Forestry & Natural Resources

FNR Faculty, Staff to Host Two Natural Resource Podcasts

Story by Wendy Mayer
December 1, 2020

Get ready to receive your weekly dose of natural resources information via a new podcast network called Natural Resources University. Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources’ Mitch Zischke, Megan Gunn and Jarred Brooke are hosts of two of the new podcasts, Pond University and Habitat University.

Zischke, a clinical assistant professor who also contributes to Purdue Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant programming, and Gunn, who is a recruitment and outreach specialist for FNR as well as an aquatic education associate for IISG, are the hosts of Pond University. This podcast, which will cover topics such as pond habitat, fish stocking, vegetation control and pond construction, Megan Gunn will feature conversations with aquatic scientists, landowners and pond professionals. The first episode of Pond University is available here: Pond University

Brooke, a Purdue Extension wildlife specialist, is the co-host of Habitat University along with Adam Janke, an extension wildlife specialist at Iowa State University. The pair will discuss the science behind wildlife habitat management and how landowners and managers can use different habitat management practices to improve their land for wildlife. Brooke and Janke will be joined on the podcast by other wildlife specialists, wildlife biologists, researchers and landowners. Jarred Brooke The first episode of Habitat University is here: Habitat University. You can also follow Habitat University on twitter at www.twitter.com/Habitat_U.

In 2019, Zischke and Brooke teamed up to create the Pond and Wildlife Management Website to help Indiana landowners manage their ponds for fishing and their land for hunting and other wildlife opportunities. The website contains publications on various related activities from fish stocking to managing your woods for white-tailed deer as well as a list of county contacts to reach out to for professional help with your property.

In total, Natural Resources University will include four science-based podcasts, covering different aspects of natural resource management. You can subscribe to the entire network, which will bring you a different podcast each week, or you can subscribe to an individual podcast, which will release one episode a month. Subscribe here: Natural Resources University

A full introduction to the Natural Resources University network team and to each podcast are available in this overarching episode: Episode 01 - Introduction to NRU

Forest trees with ground cover, Habitat University Podcasts.

The four podcasts are:
Deer University: Topics discussed include deer biology, ecology, and management to help landowners and hunters apply science to practical management objectives. Subscribe to Deer University: Deer University

Pond University: Conversations with aquatic scientists, landowners, and pond professionals will cover topics like pond habitat, fish stocking, vegetation control and pond construction. Subscribe to Pond University: Pond University

Fire University: Science-based podcast covering the latest research in fire ecology and how it relates to management of wildlife and plant communities. Subscribe to Fire University: Fire University

Habitat University: Discusses the science behind wildlife habitat management and how landowners and managers can use different habitat management practices to improve their land for wildlife. Subscribe to Habitat University: Habitat University

The Natural Resources University podcast network, which is funded by the Renewable Resources Extension Act, is a partnership between the extension services at several land-grant universities, including Mississippi State University Extension Service, University of Florida Extension, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Purdue Extension.

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