Wildlife profession to benefit from increased collaboration

A new Memorandum of Understanding between the leaders of four parties – government agencies and nonprofits, including TWS – paves the way for increased cooperation between fish and wildlife professionals.

The MOU was signed by The Wildlife Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Fisheries Society and the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units. It specifically outlines the ways in which each group will work with the others, supporting partnership and laying the foundations for TWS to expand its role as a leader in the wildlife conservation community.

“This agreement is a foundational framework by which we will engage in specific collaborative activities with the other signers,” said Ken Williams, CWB®, Executive Director of The Wildlife Society. “It is an important step in advancing long-term as well as developing relationships with conservation partners to deliver greater benefits to our members and the wildlife profession.”

Activities outlined in the MOU encourage the societies – TWS and AFS – to address USFWS and CRU needs through communication channels such as The Wildlife Professional, chapter and section meetings, and working groups. The agencies will support the societies by encouraging agency staff attendance at society meetings and identifying important scientific topics that are relevant to resource managers. The four parties will work together to plan symposia, sessions, workshops and other relevant events leading up to and including the 2019 joint meeting of TWS and AFS.

This MOU comes off the heels of a workshop that TWS hosted with several partners at the 81^st North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference that focused on the relationship between science and management in the natural resource profession.