Browsing by Author "Barnes, Jessica C."

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Exploring Post-CRP Decision-Making in the Southern Great Plains
    Barnes, Jessica C.; Dayer, Ashley A. (Virginia Tech, 2021-11-30)
    The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a federal program that incentivizes the re-establishment of vegetative cover on formerly cropped land across the United States, has contributed significantly to soil health, water quality, and the status of wildlife populations. However, because CRP contracts are time-limited, the land use decisions made by landowners when their contracts end determine the durability of CRP’s benefits for soils, water, and wildlife, as well as the efficiency of federal expenditures. In order to understand the factors that might catalyze the persistence of CRP grasslands after contracts end, we conducted a two-phase, multi-year social science study of landowners’ experiences before, during, and after CRP in the southern Great Plains. Phase I, which was conducted from 2017-2019, included qualitative data collection through participant observation and interviews with landowners in the region, focus groups with current CRP contract holders, and a mail survey administered to landowners with current CRP contracts as well as those with contracts that had expired between 2011 and 2017. This report presents methods, results, and recommendations from Phase II, which was conducted from 2019-2021. Phase II was designed to follow up on and further explore key survey findings from Phase I through workshops with conservation practitioners and in-depth, qualitative interviews with landowners from the study area. Our conversations with landowners highlighted the intersecting biophysical, socio-economic, and institutional factors that shape decision-making about post-CRP land use in the southern Great Plains. In light of these factors, we make seven recommendations for the design and delivery of CRP that may promote the persistence of grasslands and associated environmental benefits after program participation ends.
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    Exploring the relevance of the multidimensionality of wildlife recreationists to conservation behaviors: A case study in Virginia
    Grooms, Bennett; Dayer, Ashley A.; Barnes, Jessica C.; Peele, Ashley; Rutter, Jonathan D.; Cole, Nicholas W. (Wiley, 2023-04-20)
    Wildlife recreationists' participation in conservation behaviors could provide key support to the conservation efforts of state fish and wildlife agencies. However, little is known about how identifying with multiple forms of wildlife recreation (i.e., hunters, anglers, birders, wildlife viewers) may influence participation in conservation behaviors, specifically for supporting state fish and wildlife agencies and their conservation goals. Using a mixed-mode survey of Virginia wildlife recreationists, we explored the hypothesized relationship between individuals' participation in conservation behaviors and their identification with multiple forms of consumptive and nonconsumptive wildlife recreation. We found wildlife recreation identity is multidimensional, with many individuals identifying with consumptive and nonconsumptive identities simultaneously. Further, consumptive-only recreationists (i.e., hunters and/or anglers) participated in conservation behaviors less often than nonconsumptive-only recreationists (i.e., birders and/or wildlife viewers) and recreationists with both consumptive and nonconsumptive identities were less likely to support a state fish and wildlife agency in the future. Our findings underscore the importance of all types of wildlife recreationists, especially those with intersecting identities, as state fish and wildlife agencies work to advance conservation. Hence, developing multi-faceted engagement strategies may enhance support for state fish and wildlife agencies among their growing wildlife recreation constituency.
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    Land use decisions after the Conservation Reserve Program: Re-enrollment, reversion, and persistence in the southern Great Plains
    Barnes, Jessica C.; Sketch, Mary; Gramza, Ashley R.; Sorice, Michael G.; Iovanna, Rich; Dayer, Ashley A. (2020-07-23)
    The temperate grasslands of North America remain one of the most modified and threatened ecosystems on the planet. In the United States, the conservation of grassland-dependent wildlife continues to be challenged by the widespread conversion of privately owned grasslands to cropland. Recent analyses indicate that land exiting the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the country's largest private lands conservation program, is a primary source of grassland conversion. In this mixed-methods study, we employed focus groups and mail surveys to understand the decisions made by landowners in the southern Great Plains as their CRP contracts near expiration and up to 7 years following expiration. We explored both the post-contract intentions of landowners with fields currently enrolled in CRP and the self-reported, post-contract decisions of landowners whose CRP contracts expired between 2011 and 2017. Interest in re-enrolling in CRP upon contract expiration was high among landowners with current fields; however, over half of landowners with former CRP fields reported being unable to re-enroll when they tried. We found higher rates of grassland persistence than have been previously reported, but also detected temporal patterns that suggest that cropland reversion is increasingly likely as the time since contract expiration increases. This study highlights the need for increased attention to the barriers that preclude transition into other conservation programs following CRP and more detailed understanding of what drives landowner decision-making about re-enrollment and post-CRP land use. These insights will be critical for increasing the effectiveness of programs for enduring grassland conservation on private lands.
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    Landowners and the Conservation Reserve Program: Understanding needs and motivations to cultivate participation, retention, and ongoing stewardship behavior
    Barnes, Jessica C.; Dayer, Ashley A.; Sketch, Mary; Gramza, Ashley R.; Nocera, Tomas; Steinmetz, Ally; Sorice, Michael G. (Virginia Tech, 2019-03-07)
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    National and Regional Results of the Wildlife Viewer Survey: Enhancing Relevancy and Engaging Support from a Broader Constituency
    Sinkular, Emily N.; Dayer, Ashley A.; Barnes, Jessica C.; Pototsky, P. Christy; Plante, Shelly; Jennings, Kelsey K.; Chaves, Willandia A. (Virginia Tech, 2022-08-17)
    Wildlife viewing is among the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the United States, with significant implications for the work of fish and wildlife agencies. Wildlife viewers are those who intentionally observe, feed, or photograph wildlife; travel to parks, protected areas, or other natural spaces with the purpose of feeding, observing, or photographing wildlife; and those who maintain plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife. To better understand wildlife viewers in the United States, the Dayer Lab at Virginia Tech in collaboration with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group conducted a survey of more than 4,000 wildlife viewers nationwide. The study fills an important knowledge gap for wildlife agencies and illuminates how to better engage this broad constituency of wildlife recreationists, increasing agency relevancy to a wider array of people who enjoy the outdoors. Specifically, this report examines: viewing and conservation behaviors of wildlife viewers; past and likelihood of future financial contributions to state agencies; perceptions of state agencies and their management for wildlife viewers; how to build relevancy with a broader audience of wildlife viewers; comparisons of wildlife viewers across the four AFWA regions; participation of consumptive and nonconsumptive wildlife viewers; and more. This report also conducts additional analysis between consumptive (those that also participate in hunting and angling) and nonconsumptive wildlife viewers (those who do not), and compares wildlife viewers based on their “R3” stage (recruited, retained, churned, and reactivated). To illustrate tangible results from managing wildlife viewing, this report also incorporates seven case studies from state agencies demonstrating successful approaches to engaging wildlife viewers. Finally, this report concludes with five key recommendations for state agencies to increase engagement and relevancy with wildlife viewers. Researchers at Virginia Tech co-developed these recommendations based on insights from the study and co-production workshop with state agency staff at the 2022 Wildlife Viewer and Nature Tourism Academy. - Respond to demand for agencies to develop programs and services to engage viewers - Broaden constituency of state agencies through supporting viewing experiences of underserved groups - Develop financial support opportunities for viewers to contribute financially to state agencies - Support state agencies in implementing results - Conduct additional research to fill wildlife viewing information gaps For more information, please contact Emily Sinkular (sinkular@vt.edu) and Dr. Ashley Dayer (dayer@vt.edu). This project was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (grant # F21AP00617-00), which is jointly managed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.
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    Supporting Wildlife Recreationists in Virginia: Survey report to inform the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources' Wildlife Viewing Plan
    Grooms, Bennett; Rutter, Jonathan D.; Barnes, Jessica C.; Peele, Ashley; Dayer, Ashley A. (2020-12-08)
    In support of its mission to conserve and manage wildlife populations and habitat for the benefit of present and future generations; connect people to Virginia’s outdoors through boating, education, fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife viewing, and other wildlife-related activities; and protect people and property by promoting safe outdoor experiences and managing human-wildlife conflicts (DWR, 2020), the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has embarked on an “R3 initiative” to increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation of participants in hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, boating, and wildlife viewing. In an effort to improve engagement with Virginia’s wildlife recreationists, DWR commissioned social science research to better understand the activities, attitudes, and experiences of hunters, anglers, birders, and other wildlife viewers in the Commonwealth. Surveys and focus groups conducted as components of that study provided insights that can improve R3 planning for all four recreation groups. This report focuses on survey findings that will inform the development of a ten-year Wildlife Viewing Plan, the agency’s first comprehensive plan for engaging with and supporting Virginia recreationists who participate in wildlife viewing. While DWR’s relationships with hunters and anglers are long-standing, an analysis conducted by agency staff and stakeholders at an R3 workshop in August 2017 identified limited engagement between wildlife viewers and the agency as a threat to DWR’s ability to achieve its R3 objectives and overall mission (DWR, n.d.).The analyses in this report can help the agency make strategic and data-driven decisions about how to better support the recreation activities of this growing constituency, understand how they relate to those who identify as other recreation types, and engage viewers in supporting DWR’s conservation work.
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    A Web-Based Approach to Stakeholder Analysis for Identifying and Understanding Broader Constituencies in Wildlife Conservation
    Tsang, Elizabeth M.; Barnes, Jessica C.; Dayer, Ashley A. (Taylor & Francis, 2021-08-03)
    Shifting social and ecological contexts for conservation in North America have highlighted that wildlife agencies must engage with broad constituencies to achieve their missions. Responding to limitations in practitioner capacity to find, understand, and plan for engagement with a broader array of stakeholders, we developed a web-based method for stakeholder analysis and used it to identify and describe the activities of 214 organizations, including businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and local, state, and federal entities, that promote wildlife viewing in Virginia. We found that the majority of these stakeholders provide social opportunities and informational resources related to wildlife viewing. We also identified geographic and programmatic gaps that informed strategic planning within the state wildlife agency for meaningful engagement with wildlife viewers as a growing constituency. This project demonstrates the ability of web-based stakeholder analysis to generate inclusive and actionable insights about relatively new and unfamiliar stakeholders for natural resource management.