Wild Spartans Series

 

WildSpartans_NoLinkWebsite_Banner20232024.pngJoin 4-H staff for the "Wild Spartans" series for a look into life working with fisheries and wildlife! Follow along as we climb through bogs, peer into bear dens, mist net songbirds, snorkel for fish, or perhaps even tag deer. Meet researchers, learn about their field work, and the education and career path they've followed to get there.

 

LOCATION: Online Meeting will be held using the free app called Zoom.

Register for Wild Spartans here

Each 60 minute session will feature 1-2 guest researchers. Youth will be encouraged to ask questions to learn more through a live Q&A with scientists.

Upcoming Program Dates and Topics:

Monthly Sessions will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. ET October through March. 

  • October 14, 2025- “Helping Others Help Nature” with Trish Brockman, Ecologist with Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc
  • November 11, 2025- "Wildfire, Wildlife, and Warriors: Science Where You Least Expect It” with Michele Richards, Natural Resources and Wildland Fire Program Manager with the MI Army National Guard
  • December 9, 2025- “Adventures in Wildlife Medicine: From the Field to the Clinic” with Avery Tilley, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia
  • January 13, 2026- “Nature’s Detectives: How Insects Help Solve Crimes Against People, Animals, and the Environment Through Forensic Entomology” with Dr. Samantha Sawyer, Forensic Entomologist at the University of New Haven
  • February 10, 2026- Carly DeVet, Michigan Department of Natural Resources 
  • March 10, 2026- Zach Wilson, Forest Ecologist, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission 

Interested in being a Wild Spartans guest speaker? Fill out our interest form here!

All event recordings are now available below!

Attended or viewed recordings? Please fill out our brief feedback form.

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To learn more, contact: 
Veronica Bolhuis, Stacie Gath, Anne Kretschmann, or Dr. Alexa Warwick.

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Share past sessions in classrooms, home school group, or your 4-H club! Links below include resources for continued learning in science, research, and career preparation.  Meet these scientists and more in the videos below.

View previous 4-H Wild Spartan sessions

  • Wild Spartans: All About Honey Bees with with Ana Heck

    Published on February 9, 2021

    In this episode, we talk to an entomologist researching the pollinators of our world. Meet MSU apiculture researcher, Ana Heck, learn about her field work, and the education and career path she followed to get there as she discusses “All About Honey Bees: Working with a Superorganism” as we discover what the buzz really is about bees!

  • Wild Spartans: Raptor Conservation with Libby Mojica

    Published on January 12, 2021

    In this 4-H Wild Spartans episode, we take to the skies to talk to an ornithologist about the raptors that inspire us! Learn about researching, protecting, and conserving raptors that soar our skies. Meet EDM wildlife biologist, Libby Mojica, learn about her field work, and the education and career path she followed to get there as she discusses “Raptor Conservation and Management: Working with Birds of Prey in Cities and Wildlands.”

  • Wild Spartans: Invasive Species with Taylor Haas

    Published on December 8, 2020

    In this 4-H Wild Spartans episode, we go upstream to learn about sea lamprey, an oceanic species invading the Great Lakes. Meet MSU graduate researcher, Taylor Haas, learn about his field work, and the education and career path he followed to get there in his presentation, “Invasive Species and I: A Scientist’s Tale of Working with Wildlife from Elsewhere”.