"Making the North American Model More Relevant to More Americans" is the topic of Special Session #4 at the 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Concurrent with three other special sessions, it will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. Speakers will address four subtopics aimed at increasing the awareness and relevance of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model.

North America is blessed with an abundance of wildlife perhaps unimaginable 100 years ago, following several centuries of exploitation. The restoration and recovery that occurred in the 20th century was the result of visionary thinking and activism, populous support and collaborative efforts. They were supported by effective laws, regulations and policies, as well as by the trail, error and acceleration of resource management as a science. Even so, many people today, including some within the wildlife conservation profession, do not know how the current wildlife abundance came to be. So, too, many do not recognize that threats to the North American model may undermine future abundance.

As a result of social and economic circumstances and political pressures, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation has continued to evolve during the past 100 years. Challenges today, not apparent as the model began to take shape in the last century, evidence that the evolution continues. Although it is touted as the envy of the conservation world, issues related to public knowledge of the model, private property rights, wildlife taxa covered by the model, land use and cover trends, conservation funding, and other factors provide significant challenges to its sustainability and relevance. ?

Special Session #4 will frame how the North American model was implemented in the United States and what factors unique to the U.S. have made it successful, including its funding base, and other key elements, such as firearms ownership, that need to be well articulated in revising the model. The session also will identify current and forecasted activities and issues that may conflict with the model's principles. By examining these aspects of the model in the context of the current social and wildlife management environment, and by suggesting potential amendments and clarifications to the model and its implementation, identification of opportunities to make the model more applicable, relevant and culturally based for current and future beneficiaries is the session's desired outcome. ?
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Finally, Special Session #4 will describe how the Recreational Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Plan, called for in President Bush's Executive Order on the Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation), promotes the relevance of the North American Model by involving more people in hunting and supporting stronger wildlife populations that all others can appreciate.

Special Session 4 will be co-chaired by Jeff Crane of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, and John Organ of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Click here for more information about the 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference and the other Special Sessions.