What’s happening Wednesday at TWS’ Virtual Conference?

The third day of The Wildlife Society’s 2021 Virtual Conference brings a lineup of symposia and other events for participants to expand their knowledge and their networks.

Symposia

Ecology and Conservation of Eastern black rail: Road to Recovery through Management: Ecologists and land managers discuss best management practices for the Eastern black rail, a small, cryptic marsh bird listed as threatened as it faces sea level rise, wetland loss and fragmentation and incompatible use of prescribed fire and other habitat manipulations.

Mechanistic approaches to modeling wildlife response to climate change: This symposium will highlight recent work using mechanistic approaches to model population and habitat responses to climate change and how to use them to gain insights into how wildlife will respond to climate change and opportunities of climate adaptation.

Natural Resources Management and Conservation on Military Lands: This symposium will provide a forum for discussion among wildlife professionals that may result in future research collaborations between Defense Department natural resource managers and wildlife biologists at universities, federal and state government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and consulting firms. Supported by the Military Lands and Drone working groups.

Difficult Disease Decisions: The Role of Value-Focused Thinking and Decision Analysis in Wildlife Disease Management: Outbreaks of wildlife diseases can have far-reaching consequences for biodiversity, agricultural and human health. Managers need a framework to guide decision-making within the contexts of rapid, emergency response and long-term species or ecosystem resilience. This symposium offers a process for considering all the elements of a disease decision and addressing the impediments that make that decision difficult. Supported by the Wildlife Diseases Working Group and Biometrics Working Group.

Forest Service, Climate Change and Vulnerability: The second of four sessions that highlight national and regional approaches using the U.S. Forest Service’s Climate Scorecard and collaborations with the USDA Climate Hubs and provide examples of work the Forest Service is doing to respond to climate change. The symposium provides information on how the Forest Service is tracking progress on climate change using its Scorecard and supporting land managers through the USDA Climate Hubs. Supported by the USDA Forest Service.

Panel Discussions

Moving Forward: Expanding Inclusivity, Advocacy, and Allyship: Wildlifers reflect on our past, take stock of the present and plan for the future of The Wildlife Society and our profession by creating a safe space for reflection, growth and constructive conversations. Supported by Women of Wildlife and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness Working Group.

A Future PI Training Session: How Do I get the Job, And What Do I do Once I have it: This discussion will tackle questions like: How do I get a post-doc? How do I prepare for the academic interview? How do I start a position in the era of COVID-19? What should my work-life balance look like? And how are extension, research, and teaching faculty different? Supported by the Early Career Professionals Working Group and the College and University Education Working Group.

Renewing The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: This panel will discuss the need to renew the North American Model to address ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss by giving voice to the role of non-hunters, private landowners and indigenous people, as well as the role of sustainable markets for biodiversity. Supported by the Property and Environment Research Center.

Wildlife Innovation Center

Considering Bioacoustics Monitoring? Factors to consider and How to Start: This session will explore how bioacoustics can be used as a survey and research tool, either as a standalone method or in conjunction with other techniques. Sponsored by Wildlife Acoustics.

Wildlife Chemical Immobilization – Priorities, Details & Challenges: Professionals will discuss the important details and greatest difficulties in creating or conducting a wildlife chemical capture program. Sponsored by The Foundations of Wildlife Chemical Capture.

Networking

Meet the CEO: 4-6 p.m. Eastern

Women of Wildlife meeting and reception: 6-7 p.m. Eastern

Out in the Field Initiative: Social for Wildlifers in the LGBTQ+ Community: 8-10 p.m. Eastern