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Flood irrigation on western rangelands is important for diverse social and ecological reasons, providing forage for many agricultural operations and maintaining many critical wetlands across the region. However, recent debate over the efficiency of flood irrigation and resulting transition to other "more efficient" types of irrigation has put many of the working wet meadows sustained by flood irrigation at risk. As the sustainability of these landscapes is primarily dependent on ranchers' management decisions, we sought to gain a deeper understanding of factors influencing ranchers who flood irrigate and how these factors interrelate. We applied the Community Capitals Framework to explore what considerations act as enablers and constraints to maintaining flood irrigation and to evaluate the role of each type of capital in enabling and constraining the coproduction of working wet meadows for ranchers and the environment. Our qualitative analysis of facilitated workshop transcripts and observation notes from two study areas within the Intermountain West showed that ranchers perceived constraining and enabling factors of flood irrigation related to all seven types of community capitals: natural, financial, built, cultural, human, social, and political. The irrigation methods used by ranchers were heavily influenced by environmental components of the landscape rather than reflecting a choice among alternative methods. Other prominent enablers included a commitment toward maintaining the natural history of the landscape and the ranching lifestyle. Primary constraints included the impact of public misperception and the ability to pass their operation on to the next generation. Ranchers weighed multiple considerations simultaneously in a holistic, community-scale approach to management decisions and described how diverse enablers and constraints interacted to determine the viability of flood irrigation and ranching. These results indicate rancher decisions are driven by complex social-ecological considerations and demonstrate the importance of each capital type to rangeland conservation. (C) 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Range Management. ; US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (Oregon State Office); US Fish and Wildlife Service (Mountain-Prairie Region) through the US Geological Survey Cooperative Research Unit [RWO 174]; USDA Farm Service Agency ; This work was funded by the US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (Oregon State Office) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Mountain-Prairie Region) through the US Geological Survey Cooperative Research Unit RWO 174 to Virginia Tech with a subcontract to University of Montana. In addition, the PI of the project and second author (Dr. Ashley Dayer) has another research project studying agricultural producers outside of the study area funded by the USDA Farm Service Agency.

Shifting social and ecological contexts for conservation in North America have highlighted that wildlife agencies must engage with broad constituencies to achieve their missions. Responding to limitations in practitioner capacity to find, understand, and plan for engagement with a broader array of stakeholders, we developed a web-based method for stakeholder analysis and used it to identify and describe the activities of 214 organizations, including businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and local, state, and federal entities, that promote wildlife viewing in Virginia. We found that the majority of these stakeholders provide social opportunities and informational resources related to wildlife viewing. We also identified geographic and programmatic gaps that informed strategic planning within the state wildlife agency for meaningful engagement with wildlife viewers as a growing constituency. This project demonstrates the ability of web-based stakeholder analysis to generate inclusive and actionable insights about relatively new and unfamiliar stakeholders for natural resource management. ; Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation under a Departmental Diversity Undergraduate Award; Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) [EP2610044] ; Published version ; This work was supported by the Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation under a Departmental Diversity Undergraduate Award and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) [Grant number EP2610044]. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Recreation specialization is a framework that can be used to explain the variation among outdoor recreationists' preferences, attitudes, and behaviors. Recreation specialization has been operationalized using several approaches, including summative indices, cluster analysis, and self-classification categorical measures. Although these approaches measure the multiple dimensions of the framework, they may not reflect the relative contribution of the dimensions to individuals' degree of engagement. We illustrate an approach that uses second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) factor scores as weights to determine a person's degree of recreation specialization and compares the CFA-based results to those derived from cluster analysis. This approach permits the use of a broader set of statistical tests when compared to categorical specialization measures and provides information about the distribution of responses. Data were collected from an online survey of eBird registrants from the United States. ; National Flyway Council [CON000000054673, 00049956]; Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of CanadaSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) [435-2017-1352] ; Funding for this project was provided by the National Flyway Council (https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/flyways.php) through a grant to the University of Minnesota Award: CON000000054673 Project#: 00049956 (DCF). Representatives of the National Flyway Council who are not named authors contributed to study design, but not to data collection/analysis, decision to publish, nor preparation of the manuscript. The preparation of this manuscript was supported by funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (File #435-2017-1352; HWH). ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

As the global human population increases, and many bird populations in the Neotropics and the rest of the world continue to decline, the study of the intersection of humans, birds, and conservation has become more relevant than ever. The field of conservation social science is an interdisciplinary field that applies the social sciences and humanities to examine research questions that have implications for biodiversity conservation, and encompasses disciplines as diverse as psychology, economics, and political ecology. An understanding of the human dimensions of biodiversity conservation issues can be an essential element in the success or failure of a conservation initiative, policy, or practice. The purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of the growing body of conservation social science relevant to Neotropical bird conservation research and to demonstrate its importance. We discuss how this research can contribute to addressing 5 major threats to bird conservation in the Neotropics, including future research needs, and we provide 3 case studies of bird conservation social science projects, demonstrating the insights that can be gained. We close with a discussion of how conservation biologists and ornithologists can most effectively work with conservation social scientists.

Outdoor recreation facilitates important connections to nature and wildlife, but it is perceived differently across population segments. As such, we expected that socio-demographic characteristics of individuals would influence intention to participate in outdoor recreation. We solicited 5,000 U.S. residents (n = 1,030, 23% response rate) to describe their perceptions of hunting and birdwatching. The influence of current and childhood community size (i.e., urban-rural) was examined as a potentially important predictor of intention to participate in hunting and birdwatching, along with attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Hunting intentions, attitudes, norms, and PBC were more positive when respondents maintained a residence in rural areas. Alternatively, birdwatching attitudes, norms, and PBC did not differ with current or childhood community size. Programs aimed at increasing participation in outdoor recreation should carefully consider the importance of the urban-rural residence gradient in the context of their objectives, especially for recruiting urban hunters. ; U.S. Geological Survey, Ecosystems Mission Area, Wildlife Program ; This work was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, Ecosystems Mission Area, Wildlife Program. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

The recognized gap between research and implementation in avian conservation can be overcome with translational ecology, an intentional approach in which science producers and users from multiple disciplines work collaboratively to co-develop and deliver ecological research that addresses management and conservation issues. Avian conservation naturally lends itself to translational ecology because birds are well studied, typically widespread, often exhibit migratory behaviors transcending geopolitical boundaries, and necessitate coordinated conservation efforts to accommodate resource and habitat needs across the full annual cycle. In this perspective, we highlight several case studies from bird conservation practitioners and the ornithological and conservation social sciences exemplifying the 6 core translational ecology principles introduced in previous studies: collaboration, engagement, commitment, communication, process, and decision-framing. We demonstrate that following translational approaches can lead to improved conservation decision-making and delivery of outcomes via co-development of research and products that are accessible to broader audiences and applicable to specific management decisions (e.g., policy briefs and decision-support tools). We also identify key challenges faced during scientific producer-user engagement, potential tactics for overcoming these challenges, and lessons learned for overcoming the research-implementation gap. Finally, we recommend strategies for building a stronger translational ecology culture to further improve the integration of these principles into avian conservation decisions. By embracing translational ecology, avian conservationists and ornithologists can be well positioned to ensure that future management decisions are scientifically informed and that scientific research is sufficiently relevant to managers. Ultimately, such teamwork can help close the research-implementation gap in the conservation sciences during a time when environmental issues are threatening avian communities and their habitats at exceptional rates and at broadening spatial scales worldwide. ; Turkey Nature Conservation; Christensen Fund; Conservation Leadership Programme; UNDP-GEF SGP; Whitley Fund; Puget Sound Partnership; Stillaguamish Tribe; Liber Ero Foundation; Cats and Birds National Advisory Committee; Stewardship Centre for British Columbia; Environment and Climate Change Canada; National Institute of Food and AgricultureUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA)National Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA); Hatch Project funds; Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station; NOAANational Oceanic Atmospheric Admin (NOAA) - USA [NA16NOS4200088, 8200025414]; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation [324423]; Margaret A. Cargill Foundation; U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Innovation Grants program; National Parks General Directorate ; Published version ; C.H.S. is grateful to KuzeyDoga's staff and volunteers, the people of Kars, and Turkey Nature Conservation and National Parks General Directorate for their support and also to the Christensen Fund, Conservation Leadership Programme, UNDP-GEF SGP, and the Whitley Fund for funding. The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program avian monitoring project was made possible by funding from the Puget Sound Partnership and the Stillaguamish Tribe. A.A.D. acknowledges the Intermountain West Joint Venture and collaborating landowners and conservation professionals. A.M.V.F., E.A., and M.S.W. acknowledge the GoMAMN Steering Committee and Community of Practice. E.A.G. acknowledges the Liber Ero Foundation, The Cats and Birds National Advisory Committee, the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia, and Environment and Climate Change Canada for funding, support, and staff time. M.S.W. was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch Project funds, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and NOAA Awards NA16NOS4200088 and 8200025414. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant 324423 supported A.M.V.F. and M.S.W. The Conservation Ranching program and Bird-friendliness Index development were made possible by funding from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Innovation Grants program and participation by dozens of ranchers. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee