Payne Publishes Book On Wildlife Management
Neil F. Payne, ’64 M.S. in fisheries and wildlife, recently co-authored and published Wildlife, Conservation, and Human Welfare: A United States and Canadian Perspective along with Richard D. Taber, a former graduate student from the Aldo Leopold School. The book focuses on the impact of society on wildlife populations and their welfare in the United States and Canada, with important relevance to global development and its future effect on the environment. Its purpose is to provide guidance leading to nationwide and worldwide restoration and maintenance of wildlife.
Payne worked for Taber from 1973-1975 at the University of Washington while Taber was working on the manuscript. They maintained their friendship over the years, and when Taber retired in 1993 Payne asked him about the unfinished manuscript. It was then that Payne and Taber collaborated to finish the book while Payne taught full time at Wisconsin-Stevens Point University.
The book has had acclaimed reviews by the Canadian Field-Naturalist and the Journal of Wildlife Management. Falk Huettman, of the Institute of Artic Biology at the University of Alaska, said, “This book is one the best reads as a resource for wildlife management issues and related details. One might hope from this great book that wildlife managers will read, learn, and become environmentally considerate.”
When asked about his book, Payne mentioned, “Environmental damage and concern has finally become political nationally, even worldwide. We tried to write the book in such a fashion that it would be read by professional wildlifers and teachers, wildlife administrators, and the interested and influential public.”
After more than thirty years of experience and academic training in wildlife management, Payne has authored and co-authored several books on wildlife management. He currently resides in Plover, Wis., where he is professor emeritus of wildlife in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
4/12/09