Montana’s Wildlife Whisperers: Inside the U of M's Wildlife Biology Program

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This week on the Montana Outdoor podcast your host Downrigger Dale has an amazing conversation with two of the preeminent wildlife biology researchers in the Country! They are located right here in Montana ln the University of Montana Wildlife Biology program. This is one of the highest ranked wildlife biology schools in the Country, if not the world. Rigger talked with Dr. Chad Bishop who is the Director of the program at the U of M and Dr. Andrew Whiteley who is a faculty member there at the U of M Wildlife Biology program and leads a lab focusing on conservation genetics of fish throughout Western North America! Rigger, Chad and Andrew covered some unreal topics. For example, Andrew is doing some amazing research he is, in essence, finding ways the problems caused by inbreeding in trout populations. An age old-problem that began as fish got isolated into certain areas. His work could change the future of endangered fish. His and Chad's research could go way beyond that to maybe even stop the spread of diseases in many other animals like Deer, Elk and Antelope! Chad, Andrew, other faculty and the students are working on much more as well at University of Montana. Of course, as always good old Downrigger had to push the edge of the envelope at, one point he steered the discussion into how AI is being used to help speed up research, of course thinking surely AI has not made its way into working with wildlife yet. Ooooh yes it has! Dr Bishop gave a perfect example of how he is using AI in his ungulate studies (deer, elk, antelope, etc.). You have to hear about this! They even got into the idea of possibly using gene of gene editing to help species survive things like CWD in deer and elk or Whirling disease in fish. Course Rigger had to ask if it was possible for them to get Walleye to start growing to 30 pounds! Wait a minute, can they? Watch on YouTube or listen here to find out. Heck they talked about the Flathead Lake Monster and Bigfoot! Could those really be out among us here in Montana? Find out what Dr Bishop and Dr Whiteley had to say about that! So mash that play button and watch or listen now!

Links:

• To learn more about the U of M Wildlife Biology program click here.
• Click here to watch a short video about the Wildlife Biology program.
• To learn more about Dr. Chad Bishop click here.
• Click here to learn more about Dr. Andrew Whiteley.
• Questions? Click here to email Dr. Bishop. Click here to email Dr. Whiteley.
• Click here to email Downrigger Dale.

Remember to tune in to The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, live every Saturday from 6:00AM to 8:00AM MT. The show airs on 30 radio stations across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.