The recovery from human persecution of some upper trophic level wildlife species coupled with ongoing expansion of human-dominated landscapes is leading to increased human-wildlife interactions in urban environments. Raptors in particular are drawn to high resource concentrations of potential nest sites and prey, and are colonizing cities across…

Traditional assessment methods such as tests and essays may not be adequate to evaluate students' ability to solve problems and think critically. I developed a qualitative assessment technique for a junior-level Wildlife Management Techniques course that incorporated written responses in a pre- and post-course reflection exercise. I provided the…

Transfer students are of recognized importance to postsecondary education and every year feed thousands of students into natural resources programs across America. This influx of students can have a sustaining effect on many academic programs, including fisheries and wildlife programs, which are suffering from a nation-wide decrease in interest…

This article presents results of utilizing a college course design that is based on experiential learning theory and experiential education methods. The subject matter of the course included how human dimensions, economic development, and policy affect the sustainability of natural resources such as water, wildlife, and forestry in a highly ranked…

The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT; "Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri") has become a species of special concern for Yellowstone National Park (YNP) fisheries biologists. Although this subspecies formerly occupied a greater area than any other inland cutthroat trout, the current distribution of YCT is now limited to several watersheds within the…

Undergraduate enrollment in natural resources-related programs are 13% lower than they were 30 years ago, even though overall collegiate enrollment has increased by roughly 8.5 million students during the same period. Because of this, we decided to investigate the question of student retention in a fisheries and wildlife (FW) program from the…

College students in natural resources continue to encounter instructor-centered teaching, despite strong evidence that suggests active-learning experiences benefit students more than passive learning activities. Case studies provide an active-learning alternative to lectures by teaching students new content and challenging them to engage in…

An undergraduate research mentoring program (URMP), initiated at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, was developed (1) to aid undergraduate wildlife students in the design, conduct, and analysis of original research projects; and (2) to encourage students to become effective written and oral communicators by preparing a manuscript of their…