Good morning! I am Steve Williams, President of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), and I welcome all of you to the 86^th North American Conference. After leaving Omaha last year, we had no idea that a year later we would be hosting the first virtual conference in 86 years. We are sorry that we need to meet virtually rather than in person but obviously due to COVID-19, we have no choice. I thank all our co-sponsors, session and workshop leaders, and all participants in this event. Special thanks go to Cindy Delaney and her team and Matt Dunfee from WMI for planning and organizing this event. We all look forward to a very productive conference. During the welcome address, I normally recap the previous year’s activities. This year I think an appropriate theme is the title of one of my favorite western movies, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” It seems to be an appropriate title for 2020.

Six states are implementing the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap with support from the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) and a Multi-State Conservation Grant from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). The states (FL, IA, IN, MO, NC, and PA) are undertaking diverse approaches to engaging and serving broader constituencies tailored to their specific needs. In addition to helping these six states, WMI has created an online Conservation Relevancy Community to provide a platform where all agencies and organizations can connect, share information, and support each other’s efforts to expand conservation relevancy.

On February 25, 2021, the World Wildlife Fund-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance, in collaboration with the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), reported the monarch butterfly in Mexican hibernation forests decreased by 26% this year, occupying 2.10 hectares (ha) compared to the 2.82 ha reported during the winter of 2019-2020.

The USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program (CRU program) is pleased to provide you with the “2020 Year in Review” report. You will find brief descriptions of just a few highlighted activities of unit scientists, students, and cooperators in support of our joint mis­sion. Although space precludes us from highlighting every single activity from every unit and state, that in no way diminishes our appreciation of the excellent work that is conducted by each of our collaborators and partners and the value that this program places on each and every cooperative.