Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Date of this Version
2007
Abstract
As I noted in the last issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts, wildlife professionals have historically been lambasted for poorly-developed people skills (West 2007). Moreover, I suggested that full development of any skill relies on knowledge, practice, and feedback. To become a top-notch golfer, for example, one must intellectually understand many things, including rules of the game, layout of golf courses, biomechanics of swinging a golf club, situational advantages and disadvantages or different sized clubs, and many other things. However, to have that knowledge is not enough to be a great golfer; one must also apply that knowledge to the game through practice, again and again. Finally, without feedback, one would never know whether improvement was occurring and would thus never be able to refine his technique to become better. Knowledge, practice, and feedback are absolute requirements for the full development of any skill.
Comments
Published in Human-Wildlife Conflicts Volume 1, Number 2, Pages 138-140. Published and copyright by the Jack H. Berryman Institute. http://www.berrymaninstitute.org/journal/index.html