Monies Received To Prevent Wildlife Decline

The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently received $1.4 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant program to help prevent imperiled wildlife from further decline.

The State Wildlife Grant Program was created in 2001 to provide annual funding to all state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies that have established wildlife-action plans. Since then, Arizona has received more than $10 million in grants for its conservation efforts.

Congress required states and territories to submit individual wildlife-action plans to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The action plans were created in a collaborative effort that included biologists, conservationists, landowners, sportsmen and the general public.

The in-depth approval process was managed by a national team of Service biologists and state wildlife administrators, who submitted recommendations to the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. All 56 state and territorial agencies have approved action plans that collectively provide a nationwide blueprint for wildlife conservation actions.

"Arizona's Wildlife Action Plan, approved in 2006, describes what species and habitats are declining, but not yet necessarily endangered," says Bob Broscheid, assistant director of wildlife management for the Game and Fish Department. "The plan aims to prevent species from continued declines. It allows us to act now before they become endangered or threatened."

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, and determine actions and priorities. Once a state's plan is approved, agencies will revise and update their plan at least once every 10 years.

To learn more about Arizona's plan, the grant program and the funding process, visit azgfd.gov.