Title | Communicating Ecological Data with Land Managers: Lessons Learned |
Publication Type | Conference Paper |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Stauffer N, McCord S, Kachergis E |
Conference Name | Ecological Society of America |
Date Published | 08/2018 |
Publisher | Ecological Society of America |
Conference Location | New Orleans, LA |
ARIS Log Number | 353766 |
Abstract | Communicating ecological data to land managers and management entities represents a different challenge than communicating with the general public. Land managers need to not only understand results but also the inherent limits and assumptions in order to make effective and legally defensible decisions. However, many face barriers to producing or interpreting results of data analysis including time, resources, and technical skills. Our group, a partnership between the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Aquatic Monitoring Center (NAMC), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), has been working on the BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy (AIM) since 2010. The purpose of AIM is to provide land managers with robust, high quality monitoring data gathered with consistent methods and statistically-sound sampling techniques. Through this effort, we have experienced both successes and failures in communicating data to land managers. |