We are pleased to extend a special invitation to local certificate holders and professionals in wildlife management to attend a one-day informational meeting on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at the University of Florida’s Entomology and Nematology Department (Steinmetz Hall) in Gainesville, FL. This meeting is designed to bring together wildlife managers and related professionals for a day of learning, discussion, and networking around current issues affecting fieldwork in Florida.
🔍 Why Attend?
Florida’s outdoor professionals are increasingly encountering arthropod-vectored diseases, parasites, and pathogens in the field. This meeting provides critical updates on these issues and more, offering the opportunity to hear from some of the top experts in the region.
Thanks to the generous support of Gulf South VECTOR, the event’s costs are being covered, allowing us to offer this valuable day of education for a nominal fee of $10 (to help cover lunch). IFAS employees may attend at no charge, but all attendees must register in advance.
🧠 Featured Speakers Include:
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Dr. Claudia Riegel – Director of the New Orleans Termite, Mosquito, and Rodent Control Board
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Dr. Norman Beatty – Infectious disease expert speaking on Chagas Disease found locally
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Daniel Dye (Pest Cemetery) – Tick and snake expert with a focus on tick species and ID
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Maxine Hunter (UF IFAS Extension) – Updates on bat exclusion cases and wildlife calls
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Dr. Bill Kern – Returning from retirement to speak on rabies in Florida and urban vertebrate evidence
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Dr. Phil Koehler – Guidance on protective equipment for rodent and bird nest removal and how to protect yourself from skin, eye, and lung exposure to pathogens
☕ Included:
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Coffee, snacks, and lunch, Q&A sessions with each presenter, Networking opportunities with IFAS Extension contacts and wildlife professionals
