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2010 Watchable Wildlife Conference
Kearney, Nebraska
October 5-7, 2010
2010 Conference Speakers
 Peg Abbott is the owner and lead guide of Naturalist Journeys, LLC. She has been designing, guiding, and organizing natural history tours for more than 30 years, working for the National Audubon Society and other organizations before launching Naturalist Journeys, LLC in 1998. Her work has taken her from Alaska to Africa and Argentina, as well as many other locations around the world. She holds a MS in Forestry and Wildlife from Northern Arizona University. Peg is an avid wildlife enthusiast and birder.
 Leon Aliski serves as project manager for Dean Runyan Associates. He specializes in regional economic analysis, recreation and tourism planning, and feasibility studies. He holds a Masters Degree in Economics from Oregon State University, and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Economics from Humboldt State University. Prior to joining DRA, Leon was with the Oregon Division of State Lands where he provided research and analysis for projects associated with the state's waterway leasing program.
 Al Batt is an outstanding writer, speaker, storyteller and humorist. He has been featured in many magazines and newspapers as well as on radio and TV including commentaries for public radio. He writes weekly "Nature's World", "Tales From Exit 22", "Bird Stories", "From the Batt Cave" and "A Batt In Your Belfry" humor and nature columns for newspapers syndication, and does a regular show titled, "Birding With Batt". He also makes regular radio appearances on KTOE and KOWZ. He writes a number of popular cartoon strips that are syndicated nationally, and is a regular contributor to nature and birding magazines, newspapers and farm periodicals. Although he has not yet run for President, he has written jokes for a former President of the United States and his mother thinks he is special.
Scott Bonertz, Public Information Mang, NE Game and Parks Commission has played a large role in developing the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's social media community. He has made Facebooking, tweeting, blogging, podcasting, and interactive marketing a regular practice at Game and Parks. As the public information manager, Scott serves as Webmaster of OutdoorNebraska.org and oversees the interactive and news teams. Before his current position, Scott was the Director of Marketing Communications at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certification Commission. Scott previously has held roles in broadcasting, marketing and print.
 Gene Bormann is a former high school life science teacher who now works as a contract employee with the Threatened & Endangered Species Section, Operations Division for the Omaha District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Gene spent 15 years (summers) as the crew leader for a bird monitoring crew and now works full-time primarily doing outreach and education. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yankton College, Yankton, SD with majors in biology, secondary education, and physical education. He later earned Master's degree in Science Education from Michigan State University.
Joe Courneya is an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota and has been an Extension Educator for 25 years. His current assignment is director of American Indian 4-H Leadership for the state of Minnesota. He has developed curriculum materials for River Watch and Archery in the Schools and he has been a presenter at state, national, and international conferences. He also serves on various state and national committees. Their project was recognized at the 2009 National 4-H Conference as the North Central Regional Winner for Natural Resources and Environmental Education.
 Dennis Ferraro is the resident herpetologist and an extension associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Originally from Connecticut, "My main goal in my career and in life is the conservation of amphibians, reptiles and turtles in North America." Ferraro received the 2010 Holling Family Excellence in Teaching Award in March 2010. As the head of the curriculum committee for Nebraska's new Master Naturalist program, Ferraro is hoping to inspire outdoor outfitters and bed and breakfast owners to turn prairie dog villages into destinations of choice.
 Sandy Frost, USDA Forest Service - Partnership Liaison, Watershed, Fish Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants Program, Washington Office. For the last twenty-five years Sandy Frost has shared her love of America's public lands with visitors and children across the country. Growing up on a "game farm" in rural Wisconsin, she developed an early love of nature, and especially waterfowl. After studying wildlife management in college, she traveled to Alaska to work for the Forest Service - and stayed for 20 years! After leaving Alaska, Sandy worked in the USFS Conservation Education program's national office, helping to develop and guide agency-wide programs and policies. Currently she works for the Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants program (Washington Office) of the USFS as a partnership liaison, building outreach and education programs that help connect Americans with their great outdoors.
 Jim Harris is Vice President of the International Crane Foundation. He joined ICF as Educator Director in 1984 and has also served as Deputy Director (1988-2000) and President (2000-2006). Jim now lives half time in Wisconsin and half time in northeast China, where he heads ICF's East Asia Program and serves as its representative for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. He is currently working on red-crowned cranes and water issues for wetlands of the Amur River Basin as well as conservation of Poyang Lake and other crane winter sites in China. He is especially interested in helping local communities safeguard their resource base while restoring landscapes important to cranes. Jim also serves as the Chair of the Crane Specialist Group under IUCN and Wetlands International, and supervises ICF's Africa Program.
 Carrol Henderson, Chairman of the Board for Watchable Wildlife has been supervisor of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Nongame Wildlife Program since 1977. He has been involved in planning and restoring peregrine falcons, bald eagles, eastern bluebirds, river otters and trumpeter swans. Mr. Henderson is the author of Woodworking for Wildlife, Landscaping for Wildlife and Wild About Birds: the DNR Bird Feeding Guide. He is co-author of The Traveler's Guide to Wildlife in Minnesota and Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality. Carrol and his wife Ethelle have led over 30 birding tours to Latin America since 1987. He has recently completed the Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica, published by the University of Texas Press in 2001.
 Meg Kenagy is the Conservation Strategy Communications Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife where she promotes western painted turtles, Columbian white-tailed deer, oak woodlands and statewide conservation. She produces weekly wildlife viewing reports for subscribers and the media, and maintains a Facebook page, Oregon Wildlife Viewing. Before joining ODFW in 2005, she spent 20 years in high technology marketing communications, public relations and corporate communications.
 James Mallman, President of Watchable Wildlife Inc, is responsible for the development and production of their Wildlife Professional Publication Series, as well as the Watchable Wildlife State Viewing Guides. Jim conducts workshops on developing sustainable wildlife viewing programs worldwide. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master's in Education with an emphasis on Wildlife Recreation and Nature Tourism from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Jim lives with his wife Sharon on the St. Croix River in Stillwater, Minnesota.
 Steve Maanum's background includes 34 years as a classroom teacher, 30 years as a published photographer, writer, and public speaker. He has developed environmental education curriculum materials, been a mentor for new teachers, been active on environmental education committees, and has been a presenter at state and national education conferences. He has been a weekly outdoor columnist for the Park Rapids Enterprise, works with schools on their "Through the Lens of a Camera" project, writes a monthly column for Boomers (published by the Fargo Forum), and has taken on the role of project coordinator for greater Minnesota in the new statewide "Digital Photography Bridge to Nature" project.
 Kristal Stoner received her B.S. in Biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University and an M.S. in Biological Science from University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Kristal is currently the Wildlife Diversity Program Manager and is responsible for Wildlife Action Plan Coordination, Nebraska's Competitive State Wildlife Grant Program and the Watchable Wildlife Program and is providing assistance with the budding Nebraska Master Naturalist Program, marketing of the Wildlife Conservation Fund and the Healthy Families Play Outside Program. In her spare time, she likes to watch wildlife, particularly birds, butterflies and dragonflies.  Bruce Switzer and his wife, Sue Ann, own and manage the Switzer Ranch on land that has been in the family for well over 100 years. The ranch runs a custom grazing operation as well as winter backgrounding and short term cow/calf programs. In 2001, their son Adam founded Calamus Outfitters as a means stay and work on the ranch; it offers various tourism opportunities including horseback riding, river trips, bird watching, hunting, hiking and lodging. Recently, Bruce and Sue Ann's daughter, Sarah, moved back to the ranch as Director of Planning for the Switzer Ranch and Nature Reserve, which seeks to use conservation, stewardship and nature based tourism to sustain the ranch and family as a whole by continuing to graze cattle but by shifting their land use objectives to manage for nature. In June, 2009, Bruce and Sarah participated in a study group of Great Plains ranchers (sponsored by World Wildlife Fund and the Grassland Foundation) that visited the African country of Namibia to explore different models of sustainable land use, conservation strategies, and rural development potentials of nature based tourism..  Bill Taddicken, Director, Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary has a degree in Wildlife Biology and has worked at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary for the past thirteen years. While at Rowe Sanctuary his prior duties included; Assistant Director, and Director of Conservation and Habitat. Bill now oversees all of the operations on the 1900-acre Sanctuary and has worked extensively on conservation of the Platte River for sandhill cranes, whooping cranes and other wildlife while at Audubon.
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