The North American Conservation Education Strategy: Hooking the Next Generation

Conservation education is a solution-oriented discipline with a long history of addressing the social aspects of outdoor recreation and resource management. The presentation will recap ten years of research and development of AFWA's North American Conservation Education Strategy and introduce the current project - Natural Pathways. This term speaks to the need to substitute something for the traditional role families played in introducing younger members to hunting, and fishing. Today, agencies across the nation are facing an urgent situation making it paramount for states to determine how best to use conservation education to address the challenges of declining participation in traditional outdoor activities and to ensure that science education reflects changes at the national level. These dual concerns are linked together in the challenges Fish and Wildlife Agencies are facing to maintain participation levels that result in both advocates for the resources and financial resources required to carry out conservation on behalf of the public. The Natural Pathways Grant is comprised of 6 national projects that allow researchers to learn about the connection between initial participation in conservation/outdoor education programs and movement toward becoming a participant in and purchasing a license to hunt, fish or participate in the shooting sports.