When people think of “Idaho Fish and Game” and “fall,” what may come to mind are hunting seasons and critters like deer, elk, waterfowl and upland game birds. But this fall the public has a chance to learn about some of Idaho Fish and Game’s research and management efforts focused on other important members of Idaho’s diverse wildlife resource.

David Dressel, regional wildlife diversity biologist for the Idaho Fish and Game Southeast Region, will be giving a presentation titled “Beavers, Bats, and Butterflies” at the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University. Join him at 6 p.m. this Wednesday. The presentation is free.

The museum is located in ISU Building 12 adjoining the Pond Student Union. The parking lot can be accessed at the intersection of South Fifth Avenue and East Dillon Street.

One of Dressel’s responsibilities as a diversity biologist for Fish and Game is to help further the understanding of Idaho’s species of greatest conservation need and improve the habitats they live in. These species include monarch butterflies, bats, sage grouse, western toads, northern leopard frogs, bumble bees and many more. Dressel will share the important work he and others have been doing in Southeast Idaho to benefit these species — namely beavers, bats and butterflies — at the presentation.

Dressel received his Master of Science degree in wildlife management from Michigan State University, where he worked on bovine tuberculosis in white-tailed deer. Since then, his diverse career has involved working on several projects ranging from the study of chronic wasting disease transmission in southern Illinois to banding waterfowl in northern Alaska. After moving to Idaho in 2017, he worked for Pheasants Forever as a farm bill biologist, and in 2019, began his Idaho Fish and Game career as a wildlife diversity biologist.

When Dressel is not working outside with Idaho’s wildlife, you can find him hiking the mountains with his wife, Amy, 3-month-old son Louis and their dog Scout.

For more information about Dressel’s upcoming presentation, contact the museum at 208-282-3168 or Idaho Fish and Game at 208-232-4703.