Habitat biodiversity and connectivity are intricately tied to species populations and the ability to mitigate many wildlife diseases. From backyard songbirds with conjunctivitis to white-tailed deer with hemorrhagic disease, forests and their stewards can play an important role in the health of native wildlife.

Presenter Sarah Van de Berg is the wildlife health biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. She started her wildlife biology career chasing weasels around the woods for the State of Connecticut and joined the NCWRC wildlife health program in 2019. While she spends most of her time behind a desk supporting the agency’s disease research efforts, her favorite days are the ones that leave her boots muddy and her clothes smelling of bug spray.