Multistate Conservation Grants
The Multistate Conservation Grant Program annually provides $11 million dollars from the Wildlife Restoration Account and the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. This program is jointly administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). These high priority projects address problems affecting states on a regional or national basis. Projects include species population surveys, outreach, data collection regarding hunter or angler participation, hunter or aquatic education, economic value of fishing and hunting, and regional or multistate habitat needs assessments.
Below are listed the abstracts for the most recent grant abstracts awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These grants are currently active. Interested parties can visit the AFWA Multistate Grant website for final reports for all grants that have been completed in the past.
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Grant Abstracts
2025 – 2029 Facilitation of National R3 Strategies
In 2008, a plan emerged from the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy entitled Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation. Among the recommendations in the plan was an action to, “Create a Hunting and Shooting Heritage Foundation Similar to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.” The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) was officially chartered in 2009 to facilitate the promotion and growth of hunting and the shooting sports and the education of the public on the contributions that hunters and shooters make towards wildlife conservation. The Council has grown to become a leader in recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3), and facilitated national advancements to ensure support for and active participation in hunting and the shooting sports for future generations. A multiyear Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) for 2022 to 2024 provided the long-term support needed for the Council to significantly increase its capacity to help meet the increased demand from the community while exceeding the goal metrics identified in each of the 15 objectives of the grant. Demand for and approval of Council services remain high in the hunting and shooting sports community. The 2023 Stakeholders’ Awareness of and Attitudes Toward the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports survey from Responsive Management found that 82% of the 435 responding stakeholders approve of the Council’s work in the R3 community. Using findings from the stakeholder survey, feedback from planning sessions with the Council’s 34-member Board of Directors, and expertise from Council staff, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports 2025 – 2030 Strategic Plan was developed. This plan guides and aligns with this five-year MSCG proposal to provide sustainable funding for the Council. This grant will allow the Council to annually provide technical assistance to 15 organizations; manage the online R3 Community and increase member contributions by 10%; manage the National R3 Clearinghouse and increase the number of digital assets by 1,000; produce 10 case studies; host five webinars; participate in 12 regional and/or national meetings to help facilitate R3; support 10 R3 practitioner trainings and provide content via a learning management system; administer a stakeholder survey; engage 15 stakeholders representing nonprofit, agency, and industry in the Annual Review Committee; improve Council website relevance and increase visitation by 10%; increase the Council’s social media presence and increase followers by 10%; produce American’s Attitudes Towards Hunting and Shooting Sports report; and support the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Regional R3 Coordinator position. The Council will use an internal dashboard to track these actions and assess the completion percentage of the objectives. This dashboard will be used to provide the Board of Directors quarterly update. The Council will also work with Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure all financial and performance reporting requirements are met on an annual basis. In addition to tracking the objectives defined above, the Council will evaluate using the results of the annual Stakeholder Survey, Hunting and Fishing License Dashboard, and partner shooting sports reports to inform its efforts and update strategies as needed. These activities and their resulting deliverables will provide value to R3 stakeholders and the general public. The result of continued long-term, sustainable funding for the Council will be strategic and collaborative R3 efforts at the state, regional, and national levels. In pursuing these activities, the Council will ensure the investments made in R3 are effective, enduring, and ensure support for and active participation in hunting and the shooting sports for future generations.
2025 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination
The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.) and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.) as amended by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-408, 114 STAT. 1766 §113 and 114 STAT. 1722 §122) authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make up to $6,000,000 available annually to fund Multistate Conservation project grants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will cite this traditional portion of the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP) as Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG). In addition, the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act (Modernizing PR Act, 16 U.S.C. 669) amended the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to, among other measures, authorize the Service to make hunter recruitment and recreational target shooter recruitment grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sports recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities. The Service will cite this portion of the MSCGP as R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG). Up to $5,000,000 will be available specifically for the R3-MSCG grants. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and the Service work cooperatively to manage TMSCG and R3-MSCG. AFWA sets the Strategic Priorities for project activities and provides the Service with a list of recommended projects to be considered for awards. The Service administers the program and manages the awards. In 2024, the Association was awarded a one-year Multistate Conservation Grant supporting the Multistate Conservation Grant Program Manager through December 2024. The primary objective is to continue meeting the Association’s responsibilities as required under the federal legislation authorizing the administration and coordination of the MSCGP. These Acts did not provide any administrative funds for the Association’s use in administering and implementing its significant responsibilities under this grant program. As a program manager/facilitator, the MSCGP Manager will maximize the benefits to the State Fish and Wildlife Agencies throughout the grant cycle and proposal selection process. However, additional emphasis will be placed on program evaluation, communication of program results, and outreach by developing meaningful relationships with individuals and groups that have been marginalized and/or underserved to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Professional development will also remain a priority, and the MSCGP Manager will continue to attend pertinent grant administrative training. 2 The MSCGP Manager manages the activities that implement the grant program. This project would provide continued program manager funding and support those administrative responsibilities necessary to implement the Multistate Conservation Grant Program.
AFWA’s Legal Strategy at 10 Years: Taking Stock of our Program to Raise Awareness of State Wildlife Authorities and Develop Educational Opportunities in Wildlife Law
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) established its Legal Strategy program in 2014 with the goal of building awareness of the constitutional, statutory, and jurisprudential sources of state authority to manage wildlife, to create opportunities for students and practitioners of natural resources law to learn about state management and the conservation successes of the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, and to support state authority to address longstanding and emerging threats to fish and wildlife under this time-tested conservation framework. Methods of accomplishing these objectives have included, but are not limited to:
- Publication of materials on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (“Model”), public trust doctrine, and other foundational elements of wildlife law and policy
- Placement of wildlife law and policy courses with secondary educational institutions including undergraduate and law schools
- Field placements / internships / clerkships with agencies and nongovernmental organizations
- Development of continuing legal education programs for state fish and wildlife agency and non- governmental partner attorneys
- Establishment of the Association’s Legal Strategy Advisory Council (a.k.a. “Think Tank”) to advise the Association’s Executive Committee, Legal Committee, and others on emerging developments and to perform detailed analyses of issues relevant to a majority of, or all, states for their voluntary use
- Organization and sponsorship of special symposia at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, or at other professional conference events (e.g., The Wildlife Society) After a full decade of activity, the Legal Strategy program—and all fifty states—will benefit from a comprehensive review. This review will be executed by the Principal Investigator in cooperation with the Think Tank as well as an external coordinator (see: Key Personnel), and will take the form of a report containing the following elements:
- Narrative history of the program, its conception and establishment, and relationship with other programs • Detailed review of all Legal Strategy sub-programs, projects, and deliverables, as well as funding sources • Qualitative surveys of program collaborators and partners
- Assessment of program priorities, success in meeting those priorities, and what if any shifts are merited as the Legal Strategy moves into its next decade
- Assessment of effective approaches to engaging governmental members and nongovernmental conservation partners in “horizon scanning,” efforts to foresee emerging issues and problems facing conservation professionals, and to strategize initiatives to deal with those problems
- Development of best practices applicable to AFWA’s work to forecast emerging issues and problems, and to develop strategies in response to them.
Aiming for New Target Shooters from Anglers’ Ranks
The recent Multistate Conservation Grant-funded 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (National Survey) reported three times more target shooters (47 million) in the U.S. than hunters (15 million 6 years and older), indicating overall greater public interest. In addition, the 2022 National Survey also shows 50% of target shooters also fish compared to only 25% that also hunt (Jerry Leonard, USFWS, personal communications). The percentage for all anglers who are target shooters is 36%; this percentage goes up to 38% if those age <18 are dropped. For the U.S. six-and-over population as a whole, the percent of target shooters is 16%, so an angler is more than twice as likely to be a target shooter than a random U.S. resident. Given the need to increase target shooting participation, the high affinity for target shooting among anglers combined with the fact that states already have contact information and basic relationships with millions of anglers, states’ Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) programs may have a significant opportunity before them to recruit new target shooters from anglers’ ranks. However, no one has examined if this opportunity is worth pursuing or not. A need exists to determine if this is a significant opportunity, and if so, how states can most effectively pursue and recruit these potential new target shooters. State agencies are ideal to test this potential opportunity to recruit new target shooters because they have access to anglers via license records, the necessary R3 research and application knowledge and are the intended beneficiaries for implementing the findings, if proven worthwhile. Southwick Associates will be contracted to coordinate efforts and conduct quantitative research based on their recent similar efforts, and DJ Case & Associates will be contracted to provide qualitative research and web-design services. Work will begin by first thoroughly examining angler and target shooter data within the 2022 National Survey data set to identify commonalities and concepts to test. Next, we will conduct quantitative and qualitative work to find out more about target shooters who also fish, and how anglers who do not shoot might be encouraged to do so. The summarized results, including marketing recommendations, will then be tested via a pilot campaign in one state per Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies region. The insights from these tests, along with the research results, will then be summarized and distributed to states and Non-governmental Organization partners to use in their own custom marketing efforts. Recommendations will include describing if target shooters can be effectively recruited from anglers’ ranks, how to do so, along with tested imagery and messaging that will enhance recruitment success. This project builds on previous Multistate Conservation Grant investments, specifically by utilizing the 2022 National Survey and further exploring insights under production in 2024 via the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation’s "Welcome New Shooters" project. The expected outcome, if the pilot campaigns prove successful, will be greater numbers of target shooters.
Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative: Expanding a Trusted Regional Protocol and Combining Barrier Assessment Databases for the Enhancement of Sportfish Populations in the NEAFWA and SEAFWA
Both the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) and the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) maintain databases to document anthropogenic barriers in streams. We propose to upgrade the NAACC database and extend its geographic scope to cover 16 states and territories in the Southeastern U.S. covered by SARP (one SARP state, Virginia, is already covered by the NAACC) with potential to include other regions of the U.S. over time. SARP is already working with states in the Midwest, Intermountain West, and Great Lakes regions. The NAACC central coordinators based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, are included in this proposal as subrecipients; their role will be to oversee the upgrade and expansion of the NAACC database. This new database will be maintained by SARP and will ultimately result in a more streamlined and unified process for collecting field data, prioritize sites for restoration, and ultimately reconnect more miles of aquatic habitat for sport fish and non-game aquatic species across the states and territories of both the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Northeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as well as the nation as a whole.
Boosting Local Support for New and Expanded Shooting Ranges
Recent legislative changes make it easier for states to use Wildlife Restoration funds to construct or expand shooting ranges. In addition, several multi-state conservation grants are showing how to identify where new ranges are needed (National Shooting Sports Foundation), how to attract non-traditional audiences to ranges (Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation) and the types of shooting activities that will maximize use of shooting ranges (Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation – Association for Conservation Information). These projects will help expand range capacity and boost participation, but states and private range operators still face hurdles in gaining public support to build new ranges and expand existing locations. Much of this relates to the public’s current understanding of the negatives associated with ranges, such as noise, but little is known or communicated about positives, such as jobs, retail sales, generation of conservation excise tax revenues, provision of safe places to shoot, education for new firearm owners, and more. Limited public awareness of these benefits can contribute to lower public support for state agencies and their missions plus suppress efforts to boost participation through states’ provision of new or expanded range opportunities. This project will help states increase public support for building and/or expanding shooting ranges by generating and communicating information regarding the jobs, tax receipts, conservation revenues, and other economic impacts generated from a typical range visit. The results will also include a virtual calculator that allows range operators to easily quantify and report the total economic impacts their operations generate for their local communities based on their expected or actual range use levels. This work will be accomplished under contract to Southwick Associates leveraging data from the multi-state grant-funded target shooting economics project currently underway by the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) and expected by July 2024 which significantly reduces the cost of this proposed project. This effort will also include a survey of the U.S. general public to gain a better understanding of the common reasons why people often oppose shooting ranges and reasons why non-shooters would accept new ranges. The results will help guide state and industry public communications efforts when proposing new sites. Survey content will be developed with input from state and private range operators recruited from SAF and its industry partners, then fielded using standard online sampling and analytical techniques by Southwick Associates. Results will be shared in a graphics-based format sharing recommended approaches and messaging for boosting public support and helping range managers better understand how to address public concerns. The virtual calculator allowing ranges to develop custom economic impact estimates will be posted to the SAF website, shared with other shooting organizations for posting, and promoted via direct contact with all state range managers and industry sources. This project will be led by the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation which has significant experience delivering economic projects to state agencies and working with states and industry on issues such as ranges and conservation. Without the information to be provided by this project, states and other range operators will continue to experience higher levels of opposition for new ranges than otherwise necessary, thereby minimizing capacity to recruit and retain target shooters. There are no sub-recipients for this project.
Can the Role of Online Hunting Communities Lead Us to New Hunters
This initiative is a partnership between the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, DJ Case and Associates, Southwick Associates, and participating states. How do new and beginner hunters use social media in their hunting journeys? Does usage among novice hunters vary by platform? Should state wildlife agency recruitment, retention, and reactivation specialists seek out and engage with novice hunters on social media platforms, and if so, how? How can states and partners engage with specific hunter segments to maximize our return on investment? Without answers, the Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation Community can only guess how to market to potential new hunters, and the impacts of these platforms on hunter recruitment and retention are not well known. This project seeks to comprehensively understand how novice hunters utilize social media for learning and social support, providing crucial insights for enhancing recruitment and retention efforts. Novice hunters’ social media behaviors can help fish and wildlife agencies create targeted outreach programs, allocate resources efficiently, and improve recruitment outcomes. This project will employ a multifaceted approach, combining regional focus groups, social listening techniques, and a survey of new licensees to analyze the impacts of social media platforms and personal interactions with them. The expected outcomes for fish and wildlife agencies and organizations include providing valuable insight into the social media habits of novice hunters. By understanding which platforms and content engage them most effectively and enabling agencies to effectively allocate limited marketing budgets and optimize social media engagement strategies. Deliverables from this project will provide fish and wildlife agencies and organizations with a comprehensive social listening inventory, determining how novice hunters use these platforms, a detailed report on regional focus groups, and survey findings for optimizing the use of social media for novice hunters in the Southeastern and Midwest regions. Key topics and terms will be identified for building the survey questionnaire, and a report summarizing key findings will be produced. To increase efficiency and recruit participants, there is a need to continue understanding social media platforms to recruit new and beginner hunters to be the best possible stewards of the limited funding available for recruitment, retention, and reactivation. Without funding for this project, recruiting and retaining new participants in hunting through online platforms will be limited without knowing more specifics of how to reach this specific target audience on social media.
Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States
The grantee represents the consensus interests of state fish and wildlife agencies to ensure that fish and wildlife habitat conservation needs are properly incorporated into United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Bill conservation programs. In 2023, these USDA funds provided $1.77 billion for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), protecting 1.8 million acres of land by taking marginal cropland out of production and 2.4 million acres into grassland conservation. In addition to this “bread and butter” program for most wildlife agencies, the NRCS spent nearly $5 billion dollars on conservation programs the same year. Additional investments in conservation through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2023 also provided state agencies with an opportunity to leverage these funds for fish and wildlife. Roughly 70% of the Continental United States (CONUS) land base is privately owned, so Farm Bill conservation programs targeting these lands have broad-reaching effects on fish and wildlife conservation. State fish and wildlife agencies help the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) deliver these programs by providing technical assistance, participating in State Technical Committees and Local Working Groups, and working within USDA offices to ease administrative workloads. The current Farm Bill passed in December 2018 and is set to expire on September 30, 2024. While the goal is to have the Farm Bill reauthorized by this date, the reality is that passage will likely occur late in 2024, or in 2025. The new farm bill will bring opportunities for input and collaboration as the USDA finalizes rules and implements programmatic policies and procedures. State agencies must proactively work with USDA to properly incorporate the needs of fish, wildlife, and their habitats into rules, policies, strategic frameworks, and conservation practices. State agencies’ effectiveness in this regard relies in part on their ability to share information among themselves and to address USDA with a unified voice. The grant will support collaboration and coordination of state fish and wildlife agencies across all regions to provide input during the rule-making process of these USDA programs and feedback on how program implementation and rollout of the continued Farm Bill is functioning in each state, including recommendations for further actions. The grant will also facilitate coordination and collaboration with conservation partners who share AFWA’s agriculture conservation goals. The grantee will facilitate working groups under the broader Agriculture Conservation Committee (ACC) that represent each farm bill program impacting wildlife to ensure state members are aware of updated policies and have an opportunity to voice professional opinions, ensuring that these federal dollars are used as effectively as possible. Those working groups include the Conservation Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) / Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Farm bill Easements, Forestry, Public Access, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Private Lands working groups.
Coordination of National Scale Conservation by State, Provincial and Territorial Fish & Wildlife Agencies
State Fish and Wildlife Agencies are charged with managing wildlife for the benefit of the public. Numerous federal agencies share management responsibility across state boundaries. Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) dedicated to conserving specific species and landscapes act regionally and nationally in coordination with State and Federal Agencies. Without strong coordination, it is impossible to realize the full benefit of these varied efforts. Coordinating successful conservation efforts among all involved parties across North America requires the resources to bring state agency leaders to the table. Many state agencies whose resources are focused on internal, state-focused efforts (often inadequate for that purpose) would be unable to participate in these efforts without external funding support. Related to this is the necessity for dedicated resources to foster, maintain, and grow relations between state agencies and industry. The latter is responsible for excise tax contributions to the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funding programs, which are significant contributors to agency budgets. When state agencies and industry are not actively meeting and coordinating, there is a high risk of misunderstanding and dysfunction. Opportunities to coordinate with industry exist at specific events and at most other conferences and meetings where NGO industry representatives are present. Centralized communications ensure that relevant issues are brought to light, and state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners can debate and discuss the best solutions to cross-jurisdictional, national, and regional wildlife management issues. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) website is currently not 508 compliant. Section 508 compliance is important for websites because it makes them more accessible to a broader audience, including AFWA’s members. State fish and wildlife agency leadership in landscape conservation is essential to the long-term sustainability of fish and wildlife. In 2018, AFWA passed a resolution on landscape conservation that acknowledged the importance of landscape conservation and the need for collaboration between state fish and wildlife agencies and the US Fish and Wildlife (FWS) because of their unique roles and authorities over fish and wildlife. Three of the four fish and wildlife regional associations (Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies) have established regional landscape conservation collaboratives with support from the FWS. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is leading several individual landscape conservation initiatives. A full-time national landscape conservation coordinator is needed to
- provide professional staffing of the AFWA/FWS Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force;
- support coordination between regional fish and wildlife association landscape conservation collaboratives;
- support the implementation of the recommendations of the AFWA President’s Task Force on Shared Science and Landscape Conservation and the State Wildlife Action Plan Landscape Conservation Framework;
- and serve as a liaison between the states, federal agencies, landscape conservation partnerships, and NGOs working in the landscape conservation space to foment communication and raise awareness and secure resources for regional fish and wildlife association landscape conservation priorities.
The FWS and regional fish and wildlife associations provided funding over the past two years to hire a part-time national landscape conservation coordinator. Funding for the part-time position will end in September 2023. This proposal seeks funding for a full-time coordinator for one year. Additional funding will be sought in the future to continue this coordination capacity. This proposal will allow for coordinating conservation across the United States by state, regional, territorial, and provincial fish and wildlife agencies (including Canadian leadership involved in US conservation efforts). This coordination will lead to better policy, greater efficiency, and the most effective conservation efforts.
Coordination of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Authority to Manage Wildlife Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by International Treaties, Conventions, Partnerships, and Initiatives
Decisions made in international fora, such as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), can positively and negatively affect the management authority or practices of state, provincial, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies. However, the state fish and wildlife agencies (states) do not have the resources (e.g., time or funding) necessary to all participate in CITES, IUCN, or other international fora. At the same time, U.S. federal agencies, foreign governments, and NGOs are at the table and have input in decisions. Therefore, it is critical that state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have a voice in international fora. In 1994, the states created the CITES Technical Work Group (Work Group) to address the need in an efficient and effective manner. It includes a member from each state regional association and AFWA. The Work Group has been highly effective in supporting the state’s (and where appropriate Canadian Provinces and Territories) ability to manage and conserve wildlife, and in influencing decisions through science-based positions that encourage the sustainable use of wildlife. In the absence of the Work Group, the states do not have a voice, nor can they bring science-based, on-the-ground expertise to help guide decisions. 2025 is a particularly important year because the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP20) and the IUCN World Conservation Congress will occur. In 2023 and 2024, the CITES Technical Work Group collaborated with the USFWS on non-detriment findings development, species data and information collection (e.g., polar bear, caribou, and peregrine falcon), and preparing for the Animals and Standing Committee; participated in working groups (e.g., non-detriment findings, reducing the risk of zoonotic disease emergence, species specific groups); represented the state agencies at the CITES Animals and Standing Committee; participated as a member of the US Delegation to the Standing Committee; and kept the state agencies informed on CITES issues and developments. This was in preparation for the Conference of the Parties and Standing Committee meetings in 2025. The purpose of the grant is to ensure that state positions and data/management information is presented in international forums; that those positions support sustainable use, state authority, and the conservation and management of native species using the best available science; and that the states and the U.S. government collaborate on international conservation issues. The Work Group coordinates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure that processes for the implementation of CITES decisions are practical to implement by the states. The Work Group must participate in CITES meetings and work closely with the USFWS and other federal agencies. This grant will allow the Work Group to ensure that the state’s ability to manage wildlife is not negatively impacted by actions taken at CITES, IUCN or other fora, and where appropriate, the Work Group will support Canadian Provinces and Territories. The Work Group will also serve as the state contact point for the USFWS and other federal agencies, providing an efficient way for the U.S. government to cooperatively implement their international obligations. Deliverables include effective and targeted outreach to the states, species conservation and management data and information to help the U.S. government make informed decisions and implement their international obligations, and participation in key meetings and on important technical committees. The grant will also help ensure that CITES and IUCN are a tool in the conservation of management of our native wildlife. The impact of grant outcomes continues beyond the life of this grant by impacting fish and wildlife conservation and management.
Creating Bridge-Builders to Accelerate Implementation of the Relevancy Roadmap
This project will provide state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) with a reliable, replicable methodology for developing new collaborations with unengaged population segments and novel partner organizations, using existing staff and resources without being heavily reliant on external consultants. The need for agency-led engagement of broader constituencies has emerged from the many pilot projects led by Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) and its SFWA partners in implementing the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap. The models most likely to succeed are those that, intentionally or not, identify and empower an existing staff member(s) to serve as a “bridge- builder”—somebody who has the interest and skills to develop and engage a specific constituency in a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with the agency. As the Roadmap was not intended to be, nor written as, an implementation guidance document, there is a critical need to establish specific and tactical approaches for SFWAs to forge relationships with new constituencies by leveraging in-house connections that, if supported, can “build a bridge” between the agency and a new partner. The project team (WMI staff and Clearwater Communications) will collaborate with at least one agency in each of the four Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies regions in developing, implementing, and evaluating a bridge-building engagement strategy, focused on one population segment or potential partner organization per state. The team will use evaluation results to refine the bridge-builder engagement model, then distill and package tactical recommendations into a set of tools for use by conservation relevancy-related staff and practitioners. Anticipated project outcomes include enhanced staff capacity for building lasting collaborations with unengaged population segments and new partner organizations; increased confidence of agency leadership that their agency has the tools it needs to build collaborations with such populations and organizations; lasting relationships with constituency groups who have not historically engaged with agencies; and increased constituency awareness of, participation in, support for the agency’s role in conservation. Project deliverables will include tactical recommendations presented as a set of practical, accessible tools that can be implemented by staff at any level within an agency, descriptions of processes used during the project, links to resources used during the project, and an evaluation of project outputs and outcomes. The project is designed to provide lasting benefits to the four-or-more participating agencies, the population segments and potential partner organizations engaged during the project, and all state fish and wildlife agencies in need of a reliable methodology for developing new collaborations.
Designing an automated machine learning method for large scale aerial pronghorn monitoring
Pronghorn are an iconic ungulate species endemic to western North America. Low-altitude aerial surveys are commonly used by management agencies to monitor pronghorn populations, but have disadvantages regarding safety, cost, and reliability. Low-altitude slow-speed flights leave little margin for pilot error and have resulted in injuries and even death of agency staff. A safer, more cost-effective, and verifiable monitoring method is needed. Pairing plane mounted high resolution cameras with machine learning driven automated computer vision tools has proven effective in other contexts for detecting and counting animals in natural landscapes and is well suited to the task of pronghorn monitoring. This approach would allow managers to stay out of planes and provides a verifiable visual record of detected animal. It is a challenge, however, to successfully implement such a cutting-edge method while also ensuring that it is practical for managers. Our uniquely qualified interdisciplinary team from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the University of Wyoming’s School of Computing and the University of Wyoming’s Department of Zoology and Physiology together have the full range of expertise needed to implement just such a tool. We plan to 1. trial a range of airplane mounted camera options and flight heights to optimally record pronghorn across vast landscapes; 2. Design and train deep learning-based computer vision models to accurately detect and count pronghorn from the collected imagery and validate model performance using management relevant metrics; 3. Document our method by releasing open source code with tutorials and producing a white paper and seminar directed at agencies in the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Our approach will keep managers across the western states safe while simultaneously providing a novel high-quality and cost-effective monitoring solution.
Developing Best Practices to Engage People of Color in Fishing, Hunting, Sport Shooting, and Archery
Fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery should be accessible to all Americans, regardless of race. While the latest National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation shows that the vast majority of current hunters and anglers in the United States continue to be white and non-Hispanic, recent relevancy and participation studies provide evidence of the substantial interest in hunting and fishing, as well as sport shooting and archery, among people of color (i.e., Black people, Hispanic/Latino people, Asian people, and Indigenous people). For example, a recent relevancy survey conducted by Responsive Management for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that fishing is one of the top activities in which Black people and Native Americans are most interested. A similar survey for the Ohio Division of Wildlife found that Black residents, compared to state residents as a whole, were more likely to be very interested in learning more about fish and wildlife (as opposed to somewhat or not at all interested). Additionally, the latest sport shooting participation trend survey from the National Shooting Sports Foundation indicates that Black Americans are the fastest growing segment of new sport shooters (meaning those who took up the activity for the first time within the past 5 years). Yet major obstacles remain: the same relevancy studies show that people of color are often more likely to report feeling unsafe in the outdoors, more likely to be unfamiliar with their state fish and wildlife agency, and more likely to feel that their fish and wildlife agency does not share the same values as them. People who live in urban centers, in particular, may feel the least welcome at lakes and rivers, in the woods, and in other natural settings simply because they are generally removed from such places in their day-to-day lives. In recent years, fish and wildlife agencies have made great strides in relevancy and engagement efforts to make fishing, hunting, and sport shooting accessible and welcoming to Americans of all races. However, more can and should be done to encourage diversity in participation. There is a strong need for a coordinated research and engagement effort to produce both reliable data from communities of color on the national level and training strategies for program coordinators, R3 experts, and others who can help to engage these prospective new anglers, hunters, and sport shooters/archers. The purpose of this project is to conduct new research with people of color throughout the United States to determine how to most effectively engage them and facilitate their participation in fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery; and to provide “training the trainers” guidance through on-site events and a webinar to help agency staff and members of the R3 community engage communities of color. This project will benefit all 50 states by providing new communications strategies and training materials to bolster participation from and engagement with people of color in fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery.
Do gill lice vector sportfish viruses?
Sportfish viruses are a persistent and costly problem for natural resource agencies. New approaches are needed to mitigate the spread of these viruses in hatchery and wild sportfish populations. For any infectious disease, knowledge of pathogen transmission is critical to controlling spread and is a critical tool in disease management. Regarding sportfish viruses, a gap in our knowledge of viral transmission is the role of ectoparasites as vectors of viral disease. Because no information on this critical transmission pathway is available for sport fisheries in the southeastern US, the goal of this project is to understand the interaction of gill lice and viral infections in sportfish in the Southeastern United States, which will give fisheries managers new knowledge/understanding with which to prevent and mitigate viral infections in sport fishes. This will be accomplished by detecting viral infections in rainbow trout and largemouth bass using conventional (cell culture and polymerase chain reaction) and emerging (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) methods, screening gill lice infecting these fish for viral infections, quantifying viral load in fish and gill lice using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and using histopathology to assess the pathological effects of gill lice and viral infections. These will field test the theory that high intensity/prevalence of gill lice infections is correlated with high intensity/prevalence of sportfish viral infections. This project produces knowledge/understanding that improves disease biosecurity and mitigation strategies; thereby reduces the spread of sportfish viral infections. By detecting viruses using conventional and emerging methods, the project will assess sensitivity of viral detection methods and optimize viral diagnostics protocols. If gill lice represent viral vectors, this project will assess gill lice as a potential non-lethal sampling method for sportfish viruses. These results will contribute to developing more robust risk assessment models for the potential impact of viral infections on wild and cultured sportfish. The results of this project will be incorporated into fish health workshops for agency staff, presentations at regional and national meetings, and peer-reviewed manuscripts in national and international journals. This project benefits the majority of Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency states: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas. There are no subrecipient activities associated with this project.
Employing Social Media Creators and Influencers to Retain Female Anglers – An Application of the Find Your Best Self Campaign
According to previous surveys and license dashboard work, churn rates, or the percentage of anglers not renewing their licenses the next year, have averaged just under 50% for the past 10 years. In 2021, MAFWA states reported an overall angler churn rate of 44%, while the female angler churn was 53%. In the Midwest female anglers represented an estimated 37% of the overall angler population. In Southeastern states, the overall churn rate was 53%, and the female angler churn rate was 65%. In the US the reported annual churn rate was 50.4% with 46% of survey respondents being female having a churn rate of 56%. (Data courtesy of Southwick Associates data dashboard.) High churn rates, and the reported higher churn rate amongst women is alarming. Women are more likely than men to lapse after purchasing an angling license, meaning female anglers may be dropping out at rates that result in little or no net gains in female participation. Reducing churn will benefit retention and has the potential to increase conservation funding for states and organizations. This project will be a partnership between the Midwest and Southeastern Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA and SEAFWA), the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS), influencers/creators, and participating states. The purpose of this project is to utilize the research and messaging assets recently developed by RBFF (Find Your Best Self) and the networks and reach of social media creators to reach female anglers around the Midwest and Southeast Regions. The project will track female angler churn rates in participating states, design and implement social media video campaigns to encourage continued participation and measure their effect. Influencers/creators will create content throughout the year and MAFWA and SEAFWA will cooperate with participating states to organize placement of online content (videos and resources accentuating the fun, and family benefits of angling). Our goal is to create content with these influencers that has a shelf life of at least 5 years. Digital ads, emails, and additional outreach will be incorporated. Participating states will be required to provide local expertise to develop the videos, advise on outlets for placement of the videos, and will place the videos on sites they select. Placement will be targeted to regional angling opportunity areas such as the driftless area, Missouri River, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, large lake systems (i.e. Kentucky Lake), the Ohio River, etc. Videos will be family friendly depictions of the regional features available such as communities, resorts, eating establishments, and angling opportunities. Outreach will target female anglers, particularly those in the Friendly, Occasional, Social Dabbler and Zen personas identified by Southwick Associates (2020), all of which reported that an invitation from friends or family members would be a motivation to fish more. Control samples will be held and the impact of the content will be analyzed and reported. Video performance will also be measured by analytics including tracking video click-throughs and views.
Engaging Retailers as R3 Partners
In January 2023, Southwick Associates’ Angler Survey found 40% of new anglers depended on brick-and-mortar fishing tackle retailers to prepare them to fish, more than they depended on friends, family and online retailers. In addition, 10% of new anglers depended on retailers to learn how and where to fish. However, mystery shopper research by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) showed many new anglers, especially women and other non-traditional audiences, are often overlooked or poorly served by retailers, thus fostering an image they are not welcome. This poor introduction to fishing likely ends the attempt to fish for many, or erodes their enthusiasm, thus canceling much of states and others’ recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) successes. Retailers are a critical cog in the R3 process and need attention if states and non-governmental organization (NGO) R3 efforts are to reach their full potential. Retailers are also perfectly situated to assist in retaining anglers, but also not likely well engaged in such efforts. This project is a collaboration between industry, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), state agencies and the RBFF. As the association for the sportfishing industry, the ASA works closely with tackle retailers, manufacturers, outdoor media and the rest of the supply chain. We are best suited to connect with independent and chain retailers to help their staff better identify when an angler needs introductory support and to provide necessary support. In 2024, the RBFF began engaging with retailers and their wholesale suppliers to best understand their interest in recruiting and retaining new customers, plus their limitations and capacity to engage in R3. However, their outreach efforts, once determined, will likely be limited to one or two states yet to be determined and are not gathering feedback from new and potential anglers. These efforts will provide critical insights regarding how to engage tackle retailers. With ASA’s national reach, this proposed project will coordinate with the RBFF to improve and expand their effort to fishing tackle retailers everywhere. The results of this project will help retail owners understand how to better engage new anglers through their customers’ eyes. The results will then be combined with the RBFF’s 2024 experience to develop and improve educational and training materials designed to help front-line retail staff better identify first-time and newer anglers, proper questions to ask, assumptions to avoid and how to best prepare new anglers for success, plus other support materials identified in the surveys as important. ASA has retailers available to assist. The materials and toolkit(s) will incorporate findings from recent churn and motivation research funded by past AFWA/FWS Multistate Conservation Grants. We will also consider the retailer education materials developed by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA). The deliverables – most likely online toolkits and training materials complete with recruitment, retention, and ‘help offered’ materials – will be distributed to retailers nationally via our industry networks, regional retailer (or “dealer”) shows, trade webinars and our annual ICAST trade show which is the largest annual gathering of tackle retailers and suppliers. Results will be evaluated based on feedback from participating retailers via interviews to determine if the toolkit materials were effective in creating/retaining new anglers and, most importantly, if the pilot retailers are willing to continue using the materials. The RBFF will not need financial support for this effort, and volunteer retailers will work at their own expense. The beneficiaries will be states and other NGOs’ R3 programs and retailers. The outcome will be a greater number of new and retained anglers each year.
Game Processing Assets and Closing the New Hunter Knowledge Gap
Over the past few years multiple research projects centered around new hunters have uncovered the same five knowledge gaps as barriers to new/potential hunters. International Hunter Education Association’s studies on adult hunter ed graduates, Wildlife Management Incorporated’s work with new hunters seeking mentors and Wildlife Management Incorporated’s studies on new hunter personas and the journey new hunters take to hunting were just a few of the projects to uncover essentially the same list of knowledge gaps:
- Understanding regulations, seasons, and licensing.
- Learning how to field dress and process wild game.
- Learning firearm handling.
- Finding somewhere to hunt and understanding access to hunting areas.
- Understanding general hunting techniques and prey behavior.
While the individual items are not in the same order for every study or audience segment, these same knowledge gaps prevent new adult hunters from feeling confident enough to actually hunt.
This project aims to develop video lessons and PowerPoint Decks for live training for the three knowledge gaps as of yet unanswered by the R3 Community.
- Understanding regulations, seasons, and licensing.
- Learning how to field dress and process wild game.
- Finding somewhere to hunt and understanding access to hunting areas
These lessons will be made available at no cost to state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, outdoor learning centers, and other recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3)-related organizations to use and disseminate among their hunting audiences. And for new/prospective hunters to find on their own on YouTube.
We will also be creating photography assets during the production of game processing videos for sharing with the entire R3 community to assist in telling the story of food as the center of the motivation for hunting.
How “Safe” is Online Hunter Education: Using Real-World Outcomes to Assess HE Delivery
The primary objective of State Fish and Wildlife Agency (SFWA) Hunter Education/Safety (HE) programs is to promote safe, responsible, and ethical hunting practices. In current practice, the preparedness of HE students to achieve these behaviors is determined by using a minimal passing grade on the final examination, typically given at the end of a course. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many SFWAs to adopt online and hybrid models of HE in addition to the traditional in-person programs. A previous Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) study, conducted by IHEA (Baer, Dunfee, & Chase, 2021) found that virtual, hybrid, and in-person delivery methods had nearly identical results in terms of student satisfaction and student preparedness (as measured by the final exam score). Even though SFWAs use the final exam score to certify to the conservation community, other hunters, and the non-hunting public that an individual is minimally competent to participate in hunting in a safe and legal way, one reasonable critique of that research is that exam score is likely only an indicator for hunter education knowledge, rather than a metric for likelihood of experiencing an actual hunting-related injury or accident (i.e., incident). The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented situation in which HE was delivered primarily using virtual and hybrid methods, as most in-person, field tests, and live-fire events were canceled. This phenomenon offers the conservation community a unique natural experiment to determine the effectiveness of hunter education, by delivery method, this time using a direct measure of hunter incident rates, rather than student exams and satisfaction as indices of safety. This study proposes to use an Interrupted Time Series analysis with an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to determine how HE delivery method affects, or not, the safety of hunters in the field as directly measured by hunter incidents (as reported by the SFWAs). Currently, hunting incidents are collected each year by the International Hunter Education Association U.S.A. (IHEA-USA) from hunter education teams (often nested within law enforcement within SFWAs). These collected data, when compiled correctly, has the potential to serve as a national R3 resource capable of identifying trends in hunting incidents over time to aid SFWA’s and their partners in evaluating the impacts of future HE programs, products, curriculum, and course delivery policy decisions. Fortunately, the existing national Hunter Incident Database used by SFWAs and IHEA-USA has been recently redesigned and updated. This upgrade positions the database to serve as a national resource, offering new analysis tools for SFWA’s and industry researchers when examining the available data. While the customer experience and data entry options are improved, there are still gaps in the data from previous years which need to be collected from SFWA’s. This presents an opportunity as the data collection and analysis for this project will feed the new database and provide a model for data synthesis that can be used in future HE evaluation efforts.
Identifying and Overcoming Hunting’s Competition
Churn rates, or the percentage of hunters not participating each year, have held between 21% to 27% annually for the past five years, according to the grant-funded hunting license dashboard. Even the pandemic did not notably reduce churn rates, meaning we lose approximately one-quarter of our hunters each year, offsetting our successes with new recruits. High churn rates hinder states and NGO’s abilities to maintain participation and to maximize social awareness and support for hunting. Though states continually encourage people to continue hunting, we have a limited understanding of why many hunters often choose other recreations. By not understanding how and why other activities often are preferred over hunting, our ability to retain hunters is limited. The most recent insights regarding which activities often win over hunters, why they win and how to overcome these challenges is 14 years old (NSSF’s Understanding Activities That Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting (2011). Given the social and participation changes over the past decade and a half, basing retention efforts on such old data may send states’ R3 and marketing efforts off track. With assistance from Southwick Associates, we will examine participation trends using license data, then survey former and infrequent hunters to learn why they hunt(ed), what they like and disliked, which recreational activities they engage in instead of hunting, why these other activities are often preferred, plus optimal message/imagery/support tactics we can field to improve hunter retention efforts. Results will be shared widely in visually appealing summary reports with all states, hunting NGOs and industry and the R3 Clearinghouse. Work will begin with a careful review of recent WSFR-funded projects to ensure we complement existing information. The results will help boost hunter retention rates and increase participation in hunting.
Increase Public Awareness of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
In 2024, a Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) funded project showed roughly a third of the general public in the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) region knows little about their state fish and wildlife agency – or cares to know (“Public Perceptions of State Fish & Wildlife Agencies” produced by Southwick Associates for the SEAFWA under MSCG #F23AP00489). 45% of the Southeastern public does not engage in any form of outdoor recreation and of these, 40% do not feel their state agency shares the same values as them. 14% would like to see their state agencies’ budgets cut. These opinions often vary significantly across various segments of the public. Clearly, a need exists for state fish and wildlife agencies to improve their perceptions and engagement with the various segments of the public. As many of the public segments less supportive of state fish and wildlife agencies are growing in size and voice, failure to boost relevancy will diminish state agencies’ ability to carry out conservation and public use of resources managed under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts. Given the importance of boosting state agencies’ public relevancy and support, including those who do not hunt, fish or trap, efforts similar to the 2023-24 SEAFWA grant are now underway for the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) region, and also proposed for the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) and Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) regions. Likewise, a current MSCG-funded effort is testing a pilot relevancy campaign (AFWA’s “Rebranding, Repiloting, and Reevaluating the National Conservation Outreach Strategy and Relevancy Toolkit”). While states and their partner Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have some insights how to best understand and connect with hunters, anglers and trappers, no information has been located that identifies the ideal tactics and methods to best engage the other broader range of segments that comprise the general public. Whether it’s the messages and images that would best connect with various segments, or the most practical media and public communication channels to employ, or the ideal timing and methods for best collecting their feedback and perceptions, we simply do not know the best steps for engaging with states’ non-traditional audiences. Improving our knowledge in these areas will allow states to better carry out conservation of eligible wildlife and sport fish species and public use of these resources managed through support of the Wildlife Restoration Act and Sport Fish Restoration Act. This project will be led by the MAFWA in partnership with the SEAFWA as a no-cost partner. We will also engage the WAFWA and NEAFWA as advisors to help ensure the results will be useful to all states. The project will employ standard qualitative and quantitative approaches used successfully in recent multi-state grant projects that identified ways to engage more mentors and hunting/shooting participants (Wildlife Management Institute, Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, International Hunter Education Association). All results will be tested to identify those that best resonate with various segments of the public. The results will be shared in a detailed report complete with recommended visuals, messages and tactics thoroughly tested and evaluated. The regional associations are best suited to conduct research in public relevancy outreach tactics given our previous work in documenting the severity of the problem and ability to disseminate and employ the results. This project will enhance states’ abilities to understand and engage with their various publics, resulting in greater support and relevancy. States and NGOs engaged across all segments of the public are the intended beneficiaries.
Increasing Engagement and Support for State-Regulated Trapping Programs through Targeted Media Campaigns and Professional Development Workshops
This project aims to boost engagement and support for state-regulated trapping among the public and wildlife professionals through a dynamic educational video, multiple video “shorts,” and several professional development workshops. Educational Video: The primary video will replace the outdated one currently used in Trapping Matters workshops. The old video, while impactful over the past 25+ years, has lost credibility due to its poor quality and dated fashion. The new video will combine live “person on the street” interviews and focus groups with wildlife professionals and the public to explore perceptions of trapping. It will also demonstrate key messages, developed through years of research, to address public and professional concerns. This video aims to educate agency staff during workshops and other venues about regulated trapping and the effectiveness of curated messages in gaining understanding and support. Media Shorts: These shorter videos will target multiple audiences, including decision-makers, legislators, policy makers, commissions, and outdoor recreation writers, to improve their understanding of trapping. Content will focus on key messages about trapping that address public concerns, using agency staff for credibility. For example, videos will feature wildlife veterinarians discussing animal welfare, wildlife law enforcement officers explaining regulations, and researchers emphasizing the abundance of trapped species and the benefits of trapping. Agencies have expressed a need for these videos, and this project aims to fulfill that need. R3 Effort: Additional media shorts will target recruiting hunters, anglers, and underrepresented groups in trapping, such as women and active-duty military personnel, based on findings from a recent Multistate Conservation Grant. These shorts will be used by state wildlife agencies to educate their constituents and will be shared on social media platforms (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to promote regulated trapping’s role in wildlife management. Trapping Matters Workshops: The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has conducted Trapping Matters Workshops since 2003 and Wild Fur Schools since 2010, training over 7,000 wildlife professionals and students. These programs consistently receive high marks from participants, with over 98% indicating they know more about trapping and can communicate more effectively about the activity after participating. The goal is to continue these workshops to educate the next generation of wildlife professionals on trapping motivations, equipment, techniques, and research, as well as public perceptions and key messages. Professional Development: The videos and workshops will be used in various professional development settings to enhance the capacity of agency staff to communicate effectively about trapping. This will prepare them for critical conversations about trapping, helping to maintain public support and approval for regulated trapping activities and agency authority to manage wildlife with trapping.
Increasing the Number and Diversity of Hunting and Shooting Sports Mentors and Volunteers
In-person R3 programs for hunting and shooting sports are important to help many participants build skills to feel confident enough to participate in the activity on their own. Most states offer R3 programing, however a common barrier is not having enough volunteers and mentors to meet program demand. In addition to needing volunteer instructors and mentors in general, it’s essential our volunteers better reflect the diversity of the general population. Currently, program volunteers are predominately white males. It’s critical to make outdoor spaces more inviting to underserved, nontraditional audiences including women, racial and ethnic minorities, disabled, and the LGBTQ+ community. One way to do that is to ensure our volunteers are reflective of all audiences and create a sense of belonging for students. The purpose of this program is to increase not only the total number of volunteers in the Northeast, but to intentionally work to also increase the diversity of volunteer instructors and mentors so participants can see themselves reflected in the volunteers. To complete this project, The Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) R3 Committee, using research and best practices already completed, would work with a marketing firm to identify key messages and ways to reach to new volunteers and mentors. These will be developed into resources for state agencies to utilize. In addition to having proper messaging and imagery to help recruit new volunteers, it’s important to make sure the process of becoming a volunteer is simple to reduce barriers for new volunteers. NEAFWA’s R3 Committee will work with national partners including the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports, International Hunter Education Association, Aquatic Resources Education Association, and Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, to develop recommended volunteer and mentor standards, processes, and onboard resources for volunteers and mentors. Once the messages and standards have been developed and shared with NEAFWA states, a marketing campaign will be implemented in the Northeast to increase volunteer and mentor participation. The expected outcome of this campaign will be an increase in volunteers for participating NEAFWA states, an increase in mentor sign-ups on the learnhunting.org website, and an increase in the diversity of volunteers.
Increasing Volunteer Support for State Agencies Fishing R3 Programs
State agencies need volunteers and mentors to successfully field many fishing related education R3 Recruit Retail Reactivate and conservation projects. With increasing options available to the public to volunteer recruiting and retaining volunteers has become more difficult threatening states ability to staff programs such as fishing derbies and many other hands on R3 programs. To help overcome this problem states need insights and tested recommendations for finding recruiting and retaining new volunteers. To help fulfill this need the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation OSCF will work with states to connect with current and potential volunteers to learn how to engage and retain more support for states fishing R3 and education programs. With the OSCFs experience with such efforts and considering our focus on promoting stewardship and increasing participation we are ideally suited to conduct this project. The Midwestern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies MAFWA is a partner in this effort and will advise on content states needs and limitations plus dissemination of results. Working with one pilot state per AFWA region we will first conduct focus groups with current and former fisheries volunteers to gather insights into the various motivations and interests that drove them to volunteer plus the communication channels and sources that introduced them to volunteer opportunities with state agencies. We will then survey current and former volunteers in each state to quantify the top motivations and interests for volunteering. We will also survey the general public to identify those with above average interest in volunteering for state fishing R3 and education efforts to identify their motivations and interests plus the communication channels and sources that will best reach them. The results will group or segment volunteers into personas based on shared motivations and ideal recruiting messages and tactics. The results will then be tested via a pilot campaign in two states to identify best approaches for recruiting volunteers. Results and the tested recommendations will then be shared with all states for adoption via a detailed report complete with recommendations and suggested recruiting messaging plus shared via the full range of R3 committees meetings and NGO communications. All 50 states R3 programs are the intended beneficiaries with increased volunteers being the primary purpose and increased angling participation the goal. The MAFWA R3 committee is a partner in this effort. This project mirrors a similar volunteer recruitment proposal submitted by the IHEA for hunting and target shooting. The budget reflects the cost savings associated with conducting both efforts simultaneously. No other efforts focused on increasing states abilities to recruit and retain volunteers have been identified and without such state fishing R3 programs dependent on volunteers will continue to be stressed.
Increasing Volunteers for States’ Hunting & Shooting R3 and Education Efforts
Given staff limitations, state agencies rely heavily on volunteers and mentors to successfully field many education, Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3), and conservation projects. However, as more and more options become available for people willing to donate time, states are finding it increasingly more difficult to recruit and retain volunteers and mentors, threatening their ability to effectively deliver hunter education, R3 education programs, and various other labor-heavy conservation projects. To help alleviate this concern, states need information and tested approaches for finding, recruiting and retaining new volunteers and mentors. The purpose of this project is to provide states with tested insights, recommendations and approaches for increasing their pool of R3 and hunter/shooter education volunteers. Working with two states per region of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, current and former volunteers will be surveyed to identify the various motivations and interests that drove them to volunteer, along with the communication channels and sources that made them aware of volunteer opportunities with state agencies. The results will group volunteers into personas based on shared motivations and ideal recruiting messages and tactics. The results will then be tested via a pilot campaign in each state to identify effectiveness, potential and improvements. Results and recommendations will then be provided to all states for adoption via a detailed visual-based report complete with recommendations and suggested recruiting messaging and shared via the full range of R3 committees, meetings and non-governmental organization communications. All 50 states’ R3 programs are the intended beneficiaries with increased volunteers and therefore increased R3 programs and hunting/shooting participation being the primary purpose and expected outcomes. The Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies R3 committee is a partner in this effort.
Leadership Development for AFWA Members and the Conservation Community
Significant loss of senior leadership and tenured staff across state fish and wildlife agencies continues to impact and put at risk the conservation community’s future. This staggering loss of leadership capacity, coupled with the challenges facing these agencies to remain relevant, adapt to changing landscapes and constituencies, and/or secure funding – to name a few—requires continued, ongoing, and focused leadership and organizational development. Leadership development and well-managed fish and wildlife agencies are priorities identified in the Association’s strategic plan. The purpose of this project is to support the effective implementation of projects funded under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts by developing leadership skills in state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies, federal agencies, and partner organizations, including non-profits and excise-tax paying industry partners. Compared to isolated attempts to foster leadership skills in individual agencies and partner organizations, this grant offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to professional development that capitalizes on consistent, skilled training and peer-to-peer networking within a shared experience of working to conserve wildlife and sport fish across the country.
Modernizing and Enhancing Tools for Regionally Coordinated Fish and Wildlife Conservation
The Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee of the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is charged by the Directors and Administrators of the 14 Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency jurisdictions in the United States with developing and maintaining a list of Northeast Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) that identifies shared species of conservation concern at the regional level. That process and the Regional Northeast Database (here after referred to as the Database) that contains all the RSGCN data has evolved to include baseline information on nearly 18,000 species of fish, wildlife, and plants extant in the Northeast. The Database of scientific information on those 18,000 species also includes their habitats, threats, management needs, and research and monitoring needs. The data are currently stored in a Microsoft Access database that has reached its capacity and functionality. The purpose of this project will be to upgrade the Database, including 250 eligible Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need species with current enhanced data and baseline information on 426 birds, 183 mammals, and 1025 fish species known to be present in the Northeast into an enhanced platform to increase efficiency and utility. Specifically, we will modernize the current database platform and data structure by building a new database with the future capability to connect it to the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee website with accessible web portals for state agency staff. The upgraded database will facilitate cross-jurisdictional conservation for all Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency members, and all associated conservation partners and the public. This project will create an enhanced database that has increased capacity for collaboration across the Northeast, which will facilitate planned 5-year update cycles allowing better landscape integration of Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and all other priority taxa in the Northeast, including Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson eligible species, and by providing priorities for the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs Grant Program, other landscape level conservation planning, and supporting overall fish and wildlife management and conservation across the Northeast region.
National Fish Habitat Assessment
The National Fish Habitat Partnership is a unique aquatic habitat conservation delivery program that has been using a cooperative, non-regulatory, and science-guided approach since 2006 to change the condition of fisheries through 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships across the entire country. This approach was codified by Congress in the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act 2020. To provide the foundational science underlying this effort and to assist in conservation planning, the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board has generated two national fish habitat assessments in 2010 and 2015. Both assessments including methods, results and data are on the National Fish Habitat Partnership’s website (fishhabitat.org) and are available to the public. One of the key elements of the 2020 Act is an unfunded requirement to continue assessing the nation’s fish habitat and to fill gaps in the previous assessments by the end of 2025. To meet this need, we will use an analytical approach similar to past assessments that examines influences of landscape stressors such as aquatic connectivity and urban development on fish communities. This assessment will inform users of the level of degradation to aquatic habitats along with those key stressors impacting habitat condition and associated degradation scores across the nation. This project will update the currently out-of-date assessment and complete part of the 2020 Congressional requirement by: 1) updating data layers used in the past assessments to their most recent versions; 2) addressing known gaps in hydrology, forest harvest, and grazing intensity with a focus on hydrology; and 3) generating new assessment product components with a similar spatial scale and look to the 2015 assessment using the same analytical approach cited in that product. This product is targeted at individuals and entities that are interested about the state of fish habitat in the United States and includes Congress and their staffs, aquatic habitat conservation leaders and staff at state and federal agency levels, National Fish Habitat Partnership Board members and Fish Habitat Partnerships along with their partners which number over 1500 at this time, non-governmental organizations involved in aquatic habitat conservation, and the interested public.
Organizational Structure for R3: Implementing Change to Improve Efficiencies
The 2023 report, “Organizational Decision Making for R3: A Process for Leadership” (MSCG F23AP00513), provides decision makers and R3 coordinators with a clear decision framework and organizational guidance to establish goals and objectives, resources allocated, evaluation, and adaptation for their R3 efforts by applying the processes of structured decision-making, adaptive management, results chains (logic models), and the Outdoor Recreation Adoption Model. This proposed project will apply those recommendations to facilitation in pilot states to help them evaluate, refine, and improve the recommended structural decision-making process, logic models, and R3 strategies. Several states in the Midwest region (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, and ND) have recently expressed interest in facilitated workshops to apply the recommendations from the 2023 report to their R3 efforts. Funds from this project will be used to facilitate sessions with these states to review and evaluate R3 structure, resources, goals, strategies, objectives, tactics, implementation, and adaptation process. Facilitators would be provided; the sessions would be planned, and notes recorded, and reports written by the principal investigator and project team with this grant. Participating states will receive a state specific report outlining the findings, recommendations, conclusions, and a summary of all pilot state work in the region. Participating pilot states would not be required to make any changes to R3 efforts (though they may choose to). The deliverables of this project will be available for all states and organizations to apply to their organizations. Benefiting states will be empowered to evaluate, refine, and improve the recommended structural decision-making process, logic models, and R3 strategies by applying the recommendations and products identified in the original report (Organizational Decision Making for R3: A Process for Leadership) and from the experiences of pilot states. All states will be able to apply these results and actions independently and/or bring in additional facilitation expertise to implement the organizational review. If this project is not funded, an opportunity to implement and improve trial recommendations from the previous study will be missed. Deliverables will include state specific reports and recommendations, a final report documenting all facilitation activities and process improvements for their R3 efforts, and refinements and improvements to the organizational structure procedure originally recommended. All deliverables will be made available to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, all regional R3 Committees, state and organization R3 coordinators, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Subsequent actions will include application of the refined process in participating, interested states and organizations around the nation to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and evaluation of R3 efforts.
Ranking and Visualizing Eastern Brook Trout Climate Refugia to Guide Their Range-wide Management
Brook trout is a popular sportfish and an indicator of coldwater habitats in the eastern USA, but their populations have declined in the native range and climate change poses an additional threat for their persistence. Conservation and restoration action is underway throughout the eastern USA, which necessitates resource inventory and management decisions about where to prioritize and invest effort at multiple jurisdictional levels. Based on our recently completed project in the southeastern USA, we propose a Multistate Conservation Grant project to develop databases of brook trout count surveys and stream temperature measurements, model and rank Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds for trout habitat suitability in a warming climate (hierarchically HUC 8, 10, 12 watersheds), and visualize this spatial information and make it available for trout managers in the 16 states encompassing the native range in the eastern USA (from Georgia to Maine). The spatial products rank brook trout habitats at multiple scales, so that the product can be used by various stakeholders such as multistate consortiums needing to identify priority regions for conservation (e.g., Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture), state wildlife agencies managing watersheds, and local river organizations interested in identifying locations for habitat restoration and connectivity projects. By aggregating information and making it available and updateable, this multistate project will result in more coordinated effort to conserve this iconic native salmonid range-wide and consequently use limited resources efficiently. A subrecipient of this grant is The University of Texas at Austin, who will support statistical model development.
Recruiting Non-Resident Hunters to Your State – Responsibly
Given that most Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) market research of the past decade has primarily focused on resident hunters, many state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) know relatively little about non-resident hunters’ motivations or expectations when considering (and ultimately choosing) an out-of-state hunting opportunity. In 2024, with assistance from Chase & Chase Consulting and Southwick Associates, the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) conducted a multi-state conservation grant project that quantified both the motivations driving hunters to visit other states as well as the reasons they select specific locations. Findings of this research demonstrated that non-resident hunters are motivated by values and desires strong enough to overcome some of the typical, well-documented barriers that affect most hunters, and non-resident hunters are willing to spend far more effort in their pursuits than the average resident hunter. Perhaps most importantly for hunter R3, non-resident hunters are attracted to species and landscapes uncommon to their home states but may be commonplace and potentially underutilized by the resident hunters of the destination state. Though this recently completed research provides an in-depth understanding of the motivations that encourage people to hunt in other states, it does not provide R3 practitioners with strategies or tactics capable of capitalizing on non-resident hunters’ attraction to places and huntable species that are novel to them. From a hunter R3 strategy perspective, non-resident hunters pose a unique challenge to R3 practitioners given their particularly high expectations and myriad hunting opportunity options. If SFWAs better understood how, when, and where to best engage and connect with non-resident hunters, they could be more effective at attracting them to their state and its underutilized hunting opportunities. If SFWAs can strategically attract non-residents to species and environments that are in less demand by resident hunters, they could increase their hunting numbers without exacerbating real and perceived crowding issues or increasing competition for limited-availability tags and privileges. For the hunter, increasing awareness of new and novel hunting opportunities available to them may maintain their enthusiasm and engagement in hunting, likely serving as a retention tool to increase overall hunting participation nationally in both hunters’ home and visited states. Using license data augmented by general population samples to support a mixed method research design, this project will 1) identify and recommend the optimal mix of messaging, imagery, timing, and placement of marketing that SFWAs can use to attract segments of non-residents, and 2) will test the recommended materials and approaches via pilot campaigns to identify the mix of campaign elements that will maximize SFWA effectiveness in recruiting the targeted non-resident hunters. The pilot campaigns will be evaluated by measuring which marketing treatment generates the greatest engagement. The results will be packaged in an easily accessible report that highlights the tested materials and makes clear recommendations for how SFWAs should employ the materials through their own custom marketing efforts. The intended outcome will be an increase in non-residents hunting states across the country and greater utilization of hunting opportunities that are undervalued by resident hunters. State wildlife agencies and their hunter R3-vested partners are the intended beneficiaries of this effort.
Regional assessment of canine distemper virus in wild carnivores
Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a globally distributed, highly infectious morbillivirus affecting numerous mammalian species. In the United States, many domestic and wild carnivores are susceptible to CDV, including important furbearer species such as the raccoon (Procyon lotor), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and coyote (Canis latrans). Neurologic disease caused by CDV is indistinguishable from that caused by rabies virus (RABV). Many wild animals with neurological symptoms are submitted to public health laboratories for rabies virus (RABV) testing, often without additional testing for canine distemper virus (CDV) or other pathogens. This may confound CDV surveillance efforts and lead to an underreporting of CDV prevalence in wild populations. This 1-year research project aims to promote cooperation and information exchange between state wildlife agencies and public health departments to investigate the presence, distribution, and prevalence of CDV in neurological wild carnivores previously submitted to public health laboratories for RABV testing. Additionally, this project will update the current knowledge regarding the diversity of CDV strains circulating among wild carnivores. To accomplish this, brain tissues and associated metadata will be collected from RABV-negative wild carnivores previously submitted to public health laboratories. Molecular testing for CDV will be conducted at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study using real-time RT-PCR, and positive samples will be further analyzed to identify CDV strains. Deliverables include a standardized sample collection protocol, an online repository for sample data and diagnostic results, and the results of CDV testing on ~1500 wild carnivore brain tissues with corresponding phylogenetic analyses of viral strains. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed manuscript, shared in technical reports, and presented at scientific conferences. This grant will benefit wild carnivores across 49 states, especially in the 42 states where carnivore-variant RABV strains hinder CDV surveillance. Finally, this study will provide crucial data on CDV prevalence and strain diversity and promote collaboration between state wildlife agencies and public health departments, fostering partnerships.
Regional assessment of pathogen and toxin impacts on furbearer populations
Diseases and toxins pose unique challenges to the management and conservation of wildlife species and can contribute to and exacerbate declines in wildlife populations that already experience other stressors, such as habitat loss and fragmentation. Apparent gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) population declines in recent decades, notably in the eastern and midwestern United States, have raised concerns among furbearer biologists, managers, and trappers regarding the cause and extent of these declines. There is a paucity of understanding of the potential significance of pathogens and toxins on these declining gray fox populations. Recent research in another ecologically, culturally, and economically important furbearer species in the Northeast, the fisher (Pekania pennanti), revealed that in some regions, anticoagulant rodenticides were detected in 75-100% of trapper-harvested fisher, emphasizing a widespread risk to furbearer species that may decrease species resilience. Anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity can cause mortality, suppressed immune function and reproductive capacity, and reduced body condition. Similar high prevalence of lead (Pb) detections has been observed in New York trapped fishers. The significance of these and other toxins to the population health of northeastern fisher and gray fox populations, including potential morbidity and mortality, may be most influential in decreased individual fitness (e.g., comorbidity status). There is a suite of potential pathogens that may be better able to infect and cause disease in furbearers if they are compromised by immunosuppressive toxins and pathogens. We will complete a comprehensive health assessment, including testing for pathogens and toxins and completing postmortem examinations, of gray fox and fisher collected through a variety of methods across the northeastern United States. We will identify the prevalence and distribution of these pathogens and toxins that can then be used in risk assessments for other species. Additionally, this project will evaluate the significance of immunosuppressive toxins and pathogens by determining if exposure contributes to decreased individual fitness (e.g., comorbidity status), and we will identify geographic patterns of toxin exposure and pathogen prevalence. This project will be completed through the efforts of individuals at the Northeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell University, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System New Bolton Center, and the Wildlife Management Institute, as well as northeastern state wildlife agency biologists and veterinarians. This project will result in data that wildlife agencies can directly use in conservation and management plans for these two species and furbearers in general, as well as highlighting future research needs. We will disseminate results to a diversity of stakeholders with shared interests in maintaining strong furbearer populations, and improved public outreach, a more holistic approach to conservation and management plans, and other benefits are expected. Ultimately, the proposed research will provide a baseline of understanding around these complex systems that is capable of informing management decisions, stimulating and facilitating subsequent research, and furthering collaborations among numerous partners.
Shooting Range Development, Marketing & Operations Toolkit
With passage of the Target Practice Marksmanship Training and Support Act (Tarmarc) of 2019, states can now apply a larger percent of their annual Wildlife Restoration (WR) funds to range development, improvement, expansion, operations and marketing. Several multi-state grant-funded resources have become available since then to help states and shooting range NGOs understand where new ranges are needed most, the types of shooting activities consumers prefer, case studies to assist in range design and operations, how to attract more non-traditional participants, available funding and partnering sources, and more. The NSSF and other NGOs also have additional range development resources available to states. However, these grant, and privately funded range-support resources are scattered, and conversations with states indicate many are not aware of them. The result is limited application in states’ efforts to increase shooting range development efforts, lower target shooting participation and lower returns on PR investments in range design, development, operational and marketing activities. To help more states benefit from grant-funded and industry shooting research and development tools, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) will combine these resources into easy-to-use toolkits with a focus on brevity and accessibility, and then most importantly, share them with public and private ranges directly (the beneficiaries), via regular NSSF and shooting NGOs’ communications, and through a detailed series of recorded webinars and in-person presentations, both regionally and nationally. The results will help improve states and NGOs’ ability to build new ranges, improve current ranges, maximize participation and achieve greater results from future WR-based range investments.
Social and Economic Impacts of Organized Youth Shooting Sports
The 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the number of youth ages 6 to 17 that participated in firearms target shooting was just under six million. Recent reports suggest substantial increases in shooting sports participation across all ages, and numerous organized youth shooting sports programs have also reported enrollment surges. However, to date no concerted effort has been made to estimate the total youth participation in organized shooting sports nor the corresponding economic impact. Further, outside of this potentially large economic impact, anecdotal reports also suggest that youth shooting sports are affecting the individual participants, including increasing confidence, discipline, academic performance, leadership skills, and motivation. While these impacts to the individual are often reported at conferences and used in program recruiting materials, no serious investigation across programs has been undertaken to see if these claims have merit. Quantifying and sharing these impacts could potentially help youth shooting programs secure greater support for increased capacity and longevity. This project will reach youth (through their parents) and program administrators using surveys and interviews to:
- Investigate the personal, psychological, and social impacts of participating in organized shooting sports on youth.
- Estimate participation in and economic impact of organized youth shooting sports.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and supports approximately 2,800 school, club, and private youth shooting programs nationally, and more than 80 state and national youth shooting organizations, the MidwayUSA Foundation (Foundation) is teaming with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) to produce and share results with potential sponsors, local communities, legislatures, industry, media, and the general public. The goal is to increase support and capacity for youth shooting programs, especially those reaching kids from non-target shooting families.
Streaming Audio/Podcast Campaign for SE States to Accomplish R3
The purpose of this project is to put tested messages on the ground to achieve recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) through podcast and streaming audio ads in 4 pilot states in the Southeastern US. Working with representatives from each state and the National Deer Association, we will develop audio ads for placement in each state. We will use the research funded in by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program #F22AP01126 that developed new Hunter Personas and develop ad creative around each of the personas and target the messages developed to Family Firsts, Self Sufficients, Locavores, and Recreationalists. Then measure success at increasing participation by using their license purchase behavior to determine success using pixel tracking technology. The persona research found here in the R3 Clearinghouse recommends placing ads in streaming or podcasts as these targeted groups engage with that medium very often. On top of that research, in 2023 podcast listeners increased to 164 million in the US and listenership has increased 60% since 2020. Of all podcast listeners, almost half (47%) are aged 12-34 years. 33% are 35 to 54-year-olds. And the remaining 20% are aged 55+ years. The majority of podcast listeners are male (53%). These stats lend to podcasting and streaming ads being a good marketing investment to accomplish R3. Our expected outcomes will be that new people are motivated with these ads to try hunting and that people that used to hunt are motivated to pick the hobby back up again. Using the psychographic network, a database of listeners that tracks digital interactions of users and allows you to target personas, we are able to target the personas identified and then using pixel tracking we can see what people who heard these messages also purchased a license indicating that they are participating in hunting. This will also measure how effective the ads were and which ad was most effective. The deliverables from this project will be scripts for ads as well as recordings of ads that any state or region can use as well as a report with a case study from each state with all the findings from placing these ads in 4 pilot states including which ads recruited or reactivated the most hunters. The beneficiaries of this project will be the people that discover or rediscover hunting. The 4 pilot states will benefit the most, but all states in the southeast (or anywhere) will benefit from this marketing campaign because the ads created will be available for any state to use at no cost and the lessons learned and campaign engagement and effectiveness will be shared with staff from each state. The pilot states will also benefit from the increased participation. This project will leverage research from #F22AP01126 that this grant program granted hundreds of thousands of dollars developing. The case studies from each state stand to benefit any state that learns from them and then may decide to utilize this R3 tactic. There will be one contractor in this grant that is the marketing firm that will be placing the ads.
Supporting Inclusion of Disabled Wildlife Viewers in State Agency Programs by Conducting and Sharing Findings from Case Studies
With the support of a previous Multistate Conservation Grant, we found that 39% of wildlife viewers (people who participate in observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife, or maintain plantings for the benefit of wildlife) reported experiencing accessibility challenges defined as “the difficulties someone experiences in interacting with or while using the physical or social environment while trying to engage in a meaningful activity (such as wildlife viewing). This may be a result of a mobility challenge, blindness or low vision, intellectual or developmental disabilities (including Autism), mental illness, being Deaf or Hard of Hearing, or other health concerns.” Despite this large number, little is known about how to serve this community, which include many disabled hunters and anglers, or disabled viewers with no previous connection with state agencies. Understanding more about developing inclusive programs and accessible locations is vital to broaden agency relevancy. With our current Multistate Conservation Grant (F24AP00315), we conducted a literature review about including disabled wildlife viewers in programming and ensuring locations are physically accessible. We then led focus groups of disabled wildlife viewers to inform recommendations on how agencies can increase inclusion. These findings will help agencies understand disabled wildlife viewers’ preferences for accessibility improvements, what factors of wildlife viewing programs feel inclusive, and how state agencies can best support them. Still, it is just a first step. State agencies have asked us for additional support to understand how to develop accessible programming, sites, and communications for disabled wildlife recreationists. They have told us they could benefit from real-world examples of accessible design and inclusive programming. We will conduct a case study approach through site visits, observations, and interviews.
The Nexus of R3 and Deer Hunting
The 2022 National Survey reports 56% of U.S. hunting days target big game, most of which are for deer (all subspecies). Deer hunting opportunities have increased over the years as states have supported new harvest methods (muzzleloader, bow, crossbow, etc.) and as deer populations have grown. However, whether out of necessity or resulting from public demand, deer management decisions involving opportunity, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and antler restrictions more often impact deer hunting participation. Limited coordination between states’ deer managers and R3 professionals can lead to actions that hinder deer hunter recruitment and retention efforts, therefore limiting states’ impact on participation with R3 programs as indicated by license sales. In addition, both groups frequently make decisions based on limited data on deer hunter numbers, use of specific weapons (bow, traditional rifle, modern sporting rifle, crossbow, etc.), trends, and expected reactions to new opportunities and requirements. Plus, limited research is available on how factors such as CWD, license changes, likelihood of success and regulatory matters impact individual’s decisions to hunt deer, thus hindering R3 actions. Without deer and R3 managers working together to collect necessary information and coordinating efforts, R3 successes may continue to be unintentionally suppressed. By helping states understand the nexus between deer management, deer hunting opportunities, participation, and hunter R3 efforts, this project will help states’ R3 programs become more effective. Also, improved coordination and better hunter data will help states increase hunter satisfaction and better meet target harvest objectives. Led by a coalition of major hunting and R3 organizations – National Deer Association (NDA), Archery Trade Association (ATA), Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), and The Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports (CAHSS) – this project will identify trends in deer hunting participation, the importance of offering multiple deer opportunities (crossbow, youth seasons, etc.) in maintaining participation, the deer hunting knowledge gaps such as license holder trends and preferred weapons, expectations from deer hunting, how deer hunting interacts with hunting for other species, and how these factors may help or hinder hunting R3 efforts. This project will begin by gaining input from deer managers and state R3 leaders, thus providing a first step in better coordinating states’ R3 and biological efforts. Regional deer management and R3 committees will be engaged to identify knowledge gaps such as the number of deer hunting licenses sold (used as an indicator of participation) compared to actual participation, weapon preference trends, and how regulatory and disease factors may have impacted participation. The second phase will collect information from states to fill these gaps as best as possible. Using multivariate techniques, 20 years of license sales will be analyzed to better understand the effects of regulatory, disease and other changes on deer hunting participation. We will also survey U.S. deer hunters to understand how regulatory changes to deer hunting opportunities has impacted motivations and effort. The final phase will share results and recommendations across all levels of state agencies to increase understanding of how states’ biological and R3 functions can better work together to sustain and grow deer hunting. The deliverable will be a summary report, shared online and via presentations at national and regional R3 and deer management meetings, plus an NDA webinar for viewing on demand. The NDA will then lead efforts to continue discussions regarding how both parts of state agencies, with NGO support, can continue cooperative discussions and data collection efforts. The beneficiaries will be states’ R3 and deer management programs, and the benefits will be greater participation as indicated by license sales, plus greater deer hunting satisfaction.
The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of Northeast State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Effective fish and wildlife management requires meaningful interaction with all segments of society, not just the people who buy hunting and fishing licenses. States’ mission statements often reflect their broad responsibilities on behalf of all residents; however, significant segments of the public may not be aware of their state fish and wildlife agency at all, much less its responsibilities, services, and benefits provided. These issues were documented in recent public perceptions/relevancy research in the Southeastern US and are likely especially pronounced in the urbanized Northeastern US. According to the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, only 3% of the New England population hunts, as compared to 11% of the Middle Atlantic states. Also, some of the highest percentage of people distanced from wildlife reside in northeastern states (Manfredo et al., 2018). Give this information, there is the potential for states to have conflict with the public who may not agree with or understand states’ priorities and actions. For agencies to be publicly relevant in the face of a declining user base, an urbanizing population, and a need to better engage with under-served communities, there must be a deeper understanding of the majority who do not buy hunting or fishing licenses. Similarly, state agencies have a limited understanding of how they are perceived by the public, especially by non-traditional stakeholders. Together, these issues hinder states’ abilities to effectively deliver programs relevant to the diverse range of constituencies they are charged to serve. This project will help state fish and wildlife agencies understand the public’s awareness of their core functions and perceived effectiveness, the priorities and responsibilities expected of state agencies, preferred funding structures, and more. The results will help state agencies engage and serve their many diverse publics and improve public acceptance and support to carry out conservation and public use of resources managed under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts. Eleven of the NEAFWA states will be engaged to identify their public programs and responsibilities, along with their current management challenges. For each state, two online surveys will be developed to capture the opinions and perceptions of:
- residents not engaged in traditional state managed activities (fishing, hunting, and trapping), and
- residents who identify as traditional stakeholders, for comparative purposes.
We will obtain up to 1,000 responses from non-traditional stakeholders to gather insights for unique geographic, demographic, and socio/ cultural audiences, and up to another 1,000 responses from traditional audiences. The methods will replicate and build upon the currently funded MSCG projects, “The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies”, completed in the SEAFWA states and currently underway in the MAFWA states. Being the representative organization for Northeastern states fish and wildlife agencies, NEAFWA understands states’ needs, has been focused on relevancy topics on behalf of states but has yet to connect with the general public about their perceptions and preferences. No other funding sources are available or known to address this issue at the regional level, hence the need for multi-state conservation grant funding.
Understanding Crossbow Hunters Participation, Characteristics, and the Factors that Contribute to Their Retention in Hunting
Crossbow hunting has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years. Yet while ample research exists looking at the overall market of bowhunters in the United States, relatively little focuses specifically on crossbow users. In order to implement successful Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) strategies, the unique market of crossbow hunters must be understood. Crossbow hunting is particularly important to understand given that crossbows are often favored by older hunters—it is possible that the aging population of the United States may be helping to drive interest in and use of crossbows (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, 1 in 6 people in the United States were 65 years old or older). While a number of states restrict crossbow use to hunters over a certain age, many other states permit general use of crossbows by all hunters. It is therefore possible that crossbows may be favored by some novice or first-time hunters, making them especially important from a recruitment perspective. In order to better understand these topics and plan purposeful R3 efforts specific to crossbow hunters, new research is needed to understand how crossbow users compare with other bowhunters. Such comparisons require data collection from both crossbow users and bowhunters who use non-crossbow equipment such as compound bows, recurve bows, and longbows. The proposed project entails scientific survey data collection with bowhunters—including sufficient samples of crossbow users as well as non-crossbow bowhunters—in three states from each of the four major Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) regions. Results and implications of the research will benefit all 49 states that allow some type of crossbow hunting (Oregon is the only state that currently does not allow hunting with a crossbow). In addition to determining the current rate of crossbow use among bowhunters, the survey will look at the characteristics of crossbow hunters, their expenditures, preferences, motivations, and the factors that contribute to their retention in hunting. The research will be used to develop a webinar by Archery Trade Association (ATA) and Responsive Management that explains the significance of the crossbow market and the most important characteristics of this group. The resulting information will benefit state agencies by allowing them to develop crossbow-specific R3 strategies. Refined R3 strategies specific to crossbow users will help drive hunting license sales and improve the agency customer connection to crossbow hunters and general bowhunters. The ATA and Responsive Management have a strong foundation on which to build the new research: in 1999, ATA and Responsive Management collaborated on one of the first nationwide bowhunting participation studies; in 2017, the two partners designed and implemented a major market study to determine bowhunters’ avidity, the species they hunt, their opinions on bowhunting compared to other outdoor activities, and their use and purchasing of bows and archery equipment (Responsive Management has partnered with ATA on other archery and bowhunting participation studies over the years as well). These studies have been invaluable resources to the R3 community, helping to inform R3 strategies specific to the bowhunter market. There is now a need for a similar study specific to crossbow users.
Understanding Hunters’ Knowledge of, and Interest in R3 Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation
Many organizations within the outdoor industry, from state wildlife agencies and conservation groups, to manufacturers, media and sportsmen’s clubs, have invested substantial time, money and effort into recruiting new, retaining current, and reactivating lapsed hunters over the past 15 years. This practice has been named; “R3”, which stands for; Recruit, Retain, Reactivate. “R3” has a goal of increasing participating in hunting and it has been accepted as a key initiative among the aforementioned groups. While the goal of increasing overall participation is common among these groups, no research has been done among America’s 15 million active hunters to understand their knowledge level and interest in this important initiative. We do not know what percentage of current hunters are for, or against, having more participants, nor do we know how to best communicate with current participants no matter their opinion on the topic. To confirm if there was a need for comprehensive research on this topic, the project team conducted an awareness poll / exploratory survey in May 2024 and received 240 completed responses from American’s that have hunted within the past 12 months. Among the results from this exploratory survey were that only ~29 percent of respondents (current hunters) had a clear understanding of what “R3” (Recruit, Retain and Reactivate) is, and 10 percent of respondents were opposed to organizations focusing on recruiting more hunters. Full results from the awareness poll are available at the end of the proposal application. The awareness poll results proved to the project team that further, in-depth research is needed on this topic. This proposal aims to identify, for the first time, items such as; what current hunters know about “R3”, what their opinions are on increasing hunting participation, and what are the best communication tactics to implement no matter their opinion on increasing hunter numbers. The project team has more than thirty years collective experience with this topic and has well-rounded representation from state agencies, NGOs and industry.
We All Quit, But It Doesn’t Have to Be Today
According to the Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) funded dashboard project, hunting licenses have declined to pre-pandemic levels. These declines are national, but particularly apparent in the Midwest, where 2021 vs 2022 sales declined 2.5% for 11 reporting states. Another recent MSCG examining the age-period-cohort effect on license sales2 showed that cohort (generational) effects were the strongest drivers in participation. An entire cohort of hunters (baby boomers) are getting older, and they are dropping out with declines becoming more precipitous as they age. Simply, we can’t stop the aging process, but there are regulatory tools we can use to slow the decline in participation. While younger hunters have been a primary focus for recruitment efforts, too little attention has been paid to keeping older licensed customers engaged and participating. Once a person quits, it is difficult to bring them back, regardless of the activity. Retention, whether in the consumer market or R3 community, is much easier and less costly than creating new customers. Historic opposition from both stakeholders and agency staff to some regulatory tools (e.g., crossbows for deer, game attractants, longer seasons) has presented hurdles; while changes in one’s social and lifestyle preferences after middle-age may make it easier for competing activities to capture our hunters’ time and attention. For example, in the Midwest, there are ample hunting opportunities for both big and small game, as licenses are easily available, and bag limits (particularly for deer) often exceed the number of animals a person is willing to take in a year. Consequently, while opportunities are readily available, individuals are still dropping out. Given the overall decline in hunter numbers, particularly among older hunters, there is a need to better understand the limitations, motivations, and preferences of older hunters. This information is critical, and the knowledge gained can become part of states’ retention efforts, to extend customers’ years of participation. The purpose of this project is to retain licensed hunters for a longer period of time. State agencies’ are the intended beneficiaries. Work will be accomplished by first working with state biologists and R3 managers to identify hunting statutes and rules that present barriers or opportunities for older hunters and related issues. We will then conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of hunters at least 50 years old to determine potential solutions management strategy to facilitate their continued participation. Once complete, we will disseminate recommendations and research findings to the R3 community in reader-friendly formats. The outcome will be greater numbers of people hunting annually. There are no sub-recipients in this project.
Where is Demand for Sportfishing Access the Greatest?
In a continuous cycle, people take up fishing while others quit. Simultaneously, people move from place to place, transforming communities in the process. As these changes occur, demand for sportfishing access also shifts across communities. Considering past research shows people frequently quit their preferred recreational activity if access exceeds 30 minutes, these shifts might cause fishing to become less popular as areas become more denser, thus decreasing fishing participation. Providing convenient access and promoting available sites is needed to retain current anglers and make fishing more attractive to potential new anglers. Likewise, investing in R3 efforts that target people living outside convenient range of public fishing opportunities will generate poor results. The first part of this project will pilot the use of mapping techniques to show where anglers are clustered, available public fishing sites, and communities with high levels of fishing interest but low rates of license purchases. If successful, states will have a proven tool available to visually show where new public access points are needed and where marketing efforts would be most effective to promote nearby access points that current and potential anglers may not be aware of. The second part will identify the types of neighborhoods most interested in fishing. As seen in initial but long outdated angler lifestyle research, interest in angling varies across types of neighborhoods based on their lifestyle characteristics. This project will update and identify which of the 67 lifestyles or types of neighborhoods have the most significant growth potential in fishing participation. States can then use the result to better understand where to focus fishing R3 and access development efforts down to specific city blocks. Being precise is important as many neighborhoods, urban or rural, show little interest in fishing, while others may be emerging as new participation hotspots. Representing the tackle industry, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has led numerous projects to help states and industry improve R3 efforts. For the first part of this project, one state per AFWA region will be selected. Each state will provide 10 years of license data that will be transformed to show the 10-year buying history of individual anglers. Then, using street addresses, each angler’s residence will be plotted on statewide high-resolution Geographic Information System (GIS) maps with results showing how anglers cluster and which communities are seeing increases or decreases in participation. We will also work with the Department of Interior and participating states to acquire GIS maps listing publicly accessible water bodies. Finally, we will use Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) Business Analyst data to identify neighborhoods with high and/or increasing levels of sportfishing interest using techniques pioneered in previous ASA grant-funded research. The results should identify areas where new access points will have higher probabilities of increasing participation. If successful, all states will then have a new tool to apply. Even if not successful, the lifestyle profiles will benefit all 50 states by identifying specific types of neighborhoods with the greatest potential interest in fishing. The results will help states find potential new anglers, prioritize new access points, locate urban fishing programs, and initiate marketing campaigns to help anglers in communities with limited access find the nearest places to fish. The outcome will be increased fishing participation.
WMI for ACI: Continued R3 Through Marketing with Pilot States
R3 through marketing is the project’s purpose. Using 5 trial state Fish and Wildlife agencies, we will implement marketing efforts via a $50,000 grant each to accomplish recruitment, retention, and reactivation of hunters and/or target shooters as this project has successfully done since 2020. The Association for Conservation Information (ACI) along with Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) will open applications for states to apply for grant funds for a marketing campaign that they would like to do. We will select the 5 best proposals as scored by ACI/WMI committee and implement them. The 5 trial states will complete their marketing campaigns within the 2025 calendar year and develop a case study. Expected outcomes include:
- Increased participation as indicated by engagement with marketing assets and number of licenses sold linked to campaign.
- Case studies for other states to learn from.
- Help states learn marketing strategies and try new things.
This project will further develop states’ ability to innovate and continually improve R3 marketing techniques. Over the 2020-2024 awarded R3 marketing grants we have an established working committee and 20 states have been able to put $1 million toward marketing tactics that have accomplished R3. The case studies outline the successes and challenges of each $50,000 project and detail the increase in participation where possible. Over the past several years we have proven this program through helping states invest in marketing and assisting them in implementing effective, trackable campaigns that are tied directly to increasing participation. This year we expect the same. The grant funds will increase participation in hunting and target shooting in a measurable way as has been done in every year this has been funded. This program continues to be one that teaches through case studies and increases participation in a proven way also increasing the effectiveness of our conservation funding system. Deliverables include 5 marketing campaigns that will increase participation in 5 trial states; R3 stats for number of people impacted by these campaigns; and 5 case studies from the 5 trial states. There is still a great need to increase marketing efforts and try new experimental efforts and share the successes and challenges of doing those efforts using marketing to accomplish R3. Intended beneficiaries include 5 trial states; however, every state can learn from these projects that can be replicated in any state if they are successful or learn from the challenges that are faced. People that will be recruited, retained, or reactivated! Subrecipients will be associated with the project. Depending on the trial state projects chosen, subrecipients could include state agencies, a state agency foundation, marketing firm, or other related firm.