Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2019

The workshop would include multiple facets communicating a range of established Ohio Specific BMP’s in regard to:

• Site selection
• Design of habitat
• Species/ seed mix selection
• Site prep
• Instillation techniques and timing
• Partnership Establishment
• Short and long-term maintenance goals

We will provide attendees various scenarios that would best fit the multitude of objectives one can be faced when dealing with these specific kinds of projects/habitats. We will then discuss and provide examples of how to select sites that lend themselves to these various objectives and what species to utilize that best fit the project/habitat objectives. We find that a large limiting factor can be understanding and utilizing proper species lists and seed mixes that meet the needs of target species and potential umbrella species. In addition, we will utilize state specific case studies to engage attendees on how to implement proper techniques for addressing the most common success/failure scenarios they would experience in this process and how to address those issues to have the best success based on the habitat that they are trying to install. Lastly, we will discuss the importance of partnership formation. Partnering across agency lines builds a strong foundation of conservation meeting multiple conservation/preservation missions through; education, target species management planning, park/preservation habitat planning, infrastructure planning, etc.

Intended Audience: We invite professionals and enthusiasts to gain or enhance their current knowledge/skill set regarding proper site-based methodology that will enable groups or individuals to create, restore, enhance and/or manage upland projects/habitats.

Presenters: Michael Retterer, Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever; John Kiser, Ohio Division of Wildlife; Marci Lininiger, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative; Donald Knight, US Fish and Wildlife.

Fee: $30

Fisheries and wildlife science is advanced by the publication of high-quality peer reviewed manuscripts in books and journals, including American Fisheries Society's five journals and magazine and The Wildlife Society's three journals and magazine. Manuscripts are vetted, revised, and improved through an editorial process that may include routing through an editor, an associate editor, and multiple peer reviewers. Each step requires unique perspective and understanding of the reviewer/editor's role in the process. For example, a manuscript with a fatal flaw may be rejected by the editor at the first step, rather than continuing to the associated editor or peer reviewers. A manuscript with minor flaws may be subjected to peer review, yielding useful suggestions and allowing for publication of improved analyses. Fulfilling these roles to the best of one's ability can improve the efficiency of the peer review process, thereby reducing the time to publication, improving authors' publishing experience, and reducing unnecessary workflow for editors and reviewers alike. Unfortunately, training on how to provide reviews is limited. Lack of training results in misguided attempts to overreach or underperform when providing a review, low participation in peer review by professionals, and difficulty in retaining quality associate or lead editors. This course was developed to address the need for training in scientific manuscripts for both editors and peer reviewers and will have two parts (2 hr each); the first part is optional for those with more experience in the review process. Components of the course will be taught by senior authors and editors who have extensive experience in the manuscript publishing process, and tangible examples of good and bad reviews will be presented and discussed interactively. The course covers the importance of impact of review on authors, on journal quality and output, and on fisheries and wildlife science as a whole; how the publishing process works; how editors and peer reviewers are selected; how to get involved as a reviewer; roles and responsibilities of editors, associate editors, and peer reviewers; and how to provide reviews. Best practices will be emphasized applying to both wildlife and fisheries fields.

Intended Audience: Students and Professionals

Presenters: Rebecca Krogman, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; and Jesse Trushenski, Riverence and Evaqua Farms

Fee: $30

Wildlife managers face the growing challenge of helping wildlife populations and ecosystems respond to climate change. This active, hands-on workshop will help participants consider climate change and develop custom-built adaptation actions into their own real-world projects (e.g., Wildlife Management Area plan; population recovery plan). Through this workshop, participants will be able to: describe regional and local effects of climate change on wildlife in the Midwest, understand climate adaptation concepts in the context of terrestrial wildlife management, and develop custom-built actions to enhance the ability of wildlife to adapt to changing conditions.

Intended Audience: This workshop is for professional wildlife managers, including staff members from consulting firms; NGO conservation organizations; and employees of federal, state, tribal, and county agencies. We ask participants to bring their own real-world projects to consider at this workshop. Example projects include: a habitat management plan for a state Wildlife Management Area, a population plan for a sensitive or harvested species, or a landscape-scale wildlife management plan among several agencies. We encourage small teams of 2-5 people to work together at the workshop, but individuals working on their own are also welcome.

Presenters: Olivia LeDee, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center; Chris Hoving, Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources; and Stephen Handler, US Forest Service and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

The workshop aims at providing a hands-on experience for attendees to learn and use multilevel (or mixed effect) models using R, including, (1) a general overview of the linear multilevel modeling approach, (2) its applications, (3) its implementation in R (using R package lme4), (4) its implications in ecological applications, and (5) its expansion to modeling nonlinear and non-normal problems. The workshop will be largely based on Chapter 10 of Qian (2016), including examples from modeling stream ecosystem responses to watershed urbanization, statistical issues related to Toledo water crisis, detecting illegal poaching of endangered plant species in National Parks, modeling changes in Lake Erie nearshore fish community in response to shoreline changes, and setting nutrient criteria for lakes and streams. Attendees are encouraged to submit case studies ahead of the time to be included in the workshop. The workshop will discuss some important conceptual issues that are commonly encountered in applications, through the development of empirical Bayes methods and the Bayesian hierarchical models, as well as Stein's paradox in classical statistics. The discussion will help attendees to better recognize when multilevel modeling is appropriate.

Intended Audience: For graduate students and professionals with knowledge at the level of a graduate-level biostatistics course, including statistical inference using hypothesis testing and estimation, statistical modeling (linear and nonlinear regression), and a working knowledge of statistical programming language R.

Presenters: Dr. Song Qian, The University of Toledo

Fee: $60

Since its inception in 1990, Partners in Flight (PIF) has taken progressive steps to provide useful range-wide landbird conservation vulnerability assessment at both continental and Bird Conservation Region (BCR) scales. This workshop will introduce conservation planners to the PIF species assessment, prioritization, and population estimates databases and demonstrate how these tools can be used to set conservation priorities. at national, regional, and state scales. Planners are often confused by the different types of species assessments available and the prioritization lists they generate. This workshop will elucidate where and why species lists differ and how they are complementary. More importantly, the workshop will present a series of scenarios intended to provide practical insight into how best to implement bird conservation plans in the face of rapidly changing environments in order to address threats that appear to be limiting for individual species and species groups. The major platform that participants will navigate in real time will be the revised Partners in Flight website and its connections to supporting databases and plans. The workshop will focus on the Midwest and link explicitly to activities of the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Joint Venture.

Intended Audience: Professional conservation planners and students developing research proposals. Content level will be beginner to intermediate.

Presenters: Tom Will, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The goal of this workshop would be twofold. The first goal would be to promote and explain the Wildlife Society’s (TWS) Professional Certification Program for professional wildlife biologists. The second goal would be to give potential applicants hands-on advice and support for navigating and filling out the certification application given their unique coursework and experience. Please note: this workshop is part of the TWS NCS Leadership Series.

Intended Audience: Students and young wildlife professionals

Presenters: Tim Van Deelen, UW-Madison, Former Chair of TWS’s Certification Review Board

Fee: $30 (free for North Central Section members of TWS) To receive discount, use code: TWS NCS Member Rate W7