Conservation Policy: Getting Involved, Staying Engaged, and How TWS Can Help March 4-7th, 2025 Billings Hotel and Convention Center, Billings, MT Change is coming fast and furious to the wildlife of Montana, be it from increasing human populations and associated development, to novel diseases and invasive species, to climate change. At the same time, funding ... Read more
Path Analysis/Structural Equation Models Thomas Riecke Tuesday, March 4th 9am – 3pm (lunch provided) Cost: $35 regular/ $15 student & retiree; Max capacity: 50 Ecological systems are complex and interconnected. This often creates collinearity among covariates, leading to challenges in conservation decision making. As a specific example, peaks in abundance of a harvested species might ... Read more
Nature Journaling Rebecca Newton Tuesday, March 4th 10am – 12pm Cost: $35 regular/ $15 student & retiree; Max capacity: 30 Nature journaling is a great way to enrich skills of observation, curiosity, and awareness. This practice has been employed for centuries by naturalists, scientists, and artists. Nature journaling is an accessible practice requiring only basic ... Read more
Science-based self-care: How modern neuroscience informs whole-health practices to balance work, life, and relationships that won’t burn you out! Anna Rapson Tuesday, March 4th 3pm - 5pm Cost: $25 regular/ $10 student & retiree; Max capacity: 50 Learning to manage our stress and care for ourselves is essential to staying engaged with what we ... Read more
Conservation Policy Charlie Booher and Hannah Downey Wednesday, March 5th 8am – 12pm Cost: $35 regular/$15 students; Max capacity: 30 Many wildlife students still don’t have an opportunity to take a policy class at all. Those who do have the opportunity typically experience either a recitation of agency structure, enabling legislation, and treaties, or a ... Read more
Montana’s 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan: Partner Input on Threats and Conservation Actions Kimberly Szcodronski and Kristina Smucker Wednesday, March 5th 9am – 12pm Cost: $10; Max Capacity: 50 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is leading efforts to revise Montana’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), which is due to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ... Read more
Montana Chapter Annual Conference: Coordination and Collaboration in Conservation February 23-27th, 2026 Holiday Inn Downtown, Missoula, MT We all know that wildlife don’t follow jurisdictional boundaries. We’ve watched the effects of Climate Change impact the environment, regardless of whether the land is Tribal; State; Federally; or Privately owned. And while seeking food, a bear may ... Read more
Modeling Animal Aggregation to Inform Disease Risk: Tools and Applications Presenters: Will Janousek1*, Gavin Cotterill1, Tabitha Graves1 U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, MT, USA. Date: Tuesday February 24th, 9 AM - Noon Cost: Professional $35, Student $15 Understanding how animal aggregation influences disease dynamics is essential for effective wildlife ... Read more
Overview of Structured Decision Making Presenters: Sarah Sells¹, Hannah Sipe¹, and Justin Gude² ¹U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, United States of America ² Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Date: Tuesday February 24th, 1 PM - 5 PM Cost: Professional $35, Student $15 This half-day workshop ... Read more