MN SCB:

Connecting Minnesota's conservation science community

Advancing conservation science and its impact on our conservation legacy

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Conservation Science and Public Policy Revisited: an informal discussion


Sponsored by: 
MN Society for Conservation Biology and Association of Conservation Professionals

The role of conservation scientists in public policy and advocacy is a long-standing debate.  It has recently emerged on the opionion pages of the Star Tribune and merits renewed discussion.
Join us for an informal discussion as conservation scientists and practitioners from MN SCB - ACB come together to share their insights and thoughts on this important topic.

Sunday, December 9th, 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Ramsey County Public Library- Roseville
2180 North Hamline Ave
Roseville, MN 55113
See map: Google Maps
Tel. 651-724-6001


Two short readings (4 pages) will seed our discussion: 
"Too much advocacy?  Scientists and public policy" by Greg Breining, Star Tribune 9/9/12
Read it here

"Conflation of values and science: response to Noss et al." by George F. Wilhere (WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife) et. al., Conservation Biology Oct. 2012
Read it here
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, October 12, 2012

Minnesota Chapter 2011-2012 Accomplishments

The Board of the Minnesota Chapter set out to bring new energy and focus to the Chapter in 2011-2012.  We set three major goals for the year and consistently focused on advancing each.  Everyone on the Board focused on working on one of the goals, and collaborated with other Board members on the other goals as needed.  It was a great year.  Sami Nichols, 2011-2012 Vice-president, and Kelly Nail, Secretary, led the development of a poster that highlights our accomplishments in 2011-2012.  

This poster was one of 15+ chapter posters featured at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology.  Our goals and accomplishments are below.  Click on the thumbnail to view the full poster. 

Please send us suggestions and feedback on how we are doing as a Chapter and how we can better serve the conservation science community this year.

 And join us this year at one one of our activities to help make 2012-2013 a great year!  

Goals and Accomplishments of the Past Year:

Click to enlarge
Focus 1: Increased Outreach 
  • Winter Soup Social Event with Joe Fargione, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy;
  • Screening of the Aldo Leopold documentary  Green Fire at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis;
  • Co-sponsored book signing for No Word for Welcome: The Mexican Village Faces the Global Economy by Wendy Call;
  • Participated in acorn collection fundraiser through Great River Greening.

Focus 2: Effective Communication with Members 
  • Created a new website that is easily updated by Board members;
  • Used MailChimp as a method to send out effective and visually appealing emails;
  • Maintained and updated online presence on Facebook and Twitter.
 
Focus 3: Increased Membership 
  • MNSCB participated in Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day, increasing our visibility to the public and raising funds;
  • Reestablished our status as a Minnesota non-profit;
  • Began a membership drive email campaign.

Minnesota Chapter Representatives, Kate Knuth, Jim Manolis, and Andy Holdsworth with the Chapter's poster at the 2012 N.A. Congress for Conservation Biology in Oakland, CA

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, July 27, 2012

Minnesota SCB in Three Minutes


The first inaugural North American Congress of Conservation Biology in Oakland, CA this summer did an excellent job of featuring the great work being done by SCB chapters.  Before every one of the three daily plenaries, three chapters had three minutes to describe their work.  Here is what Andy Holdsworth, past-president of the Minnesota Chapter, said about the chapter.


The Minnesota Chapter was formed in 1994 by students of the University of Minnesota Conservation Biology Graduate Program.  But students graduated and the chapter went dormant for a bit.  The chapter was reborn in 2003.  Graduate students were again the driving force, but we struck out to build a chapter that went beyond our student body to include the larger conservation science community in Minnesota.

It was the best decision we made.  Our chapter now consists of a fantastic mix of students, academic researchers, and agency and NGO conservation scientists and practitioners.


 The Minnesota Chapter has a strong record of engagement in conservation policy. For instance, at one of our annual meetings we developed a resolution on ecological and conservation implications related to biofuels when that issue emerged several years ago. The next day we testified in a legislative hearing on the issue. 

Our biggest policy endeavor was the development of conservation biology-based recommendations for the 2008 Farm Bill.  These recommendations went through the SCB global office policy review and then became adopted as recommendations from the North American Section of SCB.  Those were sent to the House and Senate Agriculture committees.    
 
In the last year we have focused on fostering the connections within Minnesota’s conservation science community.  We greatly expanded the number of events that we hosted.  We focused on creating diverse and informal opportunities for MN SCB members and potential members to interact. Examples include a happy hour before the Minneapolis premiere of the film “Green Fire”, a winter soup event after a UMN ConsBio seminar, and a happy hour before the talk by TNC lead scientist, M. Sanjayan. 
 

  Our Annual Meetings are one of the highlights of our success.  They exemplify our work to foster connections amongst members of the community of conservation scientists and practitioners.  These connections don’t just bridge academia, agencies, and non-profits. They span generations.  

The organized presentations and discussions at our annual meetings help us explore new approaches, have discussions we often don't have, meet new people and reconnect with others. 
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

N.A. Congress for Conservation Biology gets off to a great start

It has been a full first two days of the Inaurgural North American Congress for Conservation Biology in Oakland, California.  Kate Knuth, Jim Manolis, and me (Andy Holdsworth) are the lucky Minnesota Chapter members to be attending this meeting.

The meeting kicked off with a welcoming ceremony Sunday night that featured a great tribute to the conservation history and legacy of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Great imagery and good messaging around both the sobering challenges and the hope for the future.  Then there was an interview with Michael Soule, the founder of the Society for Conservation Biology.  Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, kicked off the meeting by noting some positive trends in private lands conservation and public support of conservation.  "At it's root, science is social", he said and sent all off to begin socializing in the mixer.

There have been many excellent symposia on pressing conservation challenges.  Symposia topics include new approaches to conservation, conservation planning and climate change adaptation, resilience, and novel systems.  The session on Conservation in the Anthropocene probably stirred the most discussion and debate, as it has in many discussion arenas over the last 6-9 months.

Chapters have been highlighted throughout this meeting! More on that later.  In the mean time, below is the Twitter feed from Sunday and Monday.  There have been an increasing number of meeting participants (and some outside the meeting) contributing to the Twitter feed.  Remember it reads from most recent to earliest. 

  Andy Holdsworth ‏@Phrius
Great to chat with you about conservation paleobiology, outreach, and your plenary.
 
Barnosky Task 4: Educate. Step out of the classroom, engage the public and policy makers.

 
Barnosky Task 3: Keep what we have..to avoid this...

 
Barnosky Task 2: Accept energy. Evaluate 'clean energy' solutions in terms of biodiversity and ecological impact.
 
poster session successful. and now to bed. another fun day at tomorrow!
 
Andy Holdsworth ‏@Phrius
Task 1: explicitly recognize 3 different things to conserve: ecosystem services, biodiversity, wild places. -Barnosky
 
Adina Merenlender ‏@adinamaya
Sneak peek on auction items for Wed nigh: Af ungulate man bag &1978 CB meeting t shirts worn &signed by Soule - piece of history
 Andy Holdsworth ‏@Phrius
A tipping point that requires a new conservation biology. - Barnosky
 
Andy Holdsworth ‏@Phrius
Barnosky: We will be here by 2010.
 
Andy Holdsworth ‏@Phrius
Fine plenary tonight by Tony Barnosky: Changing climate, changing conservation biology: where to from here?

 
Cent. AZ, CA Coast & Montana SCB chapters showcased their work at this evening's plenary. Go chapters!
 
Important opportunities for scientists to contribute to ESA listings, recovery plans & critical habitat designation.-S. Wolf
 
Adaptive leadership plays important role in climate change adaptation- J. Manolis. Learn more:
 
Finally making my way up to tomorrow! Not going to lie, really excited to get an American Pika plushie.
 
Posters! Learned about multivariate climate change velocity, a national climate adaptation strategy, and so on. Success!
 
No such thing as sustainable city/suburb/small town/farm/ranch/protected area in a larger area that's unsustainable. Curt Meine
 
"Fortress conservation" won't help migrants, says David Wilcove. Seabirds use diff stopovers, despite same wintering grounds
 
Gr8 info on value of crusts in desert ecosystems by Jeffrey Johansen (couldn't live tweet; no wifi)
 
Barnosky:Damsel fish learning disabilities when reared in h2o chem. expected 100yrs. don't avoid predators.Bad adaptive strategy
 
Zavaleta deftly moves beyond unproductive Conservation in Anthropocene debate, calling for diversity of approaches & partners
 
Barnosky:Range temp fluct. 10deg in 600mil yrs. By2100 best case 2deg warmer; worst: 3/4 of total var of temp change & in 200yrs
 
Agree MT "anthropocene" sess Erika Zaveleta "expanding not abandoning" ideas of conservation. Highlight by far
 
Keynote speaker barnosky states unequivocally 2040 will be the hottest year since humans have been a species.
 
- it is not "biodiversity vs ecosystem services". Biodiversity IS an ecosystem service.
 
A World Without Coral Reefs . Received multiple mentions at .

 
Tony Barnosky is on now at
 
session on the "anthropocene" Erika Zaveleta observation "expanding not abandoning" ideas of conservation. By far the highlight.
 
At giving talk on our climate survey. See short write-up in our latest newsletter at:
 
Conservation in the Anthropocene session at was packed. Lots of tough questions in a world of 7 bil. people moving to 9 or 10
 
Zevaleta:work in both pristine and highly human engineered systems.focus efforts in self-organized systems (nature & ppl coadapt)
 
poster session from 7-9pm at . Poster is up! I shoulda brought some candy to entice, or maybe pygmy hippos are enticement enough!
 
. Thanks for reminding me! That sounds like something I don't want to miss!
 
Climate Change models show salmonid species in WA State could become uncoupled from annual natural cycles they evolved with.
 
Climate change combined with fragmentation may trigger widespread declines in temperate rainforests of Pacific NW- D. DellaSala
 
Marvier:Shift2msg nature benefiting ppl.doesn't mean no intrinsic value,but that msg resonates only w ppl who already think same

 
Pikas, Ponds and Plague: presentations at this week in Oakland, CA:

 7h
anthro sesh, Marvier:People don't want to make choice btw economy and environment

Shellenberger:Most connected civilization.Opportunity 2 collaborate.Can't kill nature but change it.Nature embedded in humanSystm
 8h
Ethnography as geographic information - historic tribal knowledge for ecology at SFEI
 8h
Shellenberger: Transformation by humans not new! No way for humans not to interact w wildlands. Question is how best to interact
 8h
Despite efforts, Pajaro lake won't just disappear - C Striplen, SFEI
 8h
- check out the human dimension of conservation Tues AM - speed sessions & extended discussion after. San Diego Zoo has 3 talks!
 8h
Anthropocene session way over attended - 15 people in hallway, many standing in back, few seats available
 
 8h
C Striplen from SFEI - historical ecology to understand contemporary landscapes
 8h
antro. sesh: Shellenberger: If u want to predict future of our planet u have to predict what we [humans] will do

 8h
anthropocene sesh, Nordhaus: shouldn't focus excluding development; engage ourselves in where and how development should happen
 9h
Agricultural conservation may not be a traditional cons bio value, but prevents conversion to concrete - Sasha Genet
 9h
TNC organized taking the conference title seriously, with floodplain conservation - Sasha Genet

 9h
Partnerships are imp. in conservation work. Just found out about TNC's online tool to help do them well.
 9h
Without twitter I would not have known... Ice creams at 2:30pm in the east hall/exhibit hall everyday at

9h
The Society for Conservation Biology's North American Congress is underway in NorCal; spotlight on climate change. follow here:
 9h
whew, presentation over (I hate shaky beginnings!) and next up, poster session!!!
 9h
Fun talk by this morning where I learned that many people find hippos tasty (among other things)
 10h
symposiums are posted here: Which are you Attending?
 11h
Don't forget to walk with Michael Soule if you are signed up. Instructions in program
 11h
See vernal pools in Baja before they are all gone. Matt Gulliam's photos tell of amazing story of endemic communities
 11h
Abraham Borker -- great acoustic monitoring talk with cool bird song. Fun talk !
 12h
Today, Dr. Jon Epstein is speaking at the Society for Conservation Biology Congress in Oakland, CA
12h
Good reminder that nat'l gas GHG emissions can be as high as coal if extraction is not done right & there is methane leakage.
 12h
RT Just ran into another biologist/state rep. at . We first met in DC a few years ago working on clean energy. Cool!!!
 12h
Steven Yafee, U of M: "Be the grout in social and landscape mosaics. Occupy the strategic middle.Foster strategic thinking."
 12h
"Be the grout. Replenish the grout." Foster connections that lead to conservation. -Yaffee
 13h
USA has not yet ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity. One of very few countries in the world to not do so.
 13h
Just ran into another biologist/state rep. at . We first met in DC a few years ago working on clean energy. Cool!
 13h
Challenges in PA and MPA similar. -Yaffee Interesting discussions for a terrestrial guy like me.
 13h
Enjoying the great talks at . Lots of folks from TNC discussing new resilience-oriented cons planning.
 13h
At 3pm, A. Smith and E. Beever will be giving a talk on Pikas.
from Oakland, CA
 
 13h
Thank you for sharing conservation biology and public policy questions and issues from Please keep up your tweets!
 13h
Here's a link to the SCB's policy priorities page for more information
 13h
SCB policy priority areas: climate change, scientific integrity, treaties, bio-security, investment in procurement
 13h
RT : Urban bears, woodpeckers, climate change adaptation and more. Good start to this morning.
 14h
Bakersfield kit foxes are genetically unique - time to prioritize
 14h
Room is packed for symp: Identifying and Protecting Resilient Systems. Wish I could have cloned myself to be here earlier!
 14h
Kit fox boxed out by people and ag, became urban, and survive by being cute.
 14h
Beyond allometry - relative encephalization may buffer extinction? If you are small bodied, perhaps. E. Abelson
 14h
SCB policy impact RT D. Baer: CEQ is following SCB's recommendation to reexamine Categorical Exclusions in NEPA.
 14h
Brainsize and conservation status - Eric Abelson gives us a new angle on the problem
 14h
Conservation practitioners have a significant misunderstanding of CC adaptation. We need good examples! - P. Doran

 14h
Dinah Baer: CEQ is following SCB's recommendation to reexamine Categorical Exclusions in NEPA (thanks to BP Oil disaster."
  14h
Urban bears, woodpeckers, climate change adaptation and more. Good start to this morning.


Conservation Media is taking in a new day of amazing people, science, and conservation ideas!
 14h
Listening to Barry Noon talking about how scientists can substantively influence implementation of the new NFMA regs.

 15h
Adaptation portfolio approach to managing climate risk - P. McKinley. Conservation building blocks-categories & gradients.

 15h
Wishing I could be with my friends at instead of cleaning out a storage locker in Barstow. Have fun, everyone!

 15h
Not even 9am and the first Bayesian hierarchical model has shown up

 15h
Fire, woodpeckers and logging issues in CA - Smith Fellow M. Tingley JBR 3

 15h
Aspen urban bears can be mitigated by reducing garbage

 15h
is today! Tweet at us and let us know which talks you're excited to attend!
 15h
Human-wildlife conflict: a foraging framework for management

 16h
herons, terns, western bluebird, scrub jay, gulls, oyster catcher, & more. 6 am bird watching a success! Now into conf rooms.

 16h
I'm starting my week with . Heading 1st to hear about utility-scale renewable energy and the CA desert. Too much to choose from...

 16h
Tweet a picture of yourself @ our booth (20-21) & win a free eBook! Be sure to tag &

 16h
giving a talk on my human-hippo interaction stuff today at 11:15 JBR3&4 at then poster on hippo capture stuff at 7-9! Come on by!

 16h
Check out the Society for Conservation Biology's new website. Looking good!

 17h
Hanging out with Eric Abelson at - Check out his talk today on brains and conservation @ JBR 3/4 9:45

 20h
Attending the North American Congress for Conservation Biology? Keep the tweets coming for those of us not there!

 22h
Presenting PhD research @ animal conservation sesh Mon 08:30. Use of patch selection models in human-wildlife conflict mitigation

 15 Jul
The public is with us. We don't have to change their minds, we have to learn to talk with them. P. Kareiva

 15 Jul
In the last decade, private land conservation has outpaced commercial development. P. Karieva

 15 Jul
Private sector may have a larger stake and role in conservation than the public sector. -M. Soule

 15 Jul
Michael Soule gives a shout out to the conservation outreach work of East

 15 Jul
The chapters serve an essential role for conservation action and success. -M. Soule

 15 Jul
Thinking big is not big enough. We need to think mega. -M. Soule

 15 Jul
We've gone past the time when we can do conservation just for the sake of nature. It must be for people too. -M. Soule

 15 Jul
Inaugural N.A. Congress for Conservation Biology kicks off with a beautiful tribute to the Bay Area's conservation legacy

 15 Jul
Good start to the North American Congress for Conservation Biology in Oakland. Few tweets from the welcome ceremony coming.

 15 Jul
Gotta love a conference offering 6 am bird watching/nature excursions each morning. I'm excited abt seeing tidepools tomorrow.

 15 Jul
In Oakland for the North American Congress of Conservation Biology. Expect tweets with over the next few days.

 15 Jul
SCB store had a great opening day - check out Stony the Pika, pints, Chico bags, and awesome T-shirts
View photo 
     15 Jul
    Soule Nothing can happen on public lands b/c they're too public. It is going to b the private sector, lands, where cons. happen
     15 Jul
    Soule We haven't been doing conservation at scale it needs to be done! Grand scale.
     15 Jul
    Soule Past time to do conservation for sake of nature; doesn't get money we need for conservation
     15 Jul
    Soule No conservation unless protection on ground & in law -> that is only thing that wld last; doesn't matter what's published
     15 Jul
    Will try to tweet from
     15 Jul
    We need to figure out how to mainstream climate change adaptation into our work and organizations- P. Christ
     15 Jul
    Excellent shawarmah & dark-chocolate(!) baklava 's Mediterranean Grill & Cafe
     15 Jul
    I flew over the South Bay Salt ponds on my flight to and was fascinated.
     15 Jul
    : a cool approach to stakeholder-centered spatial conservation planning.
     15 Jul
    Decision-support tooled out? See Ecosystem-Based Mgmt Tools Network's online Tools DB.
     15 Jul
    At Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment/Adaptation Planning workshop
    Posted by at No comments:
    Labels: , ,
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)