Illinois Extension is launching a new blog called Wildside. This blog is one way we’ll be growing Extension’s wildlife programming over the next few years. In this first post, we’re introducing ourselves and the blog.
The Authors
Brodie Dunn, Extension Outreach Associate
I've been working around conservation and wildlife topics for at least a decade: I started as a lab tech working in a handful of entomology labs, then moved on to do prairie restoration work before returning as a graduate student. I've been working for Extension on biodiversity and pollinator topics since I graduated in 2022. On top of my academic and work experience, I’m also an avid birder and native plant enthusiast. The podcast I run for Extension "Voice of the Wild” is my most popular outreach project and I think that popularity is probably a reflection of the passion I’ve got for all the incredible wildlife sounds you can hear in Illinois.
Dr. Joy O’Keefe, Associate Professor and Wildlife Extension Specialist
I first gained hands-on experience working with native wildlife when I took a technician position to trap ruffed grouse in eastern Kentucky back in 1999. When I began work on my master’s degree in 2000, I quickly shifted my focus to bats, salamanders, frogs, snakes, and crayfish – animals we often don’t see and that don’t get a lot of love because they’re out of sight and considered creepy or crawly. I’ve been a strong advocate for the conservation of these non-game animals ever since. The primary aim of my research has been to provide conservation tools and aid partners in helping at-risk bat populations, especially forest-dwelling bats in the eastern U.S.
Guest Authors
We’re sure we’re going to have some guest authors and co-authors. Some will be graduate students who are doing cool research here at the University of Illinois, others will be our Extension colleagues or other professionals who have something interesting to say. We’ll aim to incorporate voices from people with identities and experiences different than our own.
What You’ll Learn
Wildside will be about humanity’s relationships (both good and bad) with nature. Some of our posts will be very straightforward how-tos about navigating wildlife encounters. What should you do if you come across a rattlesnake? How concerned should you be if you find a raccoon bumbling around in your attic? Many of these encounters will be drawn from real-life situations, either submitted by readers or handled by us as part of our regular duties answering questions for the public.
We’re also leaving room to talk about more nuanced, complex, or just plain fun topics. What’s it like to participate in a day-long Christmas bird count? Where, exactly, was the coyote’s native pre-colonial range? Why is it important to find alternatives to lead ammunition? We want to help you notice nature and are going to do our darndest to help feed the curiosity the natural world is so good at instilling in the people who love it.
Details
The blog will run at least monthly, typically posting on the last week of the month. Some months may only have one post, but other months may have more. We’ll be as science forward as we can, linking any technical articles we cite if they aren’t behind a paywall.
How You Can Help
Two things: Subscribe to our newsletter and tell us about your Wildside! We want to hear about any wildlife encounter you’ve had that left you with a question. Send us a brief paragraph about the experience, and end it with a question we can try to answer in a blog post. Submit your stories here.