Agricultural Sciences

Penn State’s 'Stories from the Field' series announces 3rd session

Darren Marshall, Southern Queensland Landscapes’ vertebrate pest and wildlife management lead, will speak on Nov. 17. Credit: Darren MarshallAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s “Stories from the Field” conversation series is wrapping up its fall season with a session Nov. 17 featuring Darren Marshall, Southern Queensland Landscapes’ vertebrate pest and wildlife management lead.

The session, taking place from 4 to 5 p.m. via Zoom, is free and open to anyone interested in attending, but registration is required.

For his talk, titled “People and pigs: Community engagement in invasive species management,” Marshall will discuss his work using community engagement as an essential strategy for invasive species management in Australia. The conversation will have broad relevance for applied researchers here in Pennsylvania, particularly those doing research with both biophysical and social science components.

According to Marshall, feral pigs represent a key issue in natural resource management and pest control for landholders in Australia. The pigs destroy landscapes and wildlife habitats, reduce the value and productivity of agricultural operations, and serve as vectors of diseases that can threaten other animal and human populations.

While Marshall’s experience is based in Australia, feral pigs are also a problem in areas of Pennsylvania, such as the southwest, southcentral and northeast regions of the state.

Marshall will share stories from the field that illustrate why motivating people to work together is an essential piece of feral pig research and how ecology data can be used to inspire collective action.

The series is hosted by Penn State's Center for Economic and Community Development, an applied research center dedicated to strengthening local and regional development in Pennsylvania and beyond. The center is housed in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.

For more information or to register, visit the Center for Economic and Community Development’s website.

Last Updated November 10, 2022