Got Nature? Blog

Many landowners are interested in enhancing their property for wildlife. An important first step in that process is creating a plan. As the adage goes, “failing to plan, is planning to fail.” Just as you would have a blueprint if you were building a house or a map if you were starting a road trip, the same is true when you are managing habitat for wildlife on your land.

Landowners can tailor a wildlife habitat management plan to their own personal goals for their property. Maybe a hunter wants to increase the population of upland birds on their property, or a bird-watcher would like to improve the overall diversity of songbirds in their woodlands. Management plans help turn these goals into reality.

This 12 page publication titled Creating a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan for Landowners is packed with photos, resources and suggestions to help meet your goals.

View other wildlife habitat management publications and video resources as you place keywords in the search field located on The Education Store website.

Resources
A Template for Your Wildlife Habitat Management Plan, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Managing Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer, The Education Store
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
A Woodland Management Moment, Purdue Extension – FNR playlist
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Purdue Extension – FNR playlist
Ask an Expert: Wildlife Food Plots, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

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Many landowners are interested in enhancing their property for wildlife. An important step in that process is creating a plan. This publication provides a template to help landowners write a wildlife habitat management plan.

View other wildlife habitat management publications and video resources as you place keywords in the search field located on The Education Store website.

Resources
Creating a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan for Landowners, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Managing Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer, The Education Store
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
A Woodland Management Moment, Purdue Extension – FNR playlist
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Purdue Extension – FNR playlist
Ask an Expert: Wildlife Food Plots, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

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The publication Yellow Perch is the second in a series of fact sheets that describe fish and shellfish produced in the Midwest region of the United States. (See FNR-608-W, Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet.) Yellow perch have been popular among anglers for many years, and since 2002, responding to greater demand, U.S. farmers are raising perch in ponds, aquaponic systems, etc. The fact sheet also includes culinary characteristics, cooking tips, and a recipe for Baked Parmesan Perch.

View other seafood publications and video resources as you place keywords in the search field located on The Education Store website.

Resources
Fish: Healthy Protein Handout, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet: A Guide for Seafood Consumers, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Eat Midwest Fish, Website
Sustainable Aquaculture: What does it mean to you?, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Best Practices Guide for Charter Fishing and COVID-19, The Education Store
Pond Management: Managing Fish Populations, The Education Store
Aquatics & Fisheries, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Amy Shambach, Aquaculture Marketing Outreach Associate
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources/Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Program

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Purdue Extension: Purdue Extension is your educational partner for life. The 2020 Impact Report shows how Extension delivers practical, research-based information and events for Indiana’s residents in agriculture and natural resources, health and human sciences, and community development, and trains tomorrow’s leaders through Indiana 4-H Youth Development.

Check out the Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resource highlights on the following programs and extension specialists:

• Keeping our forests healthy, pg. 5. Program: Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner taught by Ron Rathfon, Purdue Extension Forester at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center. For the northern counties Lenny Farlee, sustaining hardwood extension specialist with Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources, teaches the Management for the Private Woodland Owner Course.
• A comprehensive approach to community development, pg. 43. Program: Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces, Kara Salazar, program leader and extension specialist for sustainable communities, and Dan Walker, community planning extension specialist, both with Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources.
• Actively managing natural resources, pg. 52. Programs in partnership with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG): Tipping Point Planner, Conservation Through Community Leadership and Sustainable Communities, Kara Salazar, program leader and extension specialist for sustainable communities.

Resources
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
A Woodland Management Moment, FNR – Ext Playlist
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Wildlife Responses to Timber Harvesting, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store
Community Planning, FNR -Ext Playlist
Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces: Creating Healthy Communities, The Education Store
Community Planning for Agriculture and Natural Resources: A Guide for Local Government, The Education Store
Tipping Point Planner, Website
Tipping Point Planner, The Education Store

Purdue Extension

Ron Rathfon, Regional Extension Forester
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Kara Salazar, Assistant Program Leader and Extension Specialist for Sustainable Communities
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Dan Walker, Community Planning Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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A well-managed woodland can promote wildlife diversity and forest health. Two of the more common techniques that we use are single-tree selection and patch-cut harvesting. Used together in the long term, these two techniques will create trees of multiple generations or different age trees within the same woodland. In this video, Purdue Wildlife Extension Specialist Brian MacGowan will talk about what these two techniques are, what trees they help grow and how wildlife species respond to them.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Woodland Stewardship For Landowners, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube Channel
Woodland Management Moment, Purdue Extension – FNR Playlist
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Uneven-aged Management, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Even-aged Management, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center

Brian MacGowan, Wildlife Extension Specialist & Extension Coordinator
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in the United States. This publication describes what sustainable aquaculture is, a sampling of aquaculture species are produced in the Midwest, health benefits associated with eating fish as part of a balanced diet, and dietary recommendations. Don’t miss trying the recipe shared in this publication: Parmesan Crusted Perch.

Resources
Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet: A Guide for Seafood Consumers, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Best Practices Guide for Charter Fishing and COVID-19, The Education Store
Pond Management: Managing Fish Populations, The Education Store
Pond and Wildlife Management website, Purdue Extension
Natural Resources University Podcasts, Collaboration with Mississippi, Florida, Iowa and Indiana Extension Services
Indiana Pond Fish, Species Identification Card Set, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Aquatics & Fisheries, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Amy Shambach, Aquaculture Marketing Outreach Associate
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources/Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Program

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This Nature of Teaching lesson plan teaches students how the transportation of food and food waste affects the environment. Students will expand their vocabulary, broaden their geography, and have fun working on their math skills as they calculate food miles. A list of materials needed and activity instructions for interactive, hands-on activities are included, along with Next Generation Science Standards and/or Core Standards met by these lesson plans.

The Nature of Teaching includes formal standards-based curricula and informal activity-based curricula all centered around getting youth outside. The three program areas of the formal curricula include: Wildlife, Health and Wellness, and Food Waste. Each program area provides standards-based lesson plans free as a downloadable PDF. Lesson plans are classroom ready for grades K-12.

Resources
Nature of Teaching, website and Youtube Channel
The Nature of Teaching: Food Waste Solutions, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
The Nature of Teaching: Food Waste and the Environment, The Education Store
Food Waste and Natural Resources Lesson Plans, The Education Store
What a Waste of Food! Lesson Plans and PowerPoint, The Education Store
Introduction to Nature of Teaching Sneak Peek Videos, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Rod Williams, Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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Well-maintained trees provide many benefits including increased property values, improved air quality and curb appeal. Trees are living organisms making them vulnerable to pests and environmental extremes resulting in health issues which result in defects. This publication will help guide you on where and how to identify tree defects and a better understanding of when to contact an arborist for assistance.

Resources
Tree wounds and healing, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
How to Identify Tree Defects and What to Do About It?, Got Nature? Blog
Iron Chlorosis of Trees and Shrubs, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Surface Root Syndrome, The Education store
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store

Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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Seafood is a protein category that has many commercially and recreationally available options. Selecting seafood is more like shopping for fruits and vegetables than animal proteins. This publication is the first in a series of fact sheets that describe fish and shellfish produced in the Midwest region of the United States, where commercially available fish comes from, food safety, culinary characteristics, and cooking tips.

View other seafood publications and video resources as you place keywords in the search field located on The Education Store website.

Resources
Sustainable Aquaculture: What does it mean to you?, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Best Practices Guide for Charter Fishing and COVID-19, The Education Store
Pond Management: Managing Fish Populations, The Education Store
Indiana Pond Fish, Species Identification Card Set, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Amy Shambach, Aquaculture Marketing Outreach Associate
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources/Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Program

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• Building better rain gardens to reduce runoff
• Regional and local efforts focus on growing aquaculture
• Science and scientists become real for scientists and teachers
• Communities set natural resource priorities and create action plans
• Buoys provide key data to predict dangerous currents

Resources
Ask An Expert: Rainscaping, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel
Rainscaping Education Program, Purdue University
Master Gardeners Program
Rainscaping, Playlist
Rain Gardens Go with the Flow, Indiana Yard and Garden, Purdue Horticulture
Climate Change: How will you manage stormwater runoff?, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Salmon and Trout of the Great Lakes: A Visual Identification Guide, The Education Store
Pond Management: Stocking Fish in Indiana Ponds, The Education Store
The Nature of Teaching: Adaptations for Aquatic Amphibians, The Education Store
What plants can I landscape with in area that floods with hard rain? Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
New toolkit makes finding weather and climate lesson plans easy, Got Nature? Blog

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)

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