floor)Heidi Mehl S-18: FishCAST: Introducing the North Central Division Fisheries Community Advocacy and Sustainability Team Mills 3 (4th Floor)Brittany Harried

8:20am CST

S-13: Harmful Algal Blooms, Leveraging Remotely Sensed Data for Timely Decisions and Long-term Understanding Sterling 3 (2nd Floor)Nicholas Sievert S-17: Is It Working? An Evaluation of a State's R3 Programs Regency E (2nd Floor)Cynthia Longmire

8:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Taxonomic and Functional Shifts in Riverine Fish Community Assemblages Across Midwest National Parks Regency B (2nd Floor)Lily Thompson S-13: Integrating Long-term Assessment Data to Evaluate Muskellunge Stocking across Wisconsin Inland Lakes Sterling 3 (2nd Floor)Alexander Latzka S-15: Lake Sturgeon Response to Modified Flows on the Salt River Grand A (4th Floor)Annie Hentschke S-16: Microclimates and Species Life History Differences Inform Climate Vulnerability in a Grassland Songbird Community Regency D (2nd Floor)Benjamin Zuckerberg S-19: Promoting Habitat: Engage, connect, empower and instill an ownership. People protect what they value Sterling 9 (2nd Floor )

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 Regency C (2nd Floor)Andrew Briggs S-14: The Recovery of Saginaw Bay Walleye, a Case Study in Resiliency Regency A (2nd Floor)David Fielder S-18: Overview of DEIJA and Indigenous relations in AFS Mills 3 (4th Floor)Jory Jonas

9:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Intraspecific variation in stable isotopes provides insight into adfluvial migrations and ecology of brook trout in Lake Superior tributaries Regency C (2nd Floor)Brandon Gerig S-14: Managing Sustainable Walleye Harvest on Lake Erie Regency A (2nd Floor)Travis Hartman

9:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Using Eye Lenses to Identify Rearing Origin of Large, Fingerling Walleye Regency C (2nd Floor)BJ Schall S-14: Using angler derived data to assess walleye fisheries and resilience Regency A (2nd Floor)Jeff Kopaska

10:20am CST

Fisheries Track: History of Fish Production and Design in North America Regency C (2nd Floor)Matt Cochran S-15: USACE Mobile - Improving Fish Passage, Mussel Habitat, and Fish Spawning Habitat Through Modification of Federal Reservoir Operations Grand A (4th Floor)Terry Rickey S-18: Survey Says: We are not meeting the needs of students and ECPs within the NCD Mills 3 (4th Floor)Shaley Valentine

10:40am CST

Fisheries Track: Bioprogramming: A Tool to Help Guide Hatchery Design into the Modern Era Regency C (2nd Floor)Baylee Thornton Fisheries Track: Evaluating juvenile Grass Carp behavioral responses to sound Regency B (2nd Floor)Christina Mackey S-15: Native Freshwater Mussels in the Allegheny River: Science to Support the Sustainable Rivers Program Grand A (4th Floor)Teresa Newton

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 Regency B (2nd Floor)Cade Roach Fisheries Track: Variation in Fatty Acid Composition of Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish in Two Central Ohio Reservoirs Regency C (2nd Floor)Steven Gratz S-15: Environmental Pool Management on Corps Pools and Reservoirs: A Clear Case for Ecological Benefits Grand A (4th Floor)Lane Richter

11:20am CST

Fisheries Track: Enhancing proactive aquatic nuisance species management by developing a standardized risk screening workflow Regency B (2nd Floor)Lindsey LaBrie Fisheries Track: Influence of Thermal Variation on Paddlefish Thermal Tolerance, Recovery and Post-Release Behavior Regency C (2nd Floor)Shasta Kamara S-15: Sustainable Rivers Program E-Flow and E-Pool Efforts on the Kansas and Osage Rivers Grand A (4th Floor)Marvin Boyer

11:40am CST

S-15: Where Do We Go From Here? - Advancing the Sustainable Rivers Program to New Rivers and Opportunities in the Midwest Grand A (4th Floor)Brian Johnson