Quarterly Report:
Submitted April 14, 2004

Accomplishments this quarter: (January 1-March 31, 2004)

• Visits to BRMD:

Kirsten, Jan 11-24:

• Assisted with deer capture and testing for chronic wasting disease at Wind Cave National Park.

• Orientation to Environmental Quality Division, Inventory and Monitoring resources and databases, graphic identity program.

• Met with 4 members of BRMD team to discuss comments and revisions of draft document “Application of a Public Issue Evolution Model to Deer Management in National Parks.”

Dan, Jan 20-21:

• Drafted OFS Request for Human Dimensions Specialist position in the BRMD.

• Discussed focus areas for integration of human dimensions with biological dimensions of resource management in the BRMD.

• Jim Sherald, Chief Regional Scientist for National Capital Region, joined Contact Team.

• Revision of draft document “Application of a Public Issue Evolution Model to Deer Management in National Parks” based on comments from Contact Team and BRMD Team.

• Developed and disseminated on-line version of self-rating questionnaire to better understand park managers’ perception of their stages of deer issue evolution. The request was distributed via e-mail by Chief Regional Scientists to representative resource managers from all parks in the Northeast and National Capital Regions with the potential for deer interactions (N=52). Representatives of 49 of the 52 units responded. Preliminary results are posted on the project website at: http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/research/deerinparks/projects/q_results.asp

• Kirsten’s official paperwork and swearing in for SCEP.

• Dan gained approval from Cornell to spend Jan-Feb ’05 with BRMD in Ft. Collins to contribute to progress of the project.

• Preparation for meeting with NPS Washington Office and National Capital Region.

• Began draft of Social Science Workbook for BRMD.

• Updating project website: http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/research/deerinparks

Kirsten’s additional activities:

• Volunteered with Paul Curtis on Cayuga Heights deer project—assisted in capturing deer in clover traps for sterilization, drop nets and rocket nets for spay-vac trials.

• Ph.D. program course work:

• Environmental Law (City and Regional Planning 544, Richard Booth): Focus on Federal Public Land and Resource Law, knowledge of history and statutes as well as case law, interpretation, and precedent.

• Risk Communication (Communication 686, Cliff Scherer): Communicating risk based on scientific uncertainty. Emphasis will be on designing communication campaigns to effectively communicate risk messages to the public, from the standpoint of message construction, to collaborative processes.

• Field Conservation Ecology (Natural Resources 694, Steve Morreale): Practical application of field techniques for conservation. Most of this course takes place in the field with an emphasis on student led projects and group participation.

• Communication and Persuasion (Communication 418, Janie Diels) audit: Designing communication campaigns to influence attitudes and behavior. Practical introduction to persuasion theory and a nice complement to risk communication.

Next quarter plans: (April 1-June 30, 2004)

• Meet with NPS Washington Office and National Capital Region in Washington, D.C.

• Finalize Issue Evolution Model: post on website, possibly submit to George Wright Forum.

• Meet with Bill Porter and Brian Underwood (College of Environmental Science and Forestery, SUNY) re: deer in parks.

• Develop preliminary project plan.

• Preliminary visits to parks.

• Attend ISSRM conference.

• Work with BRMD in Ft. Collins.

• Begin NPS Fundamentals training modules.

• Continue reading NPS literature.

• Continue with course work.

• Continue to update and maintain website.

• Continue to collect information about eastern NPS units with known deer interests.