Welcome to the technical sessions schedule for the 2015 SEAFWA Annual Meeting.
NEW THIS YEAR! The technical schedule is capable of being sorted by date (i.e, Monday, Nov. 2), track (i.e. Wildlife Technical Sessions), or session (i.e. Wildlife Session #1). You can also search for a presentation title (i.e. Changing Landscapes by Coalition), key term (i.e. striped bass), or presenter last name (i.e. Weaver). The sort and search functions can be found on the navigation panel on the right side of this page. If you hover over the "Schedule" button, you’ll also see different schedule view options (i.e. Grid or Simple). Try selecting each of them to see which view you prefer.
MY SCHEDULE FEATURE: It is not required of you to create a Sched.org account to use this site but if you do so, you’ll be able to use the "My Schedule" feature which allows you to create your own schedule for the conference. Click the "Sign Up" button in the top right corner of this page to create a Sched.org account.
SCHEDULE UPDATES: The session abstracts and timeslots are subject to change. This site will be updated as changes come in; please check back for updates.
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Kyle Rodgers, Adam S. Willcox –University of Tennessee
The introduction of the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) tool through an amendment of the Endangered Species Act in 1982 enabled the US Fish and Wildlife Service to authorize incidental take of endangered species that occurs from otherwise legal activities. The HCP must describe the anticipated impacts and how these will be mitigated. In return, applicants receive “no surprises” assurance that limits future uncertainty and cost. HCPs are intended to be a regulatory mechanism that facilitates stakeholder partnerships and resolves conflict between economic development and listed species. Despite this emphasis on stakeholder involvement, limited attention has been given to critical social science aspects of HCP development. In June-July 2015, we will conduct 15 semi-structured key informant interviews to examine the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions toward endangered species and habitat conservation planning held by the US Fish and Wildlife Service employees, state fish and wildlife agency staff, and other HCP participants in the southeastern US. Interviews will consist of open-ended questions that address interviewee’s involvement with HCPs, perceptions of the effectiveness of HCPs, and understanding of public attitudes towards conservation, endangered species, and HCPs. We will record, transcribe, and analyze interviews for major themes using Nvivo10 software. Interviewee responses will be analyzed individually and across stakeholder groups to explore differences in perceptions. Results from our research will provide insight into essential questions about people’s attitudes towards conservation of endangered species and current planning efforts, and the effectiveness of the planning process. Ultimately, results will inform recommendations to improve Habitat Conservation Plans.
