State Wildlife Grants Program and the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

1
State Wildlife Grants Program and the
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

• Jenny A. Landry

2
Conserving Biodiversity

• US laws and policies place primary responsibility
  for wildlife management in the hands of the
  states
• State Wildlife Grants provides Federal dollars to
  support cost effective conservation aimed at
  preventing wildlife from becoming endangered.

3
Background of the State Wildlife Grants Program

• The program was first authorized by congress in
  2002
• Program grew out of Conservation and Reinvestment
  Act compromise language
• Program is subject to annual congressional
  legislation

4
What does the program do?

• SWG program is intended to assist states in
  biodiversity preservation
• Tied to species in greatest need of
  conservation
• These are species which have not traditionally
  received funding for management
• Intended to avoid new listings of endangered
  species

5
How does the program work?

• Congress makes an annual appropriation
• The funds are apportioned to each state based on
  a formula
• States had to commit to write a Comprehensive
  Wildlife Conservation Strategy by Oct. 2005
• Targeted toward species of greatest conservation
  need

6
How does the program work? (contd)

• The individual states apply for their
  apportionment annually from USFWS
• The program pays for both species investigations
  and implementation projects
• Match required - 50

7
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

• Mandated by congress to remain eligible for
  funding
• Submitted to USFWS for acceptance

8
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
Structure

• Organized by major watersheds of the state
• Species information analyzed by each watershed
• List species occurring in the basin
• List critical habitats of the basin
• Priority conservation actions in the basin
• Information from other planning documents
  reviewed and included.

9
N
10
Fish Highlights

• Sturgeon
• American eel
• Longear sunfish
• Brook trout
• Anadromous species
• Winter flounder
• Gilt darter

11
Bird Highlights

• Raptors
• Shorebirds
• Marsh birds
• Common nighthawk
• Waterfowl
• Colonial nesters

12
Mammal highlights

• Bats
• Lynx
• Cougar
• Wolf
• American marten
• River otter

13
Amphibian and Reptile Highlights

• Snakes
• Salamanders
• Frogs and toads
• Turtles
• Hellbender

14
Invertebrate Highlights

• Moths
• Dragonflies and damselflies
• Mussels
• Chittenango ovate amber snail

15
Top Threats to Species of Greatest Conservation
Need Statewide

• Habitat loss and fragmentation
• Only 15 of state land area in public ownership
• Contaminant deposition
• Acids
• Mercury
• Nitrogen products
• Degraded water quality altered hydrology

16
Top Threats to Species of Greatest Conservation
Need Statewide (contd)

• Invasive species
• Changing farm and forestry practices
• Direct human-wildlife interactions
• Collisions
• Poaching
• Unregulated harvest
• Climate change

17
Outcomes Conservation Recommendations

• Data Collection
• Planning
• Management and Restoration
• Land Protection
• Regulatory and Legislative
• Information Dissemination
• Incentives and Disincentives

18
Outcomes Policy and Practice

• Moving away from single species management.
• Integrating fish and wildlife management with
  environmental quality.
• Dealing with species metapopulations
• Integrating fish and wildlife disciplines through
  habitat management.

19
New Ways of Working Under SWG

• Addressing both natural resources and
  environmental quality issues
• Creating stronger interdivisional relationships
• Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources
• Division of Lands and Forests
• Division of Water

20
NYs SWG funding so far
Federal Fiscal Year National Total NY Allocation
FFY 2001 50 M 2.33 M
FFY 2002 85 M 3.73 M
FFY 2003 65 M 2.78 M
FFY 2004 70 M 2.95 M
FFY 2005 69.12 M 2.94 M
FFY 2006 68.5 M 2.90 M
21
New Staff

• Federal Fiscal Year 2004 funds were used to hire
  9 ecologists within 11 major watersheds and 1
  data coordinator
• This single year of funds will cover staff
  salaries for at least three years
• New staff will implement the SWG program and the
  recommendations in the CWCS

22
New Biologists Duties

• Develop and write 5-year action plans in
  consultation with Watershed Team and Agency Staff
• Recruit Watershed Team members
• Annual watershed priority development for RFA
• Watershed project oversight/management
• Watershed project implementation
• Annual grant reporting
• Communicate CWCS issues with Watershed Team,
  other DEC Divisions and programs in the regions

23
New Staff
Jason Smith Lower Hudson LI Bays Atlantic Ocean Region 2 Office, Long Island City
Gregg Kenney Delaware Upper Hudson Region 3 New Paltz
Paul Novak Upper Hudson Region 4 Schenectady
Joe Racette Lake Champlain Region 5 Raybrook
Angelena Ross NE Lake Ontario Region 6 Watertown
Tom Bell Susquehanna Region 7 Cortland
Amy Mahar SE Lake Ontario Region 8 Avon
Jenny Landry SW Lake Ontario Region 8 Avon
VACANT Lake Erie Allegheny Region 9 Allegany
Carl Herzog Data Management Central Office - Albany
24
NY Forests

• Forest cover has returned to 60 of the land area
  of New York concurrent with the decline of
  agriculture.
• Need active management of vegetative succession
• Sustainable forest practices, in accordance with
  BMPs, improve forest health and resilience

25
72 of forest land in New York is privately
owned.
26
NYFOA Contract

• Develop Materials and Website
• Publicize CWCS implementation needs to Forest
  Owners
• Landowner visits
• Database
• Map of landowners and critical habitats
• Strategic Plan

27
Boreal Forest Birds
28
Deciduous/Mixed Forest Breeding Birds
29
Early Successional Forest/Shrubland Birds
30
Forest Breeding Raptors
31
High Altitude Conifer Forest Birds
32
Tree Bats
33
Vernal Pool Salamanders
34
Woodland/Grassland Snakes
35
Thank you!
Jenny Ann Landry NYSDEC jalandry_at_gw.dec.state.ny.u
s 585-226-5491
36
(No Transcript)