Keynotes for All Symposium Themes

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/100290

This digital collection includes keynote presentations given at the 8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium held in 2014 for the symposia themes: Biodiversity, Threatened and Imperiled Species, Business of Conservation, Climate and Energy, Enrich and Broaden Communications About Conservation, Human and Wildlife Conflicts, Landscapes and Grouse, Private Work with Wildlife and People in the United States, Use of Wildlife for Food and Farming with Elk and Deer in Enclosed System, and Wild and Feral Pigs.

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Open Access
How to use storytelling techniques to better communicate science & policy
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Calderazzo, John, author; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, publisher
"Science is the greatest of all adventure stories," says physicist Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe. "It's been unfolding for thousands of years as we have sought to understand ourselves and our surroundings ... and needs to be communicated in a manner that captures this drama." Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, the old and new storytelling hosts of Cosmos, would agree. So would Rachel Carson, who used one of the oldest and simplest of all story forms, the fable, to coax her readers into a complicated tale of pesticides, chemistry, and ecological succession. Silent Spring may well be the most influential science book of the last fifty years. More than ever, scientists need to communicate clearly and passionately to the public, the media, and decision-makers. Not everyone can be as articulate as a Jane Goodall or Alan Rabinowitz. But humans across every culture are storytelling animals, and recent communications research suggests that information conveyed in story form activates more parts of the brain than when it is conveyed by bullet point or other non-narrative ways. Even a shy and retiring researcher can learn techniques to find common ground with an audience who will not forget the message. My talk will explore how some of the above media stars have used these sometimes-buried communication strategies--and how you can, too.
Open Access
Keynote speaker Chad Bishop: Colorado parks and wildlife
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Bishop, Chad, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, publisher
Open Access
Conservation in the 21st century - thinking big, the public good, and private lands
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Hayes, John, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, publisher
Conservation and stewardship of our natural resources have been fundamental to the missions of a number of our public agencies in the United States since their inception. However, as important as public lands have been for conservation in the United States, most of the nation's land is in private ownership. The amount, distribution, and characteristics of private lands, combined with the spatial scales at which ecological systems operate, create a special and critical conservation role for private lands. While many of the strategies for conservation on public lands are also effective on private lands, private lands present special opportunities for conservation, as well as special challenges. As is true in many regions, conservation on private lands has played a critical role in sustaining wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystems in Northern Colorado. Examples of innovative conservation partnerships and efforts focused on conservation of private lands in the region are presented. Lessons learned from these case studies and the shifting dynamics facing our natural systems suggest a number of lessons and future directions in conservation, education, and research.
Open Access
Introduction to land and animal ownership
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Benson, Delwin E., speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Private lands are used for wildlife and livelihoods on 2/3rds of the US including Colorado. Eastern US and Colorado is more private and the West more public. In Colorado, private lands dominate the eastern short grass prairies, western sagebrush steppes, hills, and mountain valleys. High elevation alpine, forests and range lands are often public, managed by government agencies. National, state, county, and city parks, wildlife areas, and two of 36 sections in townships, called state land trust lands are intermixed with private lands fragmenting ownership, uses, and management. In Colorado, wildlife has seasonal movements north and south, up and down elevations, and to and from private and public lands. Wildlife tends to be on private lands for transitional uses and wintering while on public lands during summers based on food and shelter needs, with exceptions. Hunters come to the West to hunt with open access on abundant and no cost public lands, but prefer private lands when access is granted and if the costs are within budgets. Public lands can become overused in space, time and resources. Access to private lands is appealing to users because animal numbers and recreational experiences can be of higher quality with more private control. Charging access fees is increasing on private lands. Wildlife in the US belongs to the people in custodial jurisdiction of state wildlife agencies with federal responsibilities for migratory and endangered species, and all wildlife while on their lands. Those with wildlife on their lands can have positive or negative influences.
Open Access
Introductions to congress and important issues
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Benson, Delwin E., speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Dr. Benson addresses the Congress participants asking them the consider the "spirit of things" (i.e. the spirit of wanting to recognize the values of private sector, communal sector, and the problems that happen with those lands and their solutions) in regards to nature conservation and wildlife management as part of their livelihoods. Dr. Benson provides a brief description of the plenary sessions to be held during the Congress.
Open Access
Environmental knowledge learned from the park
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Mack John, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
With continued and increasing human development or alteration of natural environments and ecosystems, parks and protected areas have become increasingly valuable as natural areas, not only for public enjoyment and experiences, but also as important, dynamic laboratories for demonstrating international, regional, and local connections and the importance of stewardship across or without boundaries. From an international perspective, I will discuss how a preliminary migratory bird research project may broaden our perspective of how vastly distant and different habitats are important to species. From a regional perspective, air quality issues can not only protect park habitats but I will illustrate how other industries are attempting to contribute to solutions. On a landscape scale, Rocky Mountain National Park's elk and vegetation management plan is an example of implementing habitat restoration and being a springboard for multi-agency collaboration of habitat use, wildlife disease study, and management of elk that is important to local economies.
Open Access
Public values of wildlife: what are they?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Steinbach, Don, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
In analyzing public values of wildlife, one must define the segments of the public that you want to access values regarding wildlife. Teel, T. L, et al (Wildlife Values in the West) defined publics who value wildlife. They describe these wildlife orientations in the western U.S. along several distinct dimensions. Utilitarians hold a philosophy that wildlife is for human use, and these individuals are strongly positive toward hunting and fishing. Mutualists are those who consider wildlife as part of an extended family and believe in an ideal world where people and wildlife live side-by-side without fear. Teel further describes that persons in western states vary greatly in these value orientations associated strongly with differences in state-level income, education, and urbanization. Value orientations differ on a variety of descriptive variables and their attitudes toward wildlife management issues. There is a diverse value-set associated with wildlife that may be grouped into categories including financial, recreational, social, biologic, ecologic, emotional and spiritual. Many of these values or products are quantifiable, some which create financial opportunities for landowners, thus incentivizing stewardship. There are some wildlife-related products on private lands which possess esoteric qualities with immeasurable values. Publics relate to wildlife in different ways creating a diverse relevance for wildlife and by society. Some public values which are found on private lands, such as water, appeal to both utilitarian and mutualistic publics, but those values are not necessarily perceived by those publics as a product of stewardship practices associated with land and wildlife.
Open Access
Large-scale conservation: engaging agencies, organizations, landowners and funders
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Manes, Robert, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The concept of affecting conservation at large scales is relatively simple: If strategies can be applied across traditional boundaries, then fragmenting effects of development and land management can be ameliorated for species that rely on large and intact habitats. The challenge, however, is that landscapes have multiple ownerships and land uses, and conservation entities often are insular. Individual organizations and agencies often lack resources, expertise, authority, and relationships essential to success. Agencies, non-government organizations, and landowners may exist in the same geographies without developing cooperative relationships necessary for large-scale conservation. Three case studies illustrate how this can be overcome. Common success factors include strong partnerships between government, non-government organizations, and landowners; and building broad recognition of the projects' merit. The case studies examined here include Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, Fortin Chacabuco Ranch near the Argentina-Chile border, and eastern Kansas' Flint Hills. In each case, the need for large-scale conservation is illuminated by one or more wide-ranging non-migratory species, and by a still-intact ecosystem that is significantly diminished across its former geographic expression. Also, in each case, conservation success resulted from either purposeful, or initially chance, cooperation between government agencies, NGOs, funders, and private landowners. This cooperation precipitated support for the projects, but also understanding among diverse and sometimes opposing interests. The purpose of this presentation is to strengthen the conservation community's ability to strategically and purposefully form and deploy the alliances necessary to achieve lasting large-scale conservation.
Open Access
Wild pigs in North America: history, distribution, ecology, and challenges
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Mayer, Jack, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Wild pigs belonging to the species Sus scrofa are not native to the Western Hemisphere. In spite of having had a fairly stable presence in North America during most of the 20th Century, wild pigs on this continent have undergone an explosive increase in both numbers and distribution since 1990. At present these animals are established in 36 US states, four Canadian provinces and a number of Mexican states. Similar to the original introduction from the Old World, this more recent continental increase has been largely man-made. A major part of the reason for the success of this invasive species is that wild pigs are the ultimate survivors, being highly adaptable in many aspects of their biological make-up. Given adequate seasonally-available forage resources and daily access to well-distributed water, shade and escape cover on a year-round basis, these animals are able to live in almost any habitat between the northern boreal forests of Canadian down to the tropical wet jungles of Mexico. Wild pigs have a very high reproductive rate. Finally, with respect to their diet, wild pigs are classified as an opportunistic omnivore, which effectively means that these animals will consume just about anything. Since no viable control mechanisms for pigs currently exist, this situation is only expected to get worse with time. Two future control options currently being investigated include pig-specific toxins and contraceptives. This invasive wild pig crisis has been described as one of the greatest emerging wildlife management challenges facing this continent in the 21st Century.
Open Access
USDA regional climate hubs and long-term agro-ecosystem research (LTAR) network
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Derner, Justin D., speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Formation of Long-Term Agro-ecosystem Research (LTAR) networks in 2012 and the USDA Regional Climate Hubs in 2014 provide networks to address climate change and agriculture. Eighteen sites in the LTAR network address, through replicated experimental designs, common problems of how to "Sustain or Enhance Productivity, Profitability, and Ecosystem Services in Agro-ecosystems and Agricultural Landscapes" for "business as usual" and "aspirational agriculture" management strategies. Common core measurements will be taken (e.g., productivity; carbon, water and energy fluxes; greenhouse gas measurements; wind and water erosion) and used for cross-site comparisons, meta-analyses with other network data (e.g., National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON; Long-Term Ecological Research, LTER), and in model simulations/projections for predicted climate scenarios. Data will feed into 7 USDA Regional Climate Hubs, tasked with enhancing decisions by agricultural producers on the ground to reduce enterprise risk, increase resilience of lands, improve soil health, and increase efficiency of production (e.g., more crop per drop) in a changing climate, including more frequent extreme events. Climate-smart decisions, such as matching stocking/grazing decisions to improved predictions of seasonal weather (precipitation and temperature) or matching appropriate crops to predicted growing seasons (including earlier onset of growing season and increased frost free days), are reliant on development and transfer of science-based, region-specific information and technologies through coordinated efforts with local and regional partners in Federal and state agencies, NGOs, private companies, and Tribes. Information transfer can include: trusted sources of Extension, state climatologists; modification of existing conservation programs through NRCS or others; and peer-to-peer communications through social media.
Open Access
Increasing scale and effectiveness of private land conservation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Pague, Chris, speaker; Sanderson, John, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The importance of private lands for conservation is increasingly apparent. Private landowners and wildlife managers face many challenges as they work to maintain the ecological, economic and social integrity of these lands. For many years The Nature Conservancy conserved private lands by purchasing them and then establishing nature preserves or transferring lands to public agencies. During the past two decades, conservation easements have become firmly established as the transactional tool of choice for conserving private lands. These tools for land protection remain valuable, yet they are insufficient, in part because the cost of buying land or easements far outstrips the availability of funding sources. There is substantial need and opportunity to develop financial and management tools and techniques that advance agricultural, economic, and conservation outcomes on private lands at a scale that effectively conserves whole landscapes and the species they contain. The Nature Conservancy is investing in several novel approaches, including multi-part transactions that incorporate much greater acreages than traditional transactions, enhancing both economic opportunity and conservation outcomes; increasingly sophisticated conservation easements that foster negotiations with energy developers; market-based sustainable grazing agreements between agricultural producers and buyers; and community-based land management programs that enhance both conservation and economic returns. Working in collaboration with private landowners, state and federal agencies, and academic researchers, we are analyzing vulnerabilities of private lands and demonstrating adaptation strategies that may increase resilience of socio-ecological systems including private lands.
Open Access
Wildlife ranching industry: the South African flagship of a sustainable green economy
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Dry, Gert C., speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Unlike American wildlife culture which is based on the belief that making money out of wildlife is immoral; the South African wildlife culture is based upon sustainable use and or commercialisation. It is trite knowledge that the value placed on game, the wildlife industry has not only restored wildlife to the land but has also enhanced and restored the genetic quality of our wildlife. The wildlife industry has grown positively, predominantly as a result of the legal trade, the exclusivity of wildlife and the hunting and tourism industry. Currently 16,8% marginal, uneconomic, semi desert agricultural land has been converted into a sustainable land use option. All private game ranches are marginal farms in economic terms that have been converted from domestic stock/crop farms into effective land-use options. These farms are not, and never have been conservation land. The South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has been highly successful with their conservation and preservation mandate with regard to national- and provincial owned parks but the implementation of a newly proposed legislative regime will seriously cripple the wildlife industry as the 'flagship' of South Africa's Green Economy. The wildlife industry proposes the development of enabling legislation that will give the wildlife industry room to grow and prosper and to be regulated as a "national competency" for the governance of the wildlife industry. The wildlife industry can assist the national growth agenda to ensure real progress. The sustainable use of South African wildlife can gain traction given evidence based research reported in various pieces of research, Macro Economic indicators for game ranching in South Africa and some specific game ranching growth initiatives.
Open Access
Managing the public's wildlife on private lands: a landowner's perspective
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Simons, Greg, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
History of wildlife in the United States is one that witnessed remarkable recovery of many species of wildlife during the 20st century, after a major collapse during the preceding century. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation articulates principles that reflect the basis for recovery and continued success of wildlife in the U.S., with wildlife as a public trust resource often being described as the foundation tenet of this conservation model. Public ownership of wildlife has roots which perhaps date back to ancient English and Roman common law, with such ownership premises in the U.S. dating back to 1842 where Martin v. Waddell affirmed this ownership. When considering that over 60% of land in this country is privately owned, there is potential for what some may consider a conflict in the relationship of managing and conserving the publicly owned wildlife that is found on private land. It must also be recognized that in many areas of most states, private lands stewardship is the driver of ensuring sustainable wildlife habitats on those lands. It is the author's opinion, based on observation, that incentivizing private landowners as caretakers of wildlife, should be part of this relationship equation. One component of such incentivizing should be encouraging wildlife markets, while also protecting ownership principles of public trust. Further, relationship building between private landowners and natural resource agencies is crucial in maintaining conservation success in private lands regions, and part of such relationship building is providing landowners with a regulatory framework that is friendly toward the needs and goals of those landowners, while also maintaining balance that encourages wise use of the resource.
Open Access
Human and wildlife conflicts
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Clark, Larry, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) is the research arm of the USDA's Wildlife Services program. The NWRC is charged with developing methods to resolve conflicts between humans and wildlife, spanning the areas of agriculture and natural resource protection, invasive species, wildlife disease, and product development. The broad scope of the NWRC missions illustrates the various levels wildlife interact with human activities, both positively and negatively. It is when the latter occurs that the NWRC becomes engaged to develop methods in a socially sensitive and responsible way to resolve those conflicts. NWRC scientists address issues in a multidisciplinary manner ranging from molecular and analytical chemical disciplines to ecological and wildlife management approaches. Regardless of the scientific approach, NWRC also address risks and solutions to problems within the social and economic context of management, public policy, and various public-private perspectives. Examples illustrating the range and integration of approaches will be discussed.
Open Access
Role of ecosystem services in private lands conservation: an investor's perspective
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Anderson, Terry, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The concept of ecosystem services has evolved from society's earliest basic needs of obtaining food and shelter to today's complex ecological paradigms that include social, cultural, and economic and conservation objectives. While scientists and environmentalists have discussed ecosystem services implicitly for decades, the current nomenclature began to refine significantly in the1990s and 2000s. Correspondingly, during this same period, the idea of private sector/investment driven/conservation finance began to take form in an arena long dominated by public finance and philanthropy. Thus, the opportunity of the day: How do we better define effective formulas that match ecological opportunity with available private capital? Refining, or in many cases, developing the value chain between the worlds of conservation and financial investment is a major part of the solution. Financial advisors and investors must become as comfortable evaluating ecosystem services, like aquifer recharge and water quality credits, as with evaluating commodity pricing for minerals or agricultural products. Equally, the conservation world will improve its track record greatly by learning to conduct rigorous project diligence and selection processes similar to those applied in more traditional investment contexts. While, significant progress has occurred, particularly in the more advanced markets of wetland, stream or species banking, there remains the challenge of effectively leveraging these early gains into the numerous larger, yet less developed, ecosystem markets.

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