Happy New Year and welcome to the 78^th Volume of the Outdoor News Bulletin (ONB)! Year number 78 of the ONB will bring a new section to the newsletter, “The President’s Message.” As I close in on my first year at WMI, the idea of establishing a regular ONB communications feature seemed fitting. The feature will be a simple and concise effort to emphasize and highlight relevant conservation information, invite thought and reflection on various conservation issues, and offer opportunities for engagement and professional development related to conservation actions. Going forward, I very much look forward to engaging with ONB subscribers through this regular communication channel so stay tuned.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," as Plato famously wrote. This timeless proverb resonates deeply in the realm of environmental conservation, especially when discussing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its innovative approach to protecting imperiled species and their ecosystems. The ESA's regulatory assurance is a suite of measures designed to encourage voluntary collaborative conservation efforts for at-risk, threatened, and endangered species. These measures, known as Landowner Assurance Tools (LATs), offer incentives to private landowners and developers, balancing conservation actions with minimized regulatory burdens.

The Wildlife Management Institute is working with partners through the Outdoor Industry Communications Council to share information about hunting and fishing in America. Following is a story produced by the OICC and ONB readers are encouraged to share the information with their networks.

Since 1948, the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) has compiled information on fish and wildlife agency organizational structures, their authorities, and their priority program areas about once every 10 years. The information provided a once-a-decade snapshot of how North American fish and wildlife agencies were shaped – and how they shaped the conservation landscape. Societal changes and their impacts on fish, wildlife, and habitats – and conservation agencies – are quickening. The diversity of agency responsibilities, authorities, and programs is evolving – and agencies and stakeholders need timely information to aid in local, regional, and national program and policy decisions.

The Wetlands of Nebraska project highlights the importance of wetlands through videos and stories that take place across Nebraska’s diverse landscapes. This project was led by the U.S. Geological Survey Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, in collaboration with Platte Basin Timelapse, Ducks Unlimited, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL).