Progress 11/01/08 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Over the past five years the project assessed non-native animals across the state of Hawaii and ran a statewide survey to 5,407 individuals across six predetermined stakeholder groups to understand and model wildlife management options. The research was conducted as part of one doctoral student's dissertation project. Both the PI and the doctoral student gave a number of presentations (approximately 20) based upon the work (see subsequent list). In addition, the PI co-taught a two credit graduate readings course with Dr. Sheila Conant entitled Ecology of Game Mammals in Hawaii (NREM 691/ZOOL 739) to five students. The findings of the work were disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, presentations at public forums and international scientific conferences, and are currently being written into Extension publications for public outreach. PARTICIPANTS: In addition to the PI, one doctoral student was supported for three of the five years by grant. Two collaborators worked on the project: Dr. Rebecca Christoffel (Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology and Management , Iowa State University) and Dr. Linda Cox (NREM, University of Hawaii at Manoa). Dr. Sheila Conant (Dept. of Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa) co-taught the two credit graduate course with the PI, providing training to a total of five graduate students over one semester. TARGET AUDIENCES: As part of the project the PI taught a 2 credit research methods course entitled Ecology of Game Mammals in Hawaii (NREM 691/ZOOL 739) to five students in Spring of 2012. In addition to the course, the information gained from the research was incorporated into the PI's course lecture material for NREM 450 Wildlife Ecology and Management and regularly presented at workshops and outreach events with stakeholders in Hawaii. These stakeholders included Hawaiian Humane Society, State of Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife, USGS, NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, and Humane Society of the US. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The main outcome of the project was a change in knowledge of scientists, students (trainees) involved in the research, natural resource managers, and the general public. Specifically, the research lead to several publications (see below), presentations, and interviews, that discussed how non-native animals impact the ecosystems of Hawaii and what management options should or could be implemented based on stakeholder and decision modeling. The project also improved the skills of the one student involved in the project. Specifically, the student learned how to conduct social surveys, build systems/population models, conduct new statistical analyses, and conduct quantitative literature reviews.
Publications
- Lohr, C.A., Cox, L.J., and Lepczyk, C.A. 2012. Patterns of hypothetical wildlife management priorities as generated by consensus convergence models with ordinal ranked data. Journal of Environmental Management 113:237-243.
- Lohr, C.A., Cox, L.J., and Lepczyk, C.A. 2012. The costs and benefits of trap-neuter-release and euthanasia removal in urban cat programs: The case of Oahu, Hawaii. Conservation Biology (in press).
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In the third year of this project a number of notable outputs were initiated, continued, and/or completed related to activities and dissemination. First, the Principal Investigator (PI; Christopher Lepczyk) continued to work as the university member of the feral cat management working group in Hawaii (a partnership among state and federal agency, NGO, and university personnel), whose goal is to reduce and remove free ranging cats from the landscape. As a partner, the PI attended three scheduled meetings with the working group during this year. Second, the PI gave four invited presentations on Hawaiian wildlife within and outside the university that were based upon initial research conducted as part of the project. Specifically, talks were given as part of weekly seminar series in the Dept. of Zoology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Dept. of Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut, the USDA Institute of Pacific Island Forestry Natural History and Conservation Seminar Series, and the Sigma Xi seminar series at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Third, the doctoral student (Cheryl Lohr) carrying out the research on the project gave one presentation about using wildlife stakeholder acceptance capacity related to mouflon sheep at the Hawaiian Conservation Conference. Fourth, a total of five manuscripts were written by Lohr and Lepczyk and submitted for publication (three were published during the current year, one was returned for revision, and the final was still in review). Fifth, six stakeholder workshops were conducted to discern preferred management options for introduced animals as part of designing the survey instrument and developing consensus convergence models. Sixth, a statewide mail and internet survey was initiated in June to >3,000 participants among six stakeholder groups (public, hunters, Native Hawaiians, farmers, animal welfare practitioners, and conservationists), with the survey remaining open through this current reporting year. PARTICIPANTS: During the third year of the project there were two active participants, the PI (Lepczyk) and the doctoral student (Lohr). As the PI, I provided training and professional development to the doctoral student in a number of forms. Specifically, I prepared the student for comprehensive exams (which she passed in fall of 2010), upon which she moved to doctoral candidacy. Second, I provided critical review and guidance of the student's first three scientific manuscripts based upon the project (two for peer-review journals [Conservation Biology, Journal of Environmental Management; both of these were resubmitted to the currently listed journals following rejection at journals the previous year] and one for a conference proceedings [Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference]). Third, I provided assistance for the student to attend the 2011 Hawaii Conservation Conference, which is the statewide annual conference of most relevance to the research. Fourth, I critically reviewed and assisted in mentoring the student on development of a revised proposal to the EPA STAR Fellowship program based upon feedback provided during the previous year (Lohr received high marks on previous submission). Finally, I have provided critical feedback in preparing abstracts for professional meetings. With regard to collaborators and partnership organizations, there are a number that have been unofficially engaged as part of the research. These include: US Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, State of Hawaii's Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Humane Society, Farm Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, and researchers within the University of Hawaii (Drs. Gregory Bruland, Robert Cowie, Linda Cox, and Mark Ridgley) and Iowa State University (Dr. Rebecca Christoffel). TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The primary outcome/impacts of the third year were a continued change in knowledge of both the PI and the doctoral student in terms of what knowledge and data are lacking about introduced animals in Hawaii and the laws designed to manage them. Through a thorough literature review and interviews with stakeholders, it is clear that even less knowledge existed on introduced animals in the state than previously thought. As a result of this lack of knowledge one manuscript was published and discussions with Extension personnel have occurred on developing outreach materials. One change in conditions has occurred during this year with the announcement that axis deer have been translocated to the Island of Hawaii. This is one of the focal species in the research and the change in conditions may be detected in our ongoing survey.
Publications
- Lepczyk, C.A., Hess, S.C., and Johnson, E.D. 2011. Hawaii and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: One size fits all The Wildlife Professional Fall 2011 pages 64-66.
- Lepczyk, C.A., van Heezik, Y., and Cooper, R.J. 2011. An issue with all-too-human dimensions. The Wildlife Professional, Spring 2011 pages 68-70.
- Lohr, C.A., and Lepczyk, C.A. 2010. The impacts of introduced mammals in the Hawaiian Islands: A literature review. Pages 32-40 in Proceedings of the 24th Vertebrate Pest Conference (R.M. Timm and K.A. Fagerstone, Eds).
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In the second year of this project several notable outputs were initiated, continued, and/or completed related to activities and dissemination. First, the Principal Investigator (PI; Christopher Lepczyk) continued to work as the university member of the feral cat management working group in Hawaii, who's goal is to reduce and remove free ranging cats from the landscape. Second, the doctoral student carrying out the research on the project (Cheryl Lohr) was invited to participate in the feral cat management working group. Third, the PI gave an interview on feral cats in Hawaii for a new documentary being produced for the Canadian Broadcast Corp. Fourth, the PI served on an Ad Hoc panel for Hawaii's Dept. of Agriculture in relation to hybrid animals. Fifth, Cheryl Lohr gave six presentations based upon introduced animals as part of her research. These talks included Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), Bishop Museum, Hawaii Conservation Conference, the CTAHR Annual Graduate Student Symposium at UHM, Tester Symposium at UHM, and the Vertebrate Pest Conference. Sixth, three manuscripts were written by Lohr and Lepczyk and submitted for publication (none were accpeted or published during this year). Seventh, two stakeholder workshops were conducted to discern preferred management options for introduced animals. PARTICIPANTS: During the second year of the project there were two active participants, the PI (Lepczyk) and the doctoral student (Lohr). As the PI, I provided training and professional development to the doctoral student in a number of forms. Specifically, I worked with the student to complete her doctoral dissertation proposal based upon this project (she successfully defended it in April 2010). Second, I provided critical review of the student's first three scientific manuscripst based upon the project (two for peer-review journals [Mammal Review; Soceity and Natural Resources], one for a conference proceedings [Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference]). Third, I provided assistance for the student to attend the 2010 Pathways to Success: Integrating Human Dimensions into Fisheries and Wildlife Management held Estes Park, CO, which is an international meeting on human dimensions, in order to attend three workshops on social survey design, analysis, and decision theory. Fourth, I have critically reviewed and assisted in mentoring the student on development of a revised proposal to the EPA STAR Fellowship program based upon feedback provided during the previous year (Lohr received high marks on previous submission). Finally, I have provided critical feedback in preparing abstracts for professional meetings. With regard to collaborators and partnership organizations, there are a number that have been unofficially engaged as part of the research. These include: US Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, State of Hawaii's Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Humane Society, Farm Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, and researchers within the University of Hawaii (Drs. Gregory Bruland, Robert Cowie, Linda Cox, and Mark Ridgley) and Iowa State University (Dr. Rebecca Christoffel). TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The primary outcome/impacts of the second year were a change in knowledge of both the PI and the doctoral student in terms of what knowledge and data are lacking about introduced animals in Hawaii. Through a thorough literature review and interviews with stakeholders, it is clear that even less knowledge existed on introduced animals in the state than previously thought. As a result of this lack of knowledge one manuscript has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal and several presentations given on the status of introduced animals. No change in actions or conditions occurred.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In the first year of this project several notable outputs were initiated and/or completed related to activities and dissemination. First, I selected, taught and mentored one doctoral student on introduced wildlife species in Hawai'i. I will be continuing to teach and mentor the same doctoral student in subsequent years of this project. Second, I provided phone and email interviews of introduced wildlife species (i.e. feral house cats) to Audubon Magazine and Honolulu Magazine. Third, I was invited to participate on a working group related to the impact of introduced wildlife (mallard ducks) on the endangered Hawaiian Duck (i.e. koloa) as well as to serve as an outside reviewer for the management plan. Finally, I was invited to be the University of Hawaii representative to the feral cat management working group that is a group of agency, non profit, and academic people collectively interested in addressing the contentious issue of feral cats in Hawaii. PARTICIPANTS: During the first year of the project there were two active participants, the Investigator (Christopher Lepczyk) and a doctoral student (Cheryl Lohr). As the Investigator, I provided training and professional development to the doctoral student in a number of forms. Specifically, I worked with the student to develop her doctoral dissertation proposal based upon this project. Second, I provided critical review of the student's first scientific manuscript based upon the project. Third, I provided assistance for the student to attend an international meeting on human-wildlife conflict resolution in Washington, D.C. Fourth, I have critically reviewed and assisted in mentoring the student on development of a separate proposal to the EPA STAR Fellowship program. Finally, I have provided critical feedback in preparing abstracts for professional meetings set to occur in the second year of the project. With regard to collaborators and partnership organizations, there are a number that have been unofficially engaged as part of the research. These include: US Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, State of Hawaii's Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Humane Society, Farm Bureau, and researchers within the University of Hawaii (Drs. Robert Cowie, Sheila Conant, Gregory Bruland, and Linda Cox) and Iowa State University (Dr. Rebecca Christoffel). In addition, numerous organizations have been contacted in order to develop address lists for a set of surveys that will be conducted in the future. TARGET AUDIENCES: When the project is complete the target audiences will be natural resource managers, hunters, conservation biologists, the general public, farmers, and any other group that is considered a stakeholder in the question of introduced animals. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Although I was involved in several activities that will likely lead to changes in knowledge or condition, as described previously, it is too early to have any outcomes. Specifically, many of the activities I was engaged in occurred near the end of the first year of the project and thus not enough time has elapsed to determine whether or not they lead to any changes.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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