Symposia & Workshops

Call for workshop proposals (educational and training sessions) and symposia are managed by TWS (typically due in March and May, respectively) and are closed for the upcoming annual conference, see TWS Annual Conference 2024: Call for Proposals. 

Email the Symposia & Workshop Committee Chair (see Executive Board) with "BWG Symposia and Workshops" in the subject line if you have any other questions regarding proposals and selection process. 

Since 1994, BWG has hosted a total of 59 symposia, 54 workshops, and 6 help sessions.

2024

Symposia

• Integrating movement and space-use ecology into wildlife disease research and management (Franny Buderman, Jennifer Mullinax)

• Value of information to identify critical impediments to conservation decision making in an era of information overload (Abby Lawson, Mike Runge)

Workshops

• Applying Structural Causal Models (SCM) for Causal Inference in Ecology (Suchinta Arif, Aarron MeacNeil, Quresh Latif)

• Advanced methods for estimating density of unmarked individuals from camera traps (Matthew Gonnerman, Grace Hummell, Jennifer Mullinax)

Help Sessions

• Ask a Biometrician (Wendy Leuenberger)

• Ask a Decision Analyst (Rachel Katz)

2023

Symposia

• Agent Based Modeling (Mauri Liberati, Miranda Strasburg, Noelle Thompson)

• Time-Dependent Wildlife Management for a Non-Stationary World (Jamie Ashander, Richard Berl, Madeline Rubenstein, Anna Tucker)

Workshops

• Agent Based Modeling (Mauri Liberati, Miranda Strasburg, Noelle Thompson)

• Spatially-Explicit Occupancy Modeling with spOccupancy R package (Jeff Doser, Andrew O. Finley, Elise Zipkin)

• Structured Decision Making (Mike Runge, Sarah Converse, Ashely Fortune)

Help Sessions

• Ask a Biometrician (Wendy Leuenberger)

• Ask a Decision Analyst (Rachel Katz)

2022

Symposia

• Applications and Future Directions of Using Expert Elicitation to Improve Wildlife Management Decisions (Abby Lawson, Rachel Katz, Conor McGowan, Brian Crawford)

• Fuzzy Boundaries: Machine Learning for Ecology (Alison Ketz, Daniel Walsh)

Workshops

• Close-Kin Mark-Recapture: Theory and Practice (Paul Conn, Eric Anderson)

• Fundamentals of Structured Decision Making (Mike Runge, Sarah Converse, Ashely Fortune)

Help Sessions

• Ask a Biometrician (Wendy Leuenberger)

2021

Symposia

• Integrating Decision Analysis and Quantitative Ecology (Mauri Liberati, Mike Runge, Anna Tucker)

• Difficult Disease Decisions: The Role of Value-Focused Thinking and Decision Analysis in Wildlife Disease Management (Katrina Alger, Brittany Mosher)

Workshops

• Multi-Species Occupancy Modeling (Chris Rota, Arielle Parsons, Kenneth Kellner)

• Fundamentals of Structured Decision Making (Mike Runge, Sarah Converse, James Lyons, Katrina Alger, Sarah Sells, Ashely Fortune)

Help Sessions

• Ask a Biometrician (Wendy Leuenberger)

2020

Symposia

• Long-term data sets for biodiversity monitoring, research and management (Mark Nelson, Jenny Rechel, Annika Keeley, Greg Smith, Angela Larson, Matt Iknken, Alicia Amerson)

• Meta-what? Statistical analysis in the era of big data (Ryan Nielson, Mary Rowland, Robin Russell)

Workshops

• Advanced Google Earth Engine for Wildlife Biologists (Mike Evans) 

• Introduction to Google Earth Engine for Wildlife Biologists (Mike Evans)

• Fundamentals of Structured Decision Making (Mike Runge, Sarah Converse)

• eBird Status and Trends: Working with Modeled Products in R (Orin Robinson, Tom Auer)

• Multi-species Occupancy Modeling (Christopher Rota. Arielle Parsons, Kenneth Kellner)

2019

Symposia

• Leveraging all of the data with hierarchical models: integrated population models and beyond (Perry Williams)

• Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR): a framework for estimating abundance and demography from genetically related (and unrelated) individuals (Paul Conn, Jay Ver Hoef, Jamie Sanderlin)

• Model-based approaches for addressing false positive detection errors in fish and wildlife studies (Paige Ferguson, Brittany Mosher, David Miller)

Workshops

• Integrating multiple data sources in species distribution modeling (Paige Ferguson, Brittany Mosher, David Miller)

• Analyses of time-to-event data: Applications in wildlife science (Kezia Manlove, Daniel Walsh, Robin Russell)

• Advances in habitat-selection modeling: models, methods, and software for quantifying among-individual variation in movement and habitat-selection using fine-scale telemetry data (John Fieberg, Johannes Signer, Stefanie Muff, Tal Avgar)

• Reinvigorating rare: skills and theory to support conservation of rare species (Hannah Specht, Jessica Golding)

• Fundamentals of structured decision making (Mike Runge, Sarah Converse)

• NIMBLE: Applications in hierarchical modeling (Perry de Valpine)

2018

Symposia

• Methods for planning optimal elimination strategies adaptively in wide-ranging structured populations (Kim Pepin, Amy Davis )

• Modeling communities while accounting for imperfect detection  (Rahel Sollmann, Elise Zipkin)

• Optimal monitoring for wildlife biologists (Perry Williams)

• Animal movement: advances in movement modeling and their applications (Chris Sutherland, Andy Royle, Juan Manuel Morales)

Workshops

• Multi-species occupancy modeling (Chris Rota, Arielle Parsons)

• Introductory R (Frances Buderman, Brittany Mosher, Perry Williams)

2017

Symposia

• Recent Applications of Multi-state Models to Capture-Recapture and Occupancy Studies (William Gould)

Workshops

• An Introduction to Spatial Capture-Recapture (Andy Royle, Chris Sutherland, Richard B. Chandler)

• Introductory R (Frances E. Buderman, Perry J. Williams, Brittany A. Mosher)

• Developing a Workflow to Maximize Reproducibility and Research Impact: Managing Data, Computer Code, and Projects for Success (John Fieberg, Althea ArchMiller)

2016

Symposia

• Recent Approaches for Understanding Spatial Processes Using Hierarchical Metapopulation Models (Mitchell Eaton, Chris Sutherland, Richard B. Chandler)

• Applications of Decision Analysis for Wildlife Population Management (Abby Lawson, Tara Gancos Crawford, Clint Moore)

Workshops

• An Introduction to Spatial Capture-Recapture (Andy Royle, Chris Sutherland, Richard B. Chandler)

• Intermediate R Workshop (Robin Russell, Dan Walsh, Kezia Manlove, J. Joshua Nowak, Beth Ross)

2015

Symposia

• Quantitative Approaches to Wildlife Disease (Robin Russell, Evan Grant, William Kendall, David Miller, Michael Samuel, Dan Walsh, Co-sponsor:  TWS Wildlife Disease Working Group)

• Spatial Capture-Recapture Models: Methodological Developments and Applications (Andy Royle)

Workshops

• An Introduction to Baysian Statistics (William Link, Richard Barker)

• Basics of R Programming (Robin Russell, Dan Walsh, Ryan Nielson, John Fieberg)

2014

Symposia

• None

Workshops

• Estimating Resource Selection Using R (Fawn Hornsby,  Ryan Nielson, Trent McDonald)

• Wildlife Data Management Fundamentals (Christine Ribic)

2013

Symposia

• Repurposing Data:  Opportunities and Challenges for Alternative Uses of Online Survey Data (Mark Otto, John Sauer)

• Multimodel Inference:  Trend and Future Directions (Mark Lindberg, Joshua Schmidt, Johann Walker)

• Thinking Outside the Quadrat:  Advances in Aerial Sampling to Estimate Abundance of Terrestrial Wildlife (Richard Guenzel, Paul Lukacs; Co-Sponsor: TWS Spatial Ecology and Telemetry Working Group)

Workshops

• None

2012 

Symposia

• Recent Developments in and Applications of Spatial Capture-Recapture Models (Andy Royle)

• Roundtable - Statistics Education for Biologists:  What are Our Learning Objectives? (Bill Gould)

Workshops

• An Introduction to Structured Decision Making for Natural Resources (Mike Runge, Jame Peterson) 

• Spatial Statistics in R (Andrew Duff, Tabitha Graves, Mevin Hooten, Ryan Nielson, Robin Russell)

2011

Symposia

• Demographics of Reintroduced Populations:  Estimation, Modeling, and Decision Analysis (Clint Moore, Sarah Converse; Co-Sponsor: TWS Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group)

• Recent Developments in the Study of Animal Movement (Mevin Hooten, Devin Johnson; Co-Sponsor: TWS Spatial Ecology and Telemetry Working Group)

• Location-Only and Use-Availability Data:  Analysis Methods Converge (Lyman McDonald, Wayne Thogmartin, Falk Huettmann; Co-Sponsor: TWS Spatial Ecology and Telemetry Working Group)

Workshops

• Analysis of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (John Sauer)

2010

Symposia

• Wildlife Conservation Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring at Multiple Scales (S. Brady, P. Heglund, W. L. Hohman; Co-Sponsor: TWS Biological Diversity Working Group, TWS Wildlife Economics Working Group, TWS Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group, TWS Wildlife Planning and Administration Working Group)

• Statistical Methods for Modeling Animal Movement Collected Using Telemetry (Mary Christman; Co-Sponsor: TWS Spatial Ecology and Telemetry Working Group)

• Recent Developments in Occupancy Estimation:  Models and Applications (Larissa Baily, William Gould)

• Using Multiple Data Sources to Manage Harvested Populations (Robin Russell, Bill Thompson)

Workshops

• Wildlife Applications of Bayesian Survival Analysis Using WinBUGS (Dennis Heisey, Christine Bunck)

• Advanced Ecological Data Analysis with R (Glen Sargeant, Ryan Nielson)

2010

Symposia

• Wildlife Conservation Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring at Multiple Scales (Scott Brady, Patricia Heglund, William Hohman; Co-Sponsor: TWS Biological Diversity Working Group, TWS Wildlife Economics Working Group, TWS Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group, TWS Wildlife Planning and Administration Working Group, and USDA-NRCS Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center)

• Statistical Methods for Modeling Animal Movement Collected Using Telemetry (Mary Christman; Co-sponsor: TWS Spatial Ecology and Telemetry Working Group)

• Recent Developments in Occupancy Estimation: Models and Applications (Larissa Bailey, William Gould)

• Using Multiple Data Sources to Manage Harvested Populations (Robin Russell, William Thompson)

Workshops

• Wildlife Applications of Bayesian Survival Analysis Using WinBUGS (Dennis Heisey, Christine Bunck)

• Advanced Ecological Data Analysis with R (Glen Sargeant, Ryan Nielson)

2009

Symposia

• None

Workshops

• Wildlife Applications of Bayesian Survival Analysis Using WinBUGS (Dennis Heisey, Christine Bunck) 

2008

Symposia

• Biometrics in Wildlife: Looking into the Future (Steven Sheriff, Gail Olson, Christine Ribic) 

Workshops

• The Play’s the Thing: An Adaptive Management Re-enactment (Clinton Moore, Michael Conroy, B. Kenneth Williams)

• Regression Modeling for Habitat Selection Using GPS Data (Ryan Nielson, Hall Sawyer, Lyman McDonald)

2007

Symposia

• Biometrics in Wildlife: Past, Present, and Future (Steven Sheriff, Gail Olson, Christine Ribic) 

Workshops

• Estimation of Population Change from Count Data (John Sauer, William Link, Andy Royle)

• Introduction to Modern Methods for Analyzing Capture-Recapture Data (Trent McDonald, Bryan Manly)

2006

Symposia

• Objectives and Metrics for Monitoring Wildlife (Melinda Knutson; Co-Sponsor: TWS Biological Diversity Working Group) 

Workshops

• Approaches for Modeling Avian Nest Survival (Stephen Dinsmore, Terry Shaffer)

2005

Symposia

• Observational Studies: When You Can’t Control Nature (Terry Shaffer, Douglas Johnson)

• Overview and Treatment of Spatial Errors in GIS Applications (Wayne Thogmartin, Tom Sklebar, William Thomspon; Co-Sponsor: TWS Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing and Telemetry Working Group)

• Statistics, Logistics, and Estimation of Detectability from Aerial Surveys (John Sauer)

Workshops

• Introduction to R: Free Software for Statistics and Graphics (Glen Sargeant, Bryan Yandell) 

2004

Symposia

• Collaboration of Biometricians and Researchers in Large-Scale Research: Lessons from Case Studies (Duane Diefenbach, Lyman McDonald) 

Workshops

• Using MCMC in Winbugs and Python to Fit Random Effects and Hierarchical Models (Michael Conroy, Christopher Fonnesbeck, James Peterson)

• Linear and Non-Linear Mixed Models for Correlated Data: Concepts and Applications (Mary Christman)

2003

Symposia

• Spatial Statistics in Wildlife Biology: Concepts and Applications (Steven Sheriff, Brian Gray, Thomas Sklebar; Co-Sponsor: TWS GIS, Remote Sensing and Telemetry Working Group)

• Modeling, Estimation, and Decision Making in Natural Resource Management (Byron K. Williams, Michael Conroy, James Nichols)

Workshops

• None

2002

Symposia

• Sampling Rare or Elusive Species: Challenges and Choices (William Thompson)

• Modern Regression Methods: New Tools for Wildlifers (Douglas Johnson, Trent McDonald, Gen Sargeant)

Workshops

• Resource Selection Functions: Statistical Design and Analysis for Field Studies (Wallace Erickson, Bryan Manly, Trent McDonald, Lyman McDonald)

• Wildlife Study Design: An Introduction to Basic Design Principles for Field Studies (Michael Morrison, William Block, M. Dale Strickland, William Kendall)

2001

Symposia

• Methods and Applications for Monitoring Wildlife in National Parks (John Sauer, Steven Fancy)

• Bayesian Analysis: A New Frontier for Wildlife (Steven Sheriff)

Workshops

• Adaptive Wildlife Management: Concepts, Optimization Tools, and Case Studies (Bill Kendall, Mike Runge, Jim Nichols, Clinton Moore, Bruce Lubow; Co-Sponsor: USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)

2000

Symposia

• Excellence in Biometrics Education: Views from Employers and Academicians (William Gould, Dean Stauffer; Co-Sponsor: Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, USGS Biological Resources Division) 

Workshops

• Information-theoretic Methods: Alternatives to Statistical Null Hypothesis Testing (David Anderson, Kenneth Burnham; Co-sponsor: Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, USGS Biological Resources Division) 

1999

Symposia

• None

Workshops

• None

1998

Symposia

• The Role of Large-Scale Experiments in Wildlife Management: Principles and Practice (Michael Conroy)

• Evaluating the Role of Hypothesis Testing/Power Analysis in Wildlife Science (William Thompson, Christine Ribic)

Workshops

• Statistical Analysis of GIS and Spatially Correlated Field Data (John Kern, Trent McDonald, Wallace Erickson) 

1997

Symposia

• How to Practice Safe Modeling: The Interpretation and Application of Models in Resource Management (Alan Franklin, Tanya Shenk; Co-Sponsor: Fishery and Wildlife Biology Graduate Student Organization, Colorado State University) 

Workshops

• Study of Resource Selection Using GIS Data (Lyman McDonald, Grey Pendleton)

• Statistical Analysis of GIS and Spatially Correlated Field Data (John Kern, Wallace Erickson, Trent McDonald)

1996

Symposia

• Monitoring: Goals, Protocols, and Decisions (Christine Bunck)

• Monitoring Large-scale Change in Wildlife Populations (John Sauer)

Workshops

• • None

1995

Symposia

• • • Adaptive Management of Wildlife Resources: Developments and Directions (William Kendall) 

Workshops

• None

1994

Symposia

• Survey Methods: Human Dimensions in Wildlife (Steven Sheriff, Fern Filion) 

Workshops

• None