At Dower’s Hole, Black Hills State University students traded their classroom for the outdoors as they caught, banded, and measured songbirds as part of their wildlife management techniques course. The fieldwork provides students with exciting, hands-on experience while generating meaningful data on local biodiversity.
The wildlife management techniques course was introduced last year and is taught by Jessica Graham, assistant professor of biology at BHSU. Throughout the semester, students learn to analyze data from camera traps, handle small mammals and songbirds, conduct point counts, as well as handle and identify aquatic invertebrates “Essentially, we’re looking at wildlife biodiversity at heavy access public parks verses light access public parks to see if there’s any differences,” said Graham.
“Setting up mist nets and feeders in an area with shrubs and trees is key for increasing the number of birds caught. The net is checked every 20 minutes for birds to ensure they are caught for as minimal time as possible” explained BHSU student Abigail Sosa who is currently enrolled in the course. “It takes very careful handy work to detangle birds from the mist net and handle during banding and measurements at the data collection table. The band's number is unique to every individual, and its respective data is then inputted into the U.S Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory.”
Through studies like bird catching, this class offers a unique opportunity for students to learn hands-on by collecting data in the field, benefiting both students and the community. As students collect and analyze data, they work towards presenting their findings to the superintendent of the Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department. “The agency report students create teaches them writing, statistics, data collection, and presentation skills, all while actually making a product that can go to a government agency,” said Graham. In addition, this report can be included in students’ curriculum vitae, which is a resume for studies of sciences.
“I enjoy the Wildlife Management Techniques course due to the hands-on experience of handling wildlife for research purposes. It’s very exciting being out in the field, practicing techniques that will be required from me in my career, and overall, learning how to manage data alongside a team,” said Sosa, who is majoring in Biology with an environmental emphasis and a minor in Earth Science.
Additionally, the data students collected in this study will be given to the City of Spearfish, where it can be kept on file to create a long-term record to study changes in biodiversity of species inhabiting those areas. This will allow them to make environmental decisions based on the data provided by BHSU students. “It's amazing knowing that the data collected by my team is being imputed into a larger database utilized by other biologists,” concluded Sosa.
For further questions about this course, contact Jessica Graham at Jessica.Graham@BHSU.edu