Hi everyone, I’m Kyle Olivencia and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Fitchburg team as the newest fisheries biologist! I’m originally from New York, where I graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with an Associates in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology and a Bachelor’s in Fisheries and Aquaculture. As an undergrad I gained lots of field experience working on several projects throughout New York as a fisheries technician for USGS for two summers. Some highlights were monitoring invasive Round Goby movement and their effect on native populations as well as monitoring the recovery of native Brook Trout in acid rain impacted Catskill Mountain streams.

After being involved in several projects, I knew I wanted to lead my own and thus decided to pursue a Masters in Fisheries Biology at Iowa State University. My thesis work assessed interactions between Smallmouth Bass and Walleye in Lake Oahe, South Dakota. More specifically, I evaluated trophic and dietary overlap and analyzed the success of stocking age-0 Walleye to supplement declining Walleye populations. I successfully defended my thesis in July 2022 and moved to Florida to work as a fisheries biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. While in Florida I got to work on a vast array of waterbodies primarily conducting long term monitoring surveys of fish and aquatic plants as well as working on various research projects throughout the state. I eventually transitioned into a leadership role with increased responsibilities coordinating field work, outreach events, and representing our region on various intra- and interagency working groups.

I’m excited to be back up North and can’t wait to appreciate all the vast resources Wisconsin has to offer! In my free time, I love spending time with family, fishing, birding, wildlife photography, exploring the outdoors, and playing sports.

Addendum from Topf: Kyle was also a student member of TU during his undergraduate studies. By the time we read this, he will have just completed his first few days at the DNR. We’ll invite him to work days and membership meetings and hope to meet him soon. Welcome aboard, Kyle!