Tool Development – Partner with a Payer

From Detections to Decisions: Improving Motus Data Quality and Analytical Tools for Species of Greatest Conservation Need

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a global network of radio receivers that track small flying animals carrying tiny lightweight transmitters. As these animals fly within range of a station their unique signal is automatically recorded allowing researchers to track movements across continents without recapturing the animal. However, the rapid growth of the system has … Read more

Prioritizing Eastern brook trout habitat restoration using Hyper-Resolution Hydrography Data

Brook trout are a recreationally and ecologically important native fish species across the Eastern United States. They are sensitive to water quality and temperature making them strong indicators of stream health. However, their populations have declined due to land use changes, habitat fragmentation and warming water temperature. This project aims to enhance brook trout habitat … Read more

Pathways to Partnership: Empowering Agency Ambassadors to Achieve R3 Success

This project will provide state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) with a reliable, replicable, and field-tested methodology for initiating new partnerships that increase their capacity to effectively deliver hunting, angling, and shooting sports recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts. The need for effective methods of finding and partnering with new, R3-vested groups and organizations has … Read more

A Taste of Conservation: Boosting Public Support of Hunting Through Approachable Wild Game Recipes

Public support for hunting continues to decline, and public perception often misunderstands the motivations behind it. Fortunately, research—including the 2025 Americans’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting survey—shows that most Americans strongly approve of hunting when it is done to procure food. At the same time, they disapprove of trophy hunting or hunting they perceive … Read more

Advancing the use of Motus to track migratory bat movement throughout the year

Conservation of migratory species requires cross-border collaboration within and beyond the United States to coordinate conservation measures over the entire species phenology. Understanding movement patterns and habitat use throughout the year is essential to coordinating these efforts. A total of 44 states identify at least one of the three long-distance migratory bats (silver-haired, red and … Read more

Assessing Training Needs in the Natural Resources Professions and Building a Clearinghouse of Professional Development Courses

Fish and wildlife professionals need high quality training to enable them to meet their professional challenges. Success in the workplace is critical for these professionals be they state or federal agency, nongovernmental organizations, industry or others. Yet the vast majority of employing entities are poorly equipped to provide their staff with such training. The science … Read more

Bridging the Gap: Building Pathways for NASP® Families to Outdoors Resources that Foster Lifelong Recreation

This project is a partnership between the National Archery in the Schools Program®, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, International Hunter Education Association, National Bowhunter Education Foundation, eResources LLC Via Studio division, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. This initiative aims to increase long-term participation and retention … Read more

Building Capacity for Conservation: National Training, Leadership, and Collaboration for State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) Management Assistance Team (MAT) proposes a national professional development initiative to strengthen the leadership and capacity of state fish and wildlife agencies. The project will deliver high-quality training, consulting and resources to enhance staff effectiveness, improve retention, and support conservation programs funded through the Wildlife Restoration and … Read more

Comprehensive Research on Participation and Perceptions of Four Key Fishing Segments: Flyfishing, Surf fishing, Ice fishing, and Charter boat fishing

Past research from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (funded by Federal grant F20AP00134), the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Special Report on Fishing, (funded by Federal grant F23AC00806), and Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation’s Honing Youth Fishing Programs to Create Avid Anglers (funded by Federal … Read more

Creating a National Toolkit to Support Hunting and Shooting Sports Pathways for 1.25 million NASP® Student Archers Annually

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) is operating in all 50 states, with the majority of states hosting the program through their state fish and wildlife agency. The program continues to expand and is currently being taught in over 10,000 schools. According to the 2024 NASP® Student Survey, well over 20% of the … Read more

Deploying Ultralight Solar Transmitters on Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) to Document Movement Ecology

Recent innovations in wildlife tracking have advanced the field of movement ecology, yet applications to the smallest species have remained limited by the acceptable weight of tracking devices relative to that of the organism. Despite a century of banding, hummingbird migration across North America remains poorly understood, limiting efforts to develop effective conservation strategies in … Read more

Documenting the Nutritional Value of White-tailed Deer Meat: An Unmet Need for R3 Engagement

In North America, the number of people who hunt and purchase hunting licenses has been declining over the past few decades. There is also less public support overall for hunting, especially if it is considered “trophy” hunting. Yet, long-term survey data (Responsive Management et al., 2025) shows that public approval of hunting for meat (81%) … Read more