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Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This report contains results from the survey in Missouri. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Missouri Department of Conservation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Missouri Department of Conservation

La traduccion del articulo, Social science for conservation in working landscapes and seascapes, publicado en Frontiers in Conservation Science (https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2022.954930)

Private land management is an essential component of bird conservation. How private landowners manage their farms, rangelands, forests, and yards, influences the resources and hazards birds encounter, with associated impacts on bird abundance. We describe 6 principles, based on recent research, that conservation practitioners should incorporate into their bird conservation efforts with landowners: (1) use social and natural science and stakeholder input to decide how and where to work; (2) tailor strategies to local ecological and social conditions; (3) build relationships and support landowner interests; (4) reduce barriers to participation; (5) offer a menu of options to support landowner conservation behavior; and (6) promote persistence of landowner conservation behavior. These principles emphasize the importance of recognizing the considerations of landowners, customizing interventions to local conditions, and making interventions as easy to implement as possible. Developing relationships with landowners, along with a diverse menu of conservation interventions, takes time and effort but should improve both the uptake and persistence of conservation practices on private lands. Published version

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This report contains results from the survey in Arkansas. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This report is the results from the survey in Florida. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Program. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Progam

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Indiana Department of Natural Resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and Georgia Department of Natural Resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00) Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Disturbance to shorebirds by domestic dogs can cause direct and indirect bird mortality. Dog regulations to minimize disturbance are only effective if people comply with them. Non-compliance is a universal problem in biodiversity conservation, with an associated body of applicable social science from the field of conservation criminology. We apply the lens of this literature to better understand non-compliance with dog regulations on beaches along the Atlantic Flyway of the U.S. and the role of law enforcement and voluntary compliance techniques (e.g. persuasive communications, behavioural alternatives) in fostering compliance. Through in-depth interviews with 27 land managers and shorebird biologists experienced in creating and/or implementing regulations to reduce disturbance to shorebirds, we found that non-compliance is a challenge that law enforcement alone is inadequate to address. Managers are working to overcome these challenges with law enforcement through training law enforcement officers, as well as voluntary compliance approaches, such as conducting on-site stewardship programs led largely by volunteers, placing educational signage at sites, and highlighting alternative areas to walk dogs. The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. increased dog walking on beaches and exacerbated the issue of non-compliance and lack of enforcement, while the capacity for educational and stewardship programs was also limited. We conclude by recommending that managers and biologists tackle non-compliance with multiple and concurrent strategies along a spectrum from enforcement to voluntary compliance techniques, while also better studying the efficacy of these approaches. We also highlight the importance of continuing to track the ongoing challenges to compliance with biodiversity conservation regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. National Audubon Society; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation [0111.19.063893]; CFDA [15.663] Published version National Audubon Society; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Grant/Award Number: ID:0111.19.063893 and CFDA#15.663

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of fish and wildlife agencies. Wildlife viewers are those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife; and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife. To better understand wildlife viewers in the United States, the Dayer Lab at Virginia Tech in collaboration with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted a survey of more than 4,000 wildlife viewers nationwide. The study fills an important knowledge gap for wildlife agencies and illuminates how to better engage this broad constituency of wildlife recreationists, increasing agency relevancy to a wider array of people who enjoy the outdoors. Specifically, this report examines: viewing and conservation behaviors of wildlife viewers; past and likelihood of future financial contributions to state agencies; perceptions of state agencies and their management for wildlife viewers; how to build relevancy with a broader audience of wildlife viewers; comparisons of wildlife viewers across the four AFWA regions; participation of consumptive and nonconsumptive wildlife viewers; and more. This report also conducts additional analysis between consumptive (those that also participate in hunting and angling) and nonconsumptive wildlife viewers (those who do not), and compares wildlife viewers based on their “R3” stage (recruited, retained, churned, and reactivated). To illustrate tangible results from managing wildlife viewing, this report also incorporates seven case studies from state agencies demonstrating successful approaches to engaging wildlife viewers. Finally, this report concludes with five key recommendations for state agencies to increase engagement and relevancy with wildlife viewers. Researchers at Virginia Tech co-developed these recommendations based on insights from the study and co-production workshop with state agency staff at the 2022 Wildlife Viewer and Nature Tourism Academy. - Respond to demand for agencies to develop programs and services to engage viewers - Broaden constituency of state agencies through supporting viewing experiences of underserved groups - Develop financial support opportunities for viewers to contribute financially to state agencies - Support state agencies in implementing results - Conduct additional research to fill wildlife viewing information gaps For more information, please contact Emily Sinkular (sinkular@vt.edu) and Dr. Ashley Dayer (dayer@vt.edu). This project was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00), which is jointly managed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant # F21AP00617-00)

Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of wildlife agencies. While important insights have emerged piece-meal from a number of surveys, agencies lack generalizable information about wildlife viewers (those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife, and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife) behaviors, experiences, perceptions, needs, and preferences. This information is essential for more meaningful and substantive engagement for state agencies with this often underserved constituency. Through a 2021 AFWA MultiState Conservation Grant, Virginia Tech and the AFWA Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted national and state level surveys to gather more data on wildlife viewers. This work was funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00) and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Multistate Conservation Grant Program Grant # F21AP00617-00 New Mexico Department of Game and Fish