Co-Organizers:Caleb O'Brien, Missouri Department of Conservation
Kiandra Rajala, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ben Beardmore, Wisconsin DNR
Lorisa Smith, Missouri Department of Conservation
Sarah Walker, Colorado State University
Tara Teel, Colorado State University
Mike Manfredo, Colorado State University
Overview:The purpose of a Benefits Declaration is to identify the diversity of benefits that flow from people's engagement with wildlife and provide a tool to guide more inclusive and effective management for people, wildlife, and habitat. The Benefits Declaration approach stems from the America's Wildlife Values study which highlighted the need for agency adaptation to engage and develop programs and services that resonate with broader constituencies. The workshop was piloted in 2023 at the international Pathways in Human Dimensions conference.
This Benefits Declaration Workshop will be hosted by MAFWA Directors, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Conservation Social Science/Human Dimensions technical working committee and the Midwest Landscape Initiative. Attendees will be selected by agency directors and leadership within regional NGOs and academic partners. The workshop will provide a regional template that can be implemented within state and community contexts and will help orient future relevancy-focused inquiry across the Midwest region.
For Questions contact: Elizabeth “Ellie” Prentice, Terrestrial Habitat and Social Science Unit Supervisor
Office: (573) 815-7900 ext. 2929;
Ellie.Prentice@mdc.mo.gov
