Congress Urged to Help Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Endangered

More than 100 advocates from over 30 states participate in the 8th Annual Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In Day

Washington, DC (February 26, 2008)—As part of the 8th Annual Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In Day, more than 100 conservation leaders from over 30 states met with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of new and greater funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered through the State Wildlife Grants program.

The Fly-In event, held over three days, is the most important outreach event for the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, which includes nearly 6,000 conservation groups and businesses. The goal of the Coalition is to secure dedicated funding to support on-the-ground conservation action in every state and territory to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered.

This year, Teaming With Wildlife Fly-in participants urged their Members of Congress to sign on to a letter of support restoring State Wildlife Grant funding to $85 million; co-sponsor the Teaming With Wildlife Act of 2009 to provide increased and dedicated funding for wildlife conservation; and support wildlife adaptation funding in climate change legislation.

“Early, preventive conservation is the most cost-effective use of taxpayer dollars and most efficient way to address the challenges facing all wildlife, including current threats and the predicted impacts of global climate change," said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Waiting until a species declines to the point of being listed as threatened or endangered requires costly and risky recovery efforts. Especially in today’s economy, the State Wildlife Grants Program represents how limited federal funds can be invested to get the greatest return for Americans and for wildlife.”

At the Fly-In Day’s annual reception, Celebrate America’s Wildlife, the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition presented an award to Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) for supporting dedicated wildlife adaptation funding in climate change legislation introduced last year and one to Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) for championing federal funding of State Wildlife Grants through appropriations. Held in the Rayburn House Office Building, the reception also was attended by other Members of Congress and the Chairman of the Resources Committee. Live wildlife from the Salisbury Zoo gave all attendees an opportunity to interact with animals that could be at risk without help.

Despite historical successes in bringing many wildlife species back from the brink of extinction, other species have continued to decline as evidenced by the staggering numbers listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. State hunting and fishing license dollars, federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear and motorboat fuel taxes have provided the backbone for funding the nation’s state wildlife conservation programs over the past century. However, there has always been a gap in funding for species that are not hunted or fished. State Wildlife Grants have provided state fish and wildlife agencies with the resources they critically need to partially fill that gap.

Visit http://www.teaming.com/ to learn more about the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition.

Photos:

(top) Representative Tiahrt with Matt Hogan

(bottom) Representative Doggett addresses attendees at the reception

$740 Million Goes to States for Fish and Wildlife Projects

Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today more than $740.9 million will be distributed to the fish and wildlife agencies of the 50 states, commonwealths, the District of Columbia, and territories to fund fish and wildlife conservation, boater access to public waters, and hunter and aquatic education. These Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds come from excise taxes and import duties on sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, sportfishing equipment, electric outboard motors, and fuel taxes attributable to motorboats and small engines.

"The funds raised under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs have helped conserve our fish and wildlife resources and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation for more than half a century. These investments, which help create jobs while protecting our nation's natural treasures, are particularly important in these tough economic times,” Salazar said. “All those who pay into this program – the hunting and fishing industries, boaters, hunters, anglers, and recreational shooters – should take pride in helping to conserve our land and its fish and wildlife and provide benefits to all Americans who cherish the natural world and outdoor recreation.”

The Wildlife Restoration apportionment for 2009 totals nearly $336 million, with more than $64.7 million marked for hunter education and firearm and archery range programs. The Sport Fish Restoration apportionment for 2009 totals more than $404 million.

Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funding is available to states, commonwealths, and territories through a formula based on land area, including inland waters and the number of paid hunting license holders in each state, commonwealth, and territory. State, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies use the money to manage wildlife populations, conduct habitat research, acquire wildlife lands and public access, carry out surveys and inventories, administer hunter education, and construct and maintain shooting ranges.

“State fish and wildlife agencies are proud to be funded by the hunting, fishing and boating community through this American system of conservation funding, which has been a successful model for many years,” said Rex Amack, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “This year’s record Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration apportionment is vital in order for state agencies to continue their work to sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations and provide opportunities for all to connect with nature.”

Sport Fish Restoration is funded by the collection of excise taxes and import duties on sport fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, and pleasure boats. Sport Fish Restoration funds are apportioned to the states based on a formula that includes the land and water area, inland waters and the Great Lakes and marine coastal areas where applicable, and the number of paid fishing license holders. States, the District of Columbia, commonwealths, and territories use the funds to pay for stocking fish; acquiring and improving sport fish habitat; providing aquatic resource education opportunities; conducting fisheries research; maintaining public access, and the construction at boat ramps, fishing piers, and other facilities for recreational boating access.

More than 62 percent of Wildlife Restoration funds are used to buy, develop, maintain, and operate wildlife management areas. Since the program began, state, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have acquired 68 million acres through fee simple, leases, or easements, and operated and maintained more than 390 million acres for hunting since the program began. In addition, agencies certified over 9 million participants in hunter education.

“This source of conservation funding is important not only measured by its dollar amount, but also by legislative safeguards preventing its diversion away from state fish and wildlife agencies,” said Rowan Gould, acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “For states working to ensure a future for fish and wildlife – and opportunities for people to enjoy them – precious few programs offer this level of support and reliability.”

Numerous species including the wild turkey, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, American elk, and black bears have increased in population due to improved research and habitat management funded by Wildlife Restoration. In the program's history, fish and wildlife agencies have assisted more than 9.2 million landowners on fish and wildlife management. States, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have improved more than 35 million acres of habitat and developed more than 44,000 acres of waterfowl impoundments.

Since the inception of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, states, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have acquired 360,000 acres through fee simple, leases, or easements. They have operated and maintained more than 1.5 million acres annually and they stocked over 6.8 billion fish and restored more than 1.7 billion fish throughout the country; renovated or improved 6,400-boat access sites; and had over 11.9 million participants in the aquatic resource education program.

Please visit the Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program web site at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/ for state, commonwealth, and territory funding allocations.

Source: USFWS

Introducing the Association HQ

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies released its first issue of the Association HQ (Highlights Quarterly), which replaces the previous "Staff Report." Now distributed via email and the web, the HQ features work accomplishments from the previous quarter. It is also structured to better align with the Association's strategic plan that was adopted at the annual meeting in September.

The change in reporting is part of the Association's overall effort to communicate more efficiently and effectively with agency heads who have limited time to digest a lot of information.

"The change in title is more than just semantics. Truly the old moniker of staff report did not accurately reflect what the report captured. It was not simply a report from the staff, but rather a summary of all of the work of the Association," said Matt Hogan, Executive Director, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

"The work of the Association is a partnership between the many men and women from fish and wildlife agencies who give of their time, talent and expertise coupled with the day to day continuity provided by staff. This team effort has been the hallmark of the successes of the Association for so many years and will be the continued recipe that makes us successful in the future."

The first issue of the HQ features activities of the Association from October, November and December 2008.

Read Association HQ-4Q

Land the Cover Photo Contest - 2008 Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Report

Attention state, provincial and territorial fish and wildlife agencies... We know you’ve taken some incredible photos of fish, wildlife and habitats for your magazine and other publications. You are invited to enter your best shots and your image could land the cover of the 2008 Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Report! The winning photo will get some nice distribution to other agencies, conservation organizations and more (and bragging rights).

Deadline to enter the Land the Cover Photo Contest is January 9, 2009. Any photograph reproduced in the report will include a photographer credit. Photos may also be showcased in other Association publications and on our soon-to-be redesigned website at www.fishwildlife.org. Of course, you retain the rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Association use of the image. Digital images must be a resolution of at least 300 dpi and 8” x 10.” To look at previous Annual Report covers, visit www.fishwildlife.org/press_pubs.

Email entries to Laura MacLean at lmaclean@fishwildlife.org.

Alternatively, you can mail a CD to:
Attn: Laura MacLean
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
444 North Capitol St, NW
Suite 725
Washington, DC 20001

Good luck!

Fish and Wildlife Conservation National Agenda Sent to President-elect Obama

America’s fish and wildlife belong to all of us as a public trust. For more than a century, state fish and wildlife agencies have upheld the primary responsibility for conserving and preventing the exploitation of natural resources on public and private lands and waters within their borders.

To sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations and provide opportunities for all to connect with nature, state agencies continue to advance what is known as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, a systematic arrangement of policies and laws to restore and safeguard species and habitats through sound science and active management at the local level via state agency programs. Hunting and angling are the cornerstones of the North American Model with sportsmen and women serving as the foremost funders for conservation efforts through their license and equipment purchases.

However, every state agency today is dealing with rising public demands for resources; the impacts of urban sprawl, habitat loss and other emerging issues like climate change; shrinking hunter and angler constituencies and revenue base; and mounting costs. This shifting environment is a threat to the overall management system, fish and wildlife and the people who value nature. Increasingly, conservation success requires more effective cooperation between state agencies and federal natural resource and land management agencies.

With President-elect Obama's administration, come new opportunities to further support the North American Model through new federal conservation policies that are responsive to today’s challenges while bolstering state and federal agency funding to meet those challenges.

Recently, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies sent to President-elect Obama a letter, two-page overview entitled “Furthering Conservation in the Public Trust: A National Fish and Wildlife Agenda” and a collection of policy analysis white papers for his transition staff’s use. In the documents, the Association sets forward conservation priorities to help safeguard our nation's rich fish and wildlife legacy and ensure all have opportunities to enjoy the benefits of our great outdoors.

The documents can be downloaded at www.fishwildlife.org/pdfs/A-National-Fish-and-Wildlife-Agenda_AFWA-2008.pdf.

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Lauds President-Elect Obama’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

“We are appreciative of President-elect Obama’s commitment to taking firm leadership in addressing climate change and its effects on our nation, our economy and our natural resources,” said Matt Hogan, Executive Director, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), in response to President-elect Obama’s remarks before a Bi-Partisan Governors Climate Summit today in Los Angeles.

Just a few days earlier, in a letter to President-elect Obama transmitting the Association’s transition recommendations, AFWA President, Rex Amack, and Matt Hogan observed, “We also strongly affiliate ourselves with your commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dedicating a portion of revenues accrued from the auction of carbon credits through a cap and trade protocol to remediate the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife and their habitats.”

“We look forward to working with the Obama Administration to forge a strong state-federal relationship to address what will likely be the most pervasive effect on fish and wildlife in recent history,” concluded Hogan.

To view the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies' recommendations to President-elect Barack Obama “Furthering Conservation in the Public Interest: A National Fish and Wildlife Agenda” go to www.fishwildlife.org.

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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies —the organization that represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a unified voice on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org.

Save the Date for the 2009 Teaming With Wildlife Fly-in Day

The 2009 Teaming With Wildlife Fly-in Day will take place February 24-25, 2009 in Washington, D.C. This will be the 8th year for the event.

The Fly-in Day is used by states and their Teaming With Wildlife coalitions to advocate for continued funding of the State Wildlife Grants program and dedicated funding to support State Wildlife Action Plan implementation. Changes in the administration, a new Congress and a growing budget deficit will likely make advocacy for wildlife funding more difficult but more important than ever.

Event details and registration information are available at www.teaming.com. Last year, more than 150 individuals from 43 states participated in the Fly-in Day.

If you have questions, contact Mark Humpert, Teaming With Wildlife Director at mhumpert@fishwildlife.org.