Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference/FNR Reception

The 87th Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference will be held January 25th-28th, 2026 in Fort Wayne, Indiana located at the Hilton Ft. Wayne in the Grand Wayne Convention Center. 

The conference attracts up to 1,000 biologists and students from state, federal, and tribal natural resources agencies and universities from the Midwest, Great Plains and Canadian provinces for the purposes of sharing technical presentations, poster displays, plenary sessions, and networking opportunities for wildlife professionals. Attendees include professionals in the field of fisheries and wildlife, including; directors, assistant directors, program managers, wildlife and fisheries biologists, as well as college students.

FNR Reception:
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources will be hosting an Alumni & Friends reception at the conference. It will be on Monday, January 26th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at The Hoppy Gnome (203 E Berry St, Fort Wayne, IN 46802). There will be appetizers and one drink ticket per person. No registration needed. See you there!

Check out our FNR Speakers and Presenters:

Monday, Jan. 26
1:50-2:10 p.m.

• A Hierarchical Model for Estimating Unmarked Abundance with Distance Sampling Data from Camera Traps – Zack Delisle (Location: Jefferson A)

2:10 – 2:30 p.m. – Jefferson A

• Estimates from the Sky: The Methods to the Madness of Crewed Aircraft Surveys for Deer Densities – Emma Johnson. FNR Co-Authors: Zackary Delisle, Pat Zollner (Location – Jefferson A)

2:30-2:50 p.m.

• Too much of a good thing: Testing Methods to Reduce Aggressive Native Goldenrods in Conservation Plantings - Hannah Kaluf. FNR Co-authors: Brian Beheler, Don Carlson, Jarred Brooke (Location: Calhoun A)
• Finding Fisher-Friendly Forests: Assessing Suitable Habitat for Fishers in Indiana – Celia Parton. FNR Co-Author: Pat Zollner (Location: Jefferson B)
• Testing and Calibrating Drone Surveys of Deer in Indiana – Tina Jackson. FNR Co-Authors: Pat Zollner, Zackary Delisle (Location: Jefferson A)

2:50-3:10 p.m.

• Modelling Aerial Distance Sampling Data with a Spatial Pixel-Based Framework – Zack Delisle (Location: Jefferson A)

3:50-4:10 p.m.

• Synthesizing Implications of Advances in Tools and Applications for Deer Density Estimation – Pat Zollner. FNR Co-Authors: Jonathan Brooks, Zackary Delisle, Tina Jackson, Emma Johnson (Location: Jefferson A)

Tuesday, Jan. 27
10:50-11:10 a.m.

• Assessing Oxythermal Conditions and Habitat Preferences of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Crooked Lake – Dominique Turney. FNR Co-Authors: Rajeev Kumar, Jelsie Kerr, Benjamin Szczgiel, Peter Euclide, Paris Collingsworth, Tomas Höök (Location: Jefferson A)

11:30 – 11:50 a.m.

• More Than Membership: How TWS Student Chapters Shape Student Experience and Connections – Emma Johnson (Location: Harrison A)

11:50-12:10

• Characteristics of Fish Harvested for Indiana Bowfishing Tournaments – Erin Driehaus. FNR Co-Authors: Dominique Turney, Tomas Höök (Location: Jefferson A)

1:30-1:50 p.m. 9:

• Strategic Planning for Undergraduates Pursuing Job Opportunities in Natural Resources – Patrick Ruhl (Location: Harrison A)

2:30-2:50 p.m.

• Evaluating Complexity of Bovine Tuberculosis Transmission Dynamics in a White-tailed Deer Doe Group – Jonathan Brooks. FNR Co-Author: Pat Zollner (Location: Harrison C)

3:30-3:50 p.m.

• Differentiating Among Job Types in Natural Resources – Rachel Brent (Location: Harrison A)

3:50-4:10 p.m.

• Applying to Graduate School – Julia Buchanan-Schwanke (Location: Harrison A)

4:30-4:50 p.m.

• Range Expansion, Hybridization and Morphological Variation of Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanous) in the St. Joseph River Watershed – Noah Haas. FNR Co-Authors: Max Moran, Peter Euclide (Location: Jefferson A)
• Understanding Killdeer Habitat Use Around Poultry Farms: Implications for Avian Influenza Risk – Griffin Broviak. FNR Co-Author: Pat Zollner (Location: Harrison C)

6-9 p.m. Poster Session

• Assessing the Attitudes, Perceptions, Trust and Opinions of the General Population of Indiana on Bowfishing – Juan Carlos Martinez. FNR Co-Authors: Stuart Carlton (P-27)
• Bioaccumulation and Reproductive Toxicity of Biosolids Associated Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus nigricans) - Jeremiah Tennant. FNR Co-Authors: Andrew Todd, Hannah McNeese, Deise Cruz, Marisol Sepulveda, Ty Hoskins (P-32)
• Epigenetic Approaches to Aging Individuals in Wildlife Populations Using Telomere Length - Julia Buchanan-Schwanke. FNR Co-author: Dr. Andrew DeWoody
• Testing the Marine Toxicity of the Next Generation of Non-Fluorinated Fire Fighting Foams – Deise Cruz. FNR Co-Authors: Hannah McNeese, Jenna Schoonmaker, Nicole Franklin, Jeffrey Youngblood, Carlos Martinez, Jason Hoverman, Marisol Sepulveda (P-33)
• PFAS – Protein Interactions in Aquatic Invertebrate: Evaluating the Binding Affinity of PFOS, PFDA, PFNA and GenX to Chrinomus dilutes Hemoglobins – Sadie Keegan. FNR Co-Authors: Deise Cruz, Hannah McNeese, Jake Hosen, Ty Hoskins, Marisol Sepulveda (P-78)

 Wednesday, Jan. 28
8:20-8:40 a.m.

• Cause-Specific Mortality of Elk Calves in a Reintroduced Population in Wisconsin – Shawn Crimmins (Location: Calhoun A)
• Environmental and Demographic Interactions Shape the Frequency of Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Bluegill Sunfish Across 25 Lakes – Xiyuan Guan (Location: Calhoun B)

9:20-9:40 a.m.

• Trends in PFAS Concentrations and Profiles in Fish Tissues Across Diverse Exposure Scenarios: Insights from a Statewide Tissue Monitoring Program in Indiana – Ty Hoskins. FNR Co-Author: Marisol Sepulveda (Location: Harrison C)
• Genetic Analysis of Migratory and Resident Walleye (Sander virtreus) from Saginaw Bay, the Origins of Two Behaviors – Peter Euclide (Location: Harrison E)

9:40-10 a.m.

• The Effects of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS) on Amphibian Disease Dynamics – Olivia Biasetti. FNR Co-Author: Jason Hoverman (Location: Harrison C)
• Use of Yellow Perch Genetics and Stable Isotope Ratios to Describe Seasonal Migrations Between Connected Habitats in Eastern Lake Michigan - Noah Pyle. FNR Co-Authors: Mark Christie, Peter Euclide, Tomas Höök (Location: Harrison E)

10:20-10:40 a.m.

• Quantifying Consumption Rates of Captive-Reared Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobrnachus alleganiensis alleganiensis): Implications for Stream Community Restoration – Zachary Kellogg. FNR Co-Authors: Jason Hoverman, Sherri Doro-Reinsch, Nick Burgmeier (Location: Jefferson A)
• An Evaluation of Fish Spawning on Proposed Sites for Nearshore Rocky Reef Construction in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron – Francis Kudwa. FNR Co-Authors: Dominique Turney, Peter Euclide, Paris Collingsworth, Tomas Höök (Location: Harrison E)

10:40 – 11 a.m.

• Trust Ecology and Support for Fisheries Management: Evidence from Surveys in the Great Lakes Region – Stuart Carlton (Location: Calhoun C/D)
• Abundance, Growth and Diet Analysis of Larval Yellow Perch (Perca falvescens) from Lake Michigan and Connected Tributary Habitats – Mallory Wagner. FNR Co-Authors: Kathryn Buckles, Les Warren, Dominique Turney, Tomas Höök (Location: Harrison E)

11-11:20 a.m.

• Evaluating Mesocarnivore Occupancy and Lure Efficacy Using Camera Traps in North Central Indiana – Beca Appelmann. FNR Co-Authors: Shawn Crimmins, Pat Zollner (Location: Calhoun A)
• The Help the Hellbender Project: Advancing Conservation of North America’s Largest Salamander in Indiana – Jason Hoverman. FNR Co-Authors: Nick Burgmeier, Zach Kellogg (Location: Jefferson A)

11:20-11:40 a.m.

• Analyzing the Effect of Weather on North American River Otter Harvest in Indiana – Liam Doski. FNR Co-Authors: Griffin Broviak, Pat Zollner (Location: Calhoun A)
• Farmers Helping Hellbenders RCPP: Landscape Conservation for Water Quality – Eliza Hudson. FNR Co-Authors: Jason Hoverman, Nick Burgmeier, Veronica Bullock (Location: Jefferson A)