National Conservation Leadership Institute: Cohort 9 Fellows Complete Their 1st Residency

The 36 Fellows of NCLI Cohort 9 completed their first residency on October 15 at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV. In addition to the tremendous courage, dedication and hard work demonstrated by the Fellows themselves, their success was made possible by the efforts of the NCLI Board, faculty, staff and peer coaches.

The NCLI’s first residency format is engaging, experiential and challenging to existing held assumptions. Cohort 9 met these challenges head on with intense inquiry, strength of purpose, resolute courage and a willingness to adopt new approaches.

The cohort’s development process will continue as they work within their peer groups over the next seven months towards a greater understanding of how to help their organizations thrive in the complex environment they face. They, like previous cohorts, are committed to learning this new approach to leadership to enhance their organizations problem solving capacity.

Cohort 9’s journey will continue throughout the year and will culminate in May 2015 with a four-day second residency at the National Park Service’s Albright Training Center, near the rim of the Grand Canyon.


For more information about the NCLI, go to www.conservationleadership.org. 

Regional Representative Changes on AFWA's Executive Committee

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies announces two changes in Ex Officio voting members on our 2014-2015 Executive Committee as a result of the recent Midwest and Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies regional meetings. 

Ed Boggess, Director of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife Resources, is now serving as the Midwest Ex Officio voting member on the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ Executive Committee. Cathy Sparks, Assistant Director for Natural Resources of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, is now representing the Northeast state fish and wildlife agencies.

The Executive Committee determines all matters not especially provided for in AFWA’s Constitution and Bylaws until specially passed upon at a regular meeting; it employs and assigns duties to the Executive Director and subordinate employees; and it approves the annual budget. AFWA’s Officers and Executive Committee will meet in Washington, DC in mid-December.


> View the full slate of AFWA’s 2014-2015 Officers and Executive Committee

We need your voice! 

Save the Date for the 2015 Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In will be held February 24-25, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Join us to raise awareness on Capitol Hill of the critical need to fund state- and territory-based conservation to help keep fish and wildlife off the Endangered Species List. How can we do that? By ensuring there is funding the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. 

More information from the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition will be available at www.teaming.com. 

The September/October issue of The AFWA Strategist

The September/October issue of The AFWA Strategist is now available! 

Articles include brief updates on AFWA’s 2014-2015 Officers and Executive Committee; September Business Meeting resolutions; Blue Ribbon Panelists announcement; 2014 Annual Awards recipients; new AFWA staff; the North American Model/Herpetofauna concept paper; and the North America’s Wildlife Conservation Legacy video.

The Association published its first issue of The AFWA Strategist in May 2014 for release at regional association meetings to highlight the top issues that AFWA is covering. AFWA released a special edition of The Strategist in August focused on our International Relations work.

> Download the Sept/Oct 2014 issue of The AFWA Strategist

New Video Released about "North America's Wildlife Conservation Legacy"

Thank you to the Arizona Game & Fish Department for producing this fantastic video about the great story of conservation in North America to ensure healthy fish and wildlife populations and their habitats as well as abundant opportunities for wildlife-related recreation.

The video features interviews with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director, Carter Smith; National Wild Turkey Federation Chief Conservation Officer, Becky Humphries; and Lowell Baird, President Emeritus of the Boone and Crockett Club.

The video also describes the roots of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and urges all who care about the conservation of fish and wildlife to "always look to the future."

AFWA Elects 2014-2015 Officers and Executive Committee Members

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies named its full slate of Officers and Executive Committee Members last week at AFWA’s Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.

In addition to electing Larry Voyles, Arizona Game and Parks Department Director, as 2014-2015 AFWA President, Carter Smith, Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, was named Vice President. 

Smith’s appointment is one of several leadership actions that look place. Dave Chanda, Director of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, was named Chair of the Executive Committee and Nick Wiley, Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was elected to the Vice Chair position. Glen Normandeau, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, remains AFWA’s Secretary/Treasurer.

Upon the recommendations of AFWA’s Nominating Committee, the Executive Committee added Ed Carter, Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and Marc Miller, Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, as voting members to the roster.

Gordon Myers, Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, will serve as an Ex Officio member representing the Southeast region.

2014-2015 Executive Committee

Officers
President:
Larry Voyles, Arizona Game & Fish Department

Vice President:
Carter Smith, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Secretary/Treasurer:
Glenn Normandeau, New Hampshire Fish & Game Department
Past President:
Dan Forster, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division

Executive Committee
Chair:
Dave Chanda, New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife

Vice Chair:
Nick Wiley, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Members
John Arway, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Ed Carter, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Jim Douglas, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission

Marc Miller, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Virgil Moore, Idaho Department of Fish & Game

Bob Ziehmer, Missouri Department of Conservation

Ex Officio Voting Members
Canada:
Mike Sullivan, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources & Environment

Midwest:
Keith Creagh, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Northeast:
Patty Riexinger, New York Department of Environmental Conservation

Southeast:
Gordon Myers, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Western:
Terry Steinwand, North Dakota Game & Fish Department

Over the past century, AFWA has emerged as a powerful, effective and collective voice for fish and wildlife conservation. The association consists of fish and wildlife agencies from all 50 states along with more than 100 representatives from territorial, provincial and federal fish and wildlife agencies, the conservation community and sportsmen industries.



The Association’s members and partners work together toward achieving AFWA’s vision of healthy fish and wildlife resources throughout North America managed by effective, well-funded fish and wildlife agencies and supported by informed and involved citizens.

photo from left to right: Ed Carter, John Arway, Ron Regan, Larry Voyles, Glen Normandeau, Dan Forster, Dave Chanda, Nick Wiley and Bob Ziehmer

AFWA Recommends 14 Priority Projects for the 2015 Multistate Conservation Grant Cycle

At the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies' recent Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri voting members approved the recommendation of 14 projects to be funded through the 2015 Multistate Conservation Grants Program (MSCGP) cycle.

The total cost of the 14 projects recommended is $2,899,046 ($1,414,248 in Wildlife Restoration funds and $1,484,798 in Sport Fish Restoration funds). Funding for the MSCGP comes from a portion of the quarterly 10-11% federal excise tax paid by manufacturers and importers of fishing, hunting and shooting-sports equipment.

The projects recommended are as follows:

Fully fund:

1)     State Fish and Wildlife Agency Administration and Coordination (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

2)     State Fish and Wildlife Agency Director Travel Administration and Coordination (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

3)     Coordination of the Industry, Federal and State Agency Coalition (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

4)     Educating lawyers, law students, students of all ages, the judiciary and the general public on state fish and wildlife management:  Implementing AFWA’s 2013 – 2015 Strategic Plan Goal 2 (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

5)     Hunting, Fishing, and Sport Shooting Recruitment and Retention:  A Practitioner’s Guide (National Shooting Sports Foundation)

6)     National Survey of Ownership and Use of Traps by Trappers in the United States and evaluation of the use and implementation of BMPs by state fish and wildlife agencies (with a focus on documenting changes since 2004) (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

7)     Promoting Strategic Fish Habitat Conservation through Regionally Coordinated Science and Collaboration (National Fish Habitat Partnership)

8)     Development and Implementation of a National Initiative for Hunter and Shooting Sports Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (Wildlife Management Institute / The Council to Advance Hunting & the Shooting Sports)

9)     Boosting Fishing Participation by Boat Owners (American Sportfishing Association)

10)   Professional Development Workshops for effective communication and outreach regarding regulated trapping, established Best Management Practices, and furbearer management (Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation)

Fund Year One (2015 cycle) Fund Year Two (2016 cycle):

11)   Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

12)   Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

13)   Understanding Trends in Public Values toward Wildlife as a Key to Meeting Current and Future Wildlife Management Challenges (Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies / Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

14)   Improving the Conservation of Fish and Wildlife Populations and Habitats During Energy Exploration, Development and Transmission Through Enhanced Industry/Agency Coordination (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)

For the 2015 MSCGP cycle, the Association received 33 Letters of Intent from state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, regional associations and non-governmental organizations, and 19 applicants were invited to submit full proposals from which the 14 were selected.

The Association’s priority list of project recommendations will be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as established by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 06-408). The USFWS will announce the grant awards in December and grant funding will be available January 1, 2015.

MSCGP Grants are awarded on a calendar-year basis for one, two or three years and must benefit at least 26 states, a majority of states in a USFWS region or regional associations.

> Learn more about the Multistate Conservation Grant Program

photo courtesy of Hayley Lynch