Stewardship Stories Reslient Communities 5 1 09
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Transcript of Stewardship Stories Reslient Communities 5 1 09
Stewardship Stories
Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
prepared for (but never delivered) A Cancelled Education Session
Utah Preservation Conference Salt Lake City, Utah
May 1st, 2009
DANA E. DOLSEN, UDWR Wildlife Planning Manager
"In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." - Eric Hoffer, 2005.
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Resilience Theory Approach: Monitor shifts in human ecosystems, values, and behavior in order
to respond rapidly and readily adapt to stressors &/or impacts.
The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) undertook two different analyses in the past few years:
1.) a survey of state wildlife agency employees to measure the degree of concern held regarding a variety of escalating wildlife conflict issues, which when receiving media coverage become stories.
2.) a 19 state regional survey to determine trends among the western publics for protectionism/use & materialism/ post-materialism in relationship to wildlife, wildlife management, and wildlife values, i.e., relationships in community.
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Wildlife Stewardship Stories
Listening to UDWR Employees’ Voices
Top Stories Affecting Resilience: Level of Concern of Western State Employees• Recreation Conflicts/Urban Conflicts/ Land Access (High)• Threatened & Endangered Species (High)• Wildlife Diseases (High)• Anti-hunting/Animal Rights Groups (High)• Invasive Species (Medium)
Affected States: AK, AZ, CO, ID, KS, MT, NM, OK, SD, UT. Black-footed ferrets in NE
Utah
Top Three Utah StoriesThemes of Highest Priority to Address Resilience
• Urban Wildlife Conflicts- Urban Hunting- Depredation- Nuisance Wildlife
Hunter/Angler/Boater Behavior- All Terrain Vehicle Use
• Hunting Techniques/Methods - Baiting- Canned/Will Call Hunts- Hunting with Hounds
Wildlife Stewardship Stories
Listening to UDWR Employees’ Voices
Causes of Resilience Risk & Stewardship Vulnerability
• Increasing urbanization & development
(Teel et al. 2005)
Stewardship Stories
Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Causes of Resilience Risk & Stewardship Vulnerability
• Increasing urbanization & development (Teel et al. 2005)
• Shifting societal values to post-materialism & protectionism (e.g.,mutualism)
Stewardship Stories
Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Causes of Resilience Risk & Stewardship Vulnerability
• Increasing urbanization & development (Teel et al. 2005)• Shifting societal values to post-materialism & protectionism
(e.g.,mutualism)
• Economic downturns (e.g., financial instability, pitting development against conservation (counter to the Western States’ trend toward decreasing materialism & utilitarianism)
Stewardship Stories
Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Causes of Resilience Risk & Stewardship Vulnerability
• Increasing urbanization & development (Teel et al. 2005)• Shifting societal values to post-materialism & protectionism
(e.g.,mutualism)• Economic downturns (e.g., financial instability, pitting
development against conservation (counter to the Western States’ trend toward decreasing materialism & utilitarianism)
• Increasing loss of private lands access for hunting, increasingly more expensive fee hunting access to private lands with disproportionate nonresident presence
Stewardship Stories
Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
MoreCauses of Resilience Risk & Stewardship Vulnerability
Demographic Issues• Increasing proportion of older adults in the populace
• Decreasing youth hunting/angling participation due to competing interests and activities
• Decreasing youth hunting/angling opportunity due to increasing numbers of single parent and dual-income families
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
1. Regularly obtain updates on rural communities’ stories of stewarding working landscapes for wildlife and share as well as leverage them.
Avoid burying our heads in the sand by:
Burrowing owls (not communities)!
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
1. Regularly obtain updates on rural communities’ stories of stewarding working landscapes for wildlife and share as well as leverage them.
2. Regularly monitor shifts in wildlife value orientations in the resident populace and learn from them.
Avoid burying our heads in the sand by:
Burrowing owls (not communities)!
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
1. Regularly obtain updates on rural communities’ stories of stewarding working landscapes for wildlife and share as well as leverage them.
2. Regularly monitor shifts in wildlife value orientations in the resident populace and learn from them.
3. Focus on land, water and wildlife conservation “Best Practices” i.e., planning, management & evaluation. Be proactive and enhance diversity.
Avoid burying our heads in the sand by:
Burrowing owls (not communities)!
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities1. Regularly obtain updates on rural communities’ stories of
stewarding working landscapes for wildlife and share as well as leverage them.
2. Regularly monitor shifts in wildlife value orientations in the resident populace and learn from them.
3. Focus on land, water and wildlife conservation “Best Practices” i.e., planning, management & evaluation. Be proactive and enhance diversity.
4.Be positive and forward-thinking in the opportunities to interact with and inform media sources about conservation stewardship. Strive for community transparency and relevance.
Avoid burying our heads in the sand by:
Burrowing owls (not communities)!
Monitor community shifts in wildlife value orientation
The Wildlife Values study described 4 value orientation audiences:
Utilitarians - “Wildlife are for human use.” Positive toward hunting & fishing. Mutualists - “Wildlife are part of an extended family.” See ideal world where
humans wildlife live together without fear.
Pluralists - BOTH Utilitarian AND Mutualist.
Distanced - Neither relate to the use or the inclusion of wildlife in their lives. Less attracted to & more concerned about safety around wildlife.
Stewardship Stories Empowering the Peoples’ Voice
Toward Resilient Utah Communities
Wildlife Value Orientation Where Utah Communities fit in the
West
05
1015
2025
303540
4550
Utilitarian Mutualist Pluralist Distanced
Utahns %West %
48%
33%
20%
33%
20%21%
11%13%Avg.
Utah has 15% more Utilitarians; 13% less Mutualists.
Cultural Influence
30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Utah
Percent Residing in City or Large City
Values in Utah Communities Mutualists by Urbanization across
Western States
Utah’s high Utilitarianism & urbanization coupled with our relatively low Mutualism, puts us closest to NE, OK, ID and then MT & ND. UT is an outlier.
%Mutualist
Source: Teel et al. 2005.
Values in Utah Communities
The extent that I trust my _ to do what is right for (…).
Utah
%
(State Rank)
Highest
%
(State)
Lowest
%
(State)
Federal Government
(my country).
53%
(1st)
53%
(Utah)
30% (Oregon)
State Government
(my state).
63%
(4th)
70%
(South Dakota)
37%
(New Mexico)
State Fish & Wildlife Agency (my state’s fish & wildlife management)
68%
(8th)
81%
(North Dakota)
54%
(California)
Western States vary in trusting their governments; Utahns trust more than most!
Source: Teel et al. 2005.
Inglehart (1990) hypothesized that a Post-MaterialismSociety shift was due to less trust in government and greater environmentalism.
Utah’s Communities Face Resilience Challenges &
OpportunitiesLow Environmentalism & Low
Mutualism
Utah
Utah has the lowest level of Environmentalism across the West!
39%
Source: Teel et al. 2005.
Resilient Communities Share Stewardship Stories
Empowering Utahns through EcoTourism
• Utah is unique among most western states in its wildlife diversity & value orientations –
EcoTourism can enhance rural community resilience & capacity.~ Spadefoot frog tadpole ~
Utah wildlife is also undergoing a metamorphosis adapting to us. Resilient communities need to be primed to tell their stewardship stories for both health & wealth!
Resilient Communities Share Stewardship Stories
Empowering Utahns through EcoTourism
• Utah is unique among most western states in its wildlife diversity & value orientations – EcoTourism can enhance rural community resilience & capacity.
• Stewardship stories can address the impending impact of population growth, land development & urbanization.
~ Spadefoot frog tadpole ~ Utah wildlife is also undergoing a metamorphosis adapting to us. Resilient communities need to be primed to tell their stewardship stories for both health & wealth!
Resilient Communities Share Stewardship Stories
Empowering Utahns through EcoTourism
• Utah is unique among most western states in its wildlife diversity & value orientations – EcoTourism can enhance rural community resilience & capacity.
• Stewardship stories can address the impending impact of population growth, land
development & urbanization. • Making policy and decisions
needs to respond to resilience risks and reflect the conservation practices needed to address them: STORIES HAVE POWER!
~ Spadefoot frog tadpole ~ Utah wildlife is also undergoing a metamorphosis adapting to us. Resilient communities need to be primed to tell their stewardship stories for both health & wealth!
Resilient Communities Share Stewardship Stories
Empowering Utahns through EcoTourism
• Utah is unique among most western states in its wildlife diversity & value orientations – EcoTourism can enhance rural community resilience & capacity.
• Stewardship stories can address the impending impact of population growth, land development & urbanization.
• Making policy and decisions needs to respond to resilience risks and reflect the conservation practices needed to address them: STORIES HAVE POWER!
• Greater public involvement in and adoption of hands-on monitoring, and growing conservation stewardship is needed. EcoTourism can help share stories of Utah’s resilient communities!
~ Spadefoot frog tadpole ~ Utah wildlife is also undergoing a metamorphosis adapting to us. Resilient communities need to be primed to tell their stewardship stories for both health & wealth!
Thanksfor ‘bearing’with me.
Any questions?
Resilience Recommendations for Utah
Establish a statewide thematic eco-tourism framework to share on-site & virtual stories about Utahns’ conservation stewardship relationships with the land, water, and wildlife that target enhancing the resilience of communities, reducing the risks of socio-economic and ecological threats, and attracting visitors from both in & out of state.
Forge a statewide Alliance across Utah’s private and public sectors centered on learning, trying, and adopting sound Community Conservation Stewardship Practices in part by providing story-telling based ecotourism programs and events.
Sources:
Hoffer, E. (2005) FUTUREdition, Vol. 8, No. 15., Oct. 13 edition. The Arlington Institute.Inglehart, R. (1990). Culture shift in advanced industrial societies. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press.
Teel, T. L., Dayer, A. A., Manfredo, M. J., & Bright, A. D. 2005. Regional results from the
research project entitled “Wildlife Values in the West.” (Project Rep. No. 58).
Project Report for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Ft. Collins,
CO: Colorado State University, Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Unit.
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Human Dimensions Committee.
2004. Proactive Strategies: Survey Results from Employees of 10 Western
States. Report from Arizona Fish and Game Department. 6 pp.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Goethe (1749-1832), German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist, and Scientist