#162 Courtney Hayes — Favorite Animals, Wildlife Research & Kentucky Wild

On this episode of the Kentucky Afield Podcast, we’re joined by Courtney Hayes, a Wildlife Biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources who specializes in Kentucky’s non-game species. This episode is a fun dive into some of Kentucky’s most fascinating and overlooked wildlife, as we each share a few of our favorite species and the reasons they stand out to us. From beavers and timber rattlesnakes to Virginia big-eared bats, whip-poor-wills, hellbenders, spotted skunks, and more, we discuss the unique behaviors, habitats, and conservation stories behind some of the Commonwealth’s wildest creatures. Right off the top, we also discuss Kentucky’s newest official wildlife designations — the Eastern hellbender as the state amphibian and the spotted skunk as the state non-game mammal — two species that Courtney has worked closely with through monitoring and restoration efforts. We also talk about current conservation work involving hellbenders, bat habitat and monitoring, and spotted skunk research that Courtney's involved with across Kentucky.