Purposeful Risk Taking in the Management and Protection of Species of Concern

Moderator:  Bree McMurray, and Endangered Species Biologist, Missouri Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102. 573-526-0606. Bree.McMurray@modot.mo.gov

Managers and researchers engage in purposeful risk taking for the conservation of species of concern in the state of Missouri. This workshop will showcase some examples of innovative ideas for enhancing management and policy decisions for species protection, which may involve some risk of failure or harm, in order to benefit the population or the species as a whole. The target audience is those interested in rare species or habitat management, research, and policy. The goal is to take from the workshop a better understanding of decision-making and considerations for innovative approaches to affect the conservation of species of concern. This will be accomplished by presenting examples of successes, failures or setbacks, and projects in development, weighing the risk of cost vs. benefit to the species in the decision making process

Presentations:

8:00-8:20 am	Moderator’s Session Introduction Bree McMurray, Missouri Department of Transportation
8:20-8:40 am	Propagation: A Tool to Conserve Missouri’s Freshwater Mussels Stephen McMurray, Missouri Department of Conservation
8:40-9:00 am	Topeka shiner-Risks Taken: Lessons Learned Harold Kerns, Missouri Department of Conservation
9:00-9:20 am	Risk and Uncertainty in Recovery Science for Rare Species in Highly Altered Systems: Understanding the Biology and Ecology of the Pallid Sturgeon Aaron Delonay, USGS-Columbia Environmental Research Center
9:20-9:40 am	Hellbender Propagation Efforts: Lessons Learned Jeff Briggler, Missouri Department of Conservation
9:40-10:00 am	The Importance of Using Sound Scientific Data in Making Listing Decisions Paul McKenzie, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
10:00-10:20 am	BREAK
10:20-10:40 am	Planning for the Arrival of White Nose Syndrome in Missouri: Risking Action vs. Inaction Tony Elliott, Missouri Department of Conservation
10:40-11:00 am	Examining Timber Harvest in the Range of the Tree-roosting, Endangered Indiana Bat Sybill Amelon, USFS-Northern Research Station
11:00-11:20 am	Prescribing Management on the Prairie: Vegetative Risks, Responses, and Rewards Emily Horner, Missouri Department of Conservation
11:20-11:40 am	Creative Problem Solving in the Face of Changing Policy: Federal Acts Protecting the Bald Eagle Bree McMurray, Missouri Department of Transportation
11:40 am - 12:00 noon	Creating Artificial Island Habitat for Interior Least Tern Recovery on the Mississippi River Charlie Deutsch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
12:00-12:20 pm	PANEL DISCUSSION