Policy Committee Webinar Series
Webinars are available to both SCB members and non-members, and will be recorded and posted to the SCBNA YouTube Page for future viewing (subscribe so you are notified when new recordings are posted)! Moreover, all resources related to our webinars can be found here and on our Policy Committee Resources page.
We encourage those interested in one of our series to attend ALL related sessions (and to register for each one in order to do so).
ONGOING WEBINAR SERIES
PAST WEBINAR SERIES
Winter – Summer 2026: One Health & conservation: theory, historical context, and practical applications
Registration Links & Recordings Below
The SCBNA Policy Committee is excited to continue our collaboration with PAN Works via a new webinar series on One Health! One Health is an “integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.” This series will explore the pillars of of One Health, its historical context, and examples of real-world applications and conservation initiatives.
About PAN Works: PAN Works is an ethics, science and policy think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (12-1:00 PM PST): One Health 101: basics of a One Health approach to conservation
Join us for the first session in a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health! Millenia before One Health was given a name, it was practiced by people whose lives and livelihoods depended on respectful use of natural resources, and in rare places it is still practiced this way. The term “One Health” explicitly recognizes, as has long been known, that the health and wellbeing of people, other animals, and nature is not just related, but interdependent. By definition, the goal of One Health is optimal health for all, which implies tradeoffs among the three domains, but in research, education, policy and practice, those tradeoffs nearly always privilege the health and wellbeing of people in the short term at the expense of other animals and nature. This presentation will set the stage for considering how we might incorporate ethics more explicitly into conservation through the integration of One Health principles.
Speaker: Joann Lindemeyer, Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine | Fellow, PAN Works
Joann Lindenmayer DVM, MPH, is adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at Tufts University School of Medicine and Honorary Diplomate of the American Veterinary One Health Society (AVOHS). A graduate of Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, her career now focuses on One Health, the concept that the health and wellbeing of people, other animals, and nature are interdependent, with special emphasis on its ethical underpinnings. She is a Senior Editor of CABI One Health Resources, a fellow in the PanWorks Think Tank (“Bringing ethics to life”, https://panworks.io/), and immediate past chair of the Board of Directors of the global One Health Commission. In previous lives she was a US Peace Corps volunteer in a teachers’ training college in North Borneo, a pro bono veterinarian for expatriate dogs, cats and horses in Niamey, Niger, and Senior Manager of Disaster Operations at Humane Society International (now Humane World for Animals). Joann is an avid dragon boat competitor and shameless lover of dogs.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 (12-1:00 PM PST): Historical and Practical Considerations for One Health Projects
Join us for the second session in a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health! Over the last two decades One Health has gained prominence as a program paradigm among wildlife conservation practitioners, and more generally among health-oriented advocates, ecologists, medical professionals, and policymakers. The concept builds on the well-established historical foundation connecting human illness and environmental contexts, including sickness from polluted air and water and the association between animal and human disease. There is more than one definition of One Health but they share the starting point that humans, animals and the environment are connected and function as an interdependent system. One Health definitions have benefited from the development of other integrated health approaches such as Conservation Medicine, Ecosystem Health and Ecohealth. Dr. Koontz presents for discussion characteristics and ethical values from these alternative approaches and from late 20th century biodiversity conservation experience that should be considered when undertaking One Health projects.
Speaker: Fred Koontz, PhD; SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works, Emeritus Fellow
After obtaining his Ph.D. in ethology from the University of Maryland, Fred Koontz has devoted 45 years to wildlife conservation. Now retired, past appointments included: Mammal Curator and Science Resource Center Director, Wildlife Conservation Society; Vice President, Wildlife Trust (now EcoHealth Alliance); adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation; and Vice-President of Field Conservation, Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA). His field work focused on endangered species, including assisting on projects in the U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia. While at Wildlife Trust (1999–2004), Fred participated in the development of the “Consortium of Conservation Medicine” and observed the emergence of the “One Health” paradigm. From 2011 to 2022, Fred collaborated with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on nongame conservation and in 2021 he served on their Fish and Wildlife Commission. Fred currently serves on the Board of Wildlands Network and is a Fellow Emeritus at PAN Works, an ethics think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 (8:00-9:00 AM PST): One Health on-the-ground: success stories in mountain gorilla conservation
Join us for the last session in a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health! We invite you to join us for a conversation about the powerful connection between people, wildlife, and the environment. Through her work with Conservation Through Public Health, Dr. Gladys has seen how protecting endangered mountain gorillas around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park goes hand in hand with improving the health and wellbeing of the communities who share their habitat. In this webinar, she will reflect on more than 20 years of experience applying the One Health approach in conservation and why it is increasingly important for addressing global challenges. She will also answer questions and discuss how we can work together across disciplines to build a healthier future for people, wildlife, and the planet. Whether you are a conservation practitioner, student, policymaker, or simply passionate about protecting our planet, we hope you will join the conversation.
Speaker: Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Founder & CEO, Conservation Through Public Health
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO and non-profit that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches. After graduating with a Bachelor in Veterinary Medicine from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1995, she established Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department in 1996. In 2003, she completed a Zoological Medicine Residency and Master in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina Zoological Park and a certificate in non-profit management at Duke University leading to the establishment of CTPH.
In 2015, she founded Gorilla Conservation Coffee to support farmers living around habitats where gorillas are found which won the People. Environment. Achievement award in 2024. She became a National Geographic Explorer in 2017 and won the Sierra Club EarthCare Award in 2018. In 2021, she won the UNEP Champion of the Earth Award in Science and Innovation and the Aldo Leopold Award from the American Society of Mammologists. In 2020 CTPH won the 2020 Saint Andrews Prize for the Environment. In 2023, her memoir “Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet” was published. In 2025 she was featured in a documentary by CNN, Call to Earth: Kings of the forest.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 (12-1:30 PM PST): One Health & The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project
Join us for another session in our webinar series focused on One Health! The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program was founded at the Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA, USA) in 1996. It began as the first wild study of the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo in Papua New Guinea and grew into a community conservation, development, and health effort that now protects roughly 180,000 acres of cloud forest in the YUS Conservation Area while supporting the 15,000-plus people who live there. Framed in terms of the ethics and science of one health, the program recognizes that people depend directly on the forest, so human, animal, and environmental health are inseparable. Joining us to talk about the program and its ethical dimensions are the founder, Dr. Lisa Dabek of the Woodland Park Zoo, and physician and emeritus zoo board member Dr. Rob Liddell of the University of Washington’s Center for One Health Research.
Speakers:
Lisa Dabek, PhD
Senior Conservation Scientist and Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program Director | Woodland Park Zoo
Lisa Dabek is Senior Conservation Scientist at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo and is the Founder and Senior Director of the community-based Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Since 1996, she and her team have worked in partnership with indigenous landowners, scientists, students, educators, government officials, and healthcare professionals to study and protect the wildlife and rainforest habitat of PNG and improve the well-being of the local communities. In 2009, TKCP and the local community created PNG’s first Conservation Area, protecting rainforest habitat for the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo and other threatened and endemic species.
As Senior Director, Lisa provides strategic guidance in support of TKCP’s vision, goals, and long-term sustainability. As Senior Conservation Scientist, Lisa provides expertise, guidance, and mentorship for Woodland Park Zoo’s staff, Board, donors, guests, and for the public. Lisa represents Woodland Park Zoo in the local, regional, national and international zoo and wildlife conservation arenas.
Lisa earned her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology from the University of Washington. Her bachelor’s degree is in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Lisa is an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, and Affiliate Researcher at the University of Papua New Guinea.
Rob Liddell, MD
Affiliate Associate Professor | University of Washington
Rob Liddell volunteers as a physician with the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP), helping to guide it’s One Health work with other volunteer physicians to provide human medical care and education in villages of the YUS Conservation Area of Papua New Guinea. He has also provided diagnostic imaging research on the endangered Matschies tree kangaroo at TKCP’s remote research camp in Papua New Guinea. Rob also volunteers as a diagnostic radiologist consultant to the veterinary staff at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, providing ultrasound, CT and MRI expertise on a wide array of animals.
Rob is an affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the School of Public Health.
Fall/Winter 2025: Starting a conversation: how can we incorporate ethical thinking into conservation?
Recordings Below
The SCBNA Policy Committee hosted a webinar series on state wildlife conservation in early 2025 to discuss key issues surrounding purpose, changing public wildlife values, funding, governance, protecting the public wildlife trust, and ethical decision making. Though many of these issues received significant attention from attendees, there was a particular interest on ethical considerations and ethical “questions” involved in policy planning for wildlife conservation. As such, this series aims to provide a more comprehensive introduction to the topic – in the same manner as our series on state wildlife conservation – and to encourage conversations in a safe, unbiased, and moderated space.
This series is being co-hosted with PAN Works, an ethics, science and policy think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
Thursday, Nov 6, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): Ethics 101: how do we think about ethics in wildlife conservation?
Join us for a new webinar co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on ethics in wildlife conservation! Our speaker – Bill Lynn, from PAN Works – will cover the basics of descriptive and normative and their applications in policymaking for wildlife conservation and protection. In addition, Bill will host a broad-ranging, moderated roundtable discussion where he will go over the audience’s burning questions related to ethics, nature, and wildlife. With the large size of these webinars in mind, priority will be given to questions submitted before the webinar using THIS FORM. This is a great opportunity for those working in wildlife conservation or for wildlife advocates interested in learning more about ethical frameworks in our field!
About SCBNA’s Policy Committee: The mission of the Policy Committee is to leverage the research and scientific expertise of the Society’s members to ensure that critical knowledge relating to the conservation of biological diversity is used by decision makers when shaping policies that affect the planet’s biodiversity.
About PAN Works: PAN Works is an ethics, science and policy think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
About Bill Lynn, Founder, PAN Works
Bill specializes in animal and sustainability ethics as they interface with public policy. Exploring why and how we ought to care for people, animals and nature, this is practical research translating insights from his interdisciplinary training in ethics, geography and political theory into public dialogues over moral problems.
Graduating from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a bachelors in political science and a doctorate in geography, he is a research scientist in the Marsh Institute at Clark University, a research fellow at the social science think-tank Knology, and a graduate professor in the Anthrozoology program at Canisius University. He is also the founder of PAN Works, an independent non-partisan centre for ethics and policy dedicated to the wellbeing of animals.
Through his many academic and popular publications he has written about wolf recovery, outdoor cats and biodiversity, barred and northern spotted owls, the Canadian seal hunt, cosmopolitanism, the Earth Charter, compassionate conservation, precaution, rewilding, sustainability science, and urban ecology.
Bill also serves as an ethics advisor and facilitator, helping the nonprofit and public sectors make better policy decisions by using ethics. This work includes ethics-based facilitation and training, expert opinions and research briefs, ethics framing and strategic planning, and keynote presentations.
Thursday, Nov 13, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): Messaging in Wildlife Protection Ballot Initiatives
Join us for the second webinar in our ethics in wildlife conservation series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works! As public values towards wildlife shift in the United States, community members are turning towards ballot initiatives to make their views on wildlife heard. In Colorado, for example, a ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves passed in 2020, while an initiative to ban hunting and trapping of bobcats, mountain lions, and lynx failed in 2024. In this talk, Dr. Becky Niemiec will share her research on the factors influencing public support of carnivore protection ballot initiatives. Through the application of moral foundations theory and combining data from in-person interviews of voters and online messaging experiments, Dr. Niemiec demonstrates the arguments and messaging swaying voters on carnivore protection issues.
About SCBNA’s Policy Committee: The mission of the Policy Committee is to leverage the research and scientific expertise of the Society’s members to ensure that critical knowledge relating to the conservation of biological diversity is used by decision makers when shaping policies that affect the planet’s biodiversity.
About PAN Works: PAN Works is an ethics, science and policy think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
About Becky Niemiec, Co-Director of the Animal Human Policy Center and Associate Professor in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department at Colorado State University
Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Niemiec is the co-director of the Animal Human Policy Center and an Associate Professor in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department at Colorado State University. She conducts research on the social aspects of animal protection initiatives, including public perspectives, effective messaging, and stakeholder engagement. She has served as the manager of the Bureau of Animal Protection for the state of Colorado, where she and her team addressed domestic animal mistreatment throughout the state. She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications on the human dimensions of conservation and animal protection and has been involved in the development of numerous state-level animal protection policy initiatives. Dr. Niemiec has a PhD in Environment and Resources from Stanford University and B.A. in Ecology and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College.
Fall 2025: Learning the Language: Scientific Assessments as Decision-Making Tools
Recordings Below
The SCBNA Policy Committee will be hosting a series of online webinars to raise awareness of – and educate the public on – the process of conducting large-scale scientific assessments and their use as a policy-making tools. The Committee will partner with experts to to showcase the collaborative nature of this work and the need to “learn the language” of assessments to properly navigate government spaces and public/private partnerships. Other topics to be potentially covered in the webinar series include: data use for ecological monitoring (e.g., GBIF); status, trends, and future projections of species of concern; and an exploration of bias/gaps in available information.
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2025 (8-9:30 AM PST): Learning the language: scientific assessments 101
RESOURCES: Dr. Henriques’ Slide Deck; Dr. Urban’s Slide Deck; Dr. Bowser’s Slide Deck; Dr. Helmuth’s Slide Deck
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the first webinar in our series on scientific assessments. This session will provide an overview of assessments, how they are used by governments at different levels, what potential biases may be present in assessment data, and how assessments can act as tools to connect and bring together conservation professionals from different backgrounds. In addition to speaker presentations, this session will also feature a Q&A session and comments led by our invited discussant, Dr. Shai André Devon. For more information on our speakers, and discussant, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) The language of Scientific Assessments – from State Ranks to the global IUCN Red List
Description: This short talk will explore how different assessment tools employ distinct yet interconnected “languages” to evaluate species’ conservation status, from the state-level in the US (NatureServe) to global IUCN Red List assessments. I will show how these frameworks translate diverse and often complex scientific data into accessible categories that guide conservation policy and action. By comparing scales and systems of assessment, the talk will highlight both challenges and opportunities for integrating scientific evidence and ensuring that local insights contribute meaningfully to global strategies. Connections will also be drawn to other key frameworks, such as the US Endangered Species Act and CITES, with a particular focus on how the language of assessment shapes conservation outcomes and why effective communication across scales is essential for biodiversity protection.
Dr. Sérgio Henriques, Red List Authority Coordinator, IUCN Species Survival Commission
Sérgio Henriques has over 20 years of experience mobilizing resources to promote conservation policy and action around the world. He is a Red List Authority Coordinator of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the chair of the Spider and Scorpion Specialist Group, regularly working with a global network of experts towards assessing the extinction risk and reversing the ongoing decline of the most diverse group of organisms on earth – invertebrates.
2) The language of climate change – potential biases when assessing climate change projections
Description: This talk will explain how assessments for climate change are generally done and how they interact with existing research, including Dr. Urban’s work on projecting risks to extinction from climate change. It will also explain how these projections have focused on certain species and regions and what this means for uncertainties about climate change extinctions.
Dr. Mark C. Urban, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
Mark C. Urban is an award-winning professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, founder and director of the Center of Biological Risk, and a global expert on climate change impacts on nature and evolutionary ecology. An avid field biologist, Mark takes every opportunity to get out in the field to learn about the diversity of life and threats to it. He routinely spends time in ponds, lakes, and streams in regions ranging from New England to the North Slope of Alaska. He founded and directs the Center of Biological Risk, the first center devoted to forecasting complex risks to society mediated by ecosystems. He has authored over 100 scientific articles, appearing in top journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Nature Climate Change and has been cited more than 17,000 times. By integrating ecology, evolution, and genomics, his work has uncovered new principles that routinely challenge existing ideas, including the spatial scale of adaptation, the importance of adaptation in ecology, and highlighting the joint ecological and evolutionary responses to global change. Most recently, his work has focused on designing global efforts to estimate and mitigate extinction risks from climate change to biodiversity.
3) The language of bees to navigate government partnerships
Description: Coming soon!
Dr. Gillian Bowser, Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University
Dr. Bowser is an associate professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. Her primary research areas are: (1) international environmental governance and diplomacy; (2) pollinators as ecological indicators of change; (3) applications of participatory datasets on environmental decision making and protected area management; and (4) engaging community voices in scientific inquiry. She works on international environmental assessments such as the United Nation’s Global Environmental Outlook Report (GEO6 and GEO7), The US National Climate Assessment (NCA5) and the first US National Nature Assessment (NNA1). Dr Bowser is a senior fellow with the American Association of the Advancement of Science and serves on the editorial board of Community Science (Wiley publications) and Sustainable Earth Reviews (Springer Nature). She also sits on the board for Earthwatch Organization and Joshua Tree Association. She serves on the Harriet Tubman Legacy Society with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and is on the Legacy Academy of the Smithsonian Museums.
4) The language of connectivity – Assessing and (re)connecting with our global ocean
Description: Our ocean makes up almost 99% of Earth’s habitable living space and impacts our daily lives in ways that we don’t often recognize. This “othering” of the ocean and its inhabitants can therefore have many unintended consequences, and can make monitoring and assessing status, trends and projections of ocean health challenging. I’ll discuss recent research designed to understand how many Americans think of the ocean, and talk about strategies for helping people to build connections that consider humans as part of a coupled ecological system. As an example, efforts are underway to build Proteus, a state of the art facility to enable continuous ocean observation by allowing divers to live continuously as part of the ocean ecosystem for weeks or months at a time.
Dr. Brian Helmuth, Professor, Northeastern University and Chief Scientific Officer, Proteus Ocean Group
Brian Helmuth is a Professor at the Marine Science Center at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, with appointments in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences and the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. Brian’s research and teaching focus on ecological forecasting in coastal ecosystems including coral reefs and rocky intertidal systems, with the goal of informing policy and conservation using a range of approaches including physiology, field manipulations, and development and deployment of environmental sensor networks. He served as an author on the 5th U.S. National Climate Assessment, and was appointed as an author on the inaugural U.S. National Nature Assessment before the federal program was ended. He is also Chief Scientist for Fabien Cousteau’s PROTEUS TM underwater habitat, a state-of-the-art saturation diving facility focused on solving the ocean’s most pressing challenges.
*Discussant
*A discussant provides professional, constructive, and critical commentary on presentations at a formal discussion or symposium to help the audience understand the material, highlight the work’s broader implications, and stimulate conversation.
Dr. Shai André Divon, Professor of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Shai André Divon is a Professor of International Environment and Development Studies at the Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Faculty of Landscape and Society (LANDSAM), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). He previously served as Head of Department at Noragric.
Professor Divon’s research focuses on power dynamics, human security, and development politics in Africa and the Global South. His interdisciplinary work explores the intersections of governance, culture, and security, with particular attention to the impacts of foreign assistance and post-conflict reconstruction. He has led and contributed to numerous international research and education projects funded by the Norwegian Research Council, EU Horizon 2020, EU FP7, and the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir).
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): Scientific assessments and their value to communities and policymakers
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the second webinar in our series on scientific assessments. This session will explore use of assessments by policymakers, public & private organizations, and community members, offering insights from a variety of stakeholders. In addition to speaker presentations, this session will also feature a Q&A session led by Bernie Traversari, SCBNA’s Director of Operations and Programs. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) The Importance of Scientific Advice in an Age of Disinformation
Description: The evil twins of disinformation and junk science have heightened the need for objective and evidence-based scientific information to inform public policy discourse. Such advice should encompass the most complete and defensible science available, drawing upon diverse and appropriate expertise and based on fact and devoid of advocacy. Comprehensive scientific assessments provide just such a source of advice in that they can gather the required critical mass and diversity of expertise, and present the best available information in a format fully focused on scientific evidence, clear on sources of uncertainty, and limited to discussion of the scientific scope and expertise represented in the assessment. Credible assessments hinge upon avoiding advocacy that extends beyond evidence and science, and providing the best pathway to avoid decision making in a knowledge vacuum or based on misinformation.
Dr. Paul Snelgrove, University Research Professor of Ocean Sciences and Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Dr. Paul Snelgrove is a University Research Professor of Ocean Sciences and Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. From 2008-2021 he led the (NSERC) Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, a national research network that developed new tools and approaches to support sustainable oceans. He currently serves as Associate Scientific Director of The Ocean Frontier Institute, which gathers researchers in Atlantic Canada and beyond to advance safe and sustainable ocean objectives. From 2003-2013, Dr. Snelgrove held a Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems, following from an NSERC Industrial Chair in Fisheries Conservation. He led the synthesis of the International Census of Marine Life program, and was a member of the program’s Scientific Steering Committee. His TED Global talk on that program has almost 375,000 views. He frequently participates in workshops and conferences around the world as an invited speaker. In 2013, he was awarded the Timothy Parsons Medal for Excellence in Marine Sciences in Canada, and he served as Departmental Science Advisor to Fisheries and Oceans Canada from 2020-2025. He has published ~150 journal articles, 30 book chapters and 2 books on his research on sustaining marine biodiversity and functioning in seafloor ecosystems in all three of Canada’s oceans.
2) Assessments and their importance to non-governmental actors
Description: The private sector has a key role to play in both the climate and biodiversity crises. Their impacts on climate change and biodiversity loss are widely recognized but their potential to develop, support and deliver solutions less so. The inclusion of the private sector perspective in the BCCA and other assessments is important for reasons that intersect with the global and national policy and regulatory environments, with industry sector initiatives and even with individual corporate nature strategies.
Margaret O’Gorman, CEO, Tandem Global
Margaret O’Gorman is a leading voice in corporate sustainability and biodiversity strategy. As CEO of Tandem Global, she advises Fortune 500 companies on embedding nature, climate resilience, and social impact into core operations. She led the redesign of WHC Certification, driving over 1,000 projects across 28 countries that link ecological restoration to business value. A respected author and speaker, her book Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning is a go-to resource for executives. Margaret serves on BASF’s Nature Advisory Council and the North American Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment Committee, shaping the private sector’s role in global environmental leadership.
3) Using Assessments to Establish Actionable Knowledge
Description: Assessments have been invaluable sources of information about the causes and consequences of numerous environmental challenges. Based on input from users of the US National Climate Assessment, it is clear that they could be even more useful if they evolved to increase attention to implementing solutions for these challenges. Moss will reflect on opportunities for extending climate and biodiversity assessments in this way to benefit public and private decision makers, drawing on his experience chairing a federal advisory committee on sustained/applied climate assessments.
Dr. Richard Moss, Non-Resident Fellow, Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Richard H. Moss has contributed to numerous assessments. Moss is currently a non-resident fellow at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Previously he was a senior scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute, served as Director of the US Global Change Research Program, and Head of Technical Support for Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His publication record can be found at https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5005-0063.
*Moderator
Bernie Traversari, Director of Operations & Programs, SCB North America
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in non-profit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based non-profit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. He lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): From regional to local: scaling scientific assessments
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the third webinar in our series on scientific assessments. This session will explore how assessments can be scaled for different levels of use, along with the benefits of carrying out assessments at a more local level. In addition to speaker presentations, this session will also feature a Q&A session led by Bernie Traversari, SCBNA’s Director of Operations and Programs. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) Are Global & National-level Climate Assessments Useful for Local Decision-making?
Description: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports and the National Climate Assessment (NCA) are often hailed as key decisionmaking tools. But at what scale? The primary audience for the IPCC reports is its member (national) governments. And the primary audience for the NCA—as laid out in the Global Change Research Act of 1990—is Congress. It’s undeniable that the IPCC reports serve as trusted inputs to the international climate regime (e.g., the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) just as the NCA is often used as justification for new legislation or regulation at the federal level. In the 30+ years since the inception of each effort, however, the demand for more localized climate information has grown dramatically—and the science has largely been able to respond to that demand. The result has been increasingly comprehensive—and lengthy—reports with contributors increasingly questioning how best to get decisionmakers the type and scale of information they need.
Dr. Dave Reidmiller, Chief Impact Officer, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Dr. Dave Reidmiller is the Chief Impact Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute where he oversees the organization’s Education, Community, and Economic Development Departments as they pursue science-based, community-driven solutions throughout the Gulf of Maine region. Dave joined GMRI in 2020 to launch and lead a new Climate Center focused on delivering climate services to coastal and marine stakeholders. Soon after moving to Maine, Dave was appointed as a climate advisor to the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team. Prior joining GMRI, Dave served in a number of climate science policy positions in the federal government, including as Director of the Northeast & Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers at the U.S. Geological Survey, Director of the Fourth National Climate Assessment with the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, and as Chief Climate Scientist at the State Department where he led U.S. negotiations on science and technology for the Paris Agreement. Dave also served as a Fellow in the U.S. Senate and at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He has chaired Federal Advisory Councils and served on National Academies committees focused on applying climate science to address societal risks. He received his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington, his BA in chemistry from Colgate University, and is a native of Rochester, NY.
2) TBD
Description: Coming soon!
Dr. Patrick Keys, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University
Dr. Patrick Keys is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Boston University. He is also a Faculty Fellow with Computing & Data Sciences. His overarching aim is to explore how society will navigate climate and societal turbulence toward a sustainable and just future.
Pat’s research is highly interdisciplinary and is focused on a broad range of global challenges, including climate change futures, moisture recycling and society, and improving anticipation of Anthropocene change. To explore these topics, his research group uses climate data and models, societal simulations, and creative futures methods. Prior to joining Boston University, Pat served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. Previously, Pat founded an environmental consultancy that worked with local and international partners. In collaboration with different partners, he explored food security in the UAE, the link between drought and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, and climate change adaptation and mitigation in Fort Collins.
Pat serves the scientific community in leadership activities, including as a Lead Author in the USGS Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment, working with various UN agencies, and the co-founder of the International Moisture Recycling Research Network.
3) TBD
Description: Coming soon!
Dr. Christine J. Kirchhoff, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Law, Policy and Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University
Dr. Kirchhoff is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of Law, Policy and Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. A leader in the field of infrastructure resilience, climate adaptation, and research to impact, Dr. Kirchhoff’s research focuses on advancing both theory and practice of infrastructure resilience, adaptation, transdisciplinary research, science-policy interactions and the governance and management of water and climate.
*Moderator
Bernie Traversari, Director of Operations & Programs, SCB North America
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in non-profit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based non-profit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. He lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
Winter 2025: A Conversation on State Wildlife Agencies and SCBNA Policy
Recordings & Resources Below
The Policy Committee of the Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA) hosted a five-part webinar series discussing contemporary issues of U.S. state wildlife agencies during the winter of 2025. The series reviewed current agency characteristics; agency reform efforts; the “North American Model of Wildlife Conservation”; and controversial key issues surrounding purpose, changing public wildlife values, funding, governance, protecting the public wildlife trust, and ethical decision making.
Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): State Wildlife Agencies in a Changing World
WEBINAR RECORDING (and attendee questions)
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the first webinar in our series focusing on the North American Model for Conservation & the work of state wildlife agencies. This session will provide a brief introduction to our series alongside an overview of the work of state agencies, plus proposed reforms. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) Introduction to the Webinar Series
Abstract: The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an international professional organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of conserving the Earth’s biological diversity. The North America Section of SCB (SCBNA) represents the North American continent north of Mexico, including Canada and the United States. Part of SCBNA’s mission is to provide a venue to connect diverse students and professionals to advance and apply conservation knowledge. With this in mind, the SCBNA’s Policy Committee is hosting this webinar series focused on U.S. state wildlife agencies. The idea is to develop a set of “guiding principles,” relevant to contemporary issues and challenges facing wildlife agencies, when the Policy Committee recommends endorsing (or not) wildlife conservation and management policies, regulations, or actions of state wildlife agencies.
Lauren Jonaitis, Vice President of Policy & Programs, SCB North America
Lauren Jonaitis’ background includes science communication, environmental permitting/policy, land use planning and coastal ecology. Previously, she worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in the Imperiled Species Management Section where she worked to reduce artificial light pollution impacts to sea turtles and their nesting habitat. She then moved to the private sector where she was an Environmental / Coastal Scientist, focusing on environmental permitting and dune restoration/maintenance efforts. Currently she serves as the Senior Conservation Director for Tropical Audubon Society where she is responsible for strengthening Tropical Audubon’s policy capacity for conservation efforts, and for deepening engagement with local, state, and federal governments to enhance Tropical Audubon’s conservation impact. This includes developing Tropical Audubon’s influence in Miami Dade County (MDC) conservation policy for the organization’s strategic focal areas: Bird Conservation, Everglades Protection and Restoration, Biscayne Bay, Smart Growth and Climate Change.
Lauren received her bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the State University of New York at Oswego and an M.S. in Biology with a focus in Conservation Biology and Population Ecology from Bowling Green State University. She enjoys anything to do with wildlife and nature, traveling, art, meditation, horseback riding and currently resides in Miami, Florida.
2) Sight, Seeing, and Stewardship: The Work of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Abstract: The first state fish and wildlife agency was established in 1865. The past 150 years chronicles an enduring legacy of conservation success based on unique authorities, responsibilities, and funding. The seminal science of Aldo Leopold and others focused on habitat management and restoration for species of particular interest to hunting and angling constituencies; thereby shaping early conservation policy by nascent state agencies. In recent decades, we have seen broader missions and mandates (e.g., wildlife diversity), new conservation paradigms focused on landscapes, fish and wildlife health, human health, new governance practices or tools for citizen engagement, and explicit stateside and federal advocacy for broader funding for the full suite of species under state authority. State agencies provide a host of nature-based benefits for the human experience, from places to recreate to clean air and water, with healthy and thriving fish and wildlife populations at the fore of the management imperative. Changing public values and expectations, driven in part by an urban experience, create space for meaningful and relevant engagement with new customers and constituencies.
Ronald Regan, Executive Director, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Ron Regan is now in his 15th year as the Executive Director for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He has a strong professional interest in conservation history and the future relevance of conservation institutions in the United States and Canada. Ron is a certified wildlife biologist, and a professional member of The Wildlife Society and the Boone and Crockett Club.
3) Reforming State Wildlife Management to Address Today’s Conservation Crisis
Abstract: In the U.S., states rather than the federal government have primary jurisdiction over wildlife and so are the first line of defense against biodiversity loss. However, state wildlife laws and institutions have changed little since they were established more than a century ago, when wild animals were primarily valued as resources for human use, and consumptive users–hunters, anglers and trappers–were considered the most important stakeholders. Under the current system, some game species have recovered, but many more species have declined. Reform is needed to align state wildlife management with modern science, changing public attitudes, public trust principles, democratic norms, and to address the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
Kevin Bixby, Founder and Senior Advisor, Wildlife for All
Kevin Bixby has dedicated his life to advocating for wild animals and places. He is the Founder and currently Senior Advisor at Wildlife for All. Before that he was the founder and executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center, which he led for 30 years. After realizing that wildlife advocates were fighting the same battles in every state, he launched Wildlife for All in 2021, a national campaign focused on addressing the underlying systemic problems with wildlife governance in every state. He received a BS in Biology from Dartmouth College, and a MS in Natural Resources Policy at the University of Michigan. He lives in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico.
*Moderator
Bernie Traversari, Director of Operations & Programs, SCB North America
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in non-profit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based non-profit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. He lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
Wednesday, Jan 29, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): The North American Model of Conservation
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the second webinar in our series focusing on the North American Model for Conservation & the work of state wildlife agencies. This session will provide a brief introduction to the North American Model of Conservation and calls for change. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Origins and Purpose
Abstract: The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is a concept developed originally by Valerius Geist to describe the key legal and policy initiatives that collectively distinguished wildlife conservation in Canada and the United States from other forms worldwide. It is not a compendium of all conservation measures; it arose out of Geist’s experiences on other continents, and the threats he perceived would arise from efforts to commercialize and privatize wildlife in North America. Numerous false narratives have transmogrified the concept, and led to general misunderstanding of its origin and purpose.
John Organ, Chief Emeritus, USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
John Organ is the former chief of the USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit program. He currently serves as the professional wildlife scientist on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board. He is a past-president, honorary member, and Fellow of The Wildlife Society, which awarded him the Aldo Leopold Medal in 2020. He also received the George Bird Grinnell Award for lifetime contributions by the Wildlife Management Institute, and the Meritorious Service Award from the Department of the Interior. He has adjunct professorship appointments at UMass Amherst, Michigan State University, Virginia Tech, and Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile.
2) The North American Model of Conservation: Calls for Change
Abstract: Recently, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM) has endured a number of critiques by wildlife scholars. At the same time, the proposed role of the NAM in wildlife policy has expanded. In this presentation I’ll review some of the historical, ethical, and philosophical critiques of the NAM.
Michael Paul Nelson, Professor, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University
Michael Paul Nelson is a Professor of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, and the Director of the Center for the Future of Forests and Society in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. From 2012-2022 he held the Ruth H. Spaniol Chair of Renewable Resources and served as the Lead Principal Investigator for the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. He is the author or editor of 4 books and ~250 professional and popular articles on a wide variety of topics and drawing upon philosophical ethics, social science, history, wildlife ecology, and creative practice.
*Moderator
Bernie Traversari, Director of Operations & Programs, SCB North America
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in non-profit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based non-profit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. He lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
Thursday, Feb 13, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): State Wildlife Agencies, Wildlife Conservation and Management: Crystal Ball Gazing
WEBINAR RECORDING & RESOURCES PAGE
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the third webinar in our series focusing on the North American Model for Conservation & the work of state wildlife agencies. This session will explore the concept of “conservation,” cultural shifts regarding conservation in the USA, and future funding for state wildlife agencies. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) Words and Purpose Matter: What is “Conservation”?
Abstract: Disagreements over wildlife management often center on different perspectives of purpose and goals. Language used to describe purpose and set goals ought to be clearly defined and jointly understood among stakeholders and decision makers. Unfortunately, because language meanings differ, discussants often talk past each other, and consequently, consensus decisions rarely are reached, polarization among stakeholders grows, and agency progress grinds to a halt. Wildlife agencies would benefit by carefully defining key words and avoiding euphemisms. For example, I suggest redefining “conservation” — because of its paramount role in state wildlife agency work — with a contemporary purpose informed by current science, environmental contexts and the intergenerational connection to the public wildlife trust. This requires modifying the historic meaning that conservation is “science-informed actions to sustain the human use of resources,” the definition that remains operational for many agency managers, hunters and anglers. Such “wise use” definitions have limited agency purpose and from their adopting broader biodiversity goals. I offer a conservation definition for state wildlife agencies as a starting point for SCBNA discussion: *Conservation: Science-informed actions to preserve the health and resiliency of natural environments, safeguard the intrinsic value of non-human nature, and provide equitable benefits to current and future generations of people and other-than-human life. These actions include protecting and restoring air, soil, water, biological diversity, ecosystem processes and evolutionary potential*.
Fred Koontz, Retired Wildlife Biologist & Policy Committee Member, SCB North America
Fred Koontz retired after a diverse wildlife career. He worked at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo while obtaining his Ph.D. in ethology from the University of Maryland. Appointments included: Mammal Curator and Science Resource Center Director, Wildlife Conservation Society; Vice President, Wildlife Trust (now EcoHealth Alliance); Adjunct Professor and founding member of Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation; and Vice-President of Field Conservation, Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA). His field work focused on endangered species recovery, including projects in the U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia. From 2011 to 2022, Fred collaborated with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on nongame and habitat recovery, and in 2021 he served on the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission. Fred currently serves as Board President of Wildlands Network, as an Advisory Committee Member for Wildlife for All, and as a Fellow at PAN Works, an ethics think tank dedicated to animal wellbeing.
2) The North American Model in the Context of Cultural Shift in the U.S.
Abstract: Policy institutions are a reflection of social values. In that regard, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is consistent with the prevailing utilitarian ideology of the time-period in which it was born. A century ago, wildlife were for harvest, and access was for all, not just the elite. Yet a remarkable transition of values in the U.S. has led to broad-based social change. This shift has created division and turmoil over topics ranging from presidential elections to how we manage wildlife. The shift was driven by the remarkable economic growth and subsequent modernization following World War II. It has changed the needs of people and the broad goals (i.e., values) that direct their behavior. In the case of wildlife management in North America, change was noticeable beginning in the 1970s when participation in hunting and fishing started to decline, a trend that has persisted to the present day. Our research shows that, at root, this change occurred due to a fundamental shift in values toward wildlife, from domination (animals are for human use) to mutualism (animals are part of our social community). The shift is associated with modernization and varies by state. In consideration of the implications of this change, we examined the broad array of benefits across different segments of the public that arise through human interactions with wildlife. The challenge for wildlife agencies will be in how to retain a consumptive focus while also embracing new programs and services that attend to the diversity of interests and desired benefits of the American public. Such a response is consistent with democratic principles and critical for creating a broad-based constituency, supportive of wildlife conservation, in the future.
Michael Manfredo, Professor, Colorado State University
Dr. Michael J. Manfredo is a Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. He was Department Head there for 25 years, transitioning the program from recreation to its current social science focus. His research, teaching, and outreach activities focus on the role of social science in natural resource management. His theoretical focus is on applying attitude and value theory to conservation issues and advancing social science interdisciplinarity. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in a wide variety of natural resource journals such as Nature Sustainability, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He was the founding co-editor of the journal Human Dimensions of Wildlife. He co-edited several books including Wildlife and Society: The Science of Human Dimensions, which received The Wildlife Society Award for Best Edited Book in 2008. He is also author of the book Who Cares About Wildlife: Social Science Concepts for Exploring Human-Wildlife Relationships and Conservation Issues. He introduced the ongoing “America’s Wildlife Values” assessment and is currently leading a group of 30+ scientists who are doing a global assessment of biodiversity values.
Tara Teel, Professor, Colorado State University
Dr. Tara L. Teel is a Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University (CSU). Her work focuses on improving conservation decision-making through understanding human thought and behavior and building social science capacity among conservation professionals. Much of her research has been devoted to examining human-wildlife relationships in the U.S. and globally, with a particular focus on employing concepts and methodologies from social psychology to study human values toward wildlife, attitudes and behaviors toward wildlife-related issues, and the social factors underlying human-wildlife conflict. She works closely with conservation agencies and organizations in the application of social science to inform their planning, management, and communication efforts. She also served as President of the Social Science Working Group of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) 2009-2014. She has organized a number of social science trainings for practitioners, including a human dimensions certification program for wildlife professionals in North America, social science short courses for SCB annual meetings, and a training program emphasizing best practices in protected area management and conservation social science for forest service officers in India. Professor Teel received her Ph.D. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from CSU and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from Utah State University.
3) State Wildlife Agency Funding: How can we ensure funding for all wildlife and all people?
Abstract: State fish and wildlife agency budgets fall vastly short of the needs of wildlife. Nearly all agencies still rely on hunting and fishing user fees, instead of support from all citizens who all benefit. It is time for greater and more diversified funding. Only then can our agencies fully meet the needs of all wildlife and all its citizens. Several states serve as models and we will explore the limits of current funding and recommend a path towards robust, reliable, diversified and public financing.
Naomi Edelson, Senior Director, Wildlife Partnerships, National Wildlife Federation
Naomi is an inspirational leader in the wildlife conservation community who is gifted at building movements of people inspired to action. She is respected for convening coalitions and motivating teams for success, as well as being an innovator in the field, creating new practical tools and expert guidance. As Senior Director for Wildlife Partnerships at National Wildlife Federation, she leads their partnerships with state wildlife agencies and other state based partners to secure greater funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered, including legislative, communications, grassroots and coalition building elements of the campaign. On the federal side this includes the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act campaign (www.nwf.org/recoveringamericaswildlife). Naomi has also developed a toolkit for wildlife leaders on “Strengthening State Wildlife Agencies” (http://statewildlifetoolkit.nwf.org/) that includes securing state-level funding for wildlife with numerous tips, tools, and case studies. She led efforts with state and federal wildlife and natural resource agencies to incorporate climate change into their conservation planning. This included creating and co-leading three expert work groups including natural and nature-based features for resiliency, climate-smart conservation, and vulnerability assessment which led to award-winning guidance reports and associated trainings. She developed the first climate change adaptation webinar series for natural resource managers in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Before working with NWF, Naomi raised more than $1 billion U.S. dollars in new conservation funding through her work as the Teaming with Wildlife Director at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. She initiated and directed all aspects of Teaming with Wildlife, a national grassroots coalition of more than 6,000 groups focused on securing federal funding for state-level wildlife conservation.
Naomi is a wildlife biologist with a M.S. from the University of Florida where she studied wading birds and wetlands, and a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
*Moderator
Bernie Traversari, Director of Operations & Programs, SCB North America
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in non-profit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based non-profit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. He lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): Wildlife Agency Decision Making
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the fourth webinar in our series focusing on the North American Model for Conservation & the work of state wildlife agencies. This session will explore governance and policymaking processes for state wildlife agencies, including incorporating Two-eyed Seeing, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and ethics as part of said processes. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) Successful Wildlife Conservation Requires Good Governance
Abstract: Public wildlife management in the United States is transforming as agencies seek relevancy to broader constituencies. State agencies in the United States, while tasked with conserving wildlife for all beneficiaries of the wildlife trust, have tended to manage for a limited range of benefits in part due to a narrow funding model heavily dependent on hunting, fishing, and trapping license buyers. To best meet the needs, interests, and concerns of a broader suite of beneficiaries, agencies will need to reconsider how priorities for management are set. This presents an opportunity for conservation program design and evaluation to be elevated in importance. Success in wildlife conservation in the U.S. requires assessment of both decision-making processes and management results in relation to four questions: conservation of what, under what authority, for what purposes, and for whom?
Emily Pomeranz, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
Emily is an assistant professor of human dimensions of wildlife in Michigan State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Her research interests include public participation in wildlife conservation decision making,, public trust resource management, and good governance. She conducts applied research, engagement, and outreach activities aimed at supplementing the professional training of natural resource practitioners with new sources of knowledge in a manner that is sensitive to, and accounts for, real experiences and limitations that professionals face. Before coming to MSU, Emily was a research social scientist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Emily continues to work closely with the Michigan DNR, as her position is supported through a collaboration between the DNR and MSU, the Partnership for Ecosystem Research & Management.
2) Predator science, preservation v. conservation, and public trust principles
Abstract: Predator policies cast a stark light on biodiversity protection in North America. Predators are difficult to live alongside. Therefore, they test our resolve to prevent extinction and protect ecosystem health. Predator protection exposes the tension between values and evidence. Personal opinions and politics regularly muddle the considerations of evidence relating to predator ecology and behavior. In parallel, scientific status assessments and predictions about predators regularly lead to a mistaken assumption that we must follow the science. Science does not tell us what we should do; nor do values tell us what has been or will be the state of nature. I give an example relating to removal of wolves intended to protect domestic animals. I present a summary of 6 studies from 6 countries that is rapidly becoming the scientific consensus outside of North America — namely that removing wolves does not often protect domestic animals. Why then is wolf-killing on the rise? I explore this question by discussing the misunderstood relationship between preservation and conservation. I also examine how public trust thinking can clarify how we should consider both preservation and conservation as two sides of the coin of the public wildlife trust in US common law. The contest between preservation (protect for the future) and conservation (wise use) was characterized by the political winners of a public policy debate. I propose conservation has been co-opted to be more use than wisdom, while the former was caricatured as ‘museum -style preservation untouched by time’. Public trust thinking makes the tension between preservation for the future and current uses clearer. Public trust thinking treats nature as held in trust for future generations of all life, the government is our trustee, and the trustee’s duty is transparent, even-handed obligation to preservation first. Coming in second, use of biodiversity has lower priority and the trustee’s duty is to equitable distribution of benefits to the broadest public uses before private interests. ‘Public trust preservation first’ applies to predators and all of biodiversity.
Adrian Treves, Professor, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Adrian focuses on ecology, scientific integrity, public trust principles, and agro-ecosystems where crops and domestic animals overlap carnivore habitat. He and his lab http://faculty.nelson.wisc.edu/treves/ have authored >160 scientific articles which are free on the latter website. They are best known for our gold-standard experiments on non-lethal prevention of predation on domestic animals, estimates of illegal wolf-killing and cryptic poaching, and our work on risk maps to predict human-carnivore conflict sites.
3) Wildlife Policymaking: Facts, Values, and Ethical Decisions
Abstract: Wildlife policy in North America is often framed as science-driven, but in reality, it is shaped by deeply held moral values. Values guide not only policy but also the scientific process itself, influencing which questions are asked and which facts are considered. Effective policy must integrate ethics and science through deliberative processes that address both values and facts transparently. No dispute over wildlife and biodiversity illustrates this more than whether to coexist with wolves. Wolves pose minimal threats yet are persecuted for cultural and political reasons, underscoring the importance of recognizing their intrinsic value as scientifically-acknowledged self-conscious, sentient, social beings. We need new paradigms of conservation that recognize the intrinsic value of wild lives, and understand that public policy needs both ethics and science. Compassionate conservation and multispecies justice are two emergent paradigms that do just that
William Lynn, Founder, PAN Works
Bill specializes in animal and sustainability ethics as they interface with public policy. Exploring why and how we ought to care for people, animals and nature, this is practical research translating insights from his interdisciplinary training in ethics, geography and political theory into public dialogues over moral problems.
Graduating from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a bachelors in political science and a doctorate in geography, he is a research scientist in the Marsh Institute at Clark University, a research fellow at the social science think-tank Knology, and a graduate professor in the Anthrozoology program at Canisius University. He is also the founder of PAN Works, an independent non-partisan centre for ethics and policy dedicated to the wellbeing of animals.
Through his many academic and popular publications he has written about wolf recovery, outdoor cats and biodiversity, barred and northern spotted owls, the Canadian seal hunt, cosmopolitanism, the Earth Charter, compassionate conservation, precaution, rewilding, sustainability science, and urban ecology.
Bill also serves as an ethics advisor and facilitator, helping the nonprofit and public sectors make better policy decisions by using ethics. This work includes ethics-based facilitation and training, expert opinions and research briefs, ethics framing and strategic planning, and keynote presentations.
Francisco Santiago-Ávila, Science & Advocacy Director, Washington Wildlife First
Dr. Francisco Santiago-Ávila is an interdisciplinary scientist and animal advocate.
In addition to serving as Washington Wildlife First’s science and advocacy director, Fran is a founding member, board clerk, and fellow at PANWorks, an ethics and policy center dedicated to animal wellbeing.
Fran holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, where he studied political science and economics, after which he earned master’s degrees in public policy and environmental management from Duke University. He received his Ph.D. in environmental and resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also served as an associate lecturer and as a postdoctoral research associate at the school’s Carnivore Coexistence Lab. Most recently, he served as the Science & Ethics Manager at Project Coyote.
4) Incorporating Two-eyed Seeing and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Abstract: Coming soon!
Julie Thorstenson, Executive Director, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society
Dr. Julie Thorstenson (Lakota) is the Executive Director for the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society. She grew up on a cattle ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in Northcentral SD, where a love for the land and the environment was instilled in her. Dr. Thorstenson earned a B.S., M.S. and PhD in biological sciences from South Dakota State University. Her research focused on cottonwood site selection using GIS for riparian restoration and incorporating culture into ethics education for scientists and engineers. Dr. Thorstenson has worked in Indian Country her entire career in various positions, including Wildlife Habitat Biologist and Health Department CEO for her tribe. She currently lives on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota with her husband and three children.
*Moderator
Sylvia Fallon, Senior Director, Science Integration, Science Office, NRDC
Sylvia Fallon is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who has been working at the interface of science and policy for nearly two decades. Much of her work at NRDC has focused on securing protections for endangered wildlife species such as gray wolves, whitebark pine, and monarch butterflies. Fallon also ensures that science is integrated into the development of NRDC’s policy positions and decision-making. Prior to joining NRDC, Fallon was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, San Diego, and a PhD from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 (12-1:30 PM PST): Success Stories & Best Practices in State Wildlife Conservation
Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the fifth webinar in our series, focusing on success stories and best practices in state wildlife conservation. This session will introduce attendees to the basics of state wildlife action plans – including key examples – and will provide an overview of state agencies’ record of success in wildlife conservation. For more information on our speakers, please continue reading below:
Presentation Topics & Speakers:
1) Introduction to State Wildlife Action Plans 101
Abstract: In 2000 congress dedicated new funds for wildlife conservation through the state wildlife grants program. In order to receive these funds, congress required states and territories to develop and submit wildlife action plans by 2005. To continue to receive these funds, states and territories must submit revisions at least every ten years. The following principles provide the foundation for the development and implementation of the wildlife action plans:
- Element 1 directs each State to identify a set of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), which include those species that have low populations or are in decline.
- Element 2 directs them to identify the habitats essential to the conservation of those SGCN. Elements 1 and 2 together provide the foundation for assessing threats (Element 3) and prioritizing conservation actions (Element 4).
- Element 3 directs each state to identify threats to its SGCN and the habitats on which they depend.
- Element 4 directs them to identify the conservation actions needed to address those threats.
- Element 5 requires States to describe their plan for monitoring focal species and habitats and the effectiveness of conservation actions
- Element 6 establishes the requirement for States to review and revise their SWAP at least every 10 years. Finally,
- Elements 7 and 8 direct States to develop, review, and implement SWAPs in conjunction with conservation partners and with broad public participation.
For 25 years state wildlife action plans have guided recovery of threatened and endangered species, stabilized and reversed populations of declining species, and protected key habitats. They have helped launch numerous collaborations and leveraged conservation investments at local, state, regional and national levels. As the next generations of these plans are nearing completion, conservationist will have new opportunities to help implement them.
John Kanter, Senior Wildlife Biologist, National Wildlife Federation
With over 30 years of experience, John works to ensure that NWF programs reflect the best available science and latest practices in wildlife biology and management. Prior to joining NWF in 2017, John worked for 25 years at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department where he developed the state’s nongame and endangered wildlife section, growing it from a one-person program to a team of 10 biologists. By applying sound science and establishing effective public-private partnerships, his team restored populations of the Karner blue butterfly, roseate tern, Blanding’s turtle, New England cottontail and other at-risk species. As past chair and member of the NEAFWA Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee, John was instrumental in establishing the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs program and launching several multi-state conservation efforts aimed at preventing species from needing federal listing.
2) Agency Evolution and Record of Success
Abstract: State Fish and Wildlife agencies began in many states more than 150 years ago. They have grown and changed frequently over that time, adapting to changes in conservation demands and public interest. While the journey has not always been smooth, it has created a legacy of conservation success. As new challenges emerge and the need to recognize and address a biodiversity crisis has increased, agencies need to lean into those conservation successes, develop new partnerships, and implement conservation at landscape scales. Agencies are uniquely positioned to meet these conservation challenges and balance changing societal views and wildlife needs.
Jenny Dickson, Director, Wildlife Division, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Jenny Dickson is the Director of the Wildlife Division with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP). A certified Wildlife Biologist, Jenny has extensive experience in wildlife conservation, management, and communication having served as the supervisor for the Wildlife Diversity and Outreach Programs. She specializes in threatened and endangered species, songbirds, inland and freshwater wetland birds, reptiles and amphibians, and small mammals, including bats and in public education, watchable wildlife recreation, landscape-scale conservation, and human-wildlife conflicts. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation with a specialty in wildlife from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management from West Virginia University. Jenny has also worked as a research biologist for the federal Environmental Protection Agency on a songbird toxicology study and as an environmental educator for the DEEP. She has served as vice-chair of the Northeast Partners in Flight Working Group, president of the New England Chapter of The Wildlife Society, served as chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Bat Working Group, and chaired the Northeast Fish & Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee, and is the current chair of AFWA’s Wildlife Diversity and Conservation Funding Committee. She also assisted the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies with a Blue-Ribbon Panel exploring long-term conservation funding and is actively engaged in supporting those efforts. The Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society named her the 2023 John Pearce Memorial Award recipient in recognition of her outstanding professional accomplishments in wildlife conservation in the Northeast.
3) Increasing engagement for the revision and implementation of Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan
Abstract: Georgia began a comprehensive revision of their State Wildlife Action Plan in October 2022. Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) were identified by technical teams using species occurrence data and range maps, a standardized threat classification framework, the NatureServe ranking methodology, and expert input. Species that met criteria for SGCN status were assigned to a priority tier based upon their status within Georgia, the importance of Georgia’s populations to the global conservation of the species, and the amount of information available to identify conservation needs. After prioritization, technical team members identified conservation actions and habitat requirements for each SGCN. Other technical teams focused on habitats and broader conservation themes such as climate change and outreach. Our GIS team developed specific web applications to make SWAP information more accessible, including a Conservation Opportunity Area viewer, A Priority Watershed viewer, a Conservation Action Tracker, and regional SWAP Story Maps. A Draft SWAP was shared with the general public during spring 2025 along with a specific survey designed to capture input as well as information on the utility of the SWAP to stakeholders and everyday citizens. Georgia DNR is in the process of finalizing the SWAP based upon public input and plans to submit the final plan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approval in June. Georgia DNR has involved over 100 different organizations on SWAP technical teams and an advisory committee. Robust engagement is essential for the SWAP revision process to ensure broad support, collaboration and resource sharing during SWAP implementation.
Brett Albanese, Chief, Wildlife Conservation Section,Georgia Department of Natural Resources
I was born in Fairport, NY where I developed a strong interest in fishes through fishing and the aquarium hobby. I moved to Raleigh, NC as a teenager where I worked in aquarium shops and converted my bedroom to a Cichlid breeding lab. I went to N.C. State, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, and Virginia Tech to work on taxonomy, life history, and conservation of fishes. Beyond grad school, I have had the great fortune to study fishes in Trinidad and the Peruvian Amazon. I have worked at Georgia DNR since 2003 as a Biologist, Program Manager, and Assistant Chief in the Wildlife Conservation Section (formerly Nongame Conservation). DNR projects have included updating our protected species regulations and rules that prohibit the possession of invasive species, surveys and long-term monitoring for rare fishes and participation in partnerships that facilitate recovery of listed and other at-risk species. My current position focuses on revising Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, which has to be updated every 10 years. I have a 18-year old son who loves to fish and hunt and a 23 year old daughter that is always ready for a hike in the great outdoors. I still have a love of fishes and fishing, but I have recently become obsessed with birding.
*Moderator
Corina Newsome, Conservation Scientist, National Wildlife Federation
Corina Newsome is a wildlife conservation scientist dedicated to the integration of environmental justice and conservation science, policy, and practice. Corina earned her bachelor’s degree in zoo and wildlife biology from Malone University and, after several years as an animal care professional, went on to earn her master’s degree in biology from Georgia Southern University.
With a specific passion for avian conservation, Corina’s research focuses on answering landscape ecology questions that help us better understand how we can help birds and other wildlife thrive in a changing world. Corina’s fascination with birds extends beyond her research and into the communities where she lives and works, serving as beautiful vehicles through which she connects herself and others to the world around them.
In addition to her work as a wildlife scientist, Corina is committed to increasing the representation and visibility of Black science professionals for the next generation of STEM experts, and centering the leadership and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color in wildlife conservation, environmental education, and exploration of the natural world.
