To continue my previous blog on the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) conference in Destin, FL, I’ve written up a few memorable points that I came back to Austin with. SEAFWA is an organization whose members are the state agencies with primary responsibility for management and protection of the fish and wildlife resources in 15 states. As I mentioned previously Minorities in Natural Resources (MINRC) was the organization who funded me along with a group of 12 other students from universities around the nation to attend the conference. MINRC is a subcommittee of SEAFWA with the mission of expanding the representation of minorities and women in natural resource conservation. We were chosen to attend this conference for networking opportunities, for the professional experience, to represent our schools, and to represent MINRC.
We started off the conference with an engaging student workshop led by Dr. Jolvan Morris, Secretary and Social Media Assistant for MINRC. The workshop was held for us to learn about career building, networking tips, job boards, how to market yourself appropriately through social media, research journal boards, etc. It was great to hear all of the different perspectives and experiences from the rest of the students.
To kick off the conference we heard from some dynamic speakers at the first plenary session. The main theme of the keynote speakers was about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and how its principles can adapt to our changing biodiversity. This model was created in the early 1900’s to conceptualize two basic principles- that our fish and wildlife belong to all Americans, and that they need to be managed in a way that their populations will be sustained forever. The principles of the North American Model are explained more fully through a set of guidelines known as the Seven Sisters for Conservation.
Nick Wiley, Executive Director of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), kicked off the conference with an inspiring speech on the importance of the human-dimensions aspects of wildlife management and blending the public and private sector when it comes to conservation. He spoke passionately about how our human population is only growing and in order to manage and protect wildlife efficiently all players involved need to agree on key issues.
One of my favorite speeches from the plenary session was from Shane Mahoney. Considered one of the leading international authorities on wildlife conservation, Shane Mahoney is a conservationist, scientist, historian and philosopher. He is widely recognized as a leading expert on the North American Model. In addition Shane has worked with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), National Geographic, the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC), and Canadian Geographic as a radio and television narrator, writer and host.
Mahoney’s powerful speech shook up the audience and left us inspired with a desire to act and see change. He spoke of the 2014 Living Planet Report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and how this snapshot of our planet shows us where we are headed and where all other animals are headed in the coming years. There are three great challenges that we face in conservation.
- Too few people care-we must be the ones who speak for them
- Those that do care are terribly divided
- Funding models are inefficient
Mahoney explained that if we can solve the first issue, we can solve the others. We need to think of how we can build a better world for future generations. Wildlife does not exist by accident. It takes the efforts, minds, and hearts of people to preserve it. The quality of our lives is directly tied to the quality of wildlife. He left us with one lasting thought, “Think of the wild parts of our world, without wildlife. What kind of world would that be?”
I attended some other interesting talks on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Effective Lionfish Management, Conserving Aquatic Habitat for Resilience at a Landscape, and many more.
A few other included perks of the conference were the tours of some the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement “toys”. We were able to see their state-of-the-art ship, the Gulf Sentry, which patrols the waters of the Gulf of Mexico enforcing federal fisheries regulations out to 200 miles conducting search-and-rescue missions. We also saw the FWC’s Huey helicopter originally built for the Vietnam War and used during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. This helicopter is not only valuable in enforcing boating, fish and wildlife laws, but also supports public safety.
Overall, I really enjoyed the SEAFWA conference! It was a great way to meet other students with similar interests, network with fish and wildlife professionals representing 15 different states, and to learn from the various exciting and in depth talks! I want to personally thank Steve James, Chair on the Executive Committee for MINRC as well as Betty Bryant, MINRC Secretary and Treasurer for giving me this opportunity. Attending the SEAFWA conference through the support of MINRC was one door opened which led me to numerous other exciting doors that will guide me to my ultimate goal, inspiring others to protect our biodiversity. I would highly recommend for other minorities interested in natural resources to apply for the student stipend through MINRC for the 2015 conference in Asheville, North Carolina!
-Christine Lacayo
Sustainability Graduate Assistant