56 States and Territories Have Submitted Wildlife Action Plans
The N.C. Wildlife Action Plan includes a Statewide Survey of Frog Calls in 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced yesterday that wildlife agencies from all 50 states and six U.S. territories have submitted Wildlife Action Plans for approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, establishing a nationwide blueprint to conserve nongame species so they don’t become threatened or endangered. This announcement includes the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.
If approved, the Wildlife Action Plans will be the first of their kind  a thorough state-by-state look at wildlife and the actions needed to ensure their survival. The action plans also will allow states and territories to continue to receive grants under the State Wildlife Grant program created under bipartisan legislation signed by President Bush in 2001. Since then, the Fish and Wildlife Service has provided $400 million in grants to states and territories for conservation efforts.
The law required states and territories to have their individual plans submitted to the Service by October 2005. The Service will distribute $68.5 million in grants next spring for states and territories to implement approved action plans.
“These plans represent a future for conservation in America that is rooted in cooperation and partnership between the federal government and states, tribes, local governments, conservation groups, private landowners and others with a commitment to the health of our land and water, fish and wildlife,” Norton said. “Working together, we are tapping into the expertise of those who live and work on the land so that we can conserve our fish and wildlife before they become threatened or endangered.”
“Through State Wildlife Grants, we are empowering states, territories, and their many partners to do what the federal government cannot do alone,” she said. “The grant program is now our nation’s primary conservation program for keeping species healthy and off the list of threatened and endangered species.”
The North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan, like the others, establishes a coordinated strategy to help conserve fish and wildlife. In the past, most of the states and territories have had great success in managing game species. This new program will help fund expansion of their conservation work to include nongame fish, wildlife and their habitats.
Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission already have several research projects planned for 2006, based on the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, including work on:
robust redhorse, a rare fish found in North Carolina only in the Yadkin/Pee Dee River system,
northern flying squirrels, which inhabit high-elevation forests in the southern Appalachians, and
the status of frogs in North Carolina, to be conducted through a statewide survey of frog calls.
Norton said she has instructed the Fish and Wildlife Service to work with all Interior land management agencies as well as other federal land management agencies to support the goals and objectives outlined in the wildlife action plans in their agencies’ land management strategies and plans.
“If we invest in conserving wildlife and natural areas now, before they become more rare and more costly to protect, it will be easier and less expensive to ensure the health and survival of all wildlife,” said Salinda Daley, who coordinated the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan. “The proactive nature of the plan makes it a cost-efficient means by which the Commission can benefit the health of wildlife and people in North Carolina.”
A team of eight U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and five state wildlife administrators has already approved the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, which was the first plan completed and submitted in the nation. The team is still reviewing plans from other states and will forward its recommendations to the Service Director for final approval.
States may use the funds for either planning or project implementation activities. For the 50 states, the apportionment is based on a formula that uses each state’s land area and population. States may receive no more than 5 percent or less than 1 percent of the total available funds. The District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive one-half of 1 percent and Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands will receive one-fourth of 1 percent. North Carolina is projected to receive an estimated $1.5 million through State Wildlife Grants in 2006.
Each states’ or territories’ plan must contain information on low and declining populations of wildlife and the habitats they require, identify problems that affect these populations, identify research and survey efforts to improve their conservation efforts, determine actions and priorities. Once the state plans have been approved, agencies will revise and update their plans at least once every 10 years.
For more information about wildlife in North Carolina or the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, visit the Web sites of the Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Teaming with Wildlife Initiative.
56 States and Territories Have Submitted Wildlife Action Plans
The N.C. Wildlife Action Plan includes a Statewide Survey of Frog Calls in 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced yesterday that wildlife agencies from all 50 states and six U.S. territories have submitted Wildlife Action Plans for approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, establishing a nationwide blueprint to conserve nongame species so they don’t become threatened or endangered. This announcement includes the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.
If approved, the Wildlife Action Plans will be the first of their kind  a thorough state-by-state look at wildlife and the actions needed to ensure their survival. The action plans also will allow states and territories to continue to receive grants under the State Wildlife Grant program created under bipartisan legislation signed by President Bush in 2001. Since then, the Fish and Wildlife Service has provided $400 million in grants to states and territories for conservation efforts.
The law required states and territories to have their individual plans submitted to the Service by October 2005. The Service will distribute $68.5 million in grants next spring for states and territories to implement approved action plans.
“These plans represent a future for conservation in America that is rooted in cooperation and partnership between the federal government and states, tribes, local governments, conservation groups, private landowners and others with a commitment to the health of our land and water, fish and wildlife,” Norton said. “Working together, we are tapping into the expertise of those who live and work on the land so that we can conserve our fish and wildlife before they become threatened or endangered.”
“Through State Wildlife Grants, we are empowering states, territories, and their many partners to do what the federal government cannot do alone,” she said. “The grant program is now our nation’s primary conservation program for keeping species healthy and off the list of threatened and endangered species.”
The North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan, like the others, establishes a coordinated strategy to help conserve fish and wildlife. In the past, most of the states and territories have had great success in managing game species. This new program will help fund expansion of their conservation work to include nongame fish, wildlife and their habitats.
Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission already have several research projects planned for 2006, based on the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, including work on:
robust redhorse, a rare fish found in North Carolina only in the Yadkin/Pee Dee River system,
northern flying squirrels, which inhabit high-elevation forests in the southern Appalachians, and
the status of frogs in North Carolina, to be conducted through a statewide survey of frog calls.
Norton said she has instructed the Fish and Wildlife Service to work with all Interior land management agencies as well as other federal land management agencies to support the goals and objectives outlined in the wildlife action plans in their agencies’ land management strategies and plans.
“If we invest in conserving wildlife and natural areas now, before they become more rare and more costly to protect, it will be easier and less expensive to ensure the health and survival of all wildlife,” said Salinda Daley, who coordinated the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan. “The proactive nature of the plan makes it a cost-efficient means by which the Commission can benefit the health of wildlife and people in North Carolina.”
A team of eight U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and five state wildlife administrators has already approved the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, which was the first plan completed and submitted in the nation. The team is still reviewing plans from other states and will forward its recommendations to the Service Director for final approval.
States may use the funds for either planning or project implementation activities. For the 50 states, the apportionment is based on a formula that uses each state’s land area and population. States may receive no more than 5 percent or less than 1 percent of the total available funds. The District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive one-half of 1 percent and Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands will receive one-fourth of 1 percent. North Carolina is projected to receive an estimated $1.5 million through State Wildlife Grants in 2006.
Each states’ or territories’ plan must contain information on low and declining populations of wildlife and the habitats they require, identify problems that affect these populations, identify research and survey efforts to improve their conservation efforts, determine actions and priorities. Once the state plans have been approved, agencies will revise and update their plans at least once every 10 years.
For more information about wildlife in North Carolina or the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, visit the Web sites of the Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Teaming with Wildlife Initiative.