4th Wildlife Viewing & Nature Tourism Academy

Recent research suggests North America has lost 3 billion birds since 1970, with some of the steepest declines occurring in grassland birds. These include species such as the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). The Loggerhead Shrike is a predatory songbird that has declined 76% across its range and is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Texas, which hosts 6% of North America’s breeding shrikes and 22% of wintering shrikes. Currently, we understand little about what is driving shrike declines, and a coordinated effort is needed to evaluate nesting and productivity in order to allow comparisons across studies. In Central Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture have partnered to study a population of resident shrikes that breed in Old Settlers Park, which is a public park in Round Rock, TX, that is subject to intensive recreational use year-round. This location is not only ideal for collecting valuable information about productivity, but also presents an opportunity to involve community scientists and develop a monitoring program that can be integrated into larger-scale, coordinated research and monitoring. We will introduce the Urban Loggerhead Shrike Nest Monitoring Project, a community science project that engages local volunteers in protocol-driven nest monitoring via Esri’s Survey123 and Field Maps data collection apps.  We will share lessons learned from the development of this project, its protocol, and survey form and outcomes from the pilot season that may be useful to other coordinated efforts to involve community scientists in data collection for priority species.

It is not uncommon for bioblitzes to take place on public lands, but has the power of these events been fully realized? In Nebraska, our state lands are either diamonds or diamonds in the rough with varying levels of staff, resources, and wildlife viewing opportunities. This presentation will take participants through the steps of harnessing the power of bioblitzes on public lands to meet the multifaceted needs of their agency. In Nebraska, bioblitz events are being used to: 1) engage diverse audiences in community science-based wildlife viewing; and 2) collect data that is often under-captured, thus better informing the state agency on both the biodiversity of state lands and what opportunities exist for increased wildlife viewing on these lands. We will also explore the creation of resources that allows for the facilitation of bioblitz events across the state and how these resources can be utilized in other wildlife viewing and education initiatives.

Coming soon!

The internet offers new and near limitless opportunities. This includes opportunities for increasing brand recognition and fundraising through online stores. In recent years on-demand fulfillment services have made it possible to offer an abundance of options to customers without needing the capital and storage areas for products. In addition, this model spares agency/organization employees from spending significant time preparing and shipping orders. Additionally, on demand stores provide a platform to test run new and different products with little or no money or time. In the fall of 2020, the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail relaunched its online store using an on-demand fulfillment company. The presentation will cover the process and options of using on demand fulfillment and challenges, both with technology and financial. Examples of products created for our store will be available for review.