Friday, August 10, 2007: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
A4&5, San Jose McEnery Convention Center
OOS 46 - Information technology tools and programs link scientific research to conservation management and restoration: Answers from those "out standing in the field"
“Out standing in the field” refers both to the most innovative and bold informatics programs linking scientific research and conservation management as well as to the practitioners themselves who are implementing scientifically-based management practices—in the field. Building on the energy and momentum generated from the 2006 workshop, “How you can REALLY achieve conservation goals: merging academic research with management and restoration”. I propose expanding the goals of the 2006 workshop to focus on information management tools that enable the transmission of scientific research to conservation and restoration managers. There is a different world view between academic ecologists bread in the world of hypothesis testing and peer-reviewed science and conservation and restoration practitioners who often face low staffing and funding levels and feel the pressure from many sides to quit studying the problem and just act. Many land managers, from small non-profit groups to large government agencies, lack knowledge about primary research when planning for and implementing conservation and restoration goals. It has been found that site managers at agencies responsible for managing conservation areas used common sense or personal experience to make management decisions 50% of the time. Consequently management actions do not always reflect the current state of knowledge regarding different management techniques and their effectiveness and instead are based on gut instincts rather than published literature on method effectiveness. Current cyberinfrastructure tools are allowing managers to bridge this gap and find relevant scientific research, management plans, and collaboration tools that help them make more effective conservation and restoration decisions. I have invited seven people who represent conservation organizations, technology developers, and groups supported by and working for federal and state government, private business, non-profit, and the scientific community. I plan to integrate groups developing technology and those which build on those initiatives to make data more accessible and synthesize data into a single body of evidence on a particular management or policy issue. Access to a broad audience within the research and management communities coupled with the interactive panel discussion will make this organized oral session the perfect place for engaging those “out standing in the field” on both sides of the fence to most effectively conserve and protect our ecosystems in a changing world.
Organizer:	Mikaila Milton, National Science Foundation
Moderator:	Mikaila Milton, National Science Foundation
8:00 AM	OOS 46-1		BioOne enables collaboration and conservation through access to the primary scientific literature Susan Skomal, BioOne
8:20 AM	OOS 46-2		Wild Fish Habitat Initiative: Research and information database for restoration professionals Kristin E. Keith, Montana State University
8:40 AM	OOS 46-3		Creating a cyberinfrastructure to involve volunteer groups in citizen science Jim Graham, Colorado State University, Greg Newman, Colorado State University, Alycia Crall, Colorado State University, Catherine Jarnevich, United States Gelogical Survey, Thomas J. Stohlgren, United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Center
9:00 AM	OOS 46-4		Conservation Commons projects are assising managers in the field through projects such as PARC (Protected Areas Resource Centers), PALNet (Protected Areas Learning Network), and WDPA (World Database of Protected Areas) Thomas Moritz, Getty Research Institute
9:20 AM	OOS 46-5		Incorporating science in environmental management through tools that provide for synthesis of scientific research, communication, and outreach Peter Saundry, National Council for Science and the Environment
9:40 AM			Break
9:50 AM	OOS 46-6		The Information Commons:  Effective collaborative tools for data sharing, visualization, and storytelling Josh Knauer, MAYA Design Inc.
10:10 AM	OOS 46-7		GBIF's information infrastructure serves conservation, science, and society Meredith Lane, GBIF Secretariat
10:30 AM	OOS 46-8		Collaboration tools enable the sharing of conservation management information, best practices, and the connection of scientific research with field-based conservation practice Tosha Comendant, The Nature Conservancy, Jonathan S. Adams, The Nature Conservancy
10:50 AM	OOS 46-9		Evidence-Based Conservation, synthesizing data into a single body of evidence on issues of greatest concern to conservation managers Andrew S. Pullin, School of Environment and Natural Resources

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