First Tuesday lecture - MSU Urban Wildlife Research and Extension Program: Now and Into the Future

Join us at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for August's noon lecture with Dr. Adam Rohnke and K. Ann Smithson as we learn about the MSU Urban Wildlife Research and Extension Program including the Jackson Urban Wildlife Monitoring Project, Jackson Metro Community Urban Wildlife Needs Assessment, and potential urban wildlife incident reporting system effort to better understand urban wildlife population and human-wildlife interaction trends.

This lecture is included with museum admission or MS Museum of Natural Science Foundation Membership.

Adam T. Rohnke Bio

Adam Rohnke was born and raised in Rochester, New York (Western New York). He attended Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, New York receiving an A.S. degree in Environmental Studies and an A.A.S. degree in Natural Resources Conservation in 2001. Adam received his B.S. in Environmental Forest Biology with an emphasis on Wildlife Biology in 2003 from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York (associated with Syracuse University). In 2005, Adam received a M.S. degree from The Pennsylvania State University in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Lastly, in 2018 he received in Doctorate in Forest Resources from MSU.

Adam’s current position is Assistant Extension Professor and Extension Specialist based out of the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond, Mississippi. His key responsibility is to assist citizens and municipalities in managing urban wildlife through research educational programs like the Jackson Metro Urban Wildlife Program and Central MS Master Naturalist program. He also specializes in ornithology, human dimensions of wildlife, wildlife damage management, and informal adult education. Adam’s personal interests include birdwatching, hiking, camping, gardening, and hunting with his wife Angel and sons Oren and Bryce.

K. Ann Smithson Bio

Ann Smithson is native Mississippian and grew up in Jackson. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and graduated with a BA in International Development and minor in Environmental Studies in 2018. She is currently working towards a MS in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquatics from Mississippi State University with a projected graduation in 2025.

She is an Extension Associate at the Central MS R&E Center working under Dr. Adam Rohnke. She acts as the assistant coordinator for the Jackson Urban Wildlife Program, where here key responsibilities include managing trail camera system and associated wildlife database, coordinating and facilitating listening sessions with Metro Jackson residents and entities, and managing program volunteers. Ann is also in the process of building out a potential wildlife conflict report database for her Master's. In her free time she enjoys swimming, trying new restaurants, and reading mystery novels.