A unit of Lasting Forests Sustained forests; sustained profits evolving since March 30, 1999

1. The Wildlife Resource and General Systems - Review of definitions as used in the course: resource, wildlife, conservation, wildlife management, systems theory. The systems diagram and its practical components. Cross currents and the relevance of Gamma Theory.

2. Wildlife Management as Decision Making - Definition of wildlife management; contrast to wildlife biology; emphasis on output or objectives; emphasis on faunal system management and wildland systems; economics (definition); objective weighting over time and maximization.

3. Optimization - Deciding on the "best"; constraints; criteria and objectives; the factors of objectives; 7 types of objectives; emphasis on "best action to take"; problem-analysis vs a systems approach; efficiency vs effectiveness; sources of objectives; least-squares approaches; the definition of "benefits" as B and B* and the multi-dimensional nature of B* and Cost, C*.

4. Statistics as a Decision Tool - Review; test for difference: t and chi-square; simple linear regression; multiple regression; simultaneous change to gain control of a faunal system; non linear systems.

5. Building a Knowledge Base - Wildlife information system; GIS; the expert system; Beta estimates; incrementalism and bounded counts; Landsat; the n-dimensional hypervolume; Alpha units vs watershed management.

6. Research Techniques and Procedures - Field experiences and recommendations.

7. Manipulating People: The Committee - Influencing demand, value, perceived risk, and substitutability.

8. Law Enforcement - Overview; the nature of "research"; the needs in the law enforcement system.

9. Changing Populations or Demand? - Winning in the Kappa Game (computer game relating to a wildlife management area).

10. The Managerial Attitude - Its dimensions; relevance of research; experience; rational sloppiness; the appropriate alpha level; sampling strategies; incremental strategies (see unit 5); strategies.

11. R* Guidance - The replacement for the "planning concept."

12. Costs (C*) of Management - Sources of funds; budgets; and rational spending.

13. Population Estimation - 1 - Philosophy, need, and limitations of populations estimation.

14. Population Estimation - 2 - Home range based estimates; bounded count; dynamics; doubling time; rate of change estimates; the sigmoid growth alternative; a lesson from island biography.

15. Population Space - N-dimensional temporal biomass; faunal space.

16. Population Structure - Structure vs. dynamics; review of relevance of sex ratio; age ratio; density; genetic unit.

17. Biodiversity Estimates - the "variety" alternative.

18. Faunal Space - The "habitat" replacement; the dynamic land volume (vs. "area"); the significance of area over quality; "carrying capacity" revisited; unique faunal land volumes (the GIS); GAP analysis review; abiotic factors.

19. The Energy Unit as Food and Cover Equivalents - Review of Moen's studies and the energy-budgeting creature in a land volume.

20. "Habitat" Studies: Analysis and Evaluation - The cost of studies; the number needed; the long-term study; the model-based study; value for what; seasonal needs; types of cover; toward a theory of "cover"; the need for theory.

21. Total Faunal Resource Systems: the Dogwood Deer - Example of a total, species-specific, profit-oriented resource system.

22. Employment Potentials: the Role of the Future Effective Wildlifer - example of a total, integrated, private, for profit, natural resource company; the farm vs. the enterprise perspective; the firm vs. the agency perspective; professionals and vocations; success criteria; field work; sequential knowledge gains and protecting "experience" gains

23. Sampling to Gain Knowledge - The limits of statistics; basic sampling strategies; estimates; non-linear systems; is some knowledge better than ... ? The problem of inadequate sample sizes; handling outliers; the use of ranges.

24. Agroforestry and Wildlife Management - Overview; opportunities; international experiences China, India, Nigeria, Senegal.

25. Powerline Corridors and the Wildlifer - A fair place at the decision table; the EIS process; wildlife value; optimum corridor location; two phase decisions; parametric solutions; simulation vs. optimization.

26. The Raccoon and Turkey "Guilds" - Single species resource systems

27. Ecosystem Management and the 5 E's - The alternatives to growing policy literature: the esthetics, energetics, economics, ecology, enforcement hyperspace.

28. Managing the Other Fauna - Salamanders, prey systems, songbirds, butterflies.

29. Interspersion - The snarled nature of landscape ecology; the new unified index; edge volume; juxtaposition; contiguity; boundaries; relevant area; controlled space.

30. Managing Ecological Succession - The action rule; adding apples and oranges; the multi-resource solution; joint production functions and coactive management. The first days on the management area; control of populations, faunal space, and people.

31. Subversion - Test review; alternative management elements.

32. Bright Star Sanctuary - The Avi sport; management for the birds; pest control?; disease vectors; micromanagement vs. macromanagement.

33. Review - Return to fundamentals; the cross currents of the systems (objectives; context; inputs; processes; feedback; and feedforward) and the management triad (populations, faunal space, and people.)

34. Integrated Vertebrate Pest Damage Management - The concept, need, opportunities and "Pest Force" plan.

35. Sample exam questions for final exam.

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Last revision January 17, 2000.