The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) recent decision not to list the range-wide population of greater sage-grouse for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the culmination of one of the most challenging and politically contentious issues in the history of wildlife management. In my opinion, having served as director of the FWS under President George W. Bush and having worked as wildlife biologist for more than 30 years, the work set in motion to benefit sage grouse represents the greatest landscape-scale conservation effort undertaken in modern times.

The Program Committee for the 2016 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference has announced the event's line-up of four concurrent Special Sessions scheduled to follow the Plenary Session on Wednesday, March 16.

In coordination with the Program Committee, Special Session co-chairs have drafted brief descriptions of the session topics as can be seen below. Persons interested in presenting at one of these Special Sessions are welcome to contact the appropriate co-chairs, and should do so as soon as possible.

The Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative recently concluded a project with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Cornell University to assess the impact of hydraulic fracturing on streams. Hydraulic fracturing has been used in portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to increase production of natural gas and there are potential implications for portions of Ohio and New York as well.

A collaborative effort between Montana ranchers and a number of partners to remove livestock carcasses to reduce conflicts with area predators is the subject of a new documentary video produced by the Blackfoot Challenge. "Living with Carnivores: Boneyards, Bears and Wolves" describes the livestock carcass collection program started in the Blackfoot Valley that is creating new opportunities for collaborative conservation on working landscapes.