WINDOW ROCK, AZ. – Bridge communication gaps. That’s the goal of a Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Summit that will be held at the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort on August 5-6, 2014.

Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Department Manager Gloria Tom said the purpose of the summit is to educate and inform local chapter leadership about wildlife management. Tom stated, “Most interactions at the local level between people and wildlife have been negative. For example, livestock losses to predators, big game conflicts with farmers and prairie dog conflicts in rangelands, etc. The department is hosting a summit in an effort to inform and educate the local communities and to bridge communication gaps that currently exists between the department and local governments especially grazing communities.”

Tom added, “We want to accomplish this by educating local officials on wildlife and the various projects we are initiating on behalf of the Navajo people and to also educate them on the importance of our wildlife resources. They provide economic benefits to the tribe as well as being ecologically important to our landscape.”

Rather than sponsoring workshops or a conference, Tom said the Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Department wants to host a summit to obtain input from the local communities. “We do not want to be the only ones talking at the summit,” she noted. “”We want the people attending the summit to bring forth their perceptions, viewpoints, questions, issues and concerns. We also want people to tell us what is working in their communities in regards to wildlife management on the Navajo Nation.”

The public is invited to the free event; however, Tom said they specifically want local chapter officials, grazing committees, land boards and farm board representatives to attend. “There are many obstacles and barriers that we face when it comes to balancing our needs with the needs of our wildlife. Many people don’t see the benefits of properly managing our wildlife. Many people automatically see the competition between humans and wildlife,” Tom said. “The goal of the summit is to educate and inform our local leaders so we can all work towards overcoming these barriers and establish partnerships with local communities. We also want to work together to develop sound local management strategies that not only benefit us, but benefit our natural resources as well.”

For more information about the Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Summit, call (928) 871-6450. There are sponsorship packages available to set up a booth; however, booth spaces are limited.

For more information about booth space, call (928) 871-6595 or email contact at jcole@nndfw.org

Registration forms are available online at www.nndfw.org – the deadline to register is July 18,

2014 and is limited to 600 attendees.