2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

AUTHORS: Ashley G. McDonald, Southern Illinois University; Jennifer R. Schultze, Southern Illinois University; Clayton K. Nielsen, Southern Illinois University; F. Agustin Jimenez, Southern Illinois University

ABSTRACT: Zoonoses are attributed to approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases. Contraction of zoonotic infections is linked to urbanization, as land development increases the probability of human interaction with wildlife. Omnivorous animals such as raccoons thrive in urban settings due to the abundance of anthropogenic resources such as food and shelter. Racoons are the definitive host of zoonotic pathogens, including the heteroxenous raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis); raccoon synanthropic habits bring these pathogens near human dwellings. The goal of this study is to assess the influence of raccoon abundance on the prevalence of raccoon roundworm in 5 study areas in northern Illinois representing a rural-urban gradient. Raccoons (n=287) were captured and removed from sites by collaborators during April-June 2022-2024. Upon necropsy, intestinal tracts were examined to determine raccoon roundworm prevalence. Capture per unit effort (CPUE), a measure of wildlife population abundance, was calculated as the number of raccoons captured per 100 nights of capture effort at each site. A logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between raccoon abundance and raccoon roundworm prevalence. Raccoon roundworm prevalence decreased with increased raccoon abundance (X2=4.37, P=0.036). Counterintuitively, our findings suggest that disease risk decreases with increasing raccoon abundance, which implies that population reduction of raccoons in areas of high abundance might be an ineffective tool to reduce the risk of roundworm infection to the human population. Land-use can also impact parasite prevalence, as the availability of anthropogenic resources can influence raccoon population dynamics. Future analyses examining the relationship between land-use, raccoon roundworm prevalence, and raccoon abundance might provide a better understanding of the influence of population demographics on raccoon roundworm prevalence.

AUTHORS: Brittany R. Schweiger, HDR Engineering, Inc

ABSTRACT: Four of the seven federally listed bat species in the U.S. occur in the north-central region, and two of the remaining seven are being evaluated for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Regulations at the state and federal level often require consultation to assess the impacts to these species before development occurs. In the energy sector, development is rapidly occurring—from power line upgrades to utility-scale solar. In the U.S., there are over 15,000 miles of power lines throughout the country and, in 2023, solar accounted for 55 percent of new electricity-generation capacity. The electric grid infrastructure is aging and, as the population grows and the demand for reliable, clean energy increases, upgrades to transmission systems and additions of utility-scale solar generation are needed. While energy is essential to society, it can have impacts to protected bat species, including the removal of habitat. Therefore, energy projects must understand how bats can influence projects and how to evaluate impacts to bats as a result of construction activities accurately and appropriately during the planning phase. This presentation will highlight species threats, current regulations, the latest species survey guidelines, issues encountered, conservation measures, approaches toward impact minimization, and lessons learned with respect to solar and energy development in many areas of the north-central region. This presentation will be valuable for developers, consultants, regulators, and those interested in the intersection of energy projects and protected species.

AUTHORS: Thomas J. Benson, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Tara A. Beveroth, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Claire A. Johnson, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Edward P. Price, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Timothy A. Rye, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Emily J. Lain, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Brian M. Charles, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and David N. Zaya, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT: Starting in the second half of the 20th century, agricultural intensification increasingly involved the use of chemicals for pest control. The development of numerous synthetic pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, led to widespread use and, in some cases, recognition of widespread non-target effects on organisms. Unfortunately, our understanding of the potential effects of these pesticides on non-target organisms generally lags behind their widespread adoption, as does our understanding of the extent to which these chemicals travel beyond the agricultural fields in which they’re applied and end up in natural areas. In 2023, we set out to examine the extent of plant damage consistent with non-target herbicide exposure as well as to quantify concentrations of pesticides from plant tissue and soil from natural areas throughout Illinois. We sampled >180 sites in Illinois 2 times during the growing season of 2023 and found at least moderate damage to plants at almost all sites, with >50% of sites having severe damage and oak species most frequently affected. We found pesticides in nearly all natural areas, with 40 different chemicals detected, primarily from plant tissues. Herbicides were found in the greatest concentrations, with Atrazine and 2,4-D most common, and Dicamba relatively rare. Later in the season, fungicides and insecticides were more commonly detected. The amount of row-crop agriculture in the surrounding kilometer predicted leaf-tissue concentrations of pesticides and severity of plant injury. The longer-term effects of this exposure and plant injury are unknown, as are the effects on insects and insectivorous birds. Given that oaks were the most frequently observed with plant damage, and the disproportionate importance of this group for caterpillars and the migrating and breeding birds that consume them, more work is needed to explore these implications.

AUTHORS: Katie Fitzgerald, Marcus Jorgensen, Diana Hews, Cory Suski, and Joy O’Keefe

ABSTRACT: Forest management practices aim to improve natural landscapes and provide critical habitat, but their effects on wildlife health are not well understood. This study used non-invasive techniques to quantify health by measuring hair cortisol, a stress hormone, and body mass, in four common bat species in northeastern Missouri. We sampled across three non-managed forests and three managed forests, where small-scale treatments such as girdling, thinning, and prescribed burns were applied. Sampling occurred before and after the application of these treatments, which were implemented in 2022 (sampling 2019-2023). Post-treatment, Indiana bats from managed forests had significantly lower cortisol than those from non-managed forests, while evening bats and Indiana bats from managed forests also had greater body mass. Post-treatment, adult male red bats exhibited higher cortisol levels than pre-treatment, regardless of forest type. For big brown bats, body mass and cortisol levels were similar across all sample years and forest types. These results suggest that small scale forest management could help reduce stress levels and increase body mass, particularly for smaller bat species such as Indiana bats and evening bats, by creating favorable foraging conditions and reducing competition. Overall, our study suggests that hair cortisol and body condition offer a non-invasive method to evaluate the impacts of habitat alterations on wildlife and provide valuable insights into how forest management practices impact bat health.

AUTHORS: Shauna S. Sayers, School of Forestry and Horticulture, Southern Illinois University; Brent S. Pease, School of Forestry and Horticulture, Southern Illinois University; Michael V. Cove, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

ABSTRACT: Non-native invasive species are a leading contributor to global biodiversity loss. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus), a large constrictor snake native to Southeast Asia, is one of Florida's most notable exotic predators. Although python’s prey vary in size and species, rodents are the most common group detected in their digestive tracts. The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) and Key Largo cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola) are two endangered rodent subspecies, endemic to Key Largo, Florida, that are susceptible to the threat of increasing python prevalence. We examined the impact of Burmese pythons on these two subspecies by conducting spatial capture-recapture surveys at 23 grids and deploying remote cameras at 629 supplemental woodrat nests across North Key Largo from January to August 2024. Trapping effort concluded with a total of 4,309 trapnights, capturing 37 woodrats (17 individuals) and 268 cotton mice (152 individuals). The effects of python presence on woodrat and cotton mouse populations were examined by comparing current rodent abundance estimates to those estimated during the python’s apparent establishment and increasing prevalence. Our results indicate the abundance of woodrats and cotton mice has declined coinciding with the increasing detections of pythons, with more drastic declines in the larger woodrats. Preliminary SECR estimates show a decrease in woodrat density from 0.48 individuals per hectare in 2017 to 0.08 individuals per hectare in 2024. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrated that areas with higher python activity exhibited altered habitat use patterns by woodrats such as decreased nest use and stick-nest building. These results suggest that as pythons increase their population size and distribution, the already geographically limited woodrats and cotton mice may continue to experience population declines and shifting habitat use.