About

The Wildlife Society’s Urban Wildlife Working Group is proud to be hosting the 2025 International Urban Wildlife Conference (IUWC) on June 1-5 in Atlanta, Georgia. Our biannual conference brings together urban planners, researchers, city/county staff, students, educators, and biologists with an interest in urban wildlife. Plenary and poster sessions highlight research, case studies, policy initiatives, thought exercises, and discussions related to wildlife and natural resources in urban environments. As cities have become home to a diversity of animal species, the IUWC has become an important place to share information and management strategies that assist public leaders in making thoughtful decisions. This year’s conference theme is Urban Reflections: What We’ve Learned About Nature, Our Communities and Ourselves

More information about the Urban Wildlife Working Group can be found at https://urbanwildlifegroup.org/.

Plenary Speakers

  • Steward T.A. Pickett

    Steward T. A. Pickett is a plant ecologist and Distinguished Senior Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. He specializes in urban and landscape ecology, founding the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long-Term Ecological Research project and co-directing the Urban Sustainability Research Coordination Network. His research explores social-ecological dynamics, equity of green infrastructure, and the ecology of segregation across diverse ecosystems. A champion of inclusivity in ecological science, he has authored influential books on ecological theory, conservation, and urban design. Pickett is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of multiple scientific societies. His many honors include the ESA’s Eminent Ecologist Award and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation.

  • Shane Campbell-Staton

    Shane Campbell-Staton is an evolutionary biologist and assistant professor at Princeton University. He uses physiology, gene expression, genomics and experimentation to explore how human activity drives evolution in species across the globe, from urban adaptation of Caribbean lizards to the evolution of tuskless elephants in response to poaching.

    A passionate science communicator, Shane shares the wonders of biology with broad audiences. Inspired by nature documentaries as a child, he now brings science to the public as the host of Human Footprint and Evolution Earth on PBS. Through research and media, he highlights the deep connections between human history, culture, and the evolution of life on Earth.

  • J. Drew Lanham

    A native of Edgefield, South Carolina, J. Drew Lanham is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, which received the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Book Prize, and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal. Most recently, he is the author of Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts. He is a birder, naturalist, and hunter-conservationist who has published essays and poetry in publications including Orion, Audubon, Flycatcher, and Wilderness, and in several anthologies, including The Colors of Nature, State of the Heart, Bartram’s Living Legacy, and Carolina Writers at Home. Lanham is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. An Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, he and his family live in the Upstate of South Carolina, a soaring hawk’s downhill glide from the southern Appalachian escarpment that the Cherokee once called the Blue Wall.

Join our conference socials, workshops, and field trips:

  • Socials

    Included with the cost of registration are two socials to reconnect with colleagues.

    Monday, June 2nd, at 6pm: Welcome Social at BrewDog Outpost.

    Wednesday, June 4th, from 6-9pm: Closing Banquet Dinner in the Atlanta Ballroom at the conference venue.

  • Field Trips

    We are offering field trips that feature local nature and culture in the Atlanta area. More information to come. All field trip will take place on Sunday, June 1st.

  • Workshops

    We are offering workshops throughout the conference that teach skills related to urban wildlife research and management.

Mentor-Mentee Program

The Mentor/Mentee program pairs students and early career professionals (mentees) with more experienced professionals (mentors) who are attending IUWC 2025 in order to facilitate networking and communications between those newer to the urban wildlife field and those who have experience to share.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Urban Wildlife Working Group values all of our members. We support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and will continue to support TWS DEI programs such as Out in the Field, Women of Wildlife, and the IDEA Working Group. We will foster an open and safe environment for all people at our events, including the upcoming International Urban Wildlife Conference in Atlanta.