No description available.

No description available.

In the last 200 years the importance of wild animals to man has taken two distinct forms: the use of creatures that provide 'game" for sport hunting, and the existence of value for the scientific or aesthetic appreciation of wildlife. Further, the relative strength of these two uses has shifted over time. It appears that a recent, significant growth in the number of people who hold high value for nongame uses of wildlife has taken place. The traditional emphasis of state wildlife management agencies has been on the production of game species in response to the overwhelming financial support from sportsmen. It is often argued that game management contributes to the welfare of nongame species. The reverse is also true, and sportsmen's interests could be served by a wildlife program giving greater weight to nongame activities. Through a modest redefinition of objectives the Arizona Game and Fish Department could effect a political alignment of game (consumptive) and nongame (monconsumptive) wildlife interests. This study is based on a federally funded research project in which the nonconsumptive uses and values of wildlife are being assessed. In particular, the purpose of this study is two-phased: to estimate the economic benefits to nonconsumptive wildlife users from viewing, studying, and photographing wild animals, and to relate these benefits to the political process in which the Arizona Game and Fish Department obtains its funding and political support. A modification of the travel-cost technique was used in this study to estimate economic benefits obtained by nonconsumptive wildlife users. Importantly, an explicit measure of the monetary value of travel time is empirically derived, providing improved benefit estimates. Visitors to seven wildlife viewing locations in Southeast Arizona responded to a mailed questionnaire at a rate of 86 per cent to provide a voluntary sample of more than 600 wildlife enthusiasts. An array of social and economic data were gathered for individuals and households. Respondents can be generally characterized as highly educated, affluent, middle aged, metropolitan residents. Using multiple regression analysis, demand functions were estimated for each household visiting three representative sites. Consumers' surplus values were then estimated for each site, incorporating an explicit measure of the value of travel time. These values compare favorably to consumers' surplus values estimated for hunting and fishing activities in Arizona. The results of the economic analysis performed in this study are primarily methodological. They are suggestive, however, of considerable political influence regarding wildlife management in Arizona. Importantly, a method exists for measuring the economic value or social welfare of the nonconsumptive use of wildlife. Such measures, widely assessed, could permit the comparison of economic values between consumptive and nonconsumptive wildlife uses and the evaluation of the associated change in consumer welfare resulting from alternative management activities. Based on the estimates of the number of people for whom nonconsumptive wildlife appreciation is important, there is reason to expect that significant political involvement in wildlife management issues will occur. These findings portend a major opportunity for the Arizona Game and Fish Depar went in terms of operational budgets and continued wildlife management authority in the state. Several recommendations are made to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, including improvement in their public image and greater political involvement with nonconsumptive wildlife interest groups.

Placed 2nd in the Graduate Agriculture and Life Sciences division of the Student Showcase / Arizona’s riparian ecosystems have been susceptible to degradation because state water laws do not consider environmental water needs. This lack of legal authority has led to water being diverted away from desert waterways through surface water and groundwater withdrawals (Megdal et al. 2011). To help bring the environment to the table as a water using sector, the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) has developed the Conserve to Enhance (C2E) program. C2E is an innovative water conservation mechanism that addresses ecological water needs by raising funds through individual donations for river and riparian enhancement projects. The C2E Program invites community members to implement water conservation methods, track their monthly water savings through a Water Conservation Calculator, and then donate those savings to a C2E fund. Tucson is home to the first C2E Pilot Program, which began January 2011 with 60 participants. The goal is to determine if a program like C2E would be successful at a larger, city-wide scale and if such a program is applicable for other water-scarce communities in the Southwest.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.