Wildlife Damage Management And Control Class Offered At UGA

UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources will be hosting a Wildlife Damage Management and Control class in Athens on July 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. They released the below information.

Purpose
This course will provide an overview of managing and controlling damage caused by wildlife species including feral swine, coyotes, beavers, raccoons, armadillos and other small mammal species. It includes information about the ecology and behavior of target species, laws and regulations pertaining to wildlife control methods and extensive training for operating, handling, and deploying traps for  safe  and effective wildlife control and removal.

Who Will Benefit?
Wildlife biologists and consultants, forestry professionals including consultants and managers, nuisance wildlife control operators, loggers, hunting clubs, homeowners and landowners interested in wildlife control.

Instructors
Dr. James Johnson is an Outreach Program Assistant with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He is an Associate Wildlife Biologist and licensed trapper with experience in beaver, coyote and raccoon removal. James has spent most of his life on his family’s farm in north Georgia engaging in numerous land-management activities and has been a member and advocate of the hunting community for over 20 years.

Dr. Mike Mengak is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and past-chair of The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group. Dr. Mengak is Professor of Wildlife Management and Outreach Specialist in the Warnell School. He has taught the wildlife damage management class for 20 years and advises graduate students in wildlife damage management.

Matt Ondovchik is a wildlife biologist and the Georgia feral swine coordinator with USDA Wildlife Services. He coordinates feral swine control projects throughout Georgia and uses a wide variety of feral swine traps as well as other control techniques.

Odin Stephens is a wildlife biologist and State Director for the GA USDA Wildlife Services program. The GA WS program provides technical assistance and direct control activities to help solve human-wildlife conflicts for property owners. He received his M.S. degree in wildlife management from the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Lt. Wayne Hubbard is a Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. He has 20 years of experience in wildlife-law enforcement.

You can view the agenda and timeline on Warnell’s web page.

Registration