Everything that goes into the term "conservation" within the specific context of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is becoming more and more abstract to the general public. Many are detached, set apart, non-participatory members of a club most do not pay dues to, and many do not see themselves as directly impacted by or capable of influencing tangible outcomes to what they understand as "conservation." A Special Session at the 79^th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will highlight some of the actions needed to unify the meaning, importance, and function of conservation in the lives of citizens. Titled "Making Conservation Relevant to Society," this is one of four concurrent Special Sessions to be held on March 12, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Sheraton Downtown in Denver, Colorado.

Conservation may mean different things to different people and institutions, and in many cases those meanings compete with and confound the ability to clearly stipulate and rally support for wildlife, land conservation, and environmental quality. Some groups may use the term to describe efforts that would be more appropriately deemed "preservation," while other groups construe the meaning of conservation to a narrow agenda (e.g. game species production) without regard for or interest in broader issues of sustainability.

In the broadest sense, "conservation" entails all of the actions by governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to maintain the services and benefits of our environment. Resource management agencies have unique roles in conservation by virtue of their obligation under the Public Trust Doctrine, their professional expertise, and a general adherence to land ethics. The efficacy in which those roles can be fulfilled is contingent upon cultivating shared values and support among a critical mass of the public. Understanding and engaging the public is necessary to achieve successful conservation efforts that are relevant to a broad public.

Why is it necessary for conservation to be relevant? One answer is the support for agency authority, budget and programs, but the more basic reason is perpetuity of public trust resources. The Public Trust Doctrine concepts are all about relevance, and relevance, like society, is always changing. Changing societal demographic trends ? older, more urban, more ethnically diverse ? have been well documented, but the natural resource community still struggles to find ways to adapt. Important cultural changes driven by the rapid and pervasive adoption of digital technology, especially by the millennial generation also create powerful implications in the quest for conservation relevance.

Session speakers will address numerous important questions that these changing cultural trends raise. To what extent are we prepared to understand the needs and interests of our transforming culture and adapt our conservation brand accordingly? How do we continue to engage, retain and recruit traditional stakeholders and engage with the broader set of stakeholders without the perception of diminished attention and service to traditional stakeholders? And finally, how do we engage non-traditional stakeholders and garner their support (financially and politically) with extremely limited resources to reach and engage them?

The session is chaired by Robert Holsman, Resource Sociologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Learn more about the 79th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference.