Drew Bennett

 

Whitney MacMillan Professor of Practice, Private Lands Stewardship Program

Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources

(307) 766-5070  |  drew.bennett@uwyo.edu | CV | Crane Hall, Rm 203

Education

PhD Geography, Oregon State University (2015)

MA Geography, University of Texas at Austin (2007)

MBA, University of Denver (2005)

BS Environmental Science, University of Denver (2005)

 

Background and Expertise

Drew Bennett is the Whitney MacMillan Professor of Practice of Private Lands Stewardship in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. Drew's work focuses on strategies to balance agricultural production and the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources on private lands in the American West. He has previously worked with The Nature Conservancy on a cattle ranch in eastern Colorado, and for the Mesa Land Trust in western Colorado where he assisted landowners in exploring conservation opportunities for their land.

View the Private Land Stewardship Program website.

Read the Fall 2022-Summer 2023 MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program's Annual Report.

 

Selected Publications

“Cows or condos: Rancher and land-use outcomes following compensated federal grazing permit waivers.” Whittman, T., and D. E. Bennett. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 93:62-71. 2024. 

“Perpetuating corridor conservation: Using public perception to advance big game management.” Paolini, K., A. Sisneros-Kidd, N. Gautier, R. Bonnie, K. E. Wallen, and D. E. Bennett. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 47:e1496. 2023. 

“Agricultural water users’ preference for addressing water shortages in the Colorado River Basin.” Bennett, D., M. Lewis, H. Mahowald, M. Collins, T. Brammer, H. Byerly Flint, L. Thorsness, W. Eaton, K. Hansen, M. Burbach, and E. Koebele. University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY: Ruckelshaus Institute of Environmental and Natural Resources. 2023. 

“Habitat leasing as an alternative to affirmative conservation easements in conserving wildlife on private lands.” Bennett, D. E. and T. Brammer. 2023. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 47:e1477.  

“The role of private lands in conserving Yellowstone’s wildlife in the twenty-first century.” Middleton, A., T. Stoellinger, D. E. Bennett, T. Brammer, L. Gigliotti, H. Byerly Flint, S. Maher, and B. Leonard. Wyoming Law Review 22(2): 237-301. 2022. 

“Arriving at a natural solution: Bundling credits to access rangeland carbon markets.” Brammer, T. A., and D. E. Bennett. Rangelands 44(4): 281-290. 2022. 

“Strengths and shortcomings of habitat exchange programs for species conservation.” Davis, K., J. Heinrichs, E. Fleishman, P. Iranah, D.E. Bennett, J. Berger, and L. Pejchar. Conservation Letters e12846. 2022. 

“A synthesis of research on the human dimensions of sagebrush ecosystem management.” Wittman*, T.M, and D.E. Bennett. Rangeland Ecology and Management 78:155-164. 2021. (*undergraduate co-author).  

“The evolution of the rangeland trusts network as a catalyst for community-based conservation in the American West.” Bennett, D.E., C. Knapp, R.L. Knight, and E. Glenn. Conservation Science and Practice e257. 2020. 

“Holistic perspectives: understanding rancher experiences with holistic resource management to bridge the gap between rancher and researcher perspectives.” Barton, E., D.E. Bennett, and W. Burnidge. Rangelands 42(5): 143-150. 2020.  

“Attitudes of rural westerners on the environment and conservation.” Bonnie, R., D. Bennett, E.P. Diamond, and E. Rowe. Duke University, Durham, NC: Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. 2020.  

“Landowner perspectives on big game migration corridor conservation in Wyoming.” Bennett, D.E., and N.M. Gautier. University of Wyoming. Laramie, WY: Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources. 2019.  

“Underrepresented faculty play a disproportionate role in advancing diversity and inclusion.” Jimenez, M., T. Laverty, S. Bombaci, K. Wilkins, D.E. Bennett, and L. Pejchar. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 1030-1033. 2019.  

“Using practitioner knowledge to expand the toolbox for private lands conservation.” Bennett, D.E., L. Pejchar, B. Romero, R. Knight, and J. Berger. Biological Conservation 227: 152-159. 2018. 

“Global state and potential scope of water funds that protect urban drinking water.” Romulo, C., S. Cousins, S. Posner, J. Hoyle, D. Bennett, H. Huber-Stearns, R. Richards, and R. McDonald. Nature Communications 9: 4375. 2018.  

“Social-ecological enabling conditions for payments for ecosystem services." H Huber-Stearns, D Bennett, S Posner, R Richards, J Hoyle, S Cousins, and C Romulo. Ecology and Society 22(1):18. 2017. 

"The influence of sense of place on willingness to pay for payments for ecosystem services." M Nielsen-Pincus, P Hickson, D Bennett, H Gosnell, and R Parker. Society and Natural Resources 30(12):1423–1441. 2017. 

“Integrating multiple perspectives on payments for ecosystem services through a social-ecological systems framework." DE Bennett and H Gosnell. Ecological Economics 116:172–181. 2015. 

“Barriers and Opportunities for Increasing Landowner Participation in Conservation Programs in the Interior Northwest." D Bennett, A Nielsen-Pincus, A Ellison, A Pomeroy, H Burright, H Gosnell, C Moseley, and L Gwin. Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper 49. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. 2014. 

"Utility engagement with payments for watershed services in the United States." DE Bennett, H Gosnell, S Lurie, and S Duncan. Ecosystem Services 8:56–64. 2014.