 NAWMP - a conservation model  IIC Work Plan  A focus on objectives  NAWMP - a conservation model  IIC Work Plan  A focus on objectives

 Signed in 1986 by Canada & U.S.  $4.5 billion  15.7 million acres  Signed in 1986 by Canada & U.S.  $4.5 billion  15.7 million acres North American Waterfowl Management Plan North American Waterfowl Management Plan

NAWMP - What changed in 1986?  Landscape-scale effort – “Joint Ventures”  Partnerships and leveraging resources  Numerical population objectives  Implied goal of sustaining sport hunting

NAWMP Updates: 1994: Expanding the commitment Mexico added as signatory 1998: Expanding the vision Moving toward landscape conservation, Broadening partnerships – “All Birds” 2004: Strengthening the biological foundation NAWMP Assessment : Integrating harvest, habitat, and hunters NAWMP Updates: 1994: Expanding the commitment Mexico added as signatory 1998: Expanding the vision Moving toward landscape conservation, Broadening partnerships – “All Birds” 2004: Strengthening the biological foundation NAWMP Assessment : Integrating harvest, habitat, and hunters

 Losing wetlands and grasslands faster than restored  Threats are growing – human population growth, water scarcity, climate change, energy …  Losing hunters and their revenue and policy support - society disconnected from outdoors  Losing resources – budgets not keeping pace with challenges  Losing wetlands and grasslands faster than restored  Threats are growing – human population growth, water scarcity, climate change, energy …  Losing hunters and their revenue and policy support - society disconnected from outdoors  Losing resources – budgets not keeping pace with challenges NAWMP 2012: Clarifying the problem

Degraded breeding grounds

Coastal Marsh Loss

Rice and Water

Boreal Forest

Light Goose populations

Trends in U.S. and Canadian Waterfowl Hunters 46% decline

What We Heard at Workshops  “Re-vision” the waterfowl management enterprise  Break down silos; work towards common goals  Become more effective and efficient  Integrate objectives  Coordinate actions  Keep pace with environmental and societal changes  More explicit consideration of people  Address the decline in waterfowl hunters  Engage a broader base of supporters

1. Abundant and resilient waterfowl populations to support hunting and other uses without imperiling habitat. 2. Wetlands and related habitats sufficient to sustain waterfowl populations at desired levels, while providing places to recreate and ecological services that benefit society. 3. Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists, and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Revised NAWMP Goals

2004: The purpose of the plan is to sustain abundant waterfowl populations by conserving landscapes, through partnerships that are guided by sound science 2012: “The purpose of the NAWMP is to sustain North America’s waterfowl populations and their habitats at levels that satisfy human desires and perpetuate waterfowl hunting, accomplished through partnerships guided by sound science” Revised NAWMP Vision

Goals Are Linked and Inseparable Healthy Populations Conserved Habitat Hunters and Viewers

Recommendations - NAWMP Action Plan  Integrate waterfowl management  Develop, revise or reaffirm NAWMP objectives  Focus resources on important landscapes  Build support for waterfowl conservation  Establish a Human Dimensions Working Group  Adapt harvest management strategies  Increase adaptive capacity

Premise: Management of waterfowl populations, conservation of waterfowl habitat, and engagement of waterfowl supporters are inseparably linked. Flyways HMWG Flyways HMWG IIC HDWG JV / NSST Flyways HMWG Flyways HMWG JV / NSST

Interim Integration Committee :  Focal point for gathering, vetting & synthesizing ideas from the waterfowl management community  Prepare a work plan to advance integration.  Support a process for explicit objectives  Collaborate with work groups to develop scale- specific monitoring, assessment & decision support  Develop a communication strategy  Ultimately, guide review of institutional structures Interim Integration Committee :  Focal point for gathering, vetting & synthesizing ideas from the waterfowl management community  Prepare a work plan to advance integration.  Support a process for explicit objectives  Collaborate with work groups to develop scale- specific monitoring, assessment & decision support  Develop a communication strategy  Ultimately, guide review of institutional structures

Policy support Technical expertise JV experience Communications insight Logistic support Funding Interim Integration Committee Dale Humburg, Chair Lyle Saigeon (SK) Natalie Sexton (USFWS) Ken Richkus (USFWS) David Goad (AR) Mike Anderson (DUC) Dave Duncan (CWS) Mike Brasher (NSST) Mike Carter (JV) Diane Eggeman (FL) Andrew Raedeke (MO) Jim Gammonley (CO) Dan Yparraguirre (CA) Dean Smith (AFWA)

Insert HDWG material regarding the TOR and other aspects of standing up that work group here if integrated into the IIC presentation Integrate the work items that have HDWG as lead into the work plan elements to follow:

Interim Integration Committee: Advance the integrated management of North American waterfowl populations, harvest, habitat conservation, and associated user and conservation supporters. Develop work plans: Prioritized actions  Expected outcome(s)  Assumptions  Potential approach/ process (stakeholders)  Resourcing strategy (responsibility)  Budget  Timeline

Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: Engage stakeholders throughout the process  Future of Waterfowl Management Summit II Revise NAWMP objectives  Waterfowl Populations (10 species from TSA)  Waterfowl hunters, viewers, supporters  Waterfowl Habitat

Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: Develop models & tools in support of implementation  Review mallard harvest management  Eastern mallards  Midcontinent mallards – joint MF/CF  Western mallards  Concurrently explore multi-species management  Develop a modeling framework of social processes  Decision support tools for priority landscapes  Modeling framework integrating objectives

Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: Implement management actions  Adaptively apply HD tools in pilot projects  Compile a review of EGS values  Develop and implement HD training  Compile a synopsis of habitat delivery via HD tools  Demonstrate the economic value of waterfowl conservation Derive empirical measures of waterfowl hunting  Electronic licensing data

Re-vision NAWMP Objectives Waterfowl Populations Waterfowl Habitat Waterfowl Habitat Waterfowl Hunters/Supporters

Re-vision NAWMP Objectives:  IIC propose measurable attributes and draft objectives  Waterfowl management community provide input into draft objectives  Assign NAWMP Objectives Task Group  Task group recommends candidate objectives  Solicit stakeholder values  Revise NAWMP Objectives July 2013 to March 2014 Oct 2013 to July 2014 July NAWMP Update July 2013 to March 2014 Oct 2013 to July 2014 July NAWMP Update

Anchor Point - Populations: Premise: Recent populations of most waterfowl species are at desired levels (acknowledging the influence of favorable environmental conditions).

LTA 1970s

LTA 1970s

LTA 1970s

LTA 1970s

Draft Objective: Duck populations within the range estimated during (10 species reported from the Traditional Survey Area, see table below) Straw-man Objectives for Waterfowl Populations NAWMP Goal: Abundant and resilient waterfowl populations to support hunting and other uses Premise: Recent populations of most waterfowl species have been at desired levels.

Key questions: 1.Should objectives more explicitly address populations with increasing versus declining trends? 2.What should the anchor point be for the lower threshold (somewhere above biological sustainability)? 3.To what degree does harvest management serve to achieve population and people objectives? Draft Objective: Duck populations within the range estimated during (10 species reported from the Traditional Survey Area, see table below)

Anchor Point - Supporters: Premise: Hunter numbers are below desired levels, and public support for conservation is insufficient to sustain current habitat and populations

NAWMP Goal: Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Premise: The current number and demographic of waterfowl hunters may not sustain waterfowling traditions, and overall public support for conservation is insufficient to sustain current habitat and populations. Draft Objective: A ctive duck and goose hunter numbers (as measured by federal surveys) that are stable or increasing from average levels during (corresponds to period used to benchmark range of duck population objectives).

 Active duck and goose hunter numbers that are stable or increasing from average levels during  Stable or increasing numbers of waterfowl viewers, measured by the USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife- Associated Recreation.  Increasing ( X %) federal duck stamp revenue.  Increase and maintain funding for NAWCA, Conservation Title of the Farm Bill, LWCF, and other waterfowl conservation funding.  Increased nonmarket valuation of EGS of waterfowl habitats and increased recognition by the general public.  Increased numbers of landowners who are participating in habitat conservation programs. Straw-man “People” Objectives:

Key questions: 1.What is the scale of waterfowl-related users and people-related objectives that should be implemented? 2.To what degree will flyways and joint ventures engage in implementing coordinated management actions and monitoring related to people objectives? Straw-man “People” Objectives:

Anchor Point - Habitat: Premise: Habitat – while sufficient today – is not secure and is being lost at an unacceptable rate.

NAWMP Goal: Wetlands and related habitats sufficient to sustain waterfowl populations at desired levels, while providing places to recreate and ecological services that benefit society. Premise: Habitat – while sufficient today – is not secure and is being lost at an unacceptable rate. Draft Objective: Re-assess habitat objectives and actions that are consistent at national and regional/local scales with revised NAWMP population and people objectives.

Continental waterfowl users/supporters Waterfowl Habitat Continental waterfowl populations Down—scaled Rolled-up Develop, revise or reaffirm NAWMP objectives Down—scaled

Key questions: 1.How should habitat conservation partnerships consider deploying human dimensions frameworks for habitat? 2.How will coupling NAWMP population and human objectives impact the habitat conservation actions? 3.Which audiences (e.g., waterfowl hunters, viewers, etc.) should be considered priority within different landscapes or across all landscapes? 4.Will funding sources such as NAWCA assist with targeting of habitat according to new objectives (e.g., hunters, viewers, etc.)? 5.To what degree are waterfowl habitat strategies also compatible/consistent with strategies for EGS?

Focus resources on important landscapes:  Identify the most important areas to deliver waterfowl habitat conservation at multiple spatial scales

Desired Outcomes:  Populations: 1.Waterfowl populations at biologically sustainable levels 2.Waterfowl populations sufficient to provide for an abundance of use and enjoyment by current and future citizens  People ??  Habitat ??

Challenges to implementation:  Budgets and staff capacity are limited  Linkage of human dimensions strategies to population and habitat is not entirely apparent  Think outside of disciplines of harvest or habitat management.  Move beyond personal experience / culture  Constantly communicate status and process  Constantly consider the range of stakeholders

 HMWG, November  Initial IIC meeting, 3-4 December  Webinar – 10 January and 7 February  Plan Committee during January  ECNAW - NAWMP and HD special sessions January  IIC – 6-8 March in Denver, CO  NAWNR Conference – March  Canadian federal and provincial directors – 7-9 May  HD Working Group – May  IIC develop work plan – 9-11 July  Flyways – July  NSST – July  NAWMP Committee – August IIC Work Plan