In the Kohl Wildlife Lab, we have a 3-part mission: 1) applied research, 2) instruction and training, and 3) consultation and technical assistance. For us, this means we have a responsibility to share our science with a vast array of stakeholder groups ranging from federal and state agencies to the general public as a whole. We achieve this through a variety of programs including peer-reviewed publications, extension documents, grey literature, public meetings and presentations. We highlight a few of those activities below.
Wildlife Habitat
Education Program
WHEP is a national program designed to teach students about the value of land and how it can be managed to benefit many wildlife and fish species. It is composed of state-based competitions where 4-H and FFA teams demonstrate their knowledge of wildlife habitat. In partnership with our University of Georgia 4H program, we help coordinate and design the annual competition. For more details, click here.
Science Based
Education Programs
Our group gives a large number of public presentations, both to scientific audiences but also to the public. These audiences range from school-age children to natural resource professionals. See some of our most recent efforts here. To can find some of our recorded talks here.
Scientific Publications
As a research university, we are constantly addressing new and important questions related to wildlife management and conservation. With these data in-hand, the next step is publishing these works in peer-reviewed journals for the benefit of wildlife agencies and scientists. You can find our peer-reviewed publications here. From there, we regularly produce science-based publications designed for the general public, which you can locate here.
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus – Serotype 2 (RHDV2) is a highly contagious disease that affects both domestic and wild rabbits. Since its establishment in the US in March 2020, it has rapidly spread throughout the western United States. Collaborators here at UGA are currently surveying rabbit stakeholders (e.g., agencies, hunters, rabbit owners, falconers) to better understand the current state of knowledge about this disease. Armed with this information, we are providing a nation-wide education and outreach website, rhdv2.org, dedicated solely to the dissemination of information that pertains to this wildlife disease.
Kohl Wildlife Lab 