Strategy for Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need

[AlumniClub]

Strategy proposed to prevent
rare animals from becoming endangered

MADISON – A draft strategy for actions intended to protect rare animals in Wisconsin and prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened species will be available for public comment from June 8 through July 1.

The draft “Strategy for Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need” is the result of a statewide effort to identify those animals with the greatest need of conservation efforts and to describe conservation actions needed to get and keep wildlife off the state’s endangered and threatened species list.

“We’ve drafted this plan with the help and input of dozens of people throughout the state who are familiar with our native animals,” explained Signe Holtz, director of the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Endangered Resources. “With their help we’ve identified which of our native species are in greatest conservation need, the threats they face and potential conservation actions. This is a unique opportunity to look at all of Wisconsin’s wildlife – game and non-game, land and water based, large and small – and develop a statewide strategy for conserving those species at greatest risk and their habitats.”

Traditionally, wildlife conservation has been focused on two fronts: species that are hunted or fished and species that are endangered or threatened. Funds for these programs are generated primarily by hunting and fishing licenses, special stamp sales, federal US Fish & Wildlife grants and donations to the Bureau of Endangered Resources that are matched by state dollars.

But, the vast majority of Wisconsin’s wildlife is neither hunted nor endangered.

“We’ve got a number of wildlife species that have declined rapidly over the last 30 years, for example lots of grassland birds like bobolinks, short-eared owls, and meadowlarks,” says Tom Hauge, director of the DNR Bureau of Wildlife Management. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been adequate funding to address their needs. As a result, many of these species are headed toward the endangered or threatened list if conservation programs aren’t started soon.”

To begin filling this funding gap a new federal grant program called the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) program was initiated in 2001. Wisconsin has received about $1 million a year through the State wildlife Grant program, Holtz says and in order to remain eligible to continue receiving SWG funds, Wisconsin must complete a state strategy by this fall and obtain approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

“Although Wisconsin has enjoyed remarkable success at restoring some of our rarest species, it can be very expensive to recover species when their populations are in dire condition. Species and habitat conservation is a case where an ounce of prevention may be worth well more than a pound of cure,” says Holtz. “The strategy is a blueprint for action. It lays out what we as a state can do to prevent declining species from being or becoming endangered or threatened. The strategy is our first significant opportunity to focus on those animals that historically ‘fell between the cracks’ for funding and conservation attention – it’s an exciting new opportunity.”

The executive summary and the entire “Strategy for Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need” that makes up the Strategy can be found at on the DNR Web site. To request a copy of just the executive summary, contact the Strategy Coordinator at (920) 662-5130. CDs of the complete document are also available upon request.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Signe Holtz - (608) 264-9210