Sportsmen and Women Thank Senators Bingaman, Baucus and Whitehouse for Introducing Legislation to Safeguard Fish and Wildlife from Climate Change

Natural Resources Adaptation bill helps ensure the long-term survival of fish and wildlife while providing Americans with a healthier environment and jobs

Fish and wildlife conservationists today lauded Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and his co-sponsors Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for introducing the “Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act” (S.1933). The bill would provide for dedicated funding to federal and state natural resource agencies to plan and implement science-informed, on-the-ground projects to help fish and wildlife adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change and to foster resilient habitats.

“We applaud and appreciate the leadership of Senators Bingaman, Baucus and Whitehouse in crafting a bill that addresses the unprecedented effects climate change will have on natural systems and for recognizing the important role state and federal natural resource agencies play in ensuring that these systems continue to function,” said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Functioning ecosystems are not only vital to the health of fish and wildlife resources, they are critical to the quality of life for Americans because they provide cleaner air and water, flood attenuation, carbon sequestration and recreation.”

“Fish and wildlife populations should be considered a barometer of a healthy human environment. Our strategy for successfully adapting to climate change must include sustaining the natural diversity, distribution and abundance of fish and wildlife populations,” said George Cooper, President and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “This bill goes a long way toward including the resources necessary to protect and restore habitat affected by climate change to assure American sportsmen and women that hunting and fishing will remain sustainable for this and future generations.”

A century of fish and wildlife conservation work is in danger from a changing climate. For more than 100 years, federal and state natural resources agencies—funded to a great extent by hunters and anglers—have invested billions of dollars in land and water conservation. However, climate change is jeopardizing this investment by escalating and accelerating threats such as the spread of invasive species and catastrophic fires, which put many fish and wildlife species at risk.

“For decades, federal and state fish and wildlife agencies, together with hunters and anglers, have invested the financial resources to develop the most successful fish and wildlife conservation programs in the world,” said Steve Williams, President of the Wildlife Management, Inc. “This bill promises to provide the additional funding necessary to adapt to climate change impacts, secure our past investments, and assure that future generations will continue to enjoy and enhance our nation’s fish and wildlife resources.”

Funding for adaptation programs would provide important new resources to agencies in partnership with the private conservation community to undertake the conservation work necessary to help fish and wildlife survive.

“As I head into the field this fall, I'm reminded of why we have the opportunities we have today,” said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership. “For generations, sportsmen and women have been at the vanguard of this nation's conservation victories. Senators Baucus, Bingaman and Whitehouse deserve credit for taking the next step to ensure future generations have bountiful fish and wildlife populations and healthy natural resources to enjoy.”

In addition, the economic contributions accrued from hunters and anglers and the goods and services they purchase support millions of jobs and generate $76 billion in financial benefit annually. Conserving natural resources helps ensure the survival of countless businesses and communities nationwide.

“Paired with strong efforts to reduce carbon emissions and stop the worst impacts of climate change in the long run, this bill will provide the investments in our nation's natural resources necessary to sustain fish and wildlife populations in the coming decades,” said Steve Moyer, Vice President for Government Affairs at Trout Unlimited. “Hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who cares about and depends on our natural resources will benefit from this bill.”

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Contact:
Laura MacLean, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, (202) 624-7744

Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Announces 2009 Annual Award Recipients for Exemplary Commitment to Conservation Stewardship

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies honored 12 individuals and two entities for their outstanding and longstanding commitment to conservation stewardship at the Association’s Annual Awards Ceremony held on September 15, 2009 in Austin, Texas.

2009 Annual Awards Recipients:

Seth Gordon Award
Recognizing lifetime achievement, the Association’s highest honor

David Erickson
Assistant Director, Missouri Department of Conservation

David Erickson’s career spans more than 30 years and is marked by his national and international leadership, innovation, enthusiasm, dedication and adherence to the public trust responsibilities of state and federal wildlife administrators. He has been actively involved in the Association’s work, serving on more than a dozen committees, subcommittees and working groups, which ran the gamut from bird conservation and Teaming With Wildlife to hunting/shooting sports participation and wildlife resources policy.

Erickson also is an advocate for all bird management including migratory waterfowl, game and nongame birds and has been a member of three joint venture management boards, the Mississippi Flyway Council and served on the National Flyway Council strategy team to develop a national waterfowl hunters recruitment strategy. As the Chair for state agencies on the Southern Wings Task Force, Erickson was instrumental in creating a simple infrastructure for state fish and wildlife agencies to participate in the conservation of wintering habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Despite his many commitments, Erickson took on the responsibilities of chairing the Association’s new Amphibian and Reptile Subcommittee to provide a forum for conservation and policy issues and he made it possible for 14 state agencies to receive funding from the Competitive State Wildlife Grants Program. In addition, he serves as AFWA’s advisory board member to Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (PARC) and holds a seat on the PARC Joint National Steering Committee.

The Association is proud to present David Erickson with the Seth Gordon Award in recognition of his life-long career in natural resources, dedication to professional, science-based wildlife management and leadership in achieving conservation goals.

Boone & Crockett Award
Honoring an agency and team leader for outstanding achievement in promoting and encouraging programs in outdoor ethics

Group: Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Individual: Mark Bruscino, Bear Management Officer

Human-bear conflicts have become increasingly common as the grizzly bear populations grow and expand. In response to this problem, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department developed a community-based efforts focusing on living, working and recreating safely and ethically in bear country. Called Bear Wise, the program was developed under the leadership of Mark Bruscino, Wyoming’s bear management officer. The program evolved for a citizen work group that Bruscino formed in 2006 and since then has helped significantly reduce state bear conflicts and mortalities as well as possible injuries to humans. Relying on local governments and individuals, Bear Wise programs provide specific methods for managing potential bear attractants; permanent and portable fencing to help outfitters and homeowners keep bears away from attractants; and livestock carcass removal service. Bear Wise also encourages people to appreciate and tolerate bears in their communities.

Mark J. Reeff Memorial Award
Recognizing distinguished, young wildlife management professionals

Shannon Hanna
Privately Owned Cervidae Specialist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Division

Confronted with a number of outstanding noncompliance issues indentified in a Michigan-wide audit, Shannon Hanna took immediate steps to get privately own cervid facilities compliant, which required extensive coordination between the Wildlife Division, the Department of Agriculture Animal Industry Division and the deer-farming community. She rewrote a Memorandum of Understanding between DNR and the Agriculture Department governing the rules and regulations of Michigan deer farming. She also developed a comprehensive database on all privately owned cervid facilities that is now accessible by both agencies, saving countless hours and greatly improving the state’s efforts to contain and manage chronic wasting disease (CWD). On her own initiative, Hanna developed a web page for the privately owned cervids industry to obtain information on laws, regulations and accepted manages pertinent to CWD and established herself as a go-to personfor straight answers concerning facility deficiencies. Her expertise proved invaluable when surveillance testing in 2008 detected a positive CWD deer on a facility.

National Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award
Honoring an individual- or family-run farm, ranch or forest operation that has incorporated proactive conservation and environmental protection measures

Col. Wallace N. Weber of Dorrance, Kansas

A retired U.S. Army Colonel with 31 years of service, Wallace Weber is the third generation to run his family’s 1783-acre farm in Dorrance, Kansas. A lifelong sportsman and conservationist, Col. Weber assembled a Conservation Management Team with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to advise and assist him in the development of conservation practices. He is currently implementing the plan with his sister, Cheryl, and permanently dedicating the farm as a demonstration area for farming and wildlife to advance agronomy and conservation-minded rangeland management practices and as a field laboratory to test new conservation ideas as well as to promote the shooting sports, upland hunting and proper hunting ethics. To accomplish his vision, Col. Weber is donating portions of the property to Pheasant’s Forever over the next five years and he established a charitable remainder trust for management expenses upon his passing. In its entirety, the donation is expected to be valued at more than a million dollars and when completed, it will be the largest land donation in Pheasant’s Forever history.

Conservation Law Enforcement Award
Recognizing exceptional achievement is fish and wildlife resource enforcement

Brad M. Hadley
Missouri Department of Conservation

Agent Brad Hadley has employed substantive and innovative means to enforce Missouri fish and wildlife conservation laws. He’s made numerous arrests for serious violations relying heavily on his proficient technological skills using GPS, aircraft and watercraft. Hadley proactively instituted partnership and public relations programs with other agencies including Missouri Highway Patrol, local Sheriff’s department, water patrol, National Park Service and the Forest Service. As the head of a large neighborhood watch program, Hadley built a network of private citizen cooperators to provide enforcement information. His efforts to further inform and educate the public about conservation enforcement include writing newspaper articles, speaking at events and writing for the Missouri Conservationist magazine. Hadley also engaged with the state’s Youth Conservation Corps to develop a program to remove trash from conservation areas and he helped education the public about ATV regulations and trail closures.

Special Recognition Awards
Recognizing individuals who have distinguished themselves with an outstanding commitment to the work of the Association

Michael Berger
(Retired) Director of the Division of Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

Mike Berger has had a long and distinguished wildlife conservation career. Before he retired as the Director of Wildlife, some of his most outstanding accomplishments were the development and implementation of the state’s Wildlife Conservation Plan, the addition of more than seven million acres to the state’s approved wildlife management plans and the development of a proactive partnership with The Nature Conservancy in the conservation of key prairie chicken grassland habitats. As a very engaged co-chair of AFWA’s International Relations Committee, Berger built upon the relationships that he had developed as the U.S. Chair of the Wildlife Table of the Border Governor’s Conference, a bi-national forum to coordinate the work of U.S. and Mexican states to facilitate the Mexican states working with AFWA on North American wildlife conservation issues.

Dr. Michael Fall
Biologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

A nationally prominent research scientist and research leader, Dr. Michael Fall has been the federal liaison within the Association for the development of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for trapping animals. He served as the project leader for the ground-breaking research that lead to the development of BMPs and has been exceptionally effective at maintaining the federal support of the research needed to develop them. Fall also has been the federal official responsible for implementing the U.S. commitments stemming from the Agreed Minute with the European Union addressing BMPs and fur trade. As head of the U.S. delegation, he consistently has made it clear that state fish and wildlife agencies are responsible for wildlife management in the U.S., thereby protecting the interests of states and the integrity of state-based wildlife management.

Glen Salmon
(Former) Director, Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife
Deputy Assistant Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Aid (USFWS)

As soon as Glen Salmon was appointed the Director of the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife, he became actively engaged in the work of the Association and the Midwestern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Salmon made significant contributions to furthering the states’ wildlife conservation agenda and programs as the Chair of the Fish and Wildlife Trust Funds Committee, co-Chair of the Agency/Industry Summit; working member of the National Grants and Annual Meeting Committees; and a champion for conservation education. Salmon recently accepted a position with USFWS Federal Aid.

Virgil Moore
Director, Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Over the course of his 29-year career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Virgil Moore has championed the cause for the conservation of native fish and through his advocacy and leadership has made a lasting impact on the fisheries resources of the Western United States. As President of the American Fisheries Society Administration Section, Moore played a key role in the development of the Western Trout Initiative, one of the most successful National Fish Habitat Initiative Partnerships. Similarly, his work on the Forest Service Fishing Review Panel helped support the continuation of Forest Service western fish programs. Nationally, Moore’s leadership on AFWA’s Fisheries and Water Policy Committee and the American Sportfishing Association’s Government Affairs Committee has been key on behalf of state agencies in the last two reauthorizations of the Sportfish Restoration Act.

Ken Haddad
Director, Executive Director, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Retiring at the end of the year after 30 years of service, Ken Haddad’s body of work as a research and natural resource administrative professional is truly substantial. He has authored or co-authored more than 35 publications in applied research and management including fisheries and fish habitat, red tide, remote sensing and geographic information systems. In the past eight years serving as the Executive Director, Haddad innovatively has set Florida’s course for the 21st century, which is serving as a model for other state agencies. He has served on AFWA’s Executive Committee and was engaged in the work of the Resource Policy and Angler Boater Participation Committees abd chaired the Leadership and Professional Development Committee to address the growing gap facing states as the baby boom generation retires. Haddad’s contributions have been a clear vision of the future with a commitment for working on the front end of issues with all stakeholders whether they be public or private partners or resource professionals.

Mark Shaffer
Director, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Environment Program

Mark Shaffer and the Doris Charitable Foundation have been tireless supporters of state wildlife action plans, contributing nearly $90 million over the past decade towards their development and implementation in order to accelerate the conservation of identified essential habitats. The Foundation also has actively encouraged other private foundations to link their conservation spending the plans.

Fallen Heroes
Remembering those wildlife professionals who lost their lives while carrying out their duties the previous year

Nathan Mims
Officer, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

Photos by Chase Fountain, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dpeartment

Bottom row (l-r): Ken Haddad, Shannon Hanna, Dr. Michael Fall, Glen Salmon, Dave Erickson Top row (l-r): Cheryl Weber, Wallace Weber, Virgil Moore, Mark Shaffer, Mark Bruscino, Brad Hadley, Mike Berger

South Carolina’s John Frampton Elected 2009-2010 President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) elected South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director, John Frampton, its new president during the Association’s 99th Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas on September 16, 2009. Frampton has more than 35 years of experience with DNR, where he started his career as a field biologist.

“I attended my first Annual Meeting in 1981 and I don’t think I have missed a meeting since then,” Frampton said. “I would not be the Director of the South Carolina DNR if it weren’t for this Association.”

Frampton currently serves on the Association’s Executive, Fish and Wildlife Trust, Fisheries and Water Resources Policy and Legislative/Federal Budget Committees and the Federal Assistance Policy Task Force. During his one-year tenure as president, he plans to pay particular attention to the work of the Association membership on the issues of climate change and energy development; lead; Teaming With Wildlife and State Wildlife Action Plans; Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund reauthorization; and bridging the gap between state agencies and the fishing, hunting and shooting sports industry.

“As an Association, we can accomplish things that as a single entity we could not accomplish or even envision alone,” said Frampton. “I am extremely proud to help enhance the collective voice we have around this country.”

The Washington, DC-based Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is the collective voice of North America’s fish and wildlife agencies at every level of government. The Association provides its member agencies and their senior staff with coordination services that range from migratory birds, fish habitat, and invasive species, to conservation education, leadership development, and international relations. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key conservation and management policies, and works to ensure that all fish and wildlife entities work collaboratively on the most important issues.

Frampton will serve as president through September 2010.

Watch the Association's 2009 Annual Meeting Plenary Session LIVE!

"It's Clean, But is It Green? How Compatible is Renewable Energy Development and Fish and Wildlife Management?"

Monday, September 14, 2009

9:00 am - 10:45 am EST

Check out our live webcast by clicking here on Monday morning!

As our nation struggles to find alternative energy sources to both reduce greenhouse gases as well as minimize our dependence on foreign oil, many fish and managers and others involved in renewable energy are struggling to ensure that “clean energy” is “green energy” and that the environmental benefits are not lost by negatively impacting fish and wildlife and the habitats on which they depend.

Join us for a special Plenary Session and hear perspectives from three individuals on the front lines of this issue. Whether you have extensive experience in this issue or are trying to learn all you can, this plenary session will no doubt better inform you on what is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation, our environment and our fish and wildlife resources today.

Guest speakers:
Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish & Wildlife and Parks and Chief of Staff to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar. The Department of the Interior will play a key role on the future of renewable energy and fish and wildlife conservation.

Jack Hunt, CEO and President of the King Ranch, Inc in South Texas., who overseas operations on one of the worlds largest ranches. The King Ranch is a diverse operation and includes a very active fish and wildlife management and ecotourism operation.

T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital Management and proponent of his national Pickens Plan promoting alternatives to oil

Link to 2009 Annual Meeting Plenary Session:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tpwd-show

Webcast Production Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

NEW Quarterly Newsletter: The Invasive Species Bulletin

The Association’s Invasive Species Committee released its first Invasive Species Bulletin this week. It is a quarterly e-publication focusing on state invasive species actions. The Bulletin is populated with reports written by state invasive species coordinators on efforts to manage invasive species through outreach, collaboration, legislation and control techniques. The next issue is expected to be released this fall with more state reports. The Invasive Species Committee hopes to use the bulletin as a communication platform between states as well as the greater conservation community.

Check out the Summer 2009 issue of the Invasive Species Bulletin

Senator Johnson Awarded for His Leadership in Helping to Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Endangered

The Teaming With Wildlife Coalition and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies honored Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today for championing federal funding for state-based wildlife conservation as part of the Teaming With Wildlife Act, which he introduced in March 2009.

The award recognizes the Senator’s leadership in supporting legislation to establish a first-of-its-kind funding program to help state fish and wildlife agencies further move their State Wildlife Action Plans into on-the-ground action to prevent at risk wildlife from becoming endangered nationwide.

“I am honored to receive this award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,” Johnson said. “South Dakota has a deep history of appreciation for the outdoors and that’s why I introduced important legislation that will help preserve our wildlife.”

As introduced by Senator Johnson, the Teaming With Wildlife Act would provide $350 million annually over five years through a portion of the royalties collected from Outer Continental Shelf drilling and mineral development on federal land to help state agencies carry out their State Wildlife Action Plans, the primary, comprehensive conservation tool adopted in every state and territory to keep fish and wildlife healthy and off the list of threatened and endangered species.

“We are grateful to Senator Johnson for recognizing that taking action to conserve wildlife before it becomes endangered is environmentally sound and fiscally responsible to taxpayers, said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Once a species declines to the point of potential extinction, recovery efforts become risky and expensive. The Teaming With Wildlife Act is a major milestone in the effort to secure dedicated funding essential for state agencies’ fish and wildlife conservation efforts.”

In addition to state fish and wildlife agencies, the Teaming With Wildlife Act has the active support of the 6,100-member Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, which is the largest and most diverse wildlife conservation alliance ever assembled in the U.S. representing millions of birdwatchers, hikers, anglers, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and conservation professionals.

To lean more about Teaming With Wildlife and State Wildlife Action Plans, visit http://www.teaming.com/ and http://www.wildlifeactionplans.org/.

Photo (l-r): Mark Humpert, AFWA Wildlife Diversity Director; Matt Hogan, AFWA Executive Director; Senator Tim Johnson; representing the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition --Laura Bies, Director of Government Affairs, The Wildlife Society; Derek Brockbank, Conservation Funding Campaign Director, National Wildlife Federation

Michigan DNR Director Testifies at Senate Hearing on Threats to Fish and Wildlife from Diseases

Rebecca Humphries, Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Chair of the Association’s Fish and Wildlife Health Committee, testified yesterday on behalf of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the issue of threats to fish and wildlife sustainability from diseases and pathogens.

Director Humphries reflected on the utility of the Association-developed “National Fish and Wildlife Health Initiative” as an approach to addressing this national issue; and addressed the state-federal collaboration on the management of Chronic Wasting Disease as a model to approaching animal diseases that affect both free-ranging fish and wildlife, and domestic animals. Humphries also shared her experiences of managing CWD, Bovine Tuberculosis and Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in Michigan.

“The dramatically growing importance of fish and wildlife health issues in natural resource management makes it imperative that more human, financial and technological resources can be directed toward them in the future,” said Humphries.

To learn more about the National Fish and Wildlife Health Initiative, go to http://www.fishwildlife.org/about_comm_fwhealth.html.

Read Humphries full testimony >