Wildlife publication awards committee announces shortlists

The Wildlife Publication Awards Committee has named five books to shortlists in the authored and edited book categories.

This is the first year the committee has created shortlists, an effort to recognize the broad range of titles committee members review each year for the TWS Wildlife Publication Awards.

Each year, the committee receives nominated titles from authors, editors, publishers and colleagues for the awards. Committee members review the titles and score them based on five criteria. Based on the scores from all committee members, the book receiving the highest total score is deemed the winner. This year, the committee received 40 nominated books from 17 publishers.

Here are the top five titles in the authored book and edited book categories (alphabetical order by title):

Authored Book

• Animal Movement: Statistical Models for Telemetry Data, by Mevin B. Hooten, Devin S. Johnson, Brett T. McClintock, and Juan M. Morales (CRC Press)
• Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers, by Carol A. Johnston (Springer)
• Ecological Forecasting, by Michael C. Dietze (Princeton University Press)
• Urban Wildlife Management, by Clark E. Adams (CRC Press)
• Wildlife Habitat Management: Concepts and Applications in Forestry, by Brenda C. McComb (CRC Press)

Edited Book

• Antelope Conservation: From Diagnosis to Action, edited by Jakob Bro-Jorgensen and David P. Mallon (Wiley Blackwell)
• Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and Their Applications, edited by M. Eric Benbow, Jeffery K. Tomberlin, and Aaron M. Tarone (CRC Press)
• Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens, edited by David A. Haukos and Clint W. Boal (CRC Press)
• Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North American, edited by George M. Linz, Michael L. Avery, and Richard A. Dolbeer (CRC Press)
• Reptile Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques, edited by C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. (Oxford University Press)

The committee hopes that these shortlists provide some recognition to well-deserved authors and highlight 10 excellent books worthy of TWS members’ attention.

This year is also the first time that winners of each book category will be denoted by a sticker. Electronic and physical versions stating that the title is the winner of TWS Wildlife Publication Award will be provided to the winning authors/editors and publishers. The electronic version can be used by authors and publishers to highlight their award-winning title on websites and brochures used in conferences or other venues. The physical version can be affixed directly to the book to be displayed in bookstores, at conference booths and other venues.

The stickers are meant to recognize excellence in scientific writing characterized by originality of research or thought and a high scholastic standard in the manner of presentation. In addition, the sticker promotes the wildlife publication award as given by TWS, the preeminent international association of wildlife professionals dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education.

There are two additional categories for TWS Wildlife Publication Awards: article/journal paper and monograph. The winner of these categories will be notified in June.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Rick Spaulding, chair of the Wildlife Publication Awards Committee, at rick.spaulding@mantech.com.