DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Mark Hill
Mark Hill
Extension Associate I
Forest and Wildlife Research Center
Wildlife, Fishers and Aquaculture
Years in Position: 1
Years of service to MSU: 5
Mark Hill turned his lifelong love for the outdoors and curiosity about creatures into a career.
“We as humans have altered the landscape on which we depend; learning how to act as a steward of our natural heritage seemed like an obvious choice,” Hill said.
As an Extension associate with the Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University, Hill disseminates research-based information to a wide range of audiences including communities, private companies and producers.
“I get paid to do what I love and learn about things that interest me,” said Hill.
Hill helps manage a research project investigating greenhouse gas benefits for several on-farm conservation practices. Additionally, he assists in delivering the Mississippi Water Stewards Extension program, training citizens about water science, issues and monitoring water quality indicators.
“We toil at making the world a better place by trying to understand what impacts we have on it. We all should make decisions that move us closer to sustainability,” said Hill.
Using his passion to engage communities, Hill trains volunteer citizen scientists to screen the health and water quality of streams through biomonitoring for macroinvertebrates, or water insects.
Hill explained macroinvertebrates can be categorized into three groups: sensitive to pollution, somewhat sensitive to pollution and tolerant of pollution. Streams are deemed healthy if the majority of species captured are sensitive or somewhat sensitive to pollution, and a variety of species is also an indicator of a healthy stream with good water quality. If only pollution-tolerant species are found, Hill said the stream probably has pollution problems.
“People usually find it very engaging and are typically excited to see some little critters that they never knew were there. There is a special excitement when someone learns of or appreciates for the first time life teeming just below the surface,” Hill said.
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