Meet the Staff: Mitch Oswald, Division of Wildlife Resources Field Operation Staff Head

Photos courtesy of Mitch Oswald.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Division of Wildlife Resources has a new addition to their team. In late November 2024, Mitch Oswald accepted the position of Field Operations Section Head and has been hard at work since. Oswald, previously a member of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS-WS), accepted the role after Don Kahl, former Field Operations Section Head, made the move to Ag and Grassland Manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources in the summer of 2024. 

Regular readers of OutdoorIllinois Journal are no strangers to Oswald and might recall the multiple articles he authored during his time at USDA-APHIS-WS highlighting his work with wildlife disease research such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HIPA) and SARS-CoV-2 in deer! 

Oswald’s career in wildlife conservation began early while he was studying at Blackburn College in Carlinville for a degree in Environmental Biology. His aspirations to combine his love for the outdoors and helping others came to fruition during his time at Blackburn College. While not the same size as Illinois’ bigger state schools, he praised his education at Blackburn College, a smaller, private school that provided him with ample opportunities to experience conservation work.

“I had professors and faculty who knew who I was and what my goals were, and were able to help me to succeed and make these dreams a reality,” Oswald said. “While at Blackburn, I volunteered on school-owned property outside of town, primarily assisting with Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) projects and invasive species removal. I also held summer internship positions with the Illinois Natural History Survey based out of the NGRREC-operated Jerry F. Costello Field Station as an aquatic ecology field technician. In this position, I’d assist fisheries biologists with long-term surveillance efforts on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.” 

After graduating from Blackburn College, Oswald embarked upon his career in wildlife conservation, accepting the position of Wildlife Specialist with the USDA-APHIS-WS agency. 

“At USDA-APHIS-WS I assisted with wildlife damage management activities across the state,” Oswald said. “I had a great opportunity to be part of many unique projects, as well as work with incredible biologists who mentored me along the way. In 2019, I accepted a position as the Wildlife Disease Biologist for USDA-APHIS-WS, where I managed disease surveillance projects for local, state, and national surveillance programs, which generally aligned in the gray area where wildlife and domestic agricultural activities meet. This position came with lots of freedom to make it my own and I was able to build lasting partnerships across other agencies, NGOs, and universities, which led to new and exciting research opportunities. I was able to provide input as a co-author on many peer-reviewed publications ranging from the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer, detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza in synanthropic species (an undomesticated organism and especially an animal that lives in close association with people and benefits from their surroundings and activities), as well as emerging taxonomic diversity of haemosporidian parasites (malaria) in diurnal raptor species.”

While Oswald may be a new addition to IDNR Headquarters in Springfield, he’s no stranger to wildlife conservation efforts and the outdoors. Like many wildlife conservation professionals, Oswald cites a love for all things outdoors, starting at a young age. 

“I remember the excitement I had watching the bobber dance as a bluegill investigated my hook,” Oswald stated. “And tearing apart the newest edition of the sportsman’s catalog to look at the newest gear and equipment. Then, completing my hunter safety course to take up hunting.” 

As Oswald transitions into his new position as Field Operations Section Head for IDNR’s Division of Wildlife Resources, his extensive knowledge and experience in fieldwork and working as a team to achieve conservation goals will surely make him an invaluable asset. 

“While being new to the agency/division, I admittedly have a lot of learning and catching up to do in respect to many of the duties, not just of my position, but field staff as well,” Oswald said. “I feel my largest objective right now is to absorb as much information as I can so as best to support field staff in their operational duties, as well as our constituents and partners. We have an amazing group of biologists in the field who generate a quality product for Illinois’s hunting and outdoor recreating community.” 

One obvious strength of Oswald is a strong foundation in communication and team-building, which will advantageously impact his section. “Having a background in disease surveillance and management, I’ve had many opportunities to serve as a member or team leader on emergency response details, from Alaska, to Puerto Rico, and everywhere in between,” said Oswald. “I learned valuable skills as part of these responses, especially serving supervisory roles as part of interdisciplinary teams including fellow wildlife biologists, veterinarians, botanists, and entomologists. Trusting your team and relying on them in their matters of expertise was critical to success in these positions.”

 Oswald has only been on the job for a handful of months at this point and is still learning much of the role that he is to play in the Division of Wildlife Resources. However, the objectives and metrics of success for such a position are already clear to him. 

“I view my position as a conduit between Springfield to the regional and district biologists,” Oswald explained. “It’s my job to provide clear lines of communication, from Springfield to the field, and vice versa,  for resources, funding, expectations, training and development wants/needs, etc. To me, my measure of success will manifest itself through the wins and successes of our field staff. While success in my position may be hard to quantify at any given moment, I hope that working hard to represent the field and support their endeavors results in a long list of accomplishments on their end. Wildlife management, in my opinion, is a team sport and one that requires cooperation from multiple angles to achieve success.”

Welcome to IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources, Mitch Oswald!

---

Kaleigh Gabriel is a Wildlife Outreach Specialist with Lewis and Clark Community College, working out of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources building to assist the Division of Wildlife Resources. Growing up just between Sangamon and Christian counties, she spent a lot of her time hunting and fishing in Illinois. She received her bachelor’s degree in writing/journalism from Manchester University, Indiana.