A workshop at the upcoming 79^th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will bring together new and existing partners in urban wildlife conservation. Titled "Wildlife Conservation in Cities and Suburbs: Western Approaches," the session will take place from 8:30 am to noon on Tuesday, March 11^th at the Sheraton Downtown in Denver, Colorado.

For many land managers, the topic of urban wildlife management may bring to mind issues of habitat loss or human-wildlife conflict from the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The importance of conserving wildlife habitat in cities and surrounding urban areas is often overlooked. Cities provide valuable habitat for a myriad of species and are an essential part of a comprehensive landscape-scale wildlife conservation plan. For example, a recent global analysis commissioned by the 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity found that 20 percent of the world's known bird species now live in urban areas. Urban gardens, parks, and even green roofs can provide refuges for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. And urban areas provide a critical opportunity to connect with the public via environmental education programs to teach the importance of wildlife conservation in cities, suburbs and beyond.

Workshop participants will expand their professional networks and learn the very latest research and practice in urban sustainability and wildlife, including "all lands" conservation approaches, public perceptions of urban wildlife, productive partnerships, and outreach and funding successes. We will hear perspectives from academic, government (municipal, state, federal), and NGO speakers working for urban wildlife conservation in the American West. Open to all registered attendees of the 2014 North American conference; the workshop program is available here.

Sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.