Hello OFWIM members, friends, and fellow data junkies. The year has flown by! In less than 3 short weeks we will be gathering together again – this time on the shores of the Missouri River in Nebraska. The Conference Planning Committee has been hard at work and put together what promises to be a very enjoyable and memorable conference and meeting. I can’t wait to welcome the OFWIM family to Nebraska on October 3rd.

This is always an active time of year for OFWIM members and this year is no different. Our Communications, Membership, & Outreach (CMO) Committee has been working hard to incorporate PayPal as a payment option in our society. It is their hope that at our meeting in October we will be able to offer PayPal as an option when registering or renewing OFWIM memberships and also to purchase raffle tickets and silent auction prizes at the conference. I’d like to thank the CMO Committee for their efforts and I believe this will greatly benefit OFWIM moving forward.

In a couple of weeks, we will also be transitioning to new OFWIM officers. My great thanks to Kristin Rodgers, Jay Kapalczynski, and Joe Kirby for their time and efforts through the last couple of years. They have provided invaluable and uncountable hours in service of OFWIM. And as I step down as President, I’d also like to send a personal note of gratitude to both Don Katnik and Dyanne Cortez for their work on our newsletter and website. Both items are a source of pride for our society and are critical in maintaining our community and these two have always gone above and beyond in providing these outstanding communication efforts for OFWIM. Any society is only what its members make of it. I encourage you to all participate in all that OFWIM has to offer. Please visit our website and cast your votes for

SSSEPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBER 201620162016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

Keith’s App Gems .................................................... 2

Conference Agenda .................................................. 3

Conference Workshop & Pre-Conference Webinars .......... 4

Guide to Conference Expenses .................................... 5

Conference Presentations & Posters .............................. 6

OFWIM Officer Candidtes ......................................... 7

OFWIM Membership................................................ 9

OFWIM Officers and Committees .............................. 10

Annual Conference Issue! Lame-Duck

President’s Message

Keith Hurley

OFWIM’s next generation of officers. I also invite you to join one of our working committees and keep active in OFWIM’s mission throughout the year between conferences. You have much to offer the rest of us and I think you will find great value as well in the work our committees are involved with.

I look forward to seeing everyone in three short weeks. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help as you travel to Nebraska…the good life.

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 2

There are so many free utilities, programs, and web applications out there that can help us in our daily lives and jobs. How does one sort them out and find the gems? In every issue of the OFWIM newsletter during my term as president, I have shown you a free application from an eclectic collection that will make your life better and make you wonder how you ever lived without them. While these software programs are completely free to use, many of them also offer paid versions or an opportunity to offer donations to the developers. While I hope you make use of these programs, I have no vested or monetary interest in any of them. I do, however, encourage you to support the developers of ANY software that you find useful.

I want to apologize, though, for last month’s App Gem. In the weeks following the newsletter that featured Evernote, the company changed its fee structure. Rather than offering their free tier of basic features on unlimited devices, the new structure allows free accounts to access Evernote services from only two devices. This greatly reduces many of the benefits I commented on in the article and consequently Evernote, in my opinion, no longer fulfills the intent of this column. While I believe that Evernote is still an outstanding app, I’ll leave it to the readers to decide if its benefits justify buying into their new pricing structure.

I oversee the computer and software budgeting of my division at my employer and I think it’s safe to say that the most requested software not already provided by our agency is for some version of the Photoshop line of image processing software. With cost of licensing historically running hundreds of dollars and new licensing provided on a subscription basis, it is the rare occurrence that we are able to fulfill these requests. However, there are two outstanding, and free, applications that can be offered instead.

For a true Photoshop replacement, GIMP (which stands for Graphic Image Manipulation Program) comes highly

recommended. GIMP is considered to be the open-source clone of Photoshop, runs on many platforms including Microsoft Windows, OS, and Linux, and is fully extensible with many plug-in packages available online to further increase the program’s capabilities. While GIMP is not always the most intuitive, user-friendly program, there is a large online user base and a multitude of tutorials and walk-through instructions. For novice users who need the power of Photoshop-style image analysis, consider adding GIMP to your software stack. It can be found and downloaded at www.gimp.org.

For a simpler alternative to Photoshop, turn to Paint.Net. This image and photo editing software also provides the expected base-level features of a graphical editing program, minus the more complex filtering and processing capabilities of Photoshop and GIMP. Paint.Net is more than capable of filling the day-to-day needs of most users in fields other than graphic design. Its interface and operation are much more intuitive and cleaner than GIMP. However, Paint.Net is only available on Microsoft Windows platforms so it may not be suitable for all users. Paint.NET can be download from www.getPaint.net.

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 3

OFWIM’s 2016 conference will be in the picturesque Missouri River bluffs in northeastern Nebraska at Ponca State Park, the eastern gateway to the 59-mile section of the Missouri National Recreational River. The park is popular for its forested hills, scenic vistas and great wildlife watching. Ponca State Park is approximately two hours from Omaha.

REGISTER at https://www.regonline.com/ofwimNE2016!

Preliminary Agenda

Sunday, October 2

Travel Day Limited transportation will be available to pick up attendees who need a ride from the Omaha Airport to Ponca (times will be decided based on flight schedules). Carpooling is encouraged.

6:00 pm ExComm and Conference Planning Committee meeting.

7:00 pm Social Gathering at Bob’s Bar in Martinsburg, NE (bring a large appetite!)

Monday, October 3

8:00 am to 11:30 am Welcome/Presentation Session I (morning break provided)

11:30 am to 1:00 pm Lunch (provided)

1:00 pm to 4:30 pm Presentation Session II (afternoon break provided)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Hacker’s Ball Poster and Technical Demonstrations (steak fry dinner)

Tuesday, October 4

Field Session Missouri River boat trip/educational tour and a tour of Danish Alps State Recreation Area with an over-view of the Nebraska Game and Parks New Reservoir and Aquatic Habitat Programs (lunch provided)

6:00 pm Dinner (provided)

8:00 pm Hospitality Room open (snacks provided, BYOB)

Wednesday, October 5

8:00 am to Noon Presentation Session III (morning break provided)

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm OFWIM Business Meeting & Lunch

2:00 pm to 4:30 pm Presentation Session IV (afternoon break provided)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Banquet/Social

Thursday, October 6

8:00 am to Noon Workshop – “Creating production quality graphics and charts with R” with Chris Chizinski – University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Afternoon Shuttle back to Omaha, stop for lunch on the way. Limited transportation will be available to transport participants from Ponca back to Omaha. Carpooling is encouraged.

Evening Optional dinner on the town

Pre-Meeting R Webinars (attendance recommended; recordings will be available)

“Getting to Know R” (download from GroupSite “Group Files” File Cabinet)

September 22 “Getting Data into R and Basic Data Structures” (see more on next page)

OFWIM 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS MEETING

PONCA STATE PARK, PONCA, NEBRASKA

SUNDAY , OCT 2 TO THURSDAY, OCT 6

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 4

OFWIM 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS MEETING

PONCA STATE PARK, PONCA, NEBRASKA

SUNDAY , OCT 2 TO THURSDAY, OCT 6

Conference Workshop: “Creating Production Quality Graphics and Charts with R” Dr. Chris Chizinski, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, School of Natural Resources

Pre-Workshop Webinar: “Getting Data Into R and Basic Data Structures”

Thu, Sep 22 at 10:00 am EDT

Webinar Link: Click here to join the webinar

Because we are recording this webinar, there is no toll free call-in number so participants will have to use their

computer for the audio connection or call the number provided when you join the webinar.

As part of this year's conference, our Thursday morning continuing education workshop will be "Creating production

quality graphics and charts with R" with instructor Dr. Chris Chizinski from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln

School of Natural Resources. In order to maximize our time this October, there will be two preliminary webinars this

summer aimed at installing the necessary software and getting comfortable with the basics of using R. Please join us

for the second preconference webinar to prepare for the workshop. This webinar will focus on getting data into R and

basic data structures. If you missed the first webinar, the recording can be viewed here ( http://www.ofwim.org/?

page_id=1207 ) and is also posted to the file cabinet on the OFWIM Groupsite.

Note from Dr. Chizinski

On the first webinar, we will be getting to know some of the very basics of R, including installation of R and RStudio. I will be

showing people where to go to install R and RStudio but if people would like to install it ahead of time R can be installed from:

For PC: https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/

I also recommend installing RTools with windows https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/windows/Rtools/Rtools33.exe

For Mac: https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/macosx/R-3.3.1.pkg

RStudio: https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download3/ (choose appropriate operating system).

Both the base R and RStudio need to be installed to run R through RStudio. We will not be doing much number crunching

during this webinar so there is no need to have it installed ahead of time.

GOT SOMETHING TO RAFFLE?

Each year at its Annual Conference, OFWIM hosts a raffle to raise funds for the Student Scholarship Program. The more items we have to raffle, the more raffle winners we’ll have and the more we’ll raise for the Student Scholarship Program. So please consider donating an item for this year’s raffle! It’s a great way to promote your organization if you have swag with your logo on it, but we also appreciate homemade items for that personal touch. To ensure we have an inventory of available prizes, please use our online form at www.tinyurl.com/ofwim-raffle to record your donation. Raffle items may be sent in advance of the meeting to: OFWIM Meeting c/o Keith Hurley, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N 33rd St., Lincoln, NE 68503.

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 5

Guide to Conference Expenses

REGISTRATION Regular member: $400 One day registration: $125 Regular non-member: $525 Remote access registration (limit of 19): $100 Student Registration: $175 Retired Professional Registration: $175

LODGING $49.50 per bedroom/per night + taxes and fees Mini-lodges at Ponca State Park, http://outdoornebraska.gov/ponca/. Each mini-lodge has four bedrooms, two full baths, spacious kitchen, living room, patio, big screen TV, cable, wireless internet, wood fireplace and gas grill. Each bedroom has a sink and mirror. Bedding, towels, cooking utensils, dishes and tableware are provided. All mini-lodges are within walking distance to the Resource and Education Center and connected by a cement hiking trail. Make reservations through the park (Lori Curry, 402-755-2284). Accommodations can be made to book individuals into the same mini-lodge if requested and reservations are made at the same time. Otherwise attendee(s) will be grouped into mini-lodges, separated by gender, in order of reservations to minimize unused room.

MEALS All meals, except breakfast will be provided from Monday lunch through Wednesday dinner. A heavy morning break table will be available Monday through Thursday. As there are no nearby restaurants; it is recommended that attendees stop in South Sioux City or Vermillion to purchase breakfast items, refreshments, and/or alcoholic beverages. OFWIM vans transporting attendee(s) from the Omaha airport will make a stop at HyVee in South Sioux City. Please note: Alcohol IS allowed in Ponca State Park (during designated hours) and will NOT be provided by the OFWIM conference. Legal age of consumption in Nebraska is 21 years old.

TRANSPORTATION Omaha Airport, Eppley Airfield Omaha, (OMA) is located approximately 120 miles south of Ponca State Park. Rental cars are available at the airport. OFWIM will provide limited shuttle transportation to/from the airport to Ponca State Park on Sunday, Oct. 2nd and leaving Ponca at noon on Thursday, Oct. 6th. Times will be decided based on flight schedules with no extra cost for participants. Attendees renting vehicles are encouraged to carpool. We will post schedules and times prior to the meeting to coordinate transportation.

FIELD SESSION This year’s field session will include boat excursions conducted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Missouri River Program to examine ongoing conservation and restoration efforts. We will also tour the Danish Alps State Recreation Area, a new reservoir and recreation site, with staff from the Nebraska Game and Parks New Reservoir and Aquatic Habitat Programs and Fish Management section. Transportation and lunch will be provided as a part of your conference registration! Please note: Tours are rain or shine. Appropriate attire would include rain coats, fall layers (sweatshirts, long sleeves, etc), and walking shoes. Binoculars are always a good idea!

WORKSHOP Join us Thursday for a four-hour workshop on “Creating production quality graphics and charts with R.” Dr. Chris Chizinski will take us through the use of R (open-source and free statistical software) to create plots and visualizations suitable for print and publication. Summer webinars will prepare attendees for the workshop by helping with installation of the software and an introduction to R programming and data manipulations. Come learn to cut the SigmaPlot cord and dive into R! All expenses are included in your conference registration!

OFWIM 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS MEETING

PONCA STATE PARK, PONCA, NEBRASKA

SUNDAY , OCT 2 TO THURSDAY, OCT 6

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 6

Using Business Analytical Software in Natural Resource Management: How Tableau can be used in Fisheries Science

Introducing the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative Conservation Planning Atlas

How Deep Can Minds Go with the Computer

Science Internships in Conservation Research: From Android Apps to Artificial Intelligence…and Solving Differential Equations Too

Texas Parks and Wildlife Drawn Hunts Program Are Mail and Online Survey Respondents

Representative of the Population? MIT App Inventor – Create Your Own Mobile Data

Collection App using simple Drag and Drop Technology

Temperature monitoring of Nebraska’s coolwater

streams and implications for future management Online environmental review for protected species:

One state’s system and lessons learned during its development

Waterfowl Hunting Daily Harvest Data Collection Mobile Mapping Options - Considerations for the

Geo-Geek and non-Geo-Geek

Estimating Density of Bobcats with Capture-Mark-

Recapture Data from Camera Traps To Use or Not To Use: Assessing FINS for DGIF's

game fish data VDGIF’s New “Find Wildlife VA” Website…and

How They Got There… America's Inventory of Public Parks and Protected

Areas: An Overview of the PAD-US System Iowa's Master Angler Program - diving into Agile

software development head first Factors Affecting Fishing License Purchase Patterns

and Angler Retention Strategies in Iowa Discovering Virginia's Public Pools Tennessee's Update to the Protected Areas Database Tools for Tool Selection: Choosing hardware/

software to meet Fish & Wildlife Project Needs OFWIM Hardware and Software Inventory:

Products relevant to & tested by the OFWIM community

A tool for identifying potential threats to species on

a landscape level: An example geared towards endangered freshwater mussels in Missouri

Collector: Making life easier for GIS professionals

Conference Presentations and Posters

OFWIM 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS MEETING

PONCA STATE PARK, PONCA, NEBRASKA

SUNDAY , OCT 2 TO THURSDAY, OCT 6

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 7

OFWIM 2016 ELECTIONS

CANDIDATE FOR TREASURER

Michael Barbour

Auburn University

Michael is the GIS/Database Manager (GIS Analyst) with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, overseeing the program’s biological databases and GIS. Michael manages the Biotics biodiversity database, provides GIS and GPS support on research projects, conducts spatial analysis and modeling, and conducts inventories and research on rare and imperiled terrestrial vertebrates. He received BS degrees in Biology and Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech, and an MS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of New Hampshire. He completed a PhD research project in Zoology (Wildlife Management) with the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory (CWRL) at Southern Illinois University, then spent a year as a GIS Analyst with CWRL. He is certified as a GIS Professional (GISP) by the GIS Certification Institute.

http://www.ofwim.org/

Joe Kirby

Missouri Department of Conservation

Joe Kirby is the Enterprise Information Architect with the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City. In his 19 years with MDC he has gained experience in application development, database design and management, reporting, project management, and system architecture. In his current position, Joe is working toward insuring the very diverse systems at MDC and their interactions are understood and maintained. He is also focusing on building a data warehouse to allow for easy access to all the varied data MDC maintains. Joe’s main goal is to make it easier for employees and the public to complete their jobs easily and more efficiently.

CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 8

CANDIDATES FOR MEMBER-AT-LARGE

Chris Gerecke, Timmons Group

Chris’s focus on any given workday is creatively solving geospatial challenges. His comprehensive knowledge of custom application project delivery and Esri, open source, and best-of-breed technology solutions, enables Timmons Group to provide geospatial application development and implementation for a growing list of clients. Chris runs the enterprise custom solutions team at Timmons Group, which prides itself on developing web and mobile applications that integrate complex business workflows with extremely intuitive and elegant user experiences to generate significant Return on Investment (ROI) for their clients. Chris’s work focuses on natural resource technology solutions. He has degrees in Biology from Wake Forest University and Environmental Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Rebecca Scully, Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring

Partnership

Becca Scully works for PNAMP, overseeing development, content and outreach for MonitoringResouces.org, a suite of online tools supporting monitoring. She works to promote data management best practices, data exchange standards and coordinate, state, federal and tribal monitoring programs. In 2015 she worked with OFWIM to coordinate and sponsor a data management symposium at the National AFS meeting in Portland. Most recently, she is coordinating an effort to adapt the MonitoringResources.org tools set to accommodate continental scale monitoring. Becca has a BS in Applied Mathematics from William Smith College, Geneva, NY and a MS in Watershed Sciences from Utah State University in Logan. When Becca is not at work she can be found exploring the mountains, rivers and lakes near White Salmon, WA. This summer she was lucky enough to float down the Grand Canyon.

Austin Smith, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Austin is the Nongame-SWAP GIS Specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department where he has been employed since 2014. He is responsible for managing and updating SWAP databases, including Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and stressors. Also, he conducts species distribution modeling and analyzes as well as supports nongame specialists with projects. He received a B.S. in Environmental Geography and a M.S. in GIS from Arizona State University. In his spare time, Austin enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, backpacking, and exploring every other aspect of the outdoors.

OFWIM 2016 ELECTIONS

http://www.ofwim.org/

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 9

OFWIM 2015-16 MEMBERS

Alabama Natural Heritage Program: Michael Barbour Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program: Julie Defilippi Arizona Game & Fish Department: Jami Kuzek, Julie Mikolajczyk, Ryan Nosek, Frances Peck, Austin Smith, Sabra Tonn Center for Conservation Biology, Williamsburg: Marie Pitts Colorado Division of Wildlife: Don Schrupp (retired) Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Andrew Treble Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission: Kristin Rogers, Beth Stys, Jamie Pfadt Georgia Department of Natural Resources: Melanie Riley Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife: Jason Czapiga, Amy Meehan, Don Katnik, MaryEllen Wickett Missouri Department of Conservation: Tim Bixler, Dorothy Butler, Chris Cloyd, Douglas Fees, Julie Fleming, Joe Kirby, Kevin Lanahan, Philip Marley, Dyan Pursell, Mark Roberts, Joel Sartwell, Craig Scroggins, Tony Spicci Nebraska Game & Parks Commission: Keith Hurley New Mexico Game & Fish: Chuck Hayes, Leland Pierce, Virginia

Seamster, Reuben Teran, Lance Tyson, Ryan Walker onXMaps: Craig Koller & Red Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: Stan Allen, Michael Banach, Robin Carlson, Anne Elston, Van Hare, Brett Holycross, Bill Kinney, Sharon Powers, Kiira Siitari, Chris Wheaton, Greg Wilke, Karen Wilson Southern Environmental Law Center: Shannon Chapin Groff Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Lynn Barrett, Tim Churchill, Jeanette Jones, Susan Lanier, Rick Morris, Wilma Newsom, Greg Wathen Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Dyanne Cortez, Danny Lewis, Jon Purvis

The Black Pearl: Captain Jack Sparrow The Timmons Group: Lowell Ballard, Stephanie Brolund, Rob Denison, Chris Gerecke, Vanessa Roberts, Nathan Tate University of Arizona: Vicki Greer University of Missouri: Emily Tracy-Smith U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Tim Smith U.S. Geological Survey: Jennifer Bayer, Julie Prior-Magee, Marcia McNiff, Elaine Nakash, Annie Simpson Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries: Amy Ewing, Karen Horodysky, Deepthi Janga, Blair Jones, Jay Kapalczynski, Ed Laube, Brian Moyer, Lenee Pennington, Justin Ray (no longer at VDGIF), Jesse Suders, Susan Watson, Jim Husband

OFWIM NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 PAGE 10

OFWIM OFFICERS

President President Elect

Secretary Treasurer Member-At-Large

Past President

Keith Hurley

Jeanette Jones

MaryEllen Wickett

Jay Kapalczynski

Joe Kirby

Kristin Rogers

OFWIM COMMITTEES—JOIN ONE NOW!!! Communications,

Membership & Outreach

Training & Education

Data Standards & Technology

Trends

Elections, Nominations,

& Awards

Newsletter Editors

Conference Planning

CHAIR: Julie Defilippi

MEMBERS: Lynn Barrett

Dyanne Cortez Jeanette Jones

Don Katnik Danny Lewis

Julie Prior-Magee Marie Pitts

MaryEllen Wickett

CHAIR: Michael Barbour

MEMBERS: Amy Ewing

Jay Kapalczynski Julie Mikolajczyk

Don Schrupp Danny Lewis

CHAIR: Amy Ewing

MEMBERS:

Michael Barbour Julie Defilippi

Jamie Pfadt Jacque Schei Tim Smith

Eric Woodsworth

CHAIR: Jim Husband

MEMBERS: Danny Lewis

Kristin Rogers Beth Stys

Sabra Tonn Jeanette Jones

Don Katnik &

Jed-Zö

CHAIR: Jeanette Jones

VICE-CHAIR:

Keith Hurley

MEMBERS: Karen Horodysky

Keith Hurley Jay Kapalczynski

Joe Kirby Julie Prior-Magee Lenee Pennington

Kristin Rogers Christian Ruenzi

Beth Stys Sabra Tonn

Emily Tracy-Smith Susan Watson

MaryEllen Wickett

Individual contact information is available in the Member Profiles Section at ofwim.groupsite.com

Spread the word about OFWIM by taking our poster to a conference, training, or meeting. Contact the Communications, Membership & Outreach Committee for help & more info.