FORT COLLINS, COLORADO - The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) voted to become a long-term partner for Pathways: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference and Training, the organization announced January 26. Along with the founding cohost, Colorado State University’s Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources (HDNR), AFWA will cohost the upcoming Pathways conferences in North America.

The next North American conference, Pathways 2025, will take place in Estes Park, Colorado, September 7-10, 2025.

The Pathways Conference focuses on a rapidly growing area of expertise needed in natural resource management. In 1971, Dr. John Hendee, a Forest Service researcher introduced the term, “human dimensions of wildlife.” He proposed a research agenda for state fish and wildlife agencies that focused on understanding stakeholders to better meet their needs. Since that time, agencies have increasingly become staffed with human dimensions specialists. In recent years, change has accelerated the importance of this area of expertise.

“With changing values of the public in North America and the decline of traditional audiences, experts in the field are now exploring how to be more broadly inclusive and be more relevant to a broader array of stakeholders. For example, there is growing focus on improving governance, dealing with human-wildlife co-existence, restoring predators, non-lethal management, just to name a few,” said Michael Manfredo, HDNR Department Head.

State fish and wildlife agencies are interested in finding ways to engage new publics to create sustainable futures with wildlife and that is why Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is interested in the partnership with Pathways.

The Pathways Conference is dedicated to contributing to the advancement of the wildlife management profession. It is a place where professionals share and learn about new research findings, novel approaches to management and consensus building, and create a network of support that creates best practices.

AFWA and HDNR shall cooperatively plan, develop, and deliver Pathways Conferences in North America. The two entities will share responsibilities for the conference, including advisory board assembly and conference content, logistics and promotion until 2028.

As a founding cohost, HDNR brings its long-standing development of the Pathways conference, and its recognition and reputation as premier conference cohost in human dimensions of wildlife since the conference’s inauguration in 2008.

As a new partner, AFWA brings the value of its deep and extensive network of state and federal natural resource professionals to the collaborative process of convening and designing Pathways conferences based in North America on a biannual basis.

“After the success of our joint efforts at the 2023 Pathways Conference, AFWA is thrilled to continue working with Colorado State University’s Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and to cohost the upcoming Pathways Conferences in North America,” said Chuck Sykes, Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.

AFWA and HDNR look forward to a long partnership of successful conferences that contribute to the field of human dimensions of wildlife. The shared goal between the two organizations is to bring together professionals and allow space for those professionals to collaborate and develop research.