Latest news with #StateWildlifeActionPlan
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Game and Fish seeks input on 2025 wildlife conservation plan
May 30—BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking public comment on the revision of its 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a process it is required to undertake every 10 years as part of an effort to conserve wildlife and habitats across the state. According to Patrick Isakson, conservation supervisor for Game and Fish in Bismarck, the department developed its first SWAP document in 2005 to shed light on at-risk and potential at-risk species in North Dakota. While SWAP includes a "handful" of game species, including sharp-tailed grouse, canvasback, lesser scaup and northern pintail, "the vast majority are those nongame species that we don't hunt or fish in the state," Isakson said. That includes grassland birds, shorebirds, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, insects, freshwater mussels, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that may be under threat. The ultimate goal of the plan is to prevent species from being listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. "The State Wildlife Action Plan is really a guiding document for our agency and our partners to identify the threats and conservation actions for at-risk species and their habitats," Isakson said. Bruce Kreft, chief of the Game and Fish Department's Conservation and Communications Division, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) provides states with money to address rare and declining species, but state agencies in turn must develop a plan to address the species listed in the document. Kreft talked about the required SWAP update on Tuesday, April 22, during the Game and Fish Department's spring Advisory Board meeting. Game and Fish is mandated to hold the meetings twice a year in each of the state's eight advisory board districts, and the meeting for District 7 was livestreamed from Game and Fish headquarters in Bismarck. The FWS recently announced it is distributing more than $55 million to state fish and wildlife agencies through its State Wildlife Grant Program. North Dakota is receiving $552,727 for 2025, according to the FWS. "The State Wildlife Grant Program supports conservation actions aimed at avoiding new federal listings of threatened and endangered species, recovering those species already listed and ensuring healthy populations of each state's top-priority fish and wildlife species for future generations," Paul Souza, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement. "We are pleased to be working with these partners to protect America's natural resources and wild places." That's where the State Wildlife Action Plan comes into play, Isakson of Game and Fish said. "One of the benefits of the state putting together a State Wildlife Action Plan is then, it's eligible for State Wildlife Grant money" from the FWS, Isakson said. "So, in order for us to spend that money on our species of greatest conservation need, we need to have the State Wildlife Action Plan in place to identify what we're going to do with it." That allocation has ranged from about $450,000 to $550,000 annually over the last decade or so, he said. "It's been a real stable funding source for our nongame species and one that really has done a lot of work in our state and furthered our information and knowledge," Isakson said. "We leverage (funding) with partner dollars, university dollars, NGO (nongovernmental organization) dollars and do research and habitat conservation with it." Examples, he says, include a freshwater mussel study being conducted with Valley City State University, reptile and amphibian surveys underway with a researcher at North Dakota State University and looking at grassland bird habitat and how it relates to some of the at-risk species in the SWAP document. "We've been fortunate over the last decade or so to add some expertise in both terrestrial insects and aquatic insects, so we really lean heavily into this plan on what effects those threats out there have on our invertebrate community," Isakson said. "So, there are a lot of new insects both aquatic and terrestrial, that are in our (updated) plan. "That's where a lot of the species that we see being potentially listed and petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act are going — to those invertebrates." As part of its first two State Wildlife Action Plans in 2005 and 2015, Game and Fish ranked "Species of Conservation Priority," Isakson says. Under the SWAP draft now up for public review, species are identified as "Species of Greatest Conservation Need" and "Species of Greatest Information Need," Isakson says. "We don't rank them out anymore," he said. "We just have species that we have an idea of what the threats and actions are that we need to conserve them. And then those Species of Greatest Information Need are those that we really need to do some more investigating on. We have an idea that maybe there's some threats out there or their populations may be declining, but we need to lean into some of the research to identify those." The 2025 SWAP draft includes 134 species of Greatest Conservation Need and 98 Species of Greatest Information Need in North Dakota, Isakson said. The first SWAP in 2005 identified about 100 species of concern, a number that increased to 115 species in the 2015 SWAP update, Kreft said during the April Advisory Board livestream. "So, we're seeing that increase in the number of species that are rare and declining either regionally — throughout different states — or within the states," Kreft said. The 152-page SWAP draft has eight elements, he said, including abundance, distribution, some of the threats and potential actions. While the list of at-risk species has grown, species occasionally come off the list, as well, Isakson said. The river otter and the American marten, both of which were listed in the 2015 plan, are two examples, he said; the bald eagle also was removed from the list. "Ultimately, we found out enough information to feel like they're not really at risk in our state," Isakson said. In revising the 2025 SWAP as required, Game and Fish last September hosted a "SWAP Summit," which included about 60 members from the public and various conservation partners. North Dakota's SWAP is a collaborative effort between Game and Fish staff, species experts, partner conservation groups, and state, federal and local agencies. "That's the second time we brought all of our partners and stakeholders together," Isakson said. "We gave them an update on some of our thoughts from our internal work and then broke them out into groups based on the habitats they were interested in — or that they had experience in — and really dove into what those threats are." Habitat loss is a concern, Isakson says; what benefits game species also benefits nongame species. "That is the beauty of our plan, being habitat-based and habitat conservation-based, is if you keep it 'green side up,' if you keep the grass out there and keep the trees out there, it benefits all species in the state," Isakson said. "Both hunted (species) and those nongame species that we talk about more readily in this plan. "Our plan focuses a lot on conserving native habitat — the native grass that's out there — and in some cases trying to rebuild some of that habitat." Getting people to recognize the importance of all wildlife — and not just species targeted by hunters and anglers — can be a challenge, Isakson concedes. "We always have work to do when it comes to talking about the importance of all wildlife in the state," he said. "The department is in charge of managing all wildlife in the state. A lot of people think about those game species and those species that they catch out there, but we've done work over the years to try and educate the public on the importance of all species and their habitats — and that is part of our plan here." Game and Fish will take comments on the 2025 SWAP draft through June 30. After that, the department will develop a final draft for the Fish and Wildlife Service to approve. "Once it's signed off on, we're good to go for another 10 years," Isakson said. * To comment: A draft of the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan update is available on the Game and Fish website at Public comments are accepted through June 30.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chehaw Park & Zoo receives DNR Wildlife Viewing Grant
ALBANY – Chehaw Park & Zoo has received $5,000 from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to help develop public viewing aspects for a new 'head start' education program focused on rare gopher frogs. 'Gopher frogs are a species of special concern in the state of Georgia, and they only live in certain patches,' Jackie Entz Shores, Chehaw's director of education, said. 'By head-starting the gopher frogs … we are essentially giving them a really big boost.' Six total grant projects announced Tuesday by the DNR will improve public opportunities to see and learn about native animals and plants statewide. The proposals chosen by the DNR Wildlife Resources Division for this year's Wildlife Viewing Program grants range statewide from Chehaw Park & Zoo in Albany to McIntosh Reserve Park in Carroll County and walking trails in Athens. The grants, funded by the Georgia Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund, help develop and enhance wildlife viewing options, with an emphasis on State Wildlife Action Plan species and habitats. Georgia's Wildlife Action Plan is a comprehensive strategy to conserve these animals, plants and places before they become rarer and costlier to conserve or restore. These projects include work and support by partners that will significantly amplify the grants provided. Each will also help people experience the state's native wildlife, including species and habitats identified in the Wildlife Action Plan, according to Matt Elliott, chief of DNR's Wildlife Conservation Section. 'We are thrilled to be able to support these conservation partners in these types of quality projects focused on high-priority species and habitats throughout the state,' Elliott said. The grants are small – capped at $5,000 each – but the interest they tap is big. In 2022, wildlife viewing involved more than 148 million people nationwide, or nearly 60% of the population. That total has been growing since the mid-1990s. In Georgia, an estimated 4.8 million residents, almost three out of every five residents 16 or older, said they took part in wildlife viewing activities such as observing, feeding or photographing wildlife. Nationwide, related expenditures reached $250 billion in 2022. 'We are extremely excited to be a recipient for this grant,' Shores said. The grant allowed Chehaw to purchase the materials necessary for the Head Start program and to provide public education programming on the project. Shores said the gopher frog project is already in full swing. Chehaw worked with state herpetologists to locate frog egg masses. Staff at Chehaw are keeping the eggs until they hatch into baby froglets and are re-released into a local wildlife management area. This eliminates the potential for predators to eat the gopher frogs as eggs or tadpoles. Gopher frogs are rare. Shores said this is largely due to habitat loss. 'As we build up roads, birds can fly over them, but a lot of times smaller species, like frogs, some of our tortoises and turtles, have trouble crossing those barriers,' Shores said. The gopher frogs are also losing habitat to extreme weather events like droughts as well as fire suppression. Shores said these frogs need to live in a habitat that is maintained by natural fire or prescribed burns. 'We don't currently have any frogs there, so this will be really cool, because the gopher frogs that we head-start here at Chehaw will hopefully start bringing the population right here in southwest Georgia,' she said. Chehaw received more than 1,100 eggs on Feb. 13 that have hatched out. There are 860 tadpoles currently in the head start program. Three hundred tadpoles already have been released. 'That simple act of raising these egg masses and re-releasing them into the wild has increased their survival percentage significantly,' Shores said. The public is able to get a first-hand look at this process. The tadpoles are on display by Chehaw's reptile house, and Chehaw will host 'frog chats' for school groups, talking about the importance of the gopher frog and its life cycle, as well as other amphibians. Those interested in scheduling a presentation time can look in the field trip section of Chehaw's website or contact Shores directly at jentz@
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Big game hunting permits awarded to 7 Kansas nonprofits, how can you get one?
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Multiple organizations in the Sunflower State were awarded hunting permits for 2025 and will soon share them with the community. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) announced on Monday, Feb. 10 that seven organizations will soon receive Commission Big Game Hunting Permits. At the start of every year, these permits are drawn at random by the KDWP Commission at its public meeting and awarded to nonprofit organizations that focus on wildlife conservation as well as hunting and fishing promotion. After organizations get these permits, they can be sold. The organization can keep 15%, while 85% goes to an conservation project that the organization and KDWP agreed upon. 'Last year, proceeds from Commission permits supported the Habitat Specialist program which is one of our key conservation partnerships with Pheasants Forever,' said Wes Sowards, assistant director of the wildlife division at KDWP. 'Habitat specialists work across the state to manage wildlife habitat on both private and public land with a special emphasis on conservation objectives in the State Wildlife Action Plan.' NE Kansas gears up for Polar Plunges to support Special Olympics Kansas KDWP announced in a news release that after reviewing applicants preferences, seven deer permits for 2025 were awarded to the following groups. To find out when the these permits will be auctioned or raffled in the future, contact the representatives listed below: Ducks Unlimited Wyandotte Chapter in Kansas City, KS. Contact Mike Bulk at mikeb@ The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Kansas Chapter. Contact Marshal Loftus Kansas Bowhunters Association in Lebo, KS. Contact Jamie Howarter atjhowarter@ Ducks Unlimited Kansas University Chapter in Overland Park, KS. Mike Bulk at mikeb@ The Pheasants Forever Stanton County Chapter. Contact Bob Hix at bhix@ The Pheasants Forever Osborne Chapter. Contact Bob Hix at bhix@ National Wild Turkey Foundation Salty Spurs Chapter in Hutchinson, KS. Contact Nate Watson at nwatson@ For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
