Schedule at-a-Glance

Click on the hyperlinked agenda items below to learn more, or read all session descriptions here, and all presenter biographies here. 

Monday, February 19, 2018
6:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Optional Pre-Academy Field Trip to South Padre Island Sponsored by: South Padre Island ($75 per person and spouses/partners are welcome; sign up with Academy registration)
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.	Registration Desk Open in Hotel Lobby
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.	Welcome to McAllen Margarita Social Join Academy partner, McAllen Convention and Visitor Bureau for a festive margarita social complete with a Mariachi Band!
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	Kickback at Drury Inn Join our host hotel for heavy snacks/light dinner at the Kickback at Drury Inn or venture out on your own to a local restaurant.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast Hot breakfast included in hotel reservation.
7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Registration Desk Open in Hotel Lobby
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.	Foundations for Fish and Wildlife Management in the 21st Century David W. Arnold, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Plenary: Nature of Americans Dave Case, DJ Case & Associates
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Developing the Outdoor Citizen: TPWD's Response to the Nature of Americans Study Johnnie Smith and Darcy Bontempo, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Lunch Enjoy and authentic meal of tacos and bunuelos provided by El Pato, Fresh Mexican Food.
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.	Building a Diverse Staff and Volunteer Team. From NWR to Cities, Reflections on Success, Struggles and On-going Efforts Jennifer Owen-White, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge; Marisa Oliva-Rodriguez, Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center; and Tiffany Kersten, McAllen Nature Center
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Creating a Hispanic Outreach Program in State Government Alix Pedraza, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Alliance for America's Fish & Wildlife Sean Saville, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Break
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.	Dinner and Keynote Address: Know Thy Neighbor: A Story of Collaboration to Engage Diverse Audiences in the Rio Grande Valley Marisa Oliva-Rodriguez, Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center; Gisela Chapa, South Texas Refuge Complex – USFWS; and Javier de Leon, Estero Llano Grande State Park and World Birding Center Feast on local Bar-B-Que from Lone Star.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast Hot breakfast included in hotel reservation.
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: The Delaware Bayshore Approach: Engaging Partners to Support Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Anthony Gonzon, Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife Track 2: Turn your Cell Phone into a Sell Phone Luciano Guerra
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Great Missouri Birding Trail: Experience and Progress of the Newest Birding Trail Sarah Kendrick, Missouri Department of Conservation Track 2: A Swan Success Story Carrie McClelland, Environment Yukon
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Break
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Flowing a New Path: The Journey in Rebranding Ourselves from Oldest Theme Park in Texas to Successful Nature Center Miranda Wait and Meagan Lobban, Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University Track 2: Digital Storytelling and Mobile Engagement Thomas Dunne, OnCell; and Ruben Reyna, National Park Service, Palo Alto
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Developing Safe Public Canoe-Kayak Trail Edward Lagace, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Track 2: Tourism GO! Using Augmented Reality Apps Effectively April Conkey and Marybeth Green, Texas A&M University–Kingsville
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch Enjoy sandwiches and fresh cooking provided by the Corner Bakery.
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Engaging the Public: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Techniques for the 21st Century David W. Arnold, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Track 2: BioBlitz, iNaturalist and Citizen Science - Oh My! Marsha May, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Peter Kleinhenz, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Communicating with Birders, Bird Hunters and other Bird Enthusiasts Holly Vaughn-Joswick, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Track 2: Strengthening Communities of Nature Sites Through Nature Contest Experiences Sara Jose, Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Tracy Stratman, City of Omaha Parks and Recreation
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Florida's 75th Anniversary of the Wildlife Management System Jerrie Lindsey, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Track 2: Trail Cameras - Getting Kids Into the Outdoors using Technology Luke Coccoli, Boone and Crockett Club, Montana
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	Kickback at Drury Inn Join our host hotel for heavy snacks/light dinner at the Kickback at Drury Inn or venture out on your own to a local restaurant.
5:45 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.	Optional Evening Field Trip to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park Enjoy nighttime wildlife viewing at the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and World Birding Center. (Included with Academy registration, but you must sign up to reserve your spot and transportation)
Thursday, February 22, 2018
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast Hot breakfast included in hotel reservation.
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Wildlife Photography Ranches...How and Why Sandy Hurwitz and Pliny Mier, La Lomita and Transition Wildlife Photography Ranches; and William Colson, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Track 2: ​Baby Steps to Nature: Connecting Children to Nature from Birth to Kindergarten Kyle OHaver, Texas Parks and Wildlife
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.	Break
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: Improving the View By Design Denise Husband, Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife Track 2: How to Think Like a Marketing Wizard, and Work Some Marketing Magic! Janis Johnson, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Track 1: “Trail” Blazing Paths to Ecotourism and Environmental Education in Nature: Texas Tech Llano River Field Station Tom Arsuffi, Texas Tech University Llano River Field Station Track 2: Sharing Our Conservation Story on a Shoestring Budget Heather Feeler, Missouri Department of Conservation
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch: Looking Forward to the 2020 Academy Dine on local pizza and fettuccini from Mama’s Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen and learn about the fantastic location of our 2020 Academy.
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Rural Tourism Collaboration and Training Miles Phillips and Frank Burris, Oregon State University Extension and Sea Grant
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Overview of the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Tom Allen, Southwick Associates
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Break
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.	Closing Banquet and Presentation Join your Academy colleagues at Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center (see photos below) for one last night of camaraderie, conversation, beautiful scenery, and authentic Tex-Mex food while we learn about the balance between nature tourism and the conservation of an endangered species at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. We’ll have a pre-meal presentation on the lawn of the film "Phantom Cat of the Chaparral Endangered Ocelot" followed by a presentation by Laguna Atascosa NWR staff on endangered species management practices, balancing needs of birders and other nature tourists, and communication with wildlife viewers using the ocelot as a case study. We’ll share real lessons learned when closing portions of a refuge following the death of a radio-collared ocelot, the key species at this refuge. ​Following the presentation, we’ll retire to the courtyard to enjoy a locally made festive Tex-Mex meal including aguas frescas, homemade tortillas, and other regional specialties, accompanied by music from local musicians. All transportation and food are provided with Academy registration.
Friday, February 23, 2018
All Day	Optional Post-Academy Field Trip to the 22nd Annual Whooping Crane Festival (on your own)

PHOTOS FROM QUINTA MAZATLAN -
​LOCATION OF THURSDAY EVENING DINNER AND CLOSING EVENT