Community and Regional Planning Program
Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses
First Advisor
Abigail L. Cochran
Date of this Version
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Community and Regional Planning Major: Community and Regional Planning Under the Supervision of Professor Abigail L. Cochran Lincoln, Nebraska December 2025
Abstract
Wildlife conservation in the United States has transitioned from managing resources for human use to prioritizing ecosystem preservation and species protection. However, the ways in which conservation values and attitudes are reflected in state-level policy documents remain insufficiently examined. This thesis investigates how Wildlife Value Orientations (WVO) are expressed within State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). Using a qualitative content analysis and flexible coding approach, fifteen SWAPs representing all eight U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regions were analyzed to identify conservation themes, value orientations, and structural characteristics such as plan length, departmental budgets, and political context. Findings reveal that most plans rely heavily on two dominant WVOs: hunting/fishing and attraction/interest. These orientations frame wildlife primarily through recreational or educational lenses, emphasizing public engagement, citizen science, and economic contributions from consumptive use. In contrast, orientations such as mutualism, ecomodernism, and preservationism were rarely expressed, indicating limited incorporation of transformative or ecocentric perspectives. Although each state’s ecological and political context differs, comparative analyses show no meaningful relationship between WVO representation and factors such as political affiliation, budget, or plan length. This suggests that institutional practices and funding structures exert a stronger influence on plan development than regional ideology or environmental context. The results indicate that while SWAPs are essential guiding frameworks for wildlife protection, they tend to emphasize compliance and technical documentation over explicit value framing or innovative conservation approaches. Strengthening future plans will require expanding WVO representation and embedding planners more deeply within wildlife agencies to connect ecological goals with land-use, transportation, and climate adaptation planning. By reframing these documents as actionable planning tools rather than static reports, states can better integrate conservation priorities across policy domains and achieve more measurable, equitable outcomes for wildlife and communities alike.
Advisor: Abigail L. Cochran