Conservation Connect Video Gallery

"Conservation Connect" is a web-based video series that aims to connect middle school students with the great outdoors & conservation careers. Produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, each episode will help students learn about wildlife species, careers, and new technologies that are utilized to study and protect wildlife. For example, students will learn about manatee behavior from a wildlife biologist and how law enforcement officers use high tech tools to arrest wildlife poachers. Students are encouraged to spend time outdoors, observe wildlife in their own communities, and learn more about local natural resource conservation.

An introductory broadcast for teachers and visitor services specialists will give a preview of the 5-7 minute episodes, and illustrate how these videos can supplement the use of existing EE curriculum, citizen science projects and STEM content. Our introductory episode highlights the American Bald Eagle, one of conservation’s biggest success stories. 

Conservation Connect homepage

On the third Wednesday of every month at 2:00pm ET, students have the opportunity to view a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Connect episode and chat with Conservation Professionals LIVE which we call Conservation Connect LIVE!

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Conservation Connect LIVE - Bats and Mammals (00:56:32)

Host Chelsea McKinney, USFWS interviews wildlife experts, Ariel Elliot, Biologist, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM and Jon Reichard, WNS Nat'l Coordinator, Hadley, MA to get the real stories on bats and small mammals. October 21, 2015.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Bog Turtles and Salamanders (00:57:01)

Join host Chelsea Mckinney and guests, Supervisory Biologist, Dawn Washington, from Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Christine Peterson, biologist at the National Conservation Training Center, and Nathan Byer, a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, for a look at two endangered animals: Bog Turtles and Cheat Mountain Salamanders. Learn about the fascinating world of these secretive amphibians. May 18, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - California Condors and Black Footed-Ferrets (01:05:38)

Our April broadcast will feature Black-Footed Ferrets and California Condors, two endangered species success stories. Do you know what an endangered species is? Do you know what role the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service plays in protecting these species? Join Conservation Connect Host, Louie Ocaranza in our Endangered Species Broadcast to ask questions and learn about what conservation professionals are doing to protect these species that are at risk of going extinct.

In the first half, we’ll talk with John Hughes, an Endangered Species Biologist, and a Black-footed Ferret expert from the National Black-footed Ferret Center in Colorado. John will tell us about all about the only North American species of ferret, and the efforts involved at the National Black-Footed Ferret Center to save these nocturnal prairie predators from going extinct.

In the second half we’ll learn about the California Condor. Joseph Brandt, California Condor Expert from the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex in California, will show us what technology the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is using to bring back a species that at one point in the 20th Century, had only 22 individuals in the wild. As always, we welcome student questions via our online chat room and we will answer as many as time allows. April 20, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Recovering the Delmarva Fox Squirrel (00:41:13)

Autumn is the time for squirrels to gather nuts for winter, but not all squirrels are as common as those you might see in your backyard or woods. The Delmarva fox squirrel is a subspecies of fox squirrel found on the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia).

Want to learn more about the once endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel and how it recovered? 

Watch our upcoming episode on October 19th as we travel to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge to work with biologist, Dr. Carol Bocetti, from the California University of Pennsylvania, and biologist Cherry Keller, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as we learn about “mark recapture sampling” to understand population sizes and brush up on some genetic research by looking at squirrel hair. During the broadcast, you can chat LIVE with our conservation experts at NCTC and ask all of your burning questions.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Humpback Chub (00:43:43)

Join Chelsea McKinney, Conservation host, and Mike Pillow, USFWS Biologist as they talk about the endangered Humpback Chub fish! You will learn cool facts about careers, technology, and the Humpback Chub! November 16, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Junior Duck Stamps and Eagles(01:01:38)

Join Conservation Connect host, Louie Ocaranza to learn about the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program, see some ingenious technology used to study waterfowl, and have a preview of the 2016 nesting season of our resident Bald Eagles.

In the first half hour we’ll talk with Suzanne Fellows, Program Coordinator for the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. This is a dynamic art and science based curriculum that teaches wetland and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The program encourages students to explore their natural world, invites them to investigate biology and wildlife management principles and challenges them to express and share what they have learned with others.

In our second half hour, we'll chat with Wildlife Biologist, ​ ​Jim Siegel​, ​to learn about bald eagle biology, behavior and their upcoming nesting season. Jim will give tips to help teachers use the NCTC Eaglecam in their classrooms, we’ll discuss the bald eagle conservation success story and we’ll check the nest for new eggs! As always, we welcome student questions via our online chat room and will answer as many as time allows. January 17, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Manatees and Monarchs (01:16:50)

Join host Chelsea McKinney to learn about Manatees and Monarchs as we visit Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and tag Monarch butterflies in West Virginia. What do Manatees and Monarchs have in common? You might be surprised!

Our guests this month will be Education Specialist, Ivan Vicente from Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge who engages with the public about the West Indian Manatee, and Tracy McCleaf, a Biologist at the National Conservation Training Center and our National Monarch Butterfly Coordinator. January 20, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Migratory Bird (00:32:38)

Our first LIVE Conservation Connect Broadcast of the season it's happening this month! We will be featuring our new Migratory Bird Treaty centennial episode with our Conservation Connect Host, Louie Ocaranza. Ask questions to one of our migratory bird biologists, Stacy Sanchez from headquarters in Washington D.C. And learn about migratory birds, and what the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to protect them. You will have the opportunity to chat and ask questions to learn more bird ecology, the history of the Migratory Bird Treaty, and about what you can do to help back home!

Conservation Connect LIVE - Mussels and American Eels (01:01:42)

Join Conservation Connect Host, Louie Ocaranza in our aquatic conservation episode to ask questions and learn about what may be under the surface of our rivers and streams. In the first half, we’ll talk with Matthew Patterson, our freshwater mussel expert at the National Conservation Training Center. Matt will tell us about how these less obvious but important animals play a huge role in the health of aquatic ecosystems. You’ll also learn about the fascinating life cycle of mussels. In the second half we’ll learn about electrofishing and American eels. Alan Temple, Fisheries Biologist at NCTC and expert on electrofishing will show us how this technology can be used to study and conserve wild fish populations. As always, we welcome student questions via our online chat room. March 16, 2016.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Wading Birds and Waterfowl (01:06:24)

Join host Chelsea McKinney to learn about Wildlife Law Enforcement. You may have seen news reports about criminals killing elephants and rhinos in Africa, but did you know that wildlife crime is also a problem in the U.S? Chelsea's guests today will be USFWS Refuge Law Enforcement Officer, Gabe Harper, Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge and Heidi Ruffler, FWS Office of International Affairs, Washington DC. They will be with us to answer questions that YOU have about illegal wildlife trafficking, poaching of animals, technology that law enforcement uses to help protect animals and careers in wildlife law enforcement. December 16, 2015.

Conservation Connect LIVE - Wildlife Law Enforcement (00:58:33)

Join host Chelsea McKinney to learn about Wildlife Law Enforcement. You may have seen news reports about criminals killing elephants and rhinos in Africa, but did you know that wildlife crime is also a problem in the U.S? Chelsea's guests today will be USFWS Refuge Law Enforcement Officer, Gabe Harper, Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge and Heidi Ruffler, FWS Office of International Affairs, Washington DC. They will be with us to answer questions that YOU have about illegal wildlife trafficking, poaching of animals, technology that law enforcement uses to help protect animals and careers in wildlife law enforcement. November 18, 2015.

Conservation Connect Overview (00:22:31)

Host Chelsea McKinney, USFWS describes NCTC's Conservation Connect series. February 5, 2014.

Conservation Connect Series: American Bald Eagles (00:08:23)

Chelsea interviews Jim Siegel, Wildlife Biologist, on the success story of the American Bald Eagle.

Conservation Connect Series: Bats (00:09:24)

Connecting with bats and the careers of people who study and try to help them. Hosted by Chelsea McKinney with Ann Froschauer, Science Communiator and Bat Specialist, USFWS and Leslie Sturges, Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Conservation Connect Series: Cheat Mountain Salamander (00:06:44)

Dawn Washington, and her kids, as they search of the secretive Cheat Mountain Salamander, and learn how they can track this critter in the spruce mountains of West Virginia at Canaan Valley NWR.

Conservation Connect Series: The Condor (00:07:09)

Meet Supervisory Biologist, Joseph Brandt, from Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, and discover the amazing California Condor success story and the latest technology that is used to track this huge and unmistakable endangered bird.

Conservation Connect: Earth Day (00:29:51)

Join host Chelsea McKinney, USFWS and student co-hosts for this Earth Day special event. April 22, 2014.

Conservation Connect Series: Electrofishing (00:07:24)

Chelsea McKinney interviews fisheries biologist Alan Temple, USFWS explaining all about electrofishing.

Conservation Connect Series: Junior Duck Stamp Competition (00:07:29)

Join Chelsea McKinney and Lionel Grant, USFWS, MI Junior Duck Stamp Coord. The program encourages students to explore their natural world, invites them to investigate biology and wildlife mgmt. principles to share what they have learned with others.

Conservation Connect Series: Law Enforcement (00:07:09)

Learning about special professional officers who work to protect the lives of animals by ensuring people do not illegally kill or poach them. Hosted by Chelsea McKinney, USFWS with Officer Gabe Harper, USFWS.

Conservation Connect Series: Monarchs (00:06:38)

Meet Dr. Francis Villablanca, a professor at Cal Poly University, and learn about the amazing migration and life of the Monarch Butterfly, and the technology that is used to track these butterflies over thousands of miles.

Conservation Connect Series: Monarch Tagging (00:07:17)

Chelsea meets up with biologist Tracy McCleaf at the National Conservation Training Center to learn all about Monarch Butterfly migration. Youth host, Travis Weller, assists them with tagging a monarch butterfly.

Conservation Connect Series: Mussels (00:06:42)

Every wonder about the biology of mussels? Meet Matthew Patterson a Mussel Biologist and learn about the exciting life that exsists at the bottom of rivers and streams.

Conservation Connect Series: Pilot Biologist (00:06:42)

Meet Steve Earsom, a Pilot Biologist from our Migratory Birds Program.

Conservation Connect Series: Small Mammals (00:06:39)

Join us at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico where Chelsea McKinney interviews Ariel Elliot a small Mammal Biologist and see what animals the desert provides habitat for.

Conservation Connect Series: Spoonbills (00:06:40)

Meet Toni Westland from Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida as she discusses the Roseate Spoonbill and the latest technology that is used to study wildlife at the Refuge.

Conservation Connect Series: West Indian Manatee (00:07:58)

Chelsea interviews Ivan Vicente, Education Specialist, Crystal River NWR on their resident manatees.

Conservation Connect Special Event – National Wildlife Refuge Week Broadcast (00:20:04)

This special edition of Conservation Connect will celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week and the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Join host Chelsea McKinney in a chat with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Historian, Dr. Mark Madison to learn how the Wilderness Act legislation all got started. To celebrate Refuge Week, we’ll take an electronic field trip to National Wildlife Refuges across the country - from Alaska to Florida. Students will discover why wilderness areas are important, meet conservation professionals working to protect our natural world, and get an up-close view of animals in the wild.

Conservation Connect is a new web-based video series produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center, which aims to connect youth, ages 9-14 (any age group is encouraged to enjoy) with the great outdoors, wildlife, and conservation careers. Conservation Connect is available online to schools, youth groups, homeschoolers, nature centers, and other educational programs throughout the country. Formal and non-formal educators are encouraged to watch the introductory overview of Conservation Connect, which demonstrates how this video series can supplement the use of existing environmental education curriculum, citizen science projects, and STEM content (science, technology, engineering, and math). The overview will highlight a segment featuring the American Bald Eagle, one of conservation’s biggest success stories.