DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE TO MANAGE ECONOMIC, HEALTH, AND SAFETY RISKS OF WILDLIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0215558
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2008
• Project End Date: Oct 1, 2011
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853

Performing Department
Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
An urgent need exists for research-based knowledge in four areas: (1) extent and nature of human-wildlife interactions, (2) impacts people are experiencing from interactions, (3) how people perceive risks associated with wildlife, and (4) need for public education and management to reduce risk and negative impacts. This research will provide new insights of value to a variety of natural resource managers seeking to ease real and perceived negative effects of wildlife. We anticipate that the project will yield insights about people's experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will be of immediate value for wildlife-related education and policy. One of the key challenges in wildlife conservation for the 21st century is to learn how humans and wildlife can coexist in a rapidly changing world. New knowledge about how humans and wildlife interact and about people's perceptions of wildlife-associated economic, health, and safety risks is needed to meet that challenge. Our project will improve understanding of risk perceptions and of human-wildlife interactions that create or exacerbate risk. Such insight will make possible better management of human-wildlife interactions and the reduction of negative impacts. Insights from this study will be communicated through professional journals and an outreach publication targeted toward wildlife managers, parks and protected area managers, and nongovernmental natural resource organizations.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
134	0530	3080	25%
135	0899	3080	25%
722	0899	3070	25%
723	6099	3030	25%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 134 - Outdoor Recreation; 722 - Zoonotic Diseases and Parasites Affecting Humans; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety;

Subject Of Investigation
0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other; 6099 - People and communities, general/other; 0530 - Parks and urban green space;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology; 3080 - Sociology; 3030 - Information and communication;

Keywords

wildlife management

risk perception

carnivores

disease

health and safety

human animal conflict

epizootic

zoonoses

habituation

Goals / Objectives
The project has two research objectives and one related outreach objective: 1. Increase understanding about: (a) public perceptions of emerging economic, health, and safety risks (to humans, pets, livestock) associated with human-wildlife interactions (e.g., invasive diseases, expanding predator populations); (b) potential implications of wildlife associated risks for outdoor recreation, nature tourism, open space management, and wildlife conservation and management. 2. Determine how perceptions of wildlife-associated economic, health, and safety risks affect stakeholder: (a) attitudes about wildlife and natural areas; (b) behaviors in response to perceived risks; (c) expectations for wildlife and public land management; (d) attitudes concerning social acceptability of wildlife risk management strategies. 3. Identify how extension educators, conservation educators, park and protected area managers, and wildlife managers can increase stakeholder: (a) understanding of economic, health, and safety issues related to human-wildlife interactions; (b) engagement in community decision making. This project will: 1. Fill information gaps needed to manage risks and reduce dread associated with human-wildlife interactions. 2. Help focus of NYSDEC, Cornell Coopertative Extension (CCE) and outreach programs of other entities that reduce negative human-wildlife interactions by encouraging individuals, families, and communities to adopt preventative behaviors. 3. Increase New York State (NYS) citizen understanding of management strategies and related actions to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions. 4. Enhance the health and well being of NYS citizens by providing information useful to: (a) NYSDEC and other wildlife agency managers anticipating and addressing negative human-wildlife interactions; (b) educators interested in addressing public concerns about human-wildlife interactions. 5. Provide science-based insight to augment the knowledge base for communities (citizens and decision-makers) working together to resolve human-wildlife conflicts. 6. Improve local, state, and federal government natural resource management policies and activities that affect human-wildlife interactions. Results of Phase II research will be developed for publication as Human Dimensions Research Unit (HDRU) series publications or manuscripts submitted to professional journals. Using other funds (i.e., not Hatch), Phase III of the project will involve synthesis of findings and development of one or more outreach publications, suitable for use by wildlife management agencies, park and protected area managers, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, and nongovernmental organizations with an interest in natural resource management in New York.

Project Methods
The project will be executed using a multi-phase, multi-method approach, following receipt of specific survey design and instrument approvals from IRB. Phase I of the project will consist of qualitative inquiry focused on wildlife-related risk perception. We will utilize findings from qualitative inquiry to design instruments for quantitative data collection using standard survey methods (Phase II). 1. We will assemble an advisory team to identify potential study areas and to ensure high utility and relevance of results. 2. We will complete preliminary interviews (e.g., personal interviews, focus groups) with stakeholders in 4-6 contexts, to inform development of valid instruments for the subsequent quantitative phase of inquiry. 3. Geographic areas of focus in New York State and key stakeholder strata will be determined during the initial phase of inquiry. We will seek funds to supplement base funding provided by Hatch. Focal interests of any additional funders attracted to this research (e.g., NYSDEC, National Park Service) may broaden the scope of this study to include inquiry on carnivore and wildlife-associated disease risks in locations outside New York. 4. We will develop separate quantitative surveys that focus on: (a) wildlife diseases that have the potential to affect New York citizens; (b) interactions with carnivores, especially concerns about interactions between carnivores and children or companion animals. 5. We will design survey instruments using key tenets of risk perception theory that measure stakeholder concern about specific human-wildlife interactions, assess education needs, and determine acceptability of various carnivore or disease management actions. Design of survey instruments will reflect elements of a detailed research agendas outlined previously by project staff. 6. Geographic and other strata, as well as sample sizes for quantitative surveys, will be adequate to meet conventions for publication in scientific journals. Quantative data will be analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Inc.). Atlas.ti software will be used for analysis of text (e.g., interview transcripts, media content). 7. We will develop findings reports and publish those reports as Human Dimensions Research Unit (HDRU) series publications and manuscripts submitted to professional journals. 8. In the last stage of the project we will work with the advisory team to obtain input on the design of outreach publications suitable for use by park and protected area managers, wildlife management agencies, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, and nongovernmental organizations with an interest in natural resource management in New York. 9. We will seek additional funding support to develop and distribute an outreach publication on wildlife-associated risk communication messages and strategies.

Progress 10/01/08 to 10/01/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Findings from multiple case studies and literature syntheses were published in outlets targeting wildlife managers, animal researchers, human and animal health professionals, and communities dealing with wildlife risks. This work was supplemented by projects sponsored by the National Park Service and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Invited by the National Academies, HDRU staff worked with NPS wildlife and public health program directorates to publish a paper in a special issue of ILAR (Institute for Lab Animal Research) Journal on communication about zoonotic diseases. Understanding how and why individuals perceive risks related to wildlife diseases informs message content that simultaneously promotes public support for healthy wildlife populations and avoids messages that might amplify concern about human health effects. Consequently, the paper reviewed risk perception research and identified research needed for communication that advances human health goals without negative consequences for wildlife conservation. Staff also reported results of a case study of perceptions of wildlife-associated diseases in and around 4 geospatially and contextually diverse national parks: Fire Island National Seashore (NY), Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (MI), Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA), and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (AK). Data from over 100 interviews with NPS staff and community members (e.g., local officials, NGO staff, journalists) about wildlife-disease issues were analyzed, resulting in an MS thesis, professional presentations, and several journal articles currently in press. Project staff engaged in an in-depth study of a community-based agency response (i.e., communication strategy) to a human death from handling a diseased animal, seeking insight about communication content, timing and channels that led to what is widely perceived as a successful risk communication/crisis management case. Project staff also completed a case study in 1 community in NYS that focused on risk perception and communication in a neighborhood that experienced a series of human-bear interactions over a two-week period in August 2006. This study provided insights about affective and cognitive attributes of risk perception that will guide future inquiry and risk communication. HDRU also completed a study in 2 areas of Westchester County, NY to assess risk perceptions regarding coyotes in the community following attacks on humans that occurred summer of 2010. Human-carnivore interactions that result in harm to people and companion animals are a growing concern. Effective approaches to urban carnivore management are needed. To address this need, project staff published a book chapter providing an overview of knowledge relevant to the human dimensions of carnivore management in urban environments. Finally, project staff completed a review of peer-reviewed literature on wildlife habituation and food conditioning with a focus on the implications of those phenomena for human-wildlife interactions. This body of research informed presentations and publications on communicating about zoonotic disease management. PARTICIPANTS: Staff participants: Daniel J. Decker, Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Director of the Human Dimensions Research Unit: Principal Investigator, guidance on study design and analysis. Richard C. Stedman, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources, expertise on sociological dimensions of natural resource-related risk perceptions. William Siemer, Research Associate, Cornell, expertise on human dimensions research design and implementation. Darrick Evensen, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, expertise on risk perception and human dimensions of wildlife-associated disease. Heather Wieczorek Hudenko, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, expertise on risk perception, wildlife habituation, and human dimensions of carnivore management. Laura Rickard, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, expertise on communication and crisis communication. Collaborators: Gordon Batcheller, Bureau of Wildlife, NYSDEC, wildlife policy and management expertise. Matthew Merchant, Bureau of Wildlife, NYSDEC, black bear management expertise. Kevin Castle, DVM, Wildlife Health Specialist, National Park Service, wildlife disease management expertise. Charles L. Higgins, National Park Service, Office of Public Health, expertise in public health administration. David Wong, U.S. Public Health Service, National Park Service, Office of Public Health, human health expertise. Kirsten Leong, PhD, Human Dimensions Program Lead, National Park Service, expertise on human-wildlife interaction in parks and protected areas; stakeholder engagement and community-based management scholar. Katherine McComas, PhD, Associate Professor, Cornell, risk communication scholar. Shawn Riley, PhD, Associate Professor, Michigan State University, human-wildlife interface ecology and management scholar. Margaret Wild, PhD, Wildlife Health Program Lead, National Park Service, wildlife health and disease management expertise. TARGET AUDIENCES: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Wildlife personnel; National Park Service personnel; wildlife management professionals; laboratory animal researchers PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our research on factors affecting risk perception provided insights that will inform risk communication actions by the National Park Service, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and other wildlife management agencies and organizations. Publications produced under this project provide guidance for additional quantitative research on wildlife-related risk perceptions. One of our publications exposed a new professional audience (laboratory animal researchers) to wildlife management considerations in communication about zoonotic diseases. Two publications targeted local officials in New York, many of whom are dealing with contentious human-wildlife conflict issues that have health and safety implications. Work associated with this Hatch project has led to two new externally funded projects: (1) One Health Communication, sponsored by National Park Service; and (2) National Assessment of State Fish and Wildlife Agency Capacity to Manage Fish & Wildlife disease Issues, sponsored by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. The National Park Service requested that findings from this project be presented at NPS professional meetings and published as NPS series reports, so that they would receive greater attention and use by NPS personnel.

Publications

• Decker, D. J., W. F. Siemer, M. A. Wild, K. T. Castle, D. Wong, K. M. Leong, and D. T. N. Evensen. 2011. Communicating about zoonotic disease: Strategic considerations for wildlife professionals. Wildlife Society Bulletin 35(2):112-119.
• Decker, D. J., D. T. N. Evensen, R. C. Stedman, K. A. McComas, W. F. Siemer, M. A. Wild, K. T. Castle, and K. M. Leong. 2011. Communication matters: Influencing public perceptions of wildlife-associated disease. Human-Wildlife Interactions.
• Evensen D, Decker D, Stedman R. 2011. Disease in the lymelight: The role of context in shaping risk perceptions associated with Lyme disease. Society and Natural Resources. In press.
• Evensen D, Clarke C. In press. Efficacy information in media coverage of infectious disease risks: An ill predicament Science Communication. Evensen D, Decker D, Castle K. 2011. Communicating about Wildlife-associated Disease Risks in National Parks. George Wright Forum. In press.
• Evensen D, Decker D, Stedman R. 2011. Evolution of risk perceptions. Paper presented at: International Symposium for Society and Resource Management. June; Madison, WI.
• Evensen D, Castle K. 2011. Communicating One Health: The case of shifting risk perceptions. Paper and Poster presented at: George Wright Society Conference. March; New Orleans, LA.
• Evensen D. 2010. The fourth dimension of risk: A case study of temporal variability in risk perceptions. Poster presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. December; Salt Lake City, UT.
• Siemer, W. F. and D. J. Decker. 2011. The New Norm: Westchester County Residents Risk Perceptions and Experiences Before and After Local Coyote Attacks. Human Dimensions Research Unit Series Publication 11-4. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H., and D. J. Decker, D. J. 2009. Perspectives on the management of human-wildlife habituation: Report from a workshop conducted at the George Wright Society Conference. Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H., and B. Connery. 2010. Managers perspectives on the human dimensions of human-wildlife habituation in National Parks: Report from a survey of National Park Service managers. Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H., and D. J. Decker. 2011. A situation analysis of human-wildlife habituation in NPS units. Presentation at: George Wright Society Conference. March; New Orleans, LA.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H. 2011. Exploring the influence of emotion on human decision making in human-wildlife conflict. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. In press.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H. and W. F. Siemer. 2011. Management of Habituation and Food Conditioning in the National Parks: Report from a content analysis of NPS guidance documents. Natural Resource Report. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. In press.

Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Findings from multiple case studies and literature syntheses were published in outlets targeting wildlife managers, animal researchers, human and animal health professionals, and communities dealing with wildlife risks. This work was supplemented by projects sponsored by the National Park Service and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Invited by the National Academies, HDRU staff worked with NPS wildlife and public health program directorates to publish a paper in a special issue of ILAR on communication about zoonotic diseases (i.e., diseases transmitted between humans and other animals). Understanding how and why individuals perceive risks related to wildlife diseases informs message content that simultaneously promotes public support for healthy wildlife populations and avoids messages that might amplify concern about human health effects. Consequently, the paper reviewed risk perception research and identified research needed for communication that advances human health goals without negative consequences for wildlife conservation. Staff also reported results of a case study of perceptions of wildlife-associated diseases in and around 4 geospatially and contextually diverse national parks: Fire Island National Seashore (NY), Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (MI), Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA), and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (AK). Data from 106 interviews with NPS staff and community members (e.g., local officials, NGO staff, journalists) about wildlife-disease issues were analyzed, resulting in an MS thesis and 3 papers currently in preparation. Project staff engaged in an in-depth study of a community-based agency response (i.e., communication strategy) to a human death from handling a diseased animal, seeking insight about communication content, timing and channels that led to what is widely perceived as a successful risk communication/crisis management case. Project staff also completed a case study in 1 community in NYS that focused on risk perception and communication in a neighborhood that experienced a series of human-bear interactions over a two-week period in August 2006. This study provided insights about affective and cognitive attributes of risk perception that will guide future inquiry and risk communication. HDRU also launched a study in 2 areas of Westchester County, NY to assess risk perceptions regarding coyotes in the community following attacks on humans that occurred summer of 2010; analysis of the data is underway. Human-carnivore interactions that result in harm to people and companion animals are a growing concern. Effective approaches to urban carnivore management are needed. To address this need, project staff published a book chapter providing an overview of knowledge relevant to the human dimensions of carnivore management in urban environments. Finally, project staff completed a review of peer-reviewed literature on wildlife habituation and food conditioning with a focus on the implications of those phenomena for human-wildlife interactions. PARTICIPANTS: Staff participants: Daniel J. Decker, Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Director of the Human Dimensions Research Unit: Principal Investigator, guidance on study design and analysis. William Siemer, Research Associate, Cornell, expertise on human dimensions research design and implementation. Darrick Evensen, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, expertise on risk perception and human dimensions of wildlife-associated disease. Heather Wieczorek Hudenko, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, expertise on risk perception, wildlife habituation, and human dimensions of carnivore management. Collaborators: Gordon Batcheller, Bureau of Wildlife, NYSDEC, wildlife policy and management expertise. Matthew Merchant, Bureau of Wildlife, NYSDEC, black bear management expertise. Kevin Castle, DVM, Wildlife Health Specialist, National Park Service, wildlife disease management expertise. Charles L. Higgins, National Park Service, Office of Public Health, expertise in public health administration. David Wong, U.S. Public Health Service, National Park Service, Office of Public Health, human health expertise. Kirsten Leong, PhD, Human Dimensions Program Lead, National Park Service, expertise on human-wildlife interaction in parks and protected areas; stakeholder engagement and community-based management scholar. Katherine McComas, PhD, Associate Professor, Cornell, risk communication scholar. Shawn Riley, PhD, Associate Professor, Michigan State University, human-wildlife interface ecology and management scholar. Margaret Wild, PhD, Wildlife Health Program Lead, National Park Service, wildlife health and disease management expertise. TARGET AUDIENCES: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Wildlife personnel; National Park Service personnel; wildlife management professionals; laboratory animal researchers PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our research on factors affecting risk perception provided insights that will inform risk communication actions by the National Park Service, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and other wildlife management agencies and organizations. Publications produced under this project provide guidance for additional quantitative research on wildlife-related risk perceptions. One of our publications exposed a new professional audience (laboratory animal researchers) to wildlife management considerations in communication about zoonotic diseases. Work associated with this Hatch project has led to two new externally funded projects: (1) One Health Communication, sponsored by National Park Service; and (2) National Assessment of State Fish and Wildlife Agency Capacity to Manage Fish & Wildlife disease Issues, sponsored by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.

Publications

• Decker, D. J., D. T. N. Evensen, W. F. Siemer, K. M. Leong, S. J. Riley, M. A. Wild, K. T. Castle, and C. L. Higgins. 2010. Understanding risk perceptions to enhance communication about human-wildlife interactions and the impacts of zoonotic disease. National Academies Institute for Laboratory Animal Research 51(3): 255-261.
• Evensen, D. T. N., D. J. Decker, and W. F. Siemer. 2010. Perceptions of wildlife-associated diseases in and around national parks. Final Report submitted to National Park Service Biological Resources Management Division Wildlife Health Team. GLNF Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit Task Agreement No. J2340080021.
• Evensen, D. T. N. 2010. In the eye of the beholder: Perceptions of and reactions to wildlife and vector-borne disease risks. 2010. M.S. Thesis. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• Siemer, W. F., D. J. Decker, and M. Merchant. 2010. Wildlife Risk Perception and Expectations for Agency Action: Insights from a Black Bear Management Case Study. Internal White Paper. Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
• Siemer, W. F., D. J. Decker, and M. Merchant. 2010. Wildlife Risk Perception and Expectations for Agency Action: Insights from a Black Bear Management Case Study. Human Dimensions Research Unit Series Publication 10-4. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H. , W. F. Siemer, and D. J., Decker. 2010. Urban carnivore conservation and management: The human dimension. Pages 21-33 in S. Gehrt, S. Riley, and B. Cypher (Ed.s) Urban Carnivores: Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
• Wieczorek Hudenko, H., W. F. Siemer, and D. J. Decker. 2010. Status of Peer-Reviewed Literature on the Human Dimensions of Managing Wildlife Habituation and Food Conditioning in National Parks. Internal White Paper (submitted March 2010). Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Project staff completed literature syntheses in preparation for study design and data collection. These syntheses and final results from other risk-related research were published in outlets targeted toward wildlife management professionals, extension educators, local government officials, and communities dealing with wildlife-associated risks. Staff conducted personal (qualitative, open-ended) interviews to gather data on risk perceptions related to wildlife-associated disease transmission in four study sites. Study sites included Fire Island National Seashore (New York), Golden Gate Recreation Area (California), Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park (Michigan) and Wrangle St. Alias National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska). Staff worked in collaboration with the seven regional offices in the National Park Service (NPS) to identify possible parks with wildlife disease issues that could fit our study. A list of 20 candidate parks was reduced to a geospatially and contextually diverse sample of four parks: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Michigan), Fire Island National Seashore (New York), Golden Gate National Recreation Area (California, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Staff completed 106 interviews in all. Approximately half of the interviews were with NPS staff, the other half were with community members. We purposefully identified individuals who had substantial exposure to the public that may be concerned about the diseases in question. We aimed to have conversations with types of people that could have ample public interaction on issues of wildlife disease (e.g., local government officials, NGO staff, politicians, journalists, engaged citizens). We also collected additional data through observations and informal conversations while at the study sites. Analysis and reporting of these data is underway. This research leveraged resources from a project sponsored by the National Park Service. Project staff also conducted personal (qualitative, open-ended) interviews to gather data on risk perceptions related to human-black bear interactions in one community in New York State. This case study focused on risk perception and risk communication in a neighborhood which experienced a series of human-bear interactions over a two-week period in August 2006. A total of 26 contacts were made, leading to 14 full-length interviews and 12 brief interviews. Most of the interviews were conducted with homeowners who had reported a negative human-bear encounter to their state wildlife management agency. Analysis and reporting of these data is underway. This research leveraged resources from a project sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. PARTICIPANTS: Staff participants: Daniel J. Decker, Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Director of the Human Dimensions Research Unit; Principal Investigator, guidance on study design and analysis. William Siemer, Research Support Specialist, Cornell; expertise on human dimensions research design and implementation. Darrick Evensen, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell; expertise on risk perception and human dimensions of wildlife-associated disease. Heather Wieczorek Hudenko, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell; expertise on risk perception, wildlife habituation, and human dimensions of carnivore management. Collaborators: Gordon Batcheller, Bureau of Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, wildlife policy and management expertise. Kevin Castle, DVM, Wildlife Health Specialist, National Park Service, wildlife disease management expertise. Meredith Gore, PhD, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, wildlife risk perception and risk communication scholar. Kirsten Leong, PhD, Human Dimensions Program Lead, National Park Service, expertise on human-wildlife interaction in parks and protected areas; stakeholder engagement and community-based management scholar. Katherine McComas, PhD, Associate Professor, Cornell, risk communication scholar. Shawn Riley, PhD, Associate Professor, Michigan State University, human-wildlife interface ecology and management scholar. Margaret Wild, PhD, Wildlife Health Program Lead, National Park Service, wildlife health and disease management expertise. Chris Clarke, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, Expertise on risk communication theory. Sol Hart, Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell, Expertise on risk communication research methods. Heidi Kretser, Senior Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society, expertise on risk communication. Partner Organizations: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation National Park Service TARGET AUDIENCES: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State local government officials, wildlife management professionals. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our research on risk perception of wildlife-associated diseases identified multiple influences on risk perception that fell into four broad categories, including characteristics of: (1) the locational, historical, and cultural context in which the risk emerged ("culture"); (2) the current societal response to the risk ("society"; risk/disease itself ("risk"); (3) the disease itself ("risk"); and (4) the individual affected by the risk ("individual"). These findings provide guidance for additional quantitative research on disease-related risk perception. Our research on risk perception associated with human carnivore interactions identified cognitive biases and affective and cognitive facets of risk perception that merit additional attention in the quantitative phase of this inquiry.

Publications

• Decker, D., Wieczorek Hudenko, H., Siemer, B., Curtis, P., Major, J., and L. Berchielli. 2009. Living with wildlife on the rural-urban interface. Research & Policy Brief Series Issue 31/September. Human Dimensions Research Unit (HDRU) and Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI). Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
• Evensen, D., Decker, D., and Siemer, B. 2009. Community awareness of wildlife disease. Research & Policy Brief Series Issue 34/October. Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI). Dept. of Development Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
• Evensen, D. T. N., Decker, D. J., and Stedman, R. C. 2009. Capturing concern: Understanding perceptions of Wildlife-associated disease Risk. Human Dimensions Research Unit Publication 09-1. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 21 p.
• Gore, M. L., Wilson, R. S., Maguire, L. A., Siemer, W. F., Wieczorek Hudenko, H., Clarke, C. E., Hart, P. S., and Muter, B. A. 2009. Risk assessment and Perceptions in wildlife management. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14(5): 301-313.
• Clarke, C. 2009. Seeking and processing information about zoonotic disease risk: A proposed framework. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14(5): 314-325.
• Kretser, H. E., Curtis, P. D., Francis, J. D., Pendall, R. J., and Knuth, B. A. 2009. Factors affecting perceptions of human-wildlife interactions in residential areas of Northern New York and implications for conservation. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14:102-118.
• Siemer, W. F., Hart, P.S., Decker, D. J., and Shanahan, J. E. 2009. Factors that influence concern about human-black bear interactions in residential settings. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14(3): 185-197.