Scott R. Craven

Chair, Department of Wildlife Ecology
Extension Wildlife Specialist and Professor of Wildlife Ecology

Room 226 Russell Laboratories
1630 Linden Drive
Madison WI 53706

Email: srcraven@wisc.edu

Specialization

I will not be taking on any Graduate Students at this time.

My appointment is primarily with the University of Wisconsin Extension. As a statewide specialist in Wildlife Ecology, I provide support for the network of county agents in Wisconsin. Statewide programs focus on wildlife damage management, urban wildlife management, youth education, and wildlife-based recreation. Delivery methods include Extension publications, workshops, public radio, commercial media, displays, video, and other forms of distance education as well as one-on-one assistance.

The remainder of my university appointment is devoted to teaching, research, service, and more recently administration. I teach WE301 (Natural History of Terrestrial Vertebrates) spring semester and assist with WE100 and Farm and Industry Short Course. My research interests center on wildlife damage control and wildlife management on private lands. I became Chair of the Department in July of 2000.

Education

PhD 1978 University of Wisconsin-Madison

Society/Professional Memberships

Member: National Animal Damage Control Association; National Audubon Society; National Wildlife Federation; Ruffed Grouse Society; The Wildlife Society, state, regional, national chapters; President-elect, Wisconsin Chapter TWS, 1982; President, Wisconsin Chapter TWS, 1983; President-elect, North Central Region, 1992; President, North Central Region TWS, 1993; Chair, TWS Wildlife Damage Management Working Group, 1998-2000; College Pound Extension Award, 1984; College Outstanding Advisor Award, 1993, Spitzer Excellence in Teaching Award, 1997.

Selected Publications

Research Publications:

1. Craven, S. R. 1979. Some problems with Canada goose neckbands. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 7:268-273.
2. Craven, S. R. 1981. The Canada goose (Branta canadensis)--an annotated bibliography. U. S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Spec.Sci. Rep. 231. 66 pp.
3. Craven, S. R. 1982. Rehabilitation of sick or injured Canada geese. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 10:277-280.
4. Craven, S. R., and D. H. Rusch. 1983. Winter distribution and affinities of Canada geese marked on Hudson and James Bays. J. Wildl. Manage. 47:307-319.
5. Craven, S. R. 1983. Deer, rabbits, ground squirrels, three chapters. In Robert Timm, ed. Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. Univ. Nebraska, Lincoln.
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6. Craven, S. R., and Richard A. Hunt. 1984. Food habits of Canada geese on the Hudson Bay Coast. J. Wildl. Manage. 48:567-569.
7. Rusch, D., S. R. Craven, R. E. Trost, J. R. Cary, R. L.Drieslein, J. W. Ellis, and J. Wetzel. 1985. Evaluation ofefforts to redistribute Canada geese. Trans. N. Amer. Wildl. and Nat. Res. Conf. 50:506-524.
8. Craven, S. R., G. A. Bartelt, D. H. Rusch, and R. E. Trost.1985. Distribution and movement of Canada geese in response to management changes in east-central Wisconsin. 1975-1981. Wis. Dept. Nat. Res. Tech. Bull. No. 158.
9. Hygnstrom, S. E., and S. R. Craven. 1988. Electric fences and commercial repellents for reducing deer damage in cornfields. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 16:291-296.
10. Heinrich, J., and S. Craven. 1990. Evaluation of three damage abatement techniques for Canada geese. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 18(4):405-410.
11. Samuel, M. D., D. H. Rusch, and S. R. Craven. 1990. Influence of neckbands on recovery and survival rates of Canada geese.J. Wildl. Manage. 54:45-54.
12. Horton, R. and S. R. Craven. 1997. Perceptions of shooting;permit use for deer damage abatement in Wisconsin. TWS Bulletin 25(2) 330-336.
13. Christoffel, R. A. and S. R. Craven. 2000. Attitudes of woodland owners toward white-tail deer and herbivory in Wisconsin. TWS Bulletin 28(1) 227-234

Extension Publications

1. Craven, S. R., and R. L. Ruff. 1982. Bird feeding: Tips for beginners and veterans. University of Wisconsin Extension No. G3176. 12 pp.
2. Mennes, M., and S. R. Craven. 1992. Wisconsin's wild game: Enjoying the harvest. University of Wisconsin Extension No.B3573. 33 pp.
3. Craven, S. R., P. Pellitteri, and R. Neuman. 1993. Outdoor hazards in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Extension No.G3564. 14 pp.
4. DeStefano, S., S. R. Craven, R. L. Ruff, D. F. Covell, and J. F. Kubisiak. 1994. A landowner's guide to woodland wildlife management. University of Wisconsin Extension No. G3578.56 pp.
5. Christoffel, R., D. Covell, S. Craven, and R. L. Ruff. 1999. How to Inventory and Monitor Wildlife on your land. Wisconsin Dept of Nat. Resour. Madison WI. 72 pp.

Plus a series of species-specific bulletins on wildlife damage management such as:

Craven, S. R., and S. Hygnstrom. 1993. Controlling deer damage in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Extension No. G3083.12 pp.

Recent Research Projects

Canada geese

Canada geese are a very important resource in the Mississippi Flyway. To improve management of this goose population, Professor Craven has worked with the Wisconsin DNR, USFWS and the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit on a long-term study of the survival, migration, and distribution of MVP Canada geese from their nesting grounds in northern Canada to their winter range in the mid-Mississippi Valley. He and his students have worked to quantify goose damage in the Horicon area and develop techniques to reduce goose damage and thus increase the number of geese the area can support. More recently he and his students have studied control of rapidly expanding urban goose populations thru research on contraceptive technologies and public education.

White-tailed deer damage

The white-tailed deer is the number one big game animal in Wisconsin, and the deer herd benefits the state in excess of $400 million. Crop damage has been estimated at some $35 million. Professor Craven and his students have evaluated farmer attitudes toward deer, quantified statewide damage, and assisted with the development and implementation of wildlife damage control legislation. Research focuses on the abatement of damage in row crops, deer behavior in response to abatement techniques, the efficacy of deer shooting permits as an abatement technique, and the impacts of deer on natural plant communities.

Urban wildlife

Thousands of nuisance wild animals (raccoons, opossum, squirrels, etc.) are relocated from urban areas each year with little concern for the potential transmission of disease, their survival, or their impacts at release sites. Professor Craven has been working with the National Pest Control Association, the National Animal Damage Control Association, and The Wildlife Society's Wildlife Damage Working Group to evaluate the problem of urban wildlife translocation.