The North American Waterfowl Management Plan: Incorporating the New Goal

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan: Incorporating the New Goal Mark P. Vrtiska, Ph.D. Waterfowl Program Manager Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Young Andy Bishop

2012 NAWMP Goals 1. Abundant and resilient waterfowl populations to support hunting and other uses without imperiling habitat. 2. Wetlands and related habitats sufficient to sustain waterfowl populations at desired levels, while providing places to recreate and ecological services that benefit society. 3. Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists, and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation.

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) 1986 amid record low duck bpops. Established waterfowl population objectives. Identified key waterfowl habitats. Established joint venture concept.

NAWMP RWBJV

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Did not address people specifically.

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) The goals in this Plan should be sufficient to maintain populations of ducks of various species and their habitats at levels acceptable to people who use and enjoy them...

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Meeting these goals would provide the opportunity for 2.2 million hunters in Canada and the United States to harvest 20 million ducks annually. It would also provide benefits to millions of people interested in waterfowl for purposes other than hunting. An overall objective of management agencies is to accommodate the diverse public interests in waterfowl and to assure that all citizens can benefit from abundant waterfowl populations.

The North American Waterfowl 1994 Update: Management Plan (NAWMP) Instill a stronger conservation ethic among private landowners and identify and implement practical ways to encourage them to become active partners in the effort to protect wetlands and enhance waterfowl populations by integrating soil, water, and wildlife management on a sustainable basis.

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) 1998 (and 2004) Update: Since the early 1980s, the number of waterfowl hunters has declined significantly. However, the number of people active in other forms of outdoor recreation, such as bird watching has grown rapidly. Hunters have been long-standing, vocal supporters of conservation, and have contributed substantially to habitat conservation projects. Others who are equally concerned about and benefit from conservation must be encouraged to contribute as hunters have. This will help to ensure that conservation efforts are sustained over time and that the associated costs are more fairly distributed.

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 50,000.00 Duck Bpops 40,000.00 30,000.00 20,000.00 10,000.00 0.00

Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) Began in 1995, after contentious seasonsetting process in 1994. Process by which duck seasons have been set since 1995.

Management objective for AHM: Maximize cumulative duck harvest over the long term. This objective is constrained to avoid regulations that could be expected to result in a subsequent population size below the NAWMP goal. Maximize cumulative duck harvest = surrogate for hunter satisfaction/preferences and maintain duck populations. Constraint = harvest should not be what keeps us from achieving NAWMP goal.

Mallard Bpop, Traditional Survey Area, 1990-2013 12000 10000 Harvest Valued 8000 6000 4000 2000 NAWMP Goal Harvest Devalued 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) In 2002, initial discovery that NAWMP constraint not doing anything in terms of helping achieving population goal. NAWMP constraint, however, was limiting harvest opportunity.

First time a national survey sent to duck hunters. Various questions about satisfaction and preferences. Resolved issue about long duck seasons (hunters like them).

NAWMP constraint and harvest initiated an assessment of NAWMP goals (Joint Task Group) Joint Task Group Report (2007): Harvest and habitat management are inextricably linked and the objectives of both harvest management and NAWMP should explicitly reflect that linkage. Habitat affects size of harvestable surplus Harvest affects use of available habitat

Joint Task Group Report: The 2 programs are working toward common ends however, without clarification and linkage, there is a missed opportunity for coherence and integration.

Waterfowl Hunter Recruitment and Retention Strategy - 2007

Spatial Scale Models to Address Hunter Recruitment and Retention Capacity for Hunting Identity Production Decision to Hunt Temporal Scale

The Future of Waterfowl Management Workshop Minneapolis, MN, 2008. Recommended expanded capacity for survey, assessment, and modeling of social attitudes related to waterfowl hunting and habitat conservation to assure the necessary and appropriate consideration of human dimensions elements in a unified framework for waterfowl management.

1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Duck stamp sales Duck Bpop Duck Stamp Sales and Duck Breeding Populations, 1955-2008 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 1,000,000 500,000 Duck stamp sales Duck Bpop 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 0 Year

Duck stamps sold 3,000,000 2,500,000 1955 1994 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 1995 2008 500,000 25,000 27,000 29,000 31,000 33,000 35,000 37,000 39,000 41,000 43,000 Duck Bpop (in thousands)

Lost $126 million in revenue from 1995-2008. Those funds could have purchased an additional 42,495 ha of wetlands and associated uplands in South Dakota. If used for grassland and wetland easements in SD, would have protected 95,927 wetland ha or 122,612 grassland ha.

Fiscal Challenges Budget cuts Staffing reductions The Outstanding Public Debt (2/10/14, 1030 CST): $17,271,707,915,297.80

1986 NAWMP 19942012 2004 1998

Revised NAWMP A need to re-vision the waterfowl management enterprise. Break down silos; work towards common goals. Become more effective and efficient. Keep pace with environmental and societal changes. More explicit consideration of people. NAWMP 2012

Began in 2009. Revised NAWMP Multiple meetings, workshops, consultations, etc., Considered entire waterfowl management enterprise. NAWMP 2012

Advocated for an integrated management system. Proposed new goals, including a focus on people.

Advocated for an integrated management system. Proposed new goals, including a focus on people. Acknowledged the strong linkages among goals.

Social Psychology Economics Political Science Human Dimensions Communication Anthropology Sociology Marketing

Human Dimensions in Waterfowl Management HD relatively new field in wildlife mgt. Really began in 1970 s Definition of HD in wildlife management: How people value wildlife; How they want wildlife to be managed; How they affect or are affected by wildlife & wildlife management decisions.

Human Dimensions in Waterfowl Management How people value wildlife: Recreation 77 million Americans participate in wildlife Education Informing individuals how our world functions Aesthetics Appreciate seeing wildlife in natural environment (wildlife viewing tours) Biological/Ecological Pollination, seed dispersal, nutrient cycling

Human Dimensions in Waterfowl Management How people value wildlife: Sociocultural Hunting and fishing traditions that become important within culture. Commercial Regional economy benefits from $ wildlife-users spend on food, lodging, fuel, & equipment.

Challenges: Establishing People Goals What people? Hunters Non-consumptive users Public

Recruiting new, retaining old - Why haven t they, or why did they quit? - How do we get them into it or back into it? - How many do we need or want?

How are we going to engage non-consumptive users into paying for conservation? Do they already support conservation? Implementing the 2012 Revision Interim Integration Committee (Dale Humburg, Chair) Develop coherence across waterfowl management Human Dimensions Work Group (Cal DuBrock, Chair) Develop social science and strategy Public Engagement Team (Gray Anderson, Chair) Communicate and market the plan objectives

Challenges: Do we have enough public access in the right places for new people? Are current people satisfied with what we have? How much do they use it?

Ecological goods and services of wetland conservation RWB wetlands provide groundwater recharge, improve water quality, etc., have we told the story? Enough? Right people?

Challenges: Establishing People Goals What people? Hunters Non-consumptive users Public Changing/modifying priorities/objectives

- Emphasis on Roundouts Increase management capability, but allow for more duck hunters?

- Wetland restorations/enhancements Involve user-friendly considerations?

Challenges: Establishing People Goals What people? Hunters Non-consumptive users Public Changing/modifying priorities/objectives Little or no HD expertise in JV or partners. Increased communication/cooperation.

Challenges: Significant challenges in RWB planning, monitoring, research, outreach, etc., One result of RWBJV planning:

Opportunities: Increased support for conservation. Maintain support for hunting under North American Model.

Opportunities: Increased support for conservation. Maintain support for hunting under North American Model. Provides economic/social diversity to Nebraska.

160000 Nebraska Small Game License sales, 1980-2012 140000 120000 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0 What other event draws (or did) this many people to rural Nebraska? Resident Non-Resident

Opportunities: Increased support for conservation. Maintain support for hunting under North American Model. Provides economic/social diversity to Nebraska. Provide more sustainable landscapes keep Nebraska The Good Life.

Acres Loss of CRP 9,000,000 8,000,000 7,000,000 Historic & Projected CRP Acres in the U.S. PPR 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 North Dakota South Dakota Montana Minnesota Iowa 2,000,000 1,000,000 0 Year

Sunday July 10, 2005

US Oil Production Wind Energy

Coastal Marsh Loss

Boreal Forest