Dr. Robert "Bob" Holsman

DJ Case developed and taught a day-long workshop on effective storytelling to build connections to and relevance with the public, stakeholders, and the media. Bob, Jon and Dan provided skillls presentations that were followed by opportunties for practice in small and large groups.  Skills focused on using story structures, the importance of emotional connection, visual design and avoidance of jargon.  Ninety-one percent of the participants rated the content as "Good" or " Excellent".

Bob addressed the 89th gathering of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resource Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, with a presentation titled "Navigating the Relevancy Roadmap with Social Science."

Holsman co-authored a peer-review article in Society and Natural Resources that explored the factors that influence landowners enrolled in the Wisconsin Deer Management Assistance Program to implement active management practices. 

Frater, H.E., Holsman, R.H., Van Deelen, T.R., Nack, R.R. and Rissman, A.R., 2023. How Aspects of Collective Action Relate to Implementation of Cooperative Management Among Private Landowners. Society & Natural Resources, 36(10), pp.1217-1237.

There are many factors that impact hunting participation. Biological capacity often caps the number of hunters for big game animals while development and posted land reduces participation in all types of hunting. Hunters' perceptions of overcrowding and/or game scarcity, distances required to access hunting, plus mandatory hunter education might further dissuade participation. In addition, constant social attention on ‘trophy species’ might be reducing interest and participation in hunting for small game, waterfowl, and other species, especially among new recruits. Concerns have been heard that the outdoor media’s frequent focus on over-subscribed hunts and occasional questioning of the necessity of R3 programs can turn hunters against R3. These issues may eventually combine to cap hunters’ numbers, push out existing hunters when new hunters are recruited, and potentially grow opposition to R3 efforts. Considering national trends in applied R3 efforts, hunting participation and public perceptions cannot be affected by a single or even several organizations. The R3 community must work together to answer questions and implement any changes. With coordination and facilitation from the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, this project will bring together leading R3 organizations to discuss and prioritize the issues, oversee research, develop potential community responses and actions to address R3 capacity and perception issues, and ultimately oversee implementation.

Dr. Holsman was a member of the wildlife faculty in the College of Natural Resources.  He received the Teacher of the Year Award in 2012.

He also holds dual bachelor's degrees in communication and political science, and a master's degree in environmental education from UW-Stevens Point.

Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Dissertation: Stakeholder Values and Public Land Management in Southern Michigan