Underground Critters: Herptiles and Mammals
This course will take place on the Tuesdays of Nov. 10 and 17, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Mercer Community Center in Mercer, Wis., with Jenna Malinowski and Hannah Thorpe.
This informative, entertaining course, conducted in two 90-minute sessions, will teach you about the mammals, reptiles and amphibians that inhabit Wisconsin’s Northwoods. People will come away with a better understanding of how to identify these critters, where to find them, and how they survive conditions from harsh, cold winters to hot, dry summers.
On Nov. 10, the focus is on herptiles. Hannah Thorpe will help you learn how to identify the reptiles and amphibians that share the Northwoods with us, their behavioral and physical adaptations, habitats, and ecology.
Nov. 17 is all about mammals. With Jenna Malinowski, you’ll find out the important ecological roles small mammals like rodents, bats and lagomorphs play in conservation. You’ll learn about unique characteristics of small mammals and their conservation needs, ecological roles, the food chain, and their adaptations to climate change and human impacts.
Jenna Malinowski is a senior wildlife biologist who has been working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the last 14 years. Jenna specializes in habitat management and species management with a focus on furbearers. She has years of experience in forestry management from prescribed burning of oak savannahs, to marking large tracts of timber in the Upper Peninsula, to being the Iron and Ashland County Forestry Wildlife Liaison. Understanding small mammal roles and needs is an important part of her job.
Hannah Thorpe received her B.S. from UW-Stevens Point in 2019 for Wildlife Ecology and Management, minoring in Biology and Captive Wildlife. She has worked for the North Lakeland Discovery Center since 2022 as a Naturalist, with a special interest in reptiles and amphibians, educating people of all ages about nature, wildlife, and ecology in general. She has coordinated surveys for the Wisconsin Salamander Survey and performed Frog and Toad Surveys through the DNR.
Requirements: Interest in learning about wildlife, survival strategies, and habitats. Respect for snakes is appreciated.
Instructor: Jenna Malinowski and Hannah Thorpe
Online Registration: Scroll down to our Registration form to register online!
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Offline Registration: Download PDF Registration Form, complete and mail in with payment.
Registration Questions? Contact us or call (715) 862-2032 or (715) 476-2881.
Registration Issues/Troubleshooting: If you are registering with one email address for two or more people, please register each person individually (i.e. do not register all at once, but add students one at a time to checkout). If you continue to have difficulty or have another question, please contact us.
Course Cancellations: Students are encouraged to register at least 2 weeks before the beginning of any Fe University course. A course with less than 4 students 2 weeks before the start date may be cancelled at instructor/FeU discretion, with students’ registrations refunded. If you’re interested in a class, please sign up early! Thank you.
Student Cancellations: If a registered student cancels, registration can be refunded if requested 4 or more days before the course’s start date. We’re afraid cancellation requests made 3 or fewer days before the course’s start date are unable to be refunded.