Artifact 1- North Carolina Hunter Education Marketing Plan

PRT 595- Strategic Marketing in Parks, Recreation Tourism & Sport

Link to Artifact: North Carolina Hunter Education Marketing Plan

Submitted February 2010

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

I took PRT-595 (later 507) as my first class with the Masters of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Sports Management in the spring of 2010. The artifact I chose to represent this class was my marketing plan for the North Carolina Hunter Education Program.

I have already implemented many of the competencies and learning objectives I achieved in this class in my professional career with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Many of the aspects of my marketing plan have been implemented in some form. The hunter education program is very conscious of having a very clear target audience with our outreach campaigns. I have been utilizing many of the databases that I was exposed to in this class. The use of SBRnet has been found to be very useful in identifying and understanding target markets and trends as they relate to the hunting public.

The NCWRC’s Home from the Hunt effort has experienced great success as a direct result from tactics discussed in this Strategic Marketing class. Home from the Hunt was one of the elements discussed in the marketing plan. Though this outreach effort was already being implemented before this course, the scope of the campaign has greatly increased after this marketing plan.

Home from the Hunt was the theme of the 2011 International Hunter Education Association’s annual conference held in Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Dr. Casper, the professor for PRT-595, was one of the speakers for this conference and even discussed this marketing plan in his presentation to the attending states and nations.  Since the conference Georgia and Alabama’s hunter education programs have adopted tactics very similar to NC’s campaigns.  Georgia has even requested in writing to use the trademarked name of the campaign.

Travis Casper (right) and Dr. Jonathan Casper (left) 2011 IHEA 02 June 2011

This course assisted with the tools necessary in better understanding the North Carolina constituency through research and trend analysis 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:

Goal 2: Expand the constituency base by providing and promoting opportunities for every adult and child, regardless of physical abilities to experience North Carolina’s wildlife resources.

I now am better enabled 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 effectively reach the constituency and advise them of 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.

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.

Artifact 3- Financial Summary and Analysis of the NC Hunter Education Program

PRT 503- Advanced Fiscal Management for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Organization

Link to Artifact:  Financial Summary and Analysis of the NC Hunter Education Program

Submitted 11 November 2010

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

The North Carolina Hunter Education program is funded through federally dispersed Wildlife Restoration Act funds.  The program operates on a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that funds multifaceted programs crucial to the education and safety of North Carolina’s hunters.  This course has provided me the foundation in advanced principles and procedures of fiscal management to ensure ethical leadership while preforming the duties of the NC Hunter Education Coordinator in management of the Hunter Education federal grants. The ability to apply basic principles of research and evaluation related to recreation, parks, tourism, and sport services is essential to my abilities in the management of the Hunter Education Program.

Advanced Fiscal Management for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Organization directly provided instruction in skills I must apply in the fiscal management of hunter education programming for obtaining the program’s mission and goals. Financial constraints and proper accounting oversight within a state regulatory agency, that is mandated with providing hunter education instruction, make these skills and abilities a job requirement.

The artifact I selected for PRT 503 was the fiscal analysis I completed on the North Carolina Hunter Education Program. The hunter education program is a social effort attempting to positively affect the behavior of the NC hunting public. With this analysis I looked at the assets and liabilities of the program. The hunter education program spends public trust monies and it is essential that the public is receiving the most return on its dollar.

The Hunter Education program should be concerned with the lapse in hunter numbers. North Carolina’s numbers are strong but this is not the case nationwide. A conscience effort should be continued to recruit new hunters and retain existing hunters.

NICS Firearm Purchase Background Checks Top Highest Weeks
(United State Department of Justice, 2010)

 (United State Department of Justice, 2010)

The increase in funds in the past few years are unfortunately unsustainable. The record profits from handgun and ammunition companies at some time will come to an end. Hunters have purchasing power but there is less hunters spending more money nationwide. Recent surveys indicate that North Carolina hunters contribute $431 million to the state’s economy (USFWS, 2008). Nationally, hunter expenditures are nearly $23 billion leading USA Today (2010) to call hunting a “bulletproof industry” during the recession.

This course has enabled me to better fulfill the agency’s strategic plan by addressing Strategic Goal 6.

Goal 6:  The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission operates under a sound funding model that meets resources and constituent needs and supports current and future programs and new population needs.

Artifact 4- Save the Catalpa Tree Power Point

Link to Artifact: Save the Catalpa Tree Power Point

PRT 505 GIS and Spatial Analysis in Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management

Submitted 14 April 2011

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

PRT 505 GIS Spatial Analysis provided me with the opportunity to increase my ability of spatial reasoning and develop basic skills of handling, evaluating and analyzing spatial data in common geographic information systems (GIS) platforms as it relates to hunting as a recreational activity. This has enhanced my understanding and ability to make more informed decisions in planning and management of resources and services, and be an intelligent user of spatial data and GIS tools for research and evaluation.

This course enabled me to assist in the fulfillment of the agency’s Strategic Plan by addressing these specific goals.

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

This course provided me with an in-depth knowledge of the impacts of recreation on active-healthy lifestyles and sustainable communities, and their connection to contemporary societal issues ensuring hunting, fishing, and boating as accepted and viable recreation in North Carolina.

Goal 2: Expand the constituency base by providing and promoting opportunities for every adult and child, regardless of physical abilities to experience North Carolina’s wildlife resources.

The knowledge skills and abilities acquired through PRT 505 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 the constituency to be more effectively reached 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.

Save the Catalpa Tree Map Created in ArcGIS
Located at NC State

The Tree Protection Plan assignment was very beneficial and rewarding.  The ability to take data from two software platforms and combine them for review will be beneficial professionally.  Wildlife Enforcement Officers have been using Google Maps and Google Earth Software for wildlife violations and hunting and boating accident investigations.  Taking the knowledge gained from using Google’s platform and combining it with the data contained in the ArcGIS software will enhance the understanding of what has happened and assist in finding trends within the data sets.

The software is powerful in the information it can assist the user in obtaining but I was surprised of how sensitive the software is to how files are stored in relation to the ability to read or convert data into other types of files.  The user definitely has to be mindful of the location where the software is stored on the computer drive, the length of the file name, and the path to the file.  There was a couple times in the project that the work came to a halt because the data had not been stored properly.  Once this mistake was realized the project was straight forward and step by step.

There should be a warning about the sensitivity of the ArcGIS software platform in how files are saved on your computer.  This lesson was learned the hard way.   The GIS software seemed very sensitive and any variation from the software’s preferred path would not be accepted.  This was a benefit because it caused me to repeat steps over again until I found the path the software liked.

I found the Tree Protection Project highly beneficial.  The complications were drastically outweighed by the knowledge gained.  This project entertained me and I enjoyed the critical thinking in solving the steps of this project.  The steps were like a puzzle and the data outcome was the reward.  I have already begin using the combination of Google Earth and ArcGIS in my professional life!

Artifact 5- Community Archery Park Proposal

PRT 508- Risk Management for Parks, Recreation Tourism & Sport

Link to Artifact: Community Archery Program Proposal

Submitted 20 June 2011

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

PRT 508 Risk Management for PRT provided me with the opportunity to increase my ability to recognize, better understand and prepare for risk management as it pertains to hunting as a recreational activity. This course gave me insight to legal concepts related to specific managerial functions, impacts on functions in recreational environments that result in more efficient and successful operations, and protection for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.   This knowledge enhanced my understanding and ability to make more informed decisions in planning and management of resources and services.   The study of risk management in recreation has enabled me to equip and train Hunter Education Specialists and Volunteer Hunter Education Instructors with the knowledge they need to better manage potential risks associated with hunter education coordination.

Wildlife Agencies are seeking new partnerships with organizations to increase the recruitment and retention of our stakeholder groups. The artifact I selected for this course was the proposal I completed for a community archery park. As the NC Wildlife Resources Commission seeks new and initiative partnerships the idea of an archery park is highly likely.

I have already used elements of this paper in discussions with members of the NCWRC, the Army Corp of Engineers, and another conservation partner in discussions of an archery range possibly to be built in Wilkes County.  

As hunter education moves forward we are in continuous meetings and conversations on how we can reduce risks and better serve our stakeholders. Hunter education programing has a clean safety record in North Carolina and aspects from this class will ensure this record is held intact.

Forbush Archer at Lentz Hunter Education Complex near Ellerbe, NC
NCWRC File Photo

This course will enable me to assist in the fulfillment of the agency’s Strategic Plan by addressing these specific goals.

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

This course provided me an in-depth knowledge of the impacts of recreation on active-healthy lifestyles and sustainable communities, and their connection to contemporary societal issues ensuring hunting, fishing, and boating as accepted and viable recreation in North Carolina.

Goal 2: Create a work environment where priorities are clear; the decision-making process is efficient and effective; and employees feel a sense of creativity, accountability, value and satisfaction in their achievements and their contributions to the agency’s mission.

Having a better understanding of the risk management concepts and theories I hope to generate a safe and effective work environment for agency staff, volunteers, and constituencies. 

Artifact 6- Reorganization and Restructuring of the North Carolina Hunter Education Program

PRT 506- Organizational Behavior and Leadership in Parks, Recreation, Tourism & Sport

Link to Artifact: Reorganization and Restructuring of the North Carolina Hunter Education Program

Submitted 07 October 2011

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

PRT 506- Organizational Behavior and Leadership in PRT was taken at a very interesting time for me professionally. Since 2009 the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has been in a reorganization review.  In response to an ever changing political and socio-economic landscape, the NCWRC is being reviewed to ensure that the needs of the state’s wildlife and fisheries resources are being met.  Many of the tenants discussed and reviewed in PRT 506 were relevant to what I was facing professionally.

Early in the semester I was approached by NCWRC leadership about possible restructuring of the NC Hunter Education Program.  This course gave insight on what was happening within our agency. It seemed like every week, Dr. Bocarro had insight on the happenings of the NCWRC. Strategic Plans, mission statements, goals and core values are terms discussed daily at work. The academic background received on these topics has been very helpful.

My artifact for this course is my final paper of the reorganization and restructuring of the NC Hunter Education Program. This course forced me to look at the different frames influencing the reorganization. Uncertainty brings fear and anxiety and this project forced me to take a look at the benefits of the reorganization.

This course and artifact provided me the opportunity to increase my ability and knowledge of organization and administration of a public agency such as the NCWRC.  I have gained a better understanding of the structural, human, political, and cultural factors that impact organizational efficiency and effectiveness.  Insight has been gained on issues that affect organization, management, ethical leadership, and human personnel supervision.

NCWRC Strategic Plan

This course enabled me to assist in the fulfillment of the agency’s Strategic Plan by addressing these specific goals.

Goal 5:  Communicate, educate, and market wildlife conservation and the role of hunting and fishing in effective wildlife-management.

This course provided me with an in-depth knowledge to assist with communication skills. These skills have better enabled me and the hunter education program to communicate the impacts of recreation on active-healthy lifestyles and sustainable communities while ensuring hunting, fishing, and boating are acceptable and viable recreation in North Carolina.

Goal 2: Create a work environment where priorities are clear; the decision-making process is efficient and effective; and employees feel a sense of creativity, accountability, value and satisfaction in their achievements and their contributions to the agency’s mission.

By better understanding organizational and leaderships concepts and theories I hope to generate a safe and effective work environment for agency staff, volunteers, and constituencies.  I will be better able to promote the goals and objectives of the agency’s education programs with the knowledge and skills acquired through these objectives gained from this clas

Artifact 7- Review of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Hunter and Conservation Education Data

PRT 504 Data Management and Applications for Park, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management

Link to Artifact:  Review of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Hunter and Conservation Education Data

Submitted 11 December 2011

Author Travis J. Casper

Reflection

PRT 504 Data Management and Applications for PRT was another timely course for me professionally. The NC Hunter Education Program recently just implemented a new data management system for our program, volunteer instructors, and students. The data the program collects can be overwhelming and confusing. The Data Management course gave numerous examples on ways to interpret and make data useful and to work for the program by using graphs, charts and tables to illustrate and analyze the tendencies.

The Salkind (2010) text book and the Excel Data Analysis tool pack has been an excellent resource for me professionally. The Salkind text is a fixture on my desk along with Excel on my desktop.  For years I have worked in Excel, but now I know I can actually work with the software platform.

The artifact I chose for this class was the final project where I reviewed data from Texas Parks and Wildlife. Unprecedented state budget shortfalls, changing demographics, and declining numbers of hunters have forced wildlife management agencies to start taking an in-depth look at programs and attitudes of their constituency. This analysis looked at data from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department gathered in 1998 from random households using random digit dialing. This report examined various responses related to behavioral, participatory, and demographic characteristics of residents of Texas in an attempt to better understand public feelings towards education programs offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The objectives of this review were to determine:

1) Public sentiment towards the conservation education programs offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

2) Determine if these attitudes are being affected by participation in TPWD programs.

3) Determine if participation in hunting and fishing has an impact on attitudes towards conservation education programing.

These issues are very prevalent to situations the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is facing. The skills learned with this project will be essential in interpreting data from our new data collection software. These skills will strengthen the NCWRC and the Hunter Education program in the future, making operations more efficient and assist in a better understanding of the NCWRC stakeholders.

This course provided me with the opportunity to increase my ability and knowledge of procedures and techniques necessary in research and evaluation in a recreational setting to solve management problems. I gained insight on techniques for data collection, management, analysis, and communication of research findings.

This course enabled me to assist in the fulfillment of the agency’s Strategic Plan by addressing these specific goals.

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

Goal 2: Create a work environment where priorities are clear; the decision-making process is efficient and effective; and employees feel a sense of creativity, accountability, value and satisfaction in their achievements and their contributions to the agency’s mission.