Waterfowl Management and Biology in the 21st Century:
Looking Back and to the Future
Welcome to the website for the 3rd North American Duck Symposium, to be held in Sacramento California, November 5-9, 2003. Continuing in the tradition of the 1st North American Duck Symposium, held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1997, and the 2nd Symposium held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 2000, the conference program will include invited plenary papers by internationally recognized speakers, contributed oral and poster paper session and evening workshops. Our goal is to provide a forum for managers, researchers, students and other concerned individuals to share their concerns, ideas and solutions to the issues facing North American ducks in the new century.
Waterfowl management today faces many changes from the traditions of the past:
? Despite decades of effort to restore and enhance breeding and winter habitats, wetlands are under continued pressure from urban growth, agricultural use, competition for water, and populations of several species continue to decline.
? Projections of global warming suggest that additional pressures will confront both breeding and wintering populations.
? There are growing concerns for the traditions of sport hunting in our increasingly urbanized society and for our ability to maintain support for waterfowl programs.
? New bird conservation initiatives offer both opportunities and challenges as national programs seek ways to integrate these efforts effectively and without reducing the quality of existing programs.
? Rapid growth of new technologies, further development of harvest management models, control of predators and disease offer continued challenges to waterfowl managers.
? The next generation of young waterfowl biologists is graduating from our colleges and universities, while at the same time, many universities are moving away from traditional wildlife management programs and waterfowl expertise is being lost.
As the theme for the 3rd North American Duck Symposium, we propose to look back -- and reflect on the lessons provided by the pioneers of North American waterfowl management -- and to look forward, to the changing dimensions of our profession in the 21st century. The next decade may present the greatest challenge to our waterfowl resource since the dust bowl of the thirties, and the greatest changes to our profession. It is appropriate, at the turn of the century, to consider our accomplishments, to learn from our past success, and to plan creatively for the future.
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