Delwin E. Benson

Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist
Dept. of Fishery & Wildlife Biology
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1474
(970) 491-6411
(970) 491-5091 FAX
E-mail: delwin.benson@colostate.edu

Degrees:

  • Ph.D., Recreation Resources Administration, 1989, Colorado State University
  • M.S., Natural Resources Administration, 1973, Colorado State University
  • B.S., Wildlife Biology, 1971, Colorado State University

Research:

My work, and that of my students, is with wildlife and recreation enterprises on private land, conservation education, hunter attitudes and behavior, public input to resource management decision making and campus environmental management. A curriculum and handbook for learning and teaching about Wildlife Habitat Evaluation was developed and evaluated which is used nationally by 4-H and is available to teachers for K-college. Teachers were evaluated to determine program effectiveness and performance of students. Environmental boxes and lesson plans were created for schools and teachers and students evaluated to determine quality of use. A home study curriculum for learning about hunter education was developed then evaluated in 3 states versus teacher-taught courses. No differences were found in test performance, supporting the use of home study as an educational alternative. The Hunter Education Home Study Workbook is published nationally and home study is used in some states. International research was conducted about land management for wildlife and recreation in Colorado, Morocco and Honduras. A book Wildlife Stewardship and Recreation on Private Lands was published in 1999 and received The Wildlife Award for Conservation Education. The book, Living With Nature and Wildlife: Doing Our Part is a primer for students and teachers to learn, in simple terms, how the environment works and how people can do their part to manage it. An earlier edition of the book contributed to the Wildlife Society Award for Conservation Education in 1981.

Teaching:

Courses taught for campus residents have included:

  • Public Relations in Natural Resources (NR400)
  • Natural Resources Policy (NR320)
  • Field Wildlife Studies (FW375)
  • Teaching Shooting Responsibilities (FW350)
  • Science, Society and the Environment (KA192)

Opportunities are provided for students outside the classroom to learn and obtain academic credits on their own using seven courses that are part of the Natural Resources Environment Certificate Program, Master of Agriculture, and Rangeland Ecology M.S.

  • FW355 Hunter Education for Instructors, teaches about effective instructional tools and techniques to provide high quality learning experiences for hunter education
  • FW356 Leopold’s Ethic for Wildlife and Land, explores history, philosophy, policy, administration and literature about nature and wildlife conservation in the United States primarily through the writings of Aldo Leopold, the “Father of Wildlife Management”
  • FW357 Wildlife Habitat on the Great Plains, explores environmental needs of the region and recommends practical techniques to manage landscapes and wildlife
  • FW575 Wildlife Habitat Evaluation for Educators, explores environmental needs of the region and recommends practical techniques to manage landscapes and wildlife
  • FW576 Wildlife Policy, Law and Administration, focuses on wildlife policy more specifically. Wildlife occupy a wide range of habitats and are treated in various ways, thus this course also relates to diverse issues ranging from wildlife utilization to protection in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
  • NR501 Communications and Leadership in Natural Resources, provides students with tools necessary to understand the publics who impact natural resources management and how to communicate with them and resolve conflicts
  • NR515 Natural Resources Policy and Biodiversity addresses policy formulation with natural resources generally. It addresses the holistic concept of biodiversity which seeks integrated planning and management for lands, water, wildlife and people

Each course provides practical exercises where students apply knowledge gained from books, videos and study guides to real-life situations. My “outreach” to customers within and beyond the walls of the University strives to make wildlife and natural landscapes important to their work, recreation, and lives. I want students to be leaders that “make a difference”!

Service Learning:

Dr. Benson uses student centered experiential education and is advisor to the Service Integration Project on campus.

Extension:

Citizen-based conservation initiatives are the work primarily conducted within Cooperative Extension. Current work involves development and management of the Landhelp Internet site, www.Landhelp.info, and training of conservation professionals and volunteers about holistic and interdisciplinary planning and actions for private land management. Landhelp organizes Internet resources and supplementary files into a storehouse of information that professionals and citizens can retrieve. A coached-planning program used “Landhelp” to bring agency personnel together as coaches to assist the landholder planners on a more one-on-one basis. Finding ways that natural resources and wildlife are beneficial to the private sector should help to understand consequences from human growth, land tenure changes, outdoor recreation, and changing attitudes about land use. Del is on the Wolf Task Force for Colorado on which recommendations are made for managing wolves, prey and people when wolves enter the state. Workshops are conducted in-state, nationally, and internationally about wildlife and recreational stewardship on private lands and about education of outdoor users.

For questions or comments, email to: delwin.benson@colostate.edu