Participate in Research on the Use of Conservation Science

My name is Ashley Rohde and I am a graduate student at Utah State University.  Ellen Jacquart agreed to help me to invite you to participate in a study that I’m conducting as part of my dissertation research.

I am reaching out to researchers, land managers, and conservation volunteers who actively participate in conservation actions.  I am contacting you and other members of native plant societies because you have direct experience working on and thinking about conservation issues.

Specifically, I would like to know how the results of different types of scientific studies are put into action for conservation.   I will compare how conservation practitioners use the results of molecular-based studies and abundance-based studies to inform conservation actions.  This study is of particular interest to me because, as a scientist, I want to be confident that the limited resources available for conservation research are used as efficiently as possible.

Molecular techniques are used by researchers more and more to answer questions about species of conservation concern, but their results may be difficult for practitioners without molecular training to interpret and implement. You do not need to have experience with molecular methods to take this survey! I hope to gather information about the perspectives of people with many different experiences.

If you are interested in participating in the study (which I hope you are), please follow the link included in this email to complete a short survey.  It should take about five minutes.  Your answers are confidential, and you will not be asked to provide your name.  Please only complete the survey one time.  The Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the protection of human research participants at Utah State University has reviewed and approved this study as protocol #9724.

Thank you very much for contributing to this study!  Every response provides the perspective of a person with unique experiences and opinions; I am happy to be able to include yours.

Survey Link: Take the Conservation Survey Now!

Sincerely,

Ashley Rohde
Student Researcher
Department of Wildland Resources
a.t.rohde@hotmail.com

and

Dr. Karen Mock
Primary Investigator
Professor, Department of Wildland Resources
Karen.Mock@usu.edu