A workshop at the 81^st North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will provide a snapshot of resource management initiatives in Pennsylvania and highlight how partnerships are supporting conservation actions to address the rapidly changing needs of the Commonwealth's natural resources. This workshop, titled A Foundation for Managing Pennsylvania's Fish and Wildlife:  Partnerships in the Early 21^st Century, is slated for Tuesday, March 15 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, as in many other states across the country, growing financial and staffing constraints coupled with progressively complex resource concerns are challenging the ability of natural resource agencies and organizations to adequately address fish and wildlife management needs. Natural resource managers must address diverse, highly dynamic and often interrelated resource concerns (e.g., diseases, invasive species and changing land use) which pose complex and expanding threats to native species and their habitats.

In some cases, management strategies to address these threats may be untested and require a long-term adaptive management approach and extensive research to understand the outcomes of these actions. Due to the complexity and scope of resource concerns (e.g., reduced funding, rapidly changing threats, extent of management needs), implementing conservation actions at an effective scale can go beyond the capacity of an individual agency or organization. Engaging partners and the public is crucial for pro-active, effective management of fish, wildlife and their habitats. Partnerships, where each member recognizes their role in the collaborative effort, and where goals are well defined, can lead to tangible and enduring outcomes.

Workshop presentation topics will include building capacity to use prescribed fire for habitat conservation and landscape resiliency; methods and models to restore lakes and fisheries; emerging strategies for successful wildlife law enforcement; as well as others.

Participants will be presented with a host of successful models and insights and given an appreciation for the natural resource management successes that have been forged through the innovation and dedication of Pennsylvania's conservation professionals.