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CONFERENCE OVERVIEW Sunday, May 18th: Field trip From the top of a mountain to the heart of the city, the Wildlands pre-conference field trip offered a broad view of wildlife projects in Atlanta. On Sunday, May 18, many participants undertook a trip to the Davidson-Arabia Nature Preserve, Dekalb County Parks and Recreational Department, and Centennial Park, Atlanta. The Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve nurtures a surprising amount of flora and fauna on its seemingly barren rock, including the endangered black-spored quill wort (Isoletes melanospora), for which it is one of the eight known homes in the world. After a climb to the summit followed by photo-taking and question-answering, the field trippers boarded the bus for the Centennial Park, created especially as a gathering place during the Olympics, right in the heart of Atlanta. A central feature of the area is the Centennial Tree, a century-old pecan tree, which was moved from another Atlanta location expressly to the Park. The Park now visually and physically links downtown Atlanta's hotel and convention areas, while providing a pleasant area for visitors and residents alike. Monday, May 19th: Plenary and Technical Sessions After an early continental breakfast and registration, Wildlands participants were welcomed to two days of "Exceeding Expectations." The opening speakers emphasized the importance of non-game wildlife resources and of cooperation and partnership in promoting wildlife conservation and protection. David Waller, Director of the Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, opened the conference by noting that, for wildlife resources partnerships, the "...whole is greater than the sum of the parts." He discussed the value of funding mechanisms like Teaming with Wildlife, deriving from a 5 percent excise tax on materials related to non-game species utilization, which support conservation of non-game species. Jim Miller, Vice President, The Wildlife Society, talked about the underlying principles-"promoting sound stewardship, preventing human end-use activity degradation, and increasing wildlife values"-supporting the Society's 9,600 wildlife professionals. He lauded the many partnerships and volunteer efforts which enhance the Society's conservation activities. Bill Howard, President, The Wildlife Habitat Council, emphasized that rapid rates of change in regulation, communication and management-especially in the manner in which companies relate to employees and the larger community-are substantially shifting the way we get things done. Howard pointed out that collaboration is increasingly necessary to meeting expectations because natural resources partnerships can remove the capital, human, and technical resource shortfalls and help us exceed our goals. Following these welcoming remarks, three guest speakers, from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), presented their views on the heightened role that ecosystem protection plays in contemporary regulatory practice and in corporate strategies. James "Jim" R. Lyons, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, USDA, spoke of the dramatic increase in the general public's perception of the value of wildlife resources, as reflected by a diversity of recreational and educational activities. He noted that, because USDA policies affect 80 percent of the nation's land base, the agency must be active in wildlife habitat conservation. Currently about one-half of USDA employees work on conservation-related issues in programs such as the Conservation Buffer Initiative, Conservation Reserve Plans (CRPs), and the Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to landowners. In conjunction with the Wildlife Habitat Council the agency is sponsoring Backyard Conservation, providing information and assistance to homeowners on tree planting, food plots, shelters and other wildlife enhancement opportunities. In Lyons' view, these programs help to expand conservation from agricultural to urban lands, erasing the lines drawn across the landscape by "..moving the countryside to the backyard, which is a great place to start." Mike McGhee, Director, Water Management Division, US EPA, noted the ways in which the EPA already manages for habitat, noting that the agency understands that it "...must protect what is pristine now," before these areas are subject to degradation. He noted that as part of the Clean Water Act the protection of aquatic habitat has moved beyond the water's edge to upland habitat as the agency works to reduce nonpoint source pollution. McGhee explained the EPA's new Community-Based Environmental Protection (CBEP) approach that establishes strategic, management, and evaluation goals for ecosystem protection. The CBEP program has received a high level of internal investment and demonstrates the agency's evolution from regulating single media (such as air or water) to coordinated regional management. The session's final speaker, Kathryn Jackson, Executive Vice President, Resource Group, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), began by asking "...what corporate environmental management strategy has to do with the competitive marketplace." She answered this question by describing the evolution of TVA's role from a provider of power and jobs to a regional development agency that is concerned about spreading efficiencies and developing programs affecting the entire watershed. This broader approach blends TVA's mission to control floods, aid navigation, and generate power with an embedded environmental strategy. Following this opening plenary, participants augmented their knowledge of wildlife management practices and technologies in a series of concurrent educational sessions offered throughout the day. Topics ranged from Wetlands and Wildlife, to New Directions in Wildlife Management to Animal Control Techniques. Session summaries are provided. Sam Hamilton, United States Fish & Wildlife Service (the Service), prefaced his luncheon remarks on the much-embattled Endangered Species Act (ESA) by assuring that, contrary to the maxim that "...no good deed goes unpunished," good land stewardship should not tie the hands of landowners in the future. Because the ESA has come under fire, especially with regard to property rights, the Service is taking steps to make the ESA much more landowner-friendly. Programs such as Safe Harbor, Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and No Take Memoranda-of-Understanding (MOUs) feature incentives to encourage landowners to manage for listed species without proscribing them from other actions. Hamilton explained how, under the terms of a No Take MOU, a forest products company might manage for endangered red-cockaded woodpecker populations, but still get assurances from the Service that a pre-determined amount of land would be exempted from "takings" provisions (ie, could be harvested). The goal is to allow landowners to manage for listed species under ESA guidelines without fear of reprisal. Hamilton noted that this change in approach and attitude at the Service is encouraged "...from Secretary [of the Interior Bruce] Babbitt on down." The Wildlands Banquet At the Wildlands Banquet on Monday evening, Dr. Merlin Tuttle, founder and executive director of Bat Conservation International, gave an inspiring lecture and slide presentation about his work with these fascinating creatures. He regaled his audience with interesting slides, stories and facts about bats. He spoke about their relationships to humans, the atrocities they have suffered due to our irrational fears and ignorance, the economic benefits that they provide, especially in the area of pest control, fruit pollination and seed dispersal, and about successful conservation endeavors which are helping to preserve the various species. Perhaps most important, his recollections of personal experiences gave vivid illustrations of successful partnerships among industry, environmental groups, government agencies and the general public. For example, by eschewing confrontation and by collaborating with the mining industry, Bat Conservation International has had a positive impact on the way in which abandoned mines--of particular appeal to bats as habitat--can be managed over the long term with that species' wellbeing in mind. Using his vibrant experiences as illustration, he preached a strong message to "...convert potential enemies into real allies through a high level of trust...," the establishment of mutual goals, solid communication, and motivation grounded in "the right thing to do." Tuesday, May 20th: The Case Studies Participants spent the entire second day analyzing three case studies, each describing a specific natural resource management challenge (see case summaries). They separated into small groups in order to work through the elements of success, inherent challenges, and future opportunities and concerns associated with each situation. In the late afternoon, all of the participants reconvened in the larger group to draw general, broad, principles from their work. As an introduction to the case study process, WHC Southeast Regional Office Director Dexter Mead presented WHC's Cooper River Corridor Project as a model. Mead described how, through the linking of voluntary wildlife habitat projects on corporate property into a large collaborative effort, an ecosystem wide partnership for conservation in the Cooper River Basin had been achieved. He noted that elements of success included the strong leadership provided by the steering committee, chaired by Amoco Corporation, coordination of vision, adequate financial and technical resources, and demonstrable, measurable projects. The project also had built solid communication channels to help resolve conflicts that arose along the way. Recently, at the behest of the Mayor of Charleston, a formal Cooper River Commission had been formed to draft a long-term comprehensive plan for the region, thus institutionalizing the voluntary partnership process. At lunch, Barbara Price, vice president, Health, Environment, and Safety, Phillips Petroleum, spoke about the evolution of corporate environmentalism from legalistic-acting to avoid litigation and fines-to business-like-driven by value-added investments. This change is encouraging many companies to undertake voluntary wildlife habitat projects because they contribute to asset value, employee morale, and community relationships in a positive, genuine way. Ms. Price underscored the importance of voluntary corporate wildlife habitat projects by reminding us that significant change often begins with "...small steps, the little things that feel good." She emphasized that to be embraced these programs must be easily understood, showing measurable, definable outcomes that are win-win-win--a victory for company, community, and environment. She warned that a pre-requisite to any environmental philanthropy is a properly run Environment, Health, and Safety department--all of the contributions in the world won't cover a company's deficiencies in that area. WHC President Bill Howard closed the conference by summarizing the key findings of the participants which emphasized the important role that natural resources partnerships play in the environmental health of any region. He underscored the idea that sustainable enterprise involves "...rolling more out of the door than just products." He reminded all of us that successful wildlife habitat conservation partnerships will identify a common vision for a region, allow for a broad participation, be easily understood and communicated to the larger public, and result in genuine change.
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