Office of the Science Advisor Webinar Series

From the creation of the world's most comprehensive wildlife surveys to Rachel Carson's pioneering work on the effects of DDT on migratory birds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has built a reputation for science excellence that spans decades. The Service’s Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) will play a key role in supporting and strengthening our agency's tradition of scientific excellence in the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitat. Because science is always evolving, the OSA Web Conference Seminar Series is designed to provide the latest cutting-edge scientific information and research and highlight key OSA priorities such as:

• Science Integrity – Ensuring science excellence through practices and standards such as the FWS Science Committee, Information Quality Act, peer review, and FWS scientific publications such as the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management and North American Fauna.
• The FWS Climate Change Strategy -- establishes a basic framework within which the agency will work as part of the larger conservation community to help ensure the sustainability of fish, wildlife, plants and habitats in the face of accelerating climate change.
• Landscape Conservation Cooperatives -- a network of partnerships working to develop a shared understanding of landscape change to inform and facilitate collaborative action for resource conservation and adaptation.
• Strategic Habitat Conservation – Our agency’s approach for applying the best science to the conservation challenges of the 21st Century and making informed conservation decisions together with our partners.

By introducing a variety of voices and topics each month, the OSA Webinar Series hopes to contribute to a growing scientific community of practice across the Service, connect our agency and employees to the larger scientific community, and help cultivate the next generation of Service scientists.

Who should attend: These series are designed for FWS conservation practitioners and managers.

How to attend: Participants must register in advance to attend this webinar. For information on how to register, please see the webinar announcement.

Upcoming Webinars:

October 18, 2012 - Dr. James Caudill, Chief of Division of Economics, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The Division of Economics and the Use of Economic Information in the USFWS: Resources, Rationale and Applications." Register here.

Past Webinars:

Click here to watch the webinars

January 19, 2012 - Michael J. Millard, Ph.D., Center Director, USFWS - Northeast Fishery Center. "Science Capacity in the Fish & Wildlife Service: The Fish Technology Centers and The Fish Health Centers." Download the presentation (PDF). Watch the recorded webinar.

February 16, 2012 - Peter H. Raven, Ph.D., President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden. "Biodiversity and Stewardship: Our Common Responsibility."

March 15, 2012 - Kevin Gallagher, Ph.D., Associate Director, USGS Core Science Systems. "Overview of the USGS Core Science Systems Mission Area and Summary of the NBII Closure." Download the presentation (PDF).

April 19, 2012 - Meredith Bartron, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Conservation Genetics in the USFWS: How genetics tools are being applied to management and conservation."

May 17, 2012 - John Morton, Ph.D, Supervisory Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. "Rapid climate change on the Kenai Peninsula: Now what?! Moving towards a strategic approach to on-the-ground adaptation ."

June 21, 2012 - Todd Sutherland, National I&M Data Manager and Jana Newman, National I&M Manager Natural Resource Program Center, National Wildlife Refuge System. "NWRS Inventory and Monitoring: Informing Biological Planning to Facilitate Excellence in Conservation Delivery." Download the presentation (PDF)

Special: June 26, 2012 - Dr. Barbara Ayala Orozco and Dr. Patricia Koleff National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity in Mexico (CONABIO). "Identifying Priority Species for Conservation in Mexico." Download the presentation (PDF).

July 19, 2012 - Dan Shively, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service R1 and Mike Mertens, Ecotrust. "Demonstration of Region One's New Aquatic Habitat Decision-Support Tool." Download the presentation (PDF).

August 2012 - None

September 20, 2012 - Dr. Peter Marra, Conservation Scientist, Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Biology Institute. "Full Life Cycle Vulnerability Assessments for the Birds of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region." Register here.

October 2, 2012 - Gabriela Chavarria, Science Advisor & Joel Reynolds, Science Coordinator, Western Alaska LCC U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Awards: Guide to the 2012 Nomination Process." Register here.