Leaders of state wildlife agencies often are thwarted when attempting to initiate change they see as necessary to position themselves strategically to meet the needs of 21^st century wildlife management. Although change is occurring, these agencies encounter considerable challenges to strategic transformation as they attempt to respond to the interests and concerns of politicians, nongovernmental organizations and the public. Professional discussion thus far has emphasized the need for transformation of state wildlife agencies, but provided little direction for achieving effective transformation and forging a resilient wildlife management institution. Increasingly, agency leaders seek ways to broaden program scope to accommodate the diversity of societal interests and concerns regarding wildlife.

The workshop?Transformation of State Wildlife Agencies: Challenges and Opportunities for Leaders?will offer a framework for enabling change in those agencies, and will specifically look at factors that have led to success in some cases and organizational and institutional barriers that have impeded progress in others. The workshop will: (1) help leaders understand organizational transformation and how to lead it, including a recent study that revealed factors that impeded and facilitated agency change; (2) offer agency and organizational leaders' perspectives regarding ways to overcome challenges and manage change; and (3) discussion of key elements of the state wildlife management institution of the future. A combination of presentations and facilitated discussion will engage and motivate leaders as they consider their own situations and what the future holds for their state wildlife agencies.

Coordinators of the workshop are Cynthia Jacobson, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (cindi.jacobson@alaska.gov), and Dan Decker, Cornell University (djd6@cornell.edu). Cosponsored by Cornell University's Human Dimensions Research Unit and the Wildlife Management Institute, the workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 23, 2010, at the 75^th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.