Achieving long-term conservation gains through conservation incentive programs on agricultural lands requires a deep understanding of landowner needs and interests. However, social science research related to private lands conservation programs authorized by the United State farm bill lags behind biological research, limiting our knowledge about how to best design these programs to ensure they are effective. Given this need to better understand the human dimensions of habitat conservation on agricultural lands, we used two research projects to investigate landowner considerations related to land management decisions as well as how to effectively engage landowners in the conservation process. First, using two landowner-led workshops, we looked at what factors ranchers in the Intermountain West consider in deciding to continue or discontinue flood irrigation, an irrigation practice that sustains historically flooded wet meadows across the region. We also evaluated these landowner-led workshops as a form of participatory research. Our second project included three focus groups of landowners currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the largest private lands conservation program in the United States, and a survey of landowners with fields currently enrolled or no longer enrolled with expiration dates from 2011 to 2017. Our results highlight the role of agricultural landowners in habitat conservation and the complex social-ecological considerations that they face in making management decisions. Many landowners are interested in conservation programs that meet the context of their specific operation. Our findings suggest the need to better incorporate landowner needs into conservation program design and implementation that promote both operation and habitat sustainability. / MS / Agricultural lands across the American West play a critical role in conserving both agricultural operations and wildlife habitat. Conservation programs that provide incentives to landowners for various conservation efforts are available to aid in the protection of these lands and communities. Gaining a deeper understanding of the considerations of agricultural landowners for their land management decisions can help inform conservation programs and policy to more effectively meet the needs of landowners. We used two research projects to investigate landowner considerations related to land management decisions as well as how to effectively engage landowners in the conservation process. First, we looked at what factors ranchers in the Intermountain West consider in deciding to continue or discontinue flood irrigation, an irrigation practice that sustains historically flooded wet meadows across the region. We also evaluated these landowner-led workshops as a form of participatory research. Our second project included three focus groups of landowners currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the largest private lands conservation program in the United States, and a survey of landowners with fields currently enrolled or no longer enrolled with expiration dates from 2011 to 2017. Our results highlight the role of agricultural landowners in habitat conservation and the complex environmental and social considerations that they face in making management decisions. Many landowners are interested in conservation programs that meet the needs of their specific operation. Our findings suggest the need to better incorporate landowner needs into conservation program design and implementation that promote both agricultural and environmental conservation.

<p>The future success of agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas globally will be highly dependent on the ability of farmers and agricultural systems to adapt to climate change. Most of these areas, though tremendously productive, suffer from the same limiting resource: water. As that resource becomes more scarce and availability more difficult to predict, water managers and farmers will be forced to implement new, creative solutions to water supply challenges. This anticipated exposure suggests that an improved understanding of agricultural adaptation to water stress in such areas is critical to successful outcomes in these regions under a changing climate. This work focuses specifically on the adaptation strategies employed by farmers, strategies which are determined by farmers’ assessment of their exposure and sensitivity to a stressor as well as their capacity to implement changes. This process of implementing change to limit vulnerability is broadly referred to as adaptation. </p> <p> This project focuses on the Eastern Snake Plain of southeastern Idaho as a case study in agricultural adaptation to increased water stress. The Eastern Snake Plain (ESP) is a diverse and productive agricultural basin in the inter-mountain region of the American West. The region’s primary products are potatoes, sugar beets, barley, and alfalfa, as well as a significant volume of livestock dominated by dairy cattle, and each of these products forms a significant share of the total US market for that crop. More than 74% of this agricultural land is irrigated, inextricably tying both the future of agriculture and the future of the Idaho economy to water in the state. In the mid-2000’s, legislators and water managers from across the plain came together to negotiate a new water rights settlement, now known as the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan (CAMP). The negotiations came in response to years of litigation involving groundwater and surface water conjunctive management in the region, and the resulting plan was designed to accomplish three goals: stabilize reach gains in the lower Eastern Snake Plain, replenish Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) levels, and ensure sustainable water resources for agricultural, industrial, and domestic users across the basin. Though the water settlement was not directly caused by climate change, it is likely that water shortages will become more frequent under climate change, and this settlement represents a simulation of just such a shortage.</p> <p>Broadly, this work and the work of collaborators hope to understand adaptation and decision-making of groundwater farmers throughout the Eastern Snake Plain as they adapt to the on-average 12.9% reduction in water availability. This thesis is divided into three primary sections (Chapters 2, 3, and 4). </p> <p>Chapter 2 investigates tradeoffs in adaptation decision making, employing semi-structured interviews to learn more about tradeoffs as a framework for understanding adaptation more broadly. In particular, the work seeks to understand the types of tradeoffs present in ESP adaptation and when and how tradeoffs are implicitly or explicitly acknowledged. Findings indicate that tradeoffs occur both at the individual and regional scale and that shifts in crop patterns and irrigation water sourcing may have important implications for adaptation policy moving forward. </p> <p>Chapter 3 employs a household survey and statistical analysis to investigate the iterative and complex relationships between exposure, adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and vulnerability. As an early attempt to examine these relationships quantitatively in the context of US agriculture and water stress, the works focuses on laying out a clear theoretical and methodological framework for continued exploration of adaptation and vulnerability in this context. Findings indicate that under-theorized components of adaptive capacity like linking capacity and exposure to simultaneous stressors may play important roles in determining farmer vulnerability in the context of policy-induced water scarcity. </p> <p>Chapter 4 is designed to investigate and develop a novel tool for exploratory work in adaptation, examining the feasibility and predictive accuracy of an agent-based model of agricultural adaptation driven by social-psychological decision-making theories and parameterized using both secondary data sources and primary fieldwork. Findings indicate that such models may have the potential to produce well-informed macro-level patterns based on theoretically-informed micro-level inputs. This has important implications for the broader agent-base modeling community, and the work concludes with a call for further collaboration between agent-based modelers and social science theorists. </p> <p>Collectively, this work seeks to inform theory on agricultural adaptation and vulnerability, as well as explore the potential role of theoretically-informed agent-based modeling in investigating such dynamics. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for future exploration of these ideas in the Eastern Snake Plain and throughout the arid American West. </p>

The black bear (Ursus americanus) has returned to Kentucky and is now part of a reproducing population in the southeastern Cumberland Mountain region. The broad objective of this project was to examine the interactions between people and bears, with the ultimate goal of improving bear management in a way that addresses stakeholder concerns. Using interviews of regional stakeholders, participant observation, and media reports collected between summer 2003 and fall 2006, I investigated how the presence of black bears in Harlan and Letcher counties in Kentucky has had an impact on area residents. I complemented this information with observations of bear behavior and an analysis of bear capture and handling data collected within the study period. Artificial provisioning of bears was widespread and >60% of black bears captured were confirmed to use anthropogenic foods at least some of the time. I found a significant difference (P<0.0001) in the apparent physical condition of confirmed anthropogenic feeding bears and bears whose feeding behavior was unknown, and similar differences in physical condition between bears captured along traplines in Harlan and Letcher counties when compared to bears captured along traplines in Bell County (P<0.01). Mean litter size was 3.25 ± 0.11 (SE), significantly above average for eastern North America (P<0.05) although cub survival remains unknown. All documented mortality of adult bears was human-caused. Anthropogenic food sources may affect bear behavior, survival, reproduction, and physiology, as well as bring bears into close contact with humans. Artificial provisioning is currently an important part of bear-human interaction in eastern Kentucky, both facilitating bear tourism as well as precipitating nuisance problems. Cessation of provisioning could have important consequences for the developing tourism industry in the region and for the bears themselves. Both the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and many local people have an interest in conserving bears, but problems have arisen due to differing conceptions of appropriate or desirable management. A better understanding of the human dynamics and cooperation taking place in this situation could provide much-needed information both in Kentucky and in other localities where stakeholders are debating how to co-exist with wildlife.

This thesis explores how people in mountainous regions of Albania interrelate with large carnivores. For the research, I used a combination of questionnaire survey and ethnographic fieldwork to generate insights into how rural dwellers perceive and interact with bears, wolves and lynx. Research and conservation efforts relating to large carnivores in areas where they live near humans often have a strong focus on human-wildlife conflicts; with the presumption that conflicts are a central part of people’s relationships with predators. I argue that, although conflicts between people and predators do occur, human-predator relationships in highland Albania are complex and diverse, beyond a simple engagement with conflict-causing animals. Large carnivores have rich local cultural profiles; each species being differently perceived, and responded to, by local groups in terms of their beliefs about the behaviours and characteristics of the animals. I argue that large carnivores are constructed, and responded to, as social actors and, as such, they are integrated into the moral community of humans. Customary codes that regulate the social life of people in highland Albania seem to extend into relationships with carnivores. Damages from predators are largely interpreted and evaluated on principles of belonging and moral integrity with little considerations of their financial aspects. Lack of conservation efforts from Albanian institutions for prolonged periods of time, and the remoteness of mountain communities, has brought about a situation in which locals have been largely left uninfluenced in shaping their relationships with large carnivores. I contend that such a situation, albeit seemingly problematic from an outside perspective, is particularly beneficial in maintaining low conflicts with, or over, predators. Recent increases in conservation efforts in Albania may influence relationships between people and predators in the future. Conservation actors will be faced with the challenge of avoiding possible conflict escalation to the detriment of large carnivores and to rural livelihoods.

No description available.

In 1998, a tanker truck overturned on U.S. Route 460 in Tazewell County, Virginia, releasing approximately 5110 L of Octocure 554-revised, a rubber accelerant, into an unnamed tributary approximately 162 m from its confluence with the Clinch River. The spill killed nearly all aquatic life in the river, including three species of federally endangered mussels, for 11 km downstream. The restoration plan developed after the spill included community outreach to complement the physical, on-site restoration effort. Although numerous studies have been made of the aquatic resources in the upper Clinch River, Tazewell County, Virginia, there had been no prior assessment of the local residents' knowledge, attitudes, and opinions about the natural resources in this biodiversity hotspot. I surveyed residents of Tazewell County, Virginia to assess their baseline knowledge about the upper Clinch River watershed, endangered mussels, aquatic conservation, and water quality issues. The survey response rate was 42%. Survey respondents were aware that mussels are present in the Clinch River watershed, but were not aware of their imperiled status or the ecosystem services that mussels perform. On average, respondents expressed stronger moralistic, naturalistic, and ecologistic than negativistic and utilitarian attitude orientations toward endangered freshwater mussels. Respondents considered water quality important and expressed support for mussel restoration. However, respondents indicated that the presence of mussel populations might negatively impact economic development of the county. Local community leaders and conservation educators, when interviewed to explore their opinions on conservation of aquatic resources, placed high value upon the Clinch River's water quality. They also have sought information regarding water quality and the Clinch River from local organizations and agencies and/or have developed a relationship with them as a result of their long-term presence in the community. The majority of respondents believed that human impacts contribute to species decline, but human impacts may not be the primary contributor to such decline. Respondents indicated that governmental and nongovernmental conservation agencies and organizations can assist localities by providing additional funding opportunities, seminars, and training sessions. Tazewell County conservation educators focus broadly on water resources of the county. Conservation educators wised that adults and teenagers displayed greater interest in conservation issues and that local governments were involved more actively in conservation. Overwhelmingly, educators believed that forming and fostering partnerships is the most effective way to inform audiences about conservation. Barriers to conservation education faced by educators include lack of funding, audience apathy, and/or audience negativity. Nearly all respondents indicated that balance between conservation and development currently exists or that achieving such a balance should be a goal of the local government. Survey and interview results were used to develop specific outreach recommendations to generate community support for mussel restoration and aquatic conservation in Tazewell County. Recommendations for the Certus Spill Outreach Plan include: frame mussel outreach messages in a broader aquatic ecosystem context in order to emphasize the human connection to aquatic ecosystems, communicate positive messages about conservation with decision-makers, regularly communicate positive messages about conservation in the local press, and partner with the local school system and agencies that have established positive images in the towns and county. / Master of Science

Using a mail survey, I questioned 490 representatives of local government (i.e., elected officials, administrative officials, animal control officers, and county Cooperative Extension agents) about their understanding of human-wildlife conflicts in their communities, and their receptivity to participating in co-management partnerships with regulatory agencies. Response rates for the mail survey of these four populations ranged from 25.2% to 75.9%. Knowledge of and perceptions about human-wildlife conflicts varied among leader subpopulations, as did their assessment of risks associated with and prioritization of human-wildlife conflicts. Animal control and Extension personnel displayed greater knowledge about wildlife, expressed greater concern about potential risks, and assigned higher priority to human-wildlife conflicts in their community. Respondents indicated that wildlife complaints are being received from constituents in their community, but questions exist over who is responsible for managing these conflicts. Most respondents indicated a willingness to become involved in conflict resolution, but indicated less willingness for local government to take on a leadership role. Respondents could identify potential partners valuable to resolving human-wildlife conflicts, but they demonstrated uncertainty about the specific roles and responsibilities of these outside agencies (e.g., Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries). Respondents identified important potential impediments (i.e., financial and personnel resources, the need to provide additional training or equipment) that could preclude or reduce their ability to become involved in conflict resolution. Most respondents viewed community-based co-management approaches as realistic (74%) and attractive (63%) options for local governments to exercise in managing human-wildlife conflicts. Most respondents (74%) believed that co-management offered local governments a direct way to be involved in managing their own conflicts. Respondents believed that staffing and budget shortages would be significant impediments that would limit local government's participation in co-management agreements. This study clearly illustrates that human-wildlife conflicts are occurring in Virginia, but overall local governments are not at a point when they are willing or able to consider a proactive approach to managing these conflicts. Until some threshold is met or exceeded, leaders in these communities may not be willing to devote the time or resources necessary to enact proactive approaches. Before that threshold is met, the development and utilization of informational and educational resources can increase local government's capacity to develop and implement a comprehensive wildlife management plan for Virginia communities in the future. / Master of Science

No description available.

State fish and wildlife agencies are increasingly expected to meet accelerating wildlife conservation needs while addressing systemic problems that limit who has historically been able to access wildlife and conservation. To effectively address both of these needs, agencies need to better understand their constituencies, including both long-standing supporters and those who have been historically excluded. This thesis set out to achieve this through three chapters. (i) Using a nationwide panel survey, we sought to understand how patterns of wildlife viewing differ between Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and White viewers, as well as what most strongly supports this participation. We found that participation rates differ across ethnoracial groups, with most BIPOC viewers participating less than White viewers, especially around their homes. Additionally, BIPOC viewers indicated that social support was a key factor in encouraging participation. Finally, despite wildlife viewing being of similar or greater importance to BIPOC participants, they generally self-identified less as viewers, suggesting historic exclusion from wildlife viewing locales may impact contemporary participation. (ii) Through a questionnaire of Minnesotans engaged with the MN Department of Natural Resources and their Nongame Wildlife Program, we examined what most encourages donations and volunteer participation. The findings of this chapter suggest that donors had specific motivations, namely supporting biodiversity and conservation, whereas volunteer motivations were more varied, such as place-based preferences and access to conservation professionals. (iii) Using a series of focus groups with outdoor recreation and community science practitioners and participants, we aimed to understand what encouraged BIPOC Minnesotans to participate in nature-based community science programs. We found that participants rely on numerous forms of cultural capital to persist in community science, especially in inhospitable environments. Often, this included utilizing social relationships and continuing to participate despite negative interactions. Overall, this research contributes to a growing body of literature aiming to understand diverse engagement in wildlife viewing and nature-based community science, as well as general engagement with state agencies. By laying a foundation for sustainable engagement and support of diverse communities, particularly BIPOC groups, this thesis provides insights and recommendations for fostering equitable conservation practices in an era of environmental change and social evolution. / Master of Science / North America and the world are witnessing unprecedented environmental changes, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and urbanization, impacting both human and wildlife communities. Concurrently, shifts in public engagement with state wildlife agencies and outdoor recreation are evident, with historic constituencies of hunters and anglers declining, posing challenges to conservation efforts. To address these challenges, state agencies strive to understand and diversify their supporters. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates wildlife viewing patterns among ethnoracial groups, constituent engagement with state wildlife agencies, and factors motivating participation in community science initiatives among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Using a nationwide survey of wildlife viewers, we found significant differences in participation, both around and away from home. We also found that social support from friends, family, mentors, and peers was associated with increased participation. Additionally, despite wildlife viewing being of similar or greater importance to BIPOC participants, they generally self-identified less as viewers, suggesting historic exclusion from wildlife viewing locales may impact contemporary participation. Through a questionnaire of Minnesotans engaged with the MN Department of Natural Resources and their Nongame Wildlife Program, we examined what most encourages donations and volunteer participation. The findings of this chapter suggested that donors had specific motivations, namely supporting biodiversity and conservation, whereas volunteer motivations were more varied, such as place-based preferences and access to conservation professionals. Finally, using a series of focus groups with outdoor recreation and community science practitioners and participants, we aimed to understand what encouraged BIPOC Minnesotans to participate in nature-based community science programs. Our results suggested that social support, community-specific and community-led programs, and programs co-produced with community groups may facilitate participation in community science. Overall, this thesis provides vital recommendations for state agencies aiming to increase BIPOC participation in programs and better engage their constituencies. Through guidance on developing sustainable engagement strategies and how to best support diverse communities, particularly BIPOC groups, this thesis provides insights and recommendations for fostering equitable conservation in an era of environmental change and social evolution.

Private lands encompass over half of the continental United States and serve as critical habitat for the majority of federally threatened and endangered species. Despite the importance of private lands for conservation, they remain understudied by conservation scientists. Conservation research programs that study private lands biodiversity not only help to fill this research gap but may also contribute more broadly to private lands conservation by influencing the conservation behaviors of individuals that participate in the program. However, little is known about how conservation behavior outcomes may differ across varying levels of participation in a program and what factors may influence this conservation behavior change. This thesis focuses specifically on conservation behavior outcomes associated with participation in a conservation research program and participants' perceived impact on conservation behaviors. For my first chapter, I interviewed private landowners that had provided property access to the Smithsonian conservation research program, Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), between 2010 and 2020. We found that landowners perceived their participation in VWL influenced their conservation behaviors across multiple categories; yet, land stewardship behaviors were more commonly positively influenced than social environmentalism or environmental citizenship behaviors. Landowners also reported that various aspects of the program including program events, on-site interactions with staff and citizen scientists, and landowner reports had the strongest influence on their engagement in conservation behaviors, while other aspects such as program newsletters and annual reports influenced their engagement in conservation behaviors to a lesser degree. For my second chapter, I surveyed citizen scientists and non-citizen scientists that were associated with VWL between 2010 and 2020. VWL citizen scientists had significantly higher perceived impacts of the program on their engagement in conservation behaviors compared to non-citizen scientists. The strongest predictors of respondents' perceptions of VWL's impact on their conservation behaviors include participation as a citizen scientist, program-related normative beliefs, attendance at program events, and reading program newsletters, while characteristics of the participants (i.e. demographics, actual behavioral control, personal norms, environmental attitude) were not predictive of perceptions of impact. Findings from this thesis can inform efforts to influence program participants' conservation behaviors. In particular, program managers may increase conservation outcomes through incorporating citizen science opportunities; fostering direct interactions between landowners, citizen scientists, researchers, and peers; training citizen scientists in effective science communication skills; and tailoring program communications to specific target audiences. / Master of Science / Over half of the mainland United States are under private ownership and these private lands are important habitat for federally threatened and endangered species. Even though private lands are important for conservation, the majority of conservation research studies take place on public lands. Conservation research programs that study species on private lands can contribute to conservation by providing insights into questions that are critical to species' management. These programs can also contribute to conservation by influencing the people who participate in the program to engage in conservation behaviors. However, people can participate in conservation research programs in many different ways and it is unclear how participation in a program influences people's conservation behaviors. This thesis explored the different conservation behaviors associated with participation in a conservation research program and participants' perceived impact on conservation behaviors. For my first chapter, I interviewed private landowners that had provided property access to the Smithsonian conservation research program, Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), between 2010 and 2020. The landowners we interviewed perceived that their participation in VWL influenced them to engage in conservation behaviors across multiple categories, but land stewardship behaviors (e.g. landscape improvements that benefit wildlife or their habitat) were more commonly influenced than social environmentalism (e.g. behaviors that focus on social engagement) or environmental citizenship behaviors (e.g. supporting environmental causes through voting, donations, or civic engagement). Certain aspects of the program such as program events, on-site interactions with staff and citizen scientists, and landowner reports were the most influential on landowners' engagement in conservation behaviors, while other aspects such as program newsletters and annual reports influenced their engagement in conservation behaviors less often. For my second chapter, I surveyed citizen scientists (i.e. volunteer members of the public who gather or analyze data for scientific research) and non-citizen scientists (i.e. individuals subscribed to VWL's newsletter but had never volunteered as citizen scientists) associated with VWL. VWL citizen scientists were positively influenced by the program to engage in conservation behaviors significantly more than non-citizen scientists. Characteristics of the program including participation as a citizen scientist, program-related normative beliefs (i.e. one's perception of whether other individuals will approve or disapprove of a certain behavior), attendance at program events, and program materials were associated with the program's influence on survey respondents' engagement in conservation behaviors. Characteristics of the participants (i.e. demographics, actual behavioral control, personal norms, environmental attitude) were not found to be significant predictors of impact. Results from this thesis may be helpful to programs aiming to increase their influence on participants' conservation behavior engagement. For example, programs may incorporate citizen science; foster direct interactions between landowners, citizen scientists, researchers, and peers; train citizen scientists in science communication skills, and tailor program communications to specific audiences.