Artifact 2- Contemporary Issues Facing Wildlife Agencies

PRT 500- Conceptual Foundations in Parks, Recreation Tourism & Sport

Link to Artifact: Contemporary Issues Facing Wildlife Agencies

Submitted 08 October 2010

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

This paper explored a contemporary issue of interest to us within the parks, recreation, and tourism field.  One of the core learning objectives of PRT 500 was to explain historical foundations of contemporary professional problems. In this paper, I looked at the North American Model of Wildlife Management as a traditional framework in which wildlife agencies have traditionally operated within. But the issues affecting wildlife management agencies now are the dependence of the funding within the North American Model and the perceptions of hunting in the public’s mind.

North Carolina and other states are changing in societal demographics, physical landscape, and a host of other issues, so wildlife agencies are facing many diverse and unique challenges.  It is important for managers within wildlife agencies to understand the traditional frameworks of the past, a clear understanding of the issues of today, and a plan for the future. The North American Wildlife Model has been a successful funding model for agencies in the past but there are dilemmas that must be overcome if agencies are to be sustainable into the future.

One of the most pressing issues is the recruitment and retention of constituents. The traditional operational framework of wildlife agencies is funded through a user pay, user benefit model.  This paper explored contemporary problems the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is facing.

The Conceptual Theory in Recreation and Leisure enhanced my ability to analyze data as it relates to hunting as a recreational activity.  The study of recreation has enabled me to equip and train Hunter Education Specialists and Volunteer Hunter Education Instructors with the knowledge they need to identify behavioral and user patterns of the hunter to better recruit and retain the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s stake holder group.  This course assisted with understanding of the North Carolina constituency so I can better ensure they are provided the opportunities of hunting, fishing, boating and other wildlife-related activities.  This course has enabled me to assist in the fulfillment of the agency’s Strategic Plan by addressing this specific goal.

Goal 1:  All North Carolina citizens have the opportunity for safe and readily available participation in hunting, fishing, boating, and other wildlife- related activities.

The theories and frameworks studied in PRT 500 have better enabled me to develop recruitment, retention and advertisement strategies for hunter education programming that are researched based.  A researched based recruitment and marketing strategy will ensure the outcomes are measurable and easily analyzed.  Measurable research will allow my agency to effectively reach the constituency with the agency’s programs. By better understanding the trends and user patterns I hope to generate opportunities to promote the goals and objectives of the agency’s education programs.