When the Everyday Environment team started brainstorming wildlife as our season three topic, we got excited to talk to experts about different cool species that can be found across our state, like armadillos and bison. But when we started reaching out to invite folks to be guests, we learned that Illinois’ “wildlife” really isn’t that wild. All our episodes touched on the human interaction with wildlife in some way, like:
- Coyotes living in Chicago, whose ranges overlap the built human environment,
- Bison at Nachusa Grasslands that were reintroduced after their initial removal hundreds of years prior, and
- Fish raised in hatcheries that are released into public waterways for recreation.
Our Takeaways
Wildlife management informs public health
The relationship between the field of public health and the field of wildlife management was a surprising connection we learned this season. Naturally, our medical doctors are very in tune with our health, but little did we know how wildlife managers are also contributing to keeping our communities healthy. Wildlife managers are constantly gathering data from wildlife species, and, at first, you might think this is only to learn more about the animal itself. However, data collected from animals allows us to keep an eye on the presence of zoonotic diseases, those that can pass from vertebrate animals to humans. We learned that wildlife currently living within Illinois, like coyotes, are providing clues to public health, but also, wildlife expanding their ranges into Illinois, like the armadillo, are equally important to monitor. So next time you’re writing thank-you cards, slip one to your local wildlife manager — they’re basically the doctors of the great outdoors!
Check out the following blogs on this topic:
- Coyotes as sentinels: What wildlife reveal about public health
- Tracking the armadillo expansion into Illinois
Active vs. passive wildlife recreation
Several of our guests highlighted the important role that hunting and fishing play in conserving wildlife. While that phrase might seem counterintuitive, funds from hunting and fishing license sales go back into conserving habitat in public natural areas and raising fish to stock public waterways. Without hunting and fishing, we wouldn’t have the same amount of resources to dedicate to wildlife conservation. There comes a reciprocity from this active piece of conservation – a give and take that helps our ecosystems as a whole.
Check out the following blogs on this topic:
- Fish hatcheries benefit everyone, anglers and non-anglers alike
- Where have all the quail gone?
- Hunting, fishing, and the numbers behind the traditions from 1960-2024
It’s not us vs. them
When we have a negative wildlife encounter, it’s easy to get frustrated and place blame on the critter in question. For example, I’ve had raccoons and baby birds make homes inside my chimney – this is how we discovered the previous homeowners never had a cap put on the chimney! Instead of getting annoyed at the wildlife for being a nuisance, stopping to think about why they are there in the first place – who wouldn’t want a nice dry, protected place? – can make us realize that we created suitable habitat for them in an unexpected way.
The same thought applies when considering our road ecology episode – it’s not the deer, turtle, or armadillos' fault that they get hit by cars – the roads were built in their habitat, and in some cases create preferred edge habitat. We share space in our everyday environment with lots of wildlife, and our actions impact them just as their presence impacts us.
Check out the following blogs on this topic:
- Highway to harm - the hidden toll of roads on wildlife
- Animals expand our understanding of the natural world
People care about wildlife, a lot
People can often connect with animals more than anything else in nature, because we have a lot in common with wildlife. We anthropomorphize and assign human thoughts and feelings to animals – “that squirrel is grumpy!” We also relate more to some more than others. “Charismatic species,” such as the monarch butterfly, are often used to promote conservation efforts, with mixed results, because they’re more “likable.”
Those personal connections with wildlife showed up on social media more than ever this season, particularly for quail, armadillos, and whip-poor-wills. People shared frustrations about the decline of quail populations, concerns and excitement about the expansion of armadillo ranges, and fond memories of hearing whip-poor-will calls on summer nights growing up but not anymore. The Teeny-Tiny Wildlife video series, created by Madelyn Craft, also had a lot of people chiming in, maybe because we often don’t pay attention to insects – unless they’re bugging us.
Sometimes scientists discuss conserving nature through the lens of “ecosystem services,” arguing that we should preserve a species because it provides recreational, economic, or some other value. That is an important piece of the environmental conservation puzzle, but so is the inherent value of nature and our place within it. Because when people have a deeper connection with nature, that is when they take action to protect it.
Check out the following related blog and webinar:
What’s coming next? Join us in spring 2026 to explore invasive species!
We’re already working on season four of Everyday Environment, which will cover invasive species in Illinois – exploring their impacts, the latest laws and research, tools for detection and reporting, and success stories of communities working to manage invasives.
In the meantime, explore and share our season three content across our blog, podcast, short videos, and webinars. You are also always welcome to visit your local county Extension office and connect with staff.
About Everyday Environment
Everyday Environment is a series of blogs, podcasts, webinars, and videos exploring the intricate web of connections that tie us to the natural world.
See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.
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