Authors recognized for outstanding publications

From topics on lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) to northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), 15 wildlifers and authors took home the Wildlife Publications Award at the 2018 annual TWS conference in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Wildlife Publication Award, which was first given in 1940, recognizes excellent scientific literature relating to wildlife biology and management that shows originality. A book, edited book, journal article or paper, and monograph are selected for the award.

In the book category, Clark Adams took home the award for his book Urban Wildlife Management. The book focuses on urban development, which can be a major threat to biodiversity. Adams provides a historical perspective but also focuses on current trends of urban development and what might happen in the future.

David Haukos and Clint Boal won the Wildlife Publication Award for their edited book Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens. The authors discuss the challenges to monitoring the species, which has experienced substantial declines in populations and the area it occupies. The book also touches on the uncertain legal status of the lesser prairie-chicken and the future of its conservation.

In the article category, Clayton Lamb, Garth Mowat, Bruce McLellan, Scott Nielson and Stan Boutin won the award for their article published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, “Forbidden fruit: human settlement and abundant fruit create an ecological trap for an apex omnivore.” The team studied grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and found that a valley that has both large amounts of berry resources and high human density was more attractive than surrounding areas for bears. However, bears in this region faced 17 percent lower survival.

Richard Reynolds, Jeffrey Lambert, Curtis Flather, Gary White, Benjamin Bird, L. Scott Baggett, Carrie Lambert and Shelley Bayard De Volo won the award for their monograph “Long-term Demography of the Northern Goshawk in a Variable Environment,” which was published in Wildlife Monographs. The research team studied the Nearctic northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillis), completing a 20-year mark-recapture investigation on their distribution and density as well as breeding information in northern Arizona.

For 2019, works published in 2016, 2017 and 2018 are eligible for nomination. Click here to learn about criteria and the nomination process. Nomination forms must be submitted by March 1, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. EST.