Denise Blough

Ohio Wildlife Management Association brings together current, future wildlife professionals for 2022 conference

The Ohio wildlife community gathered at the 62nd annual Ohio Wildlife Management Conference on Jan. 21 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus. Attendees enjoyed a return to an in-person conference format for 2022, which included opening remarks from Ohio Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker and a keynote address by Associate Professor at The Ohio State University Risa Pesapane.

Wildlife manager spotlight: Emilee Hardesty, ODNR

Ohio wildlife professionals work day in and day out to help ensure healthy, thriving ecosystems for both animals and people. For the OWMA’s first manager spotlight, we caught up with Emilee Hardesty, a wildlife management consultant for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

Research spotlight: Coexisting carnivores

Immersed in the forested wilderness of southeast Ohio, biology PhD student at Ohio University Marissa Dyck is spending her summer gathering clues about Ohio’s bobcat and coyote populations. With both species expanding in the state, researchers are interested in how bobcats and coyotes might be sharing resources.

Charting the future of Ohio’s bobcats

It took more than a century for bobcats to return to Ohio after being wiped out by hunting, trapping and habitat loss. Today, the wild cats are finally settling into a permanent Ohio home again, though a lot has changed during their absence.