Because Wildlife Action Plans are so new, there is a need for education and outreach around the plans. This includes outreach to Members of Congress. One great way to do this is to plan a field trip to a site identified in the plan or restored using State Wildlife Grants funding. Below is an example of a field trip organized by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in fall, 2006.

During a visit to Juneau Lagoon along Milwaukee’s lakefront, U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore met with representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and local environmental groups to talk about the importance of protecting habitat for birds as they travel along the Lake Michigan coast.

Under Wisconsin’s State Wildlife Grants program, several projects across the state receive state and federal funding to support projects that help keep at-risk species from becoming endangered. One of the projects to receive funding this year is a program to protect and manage migratory bird stopover sites in the Lake Michigan basin.  Several of these sites are located along Milwaukee’s lakeshore.

“The parklands along Lake Michigan are very attractive to migrating birds,” Moore said, adding that “these stopover sites provide a much needed place for birds to stop, eat, rest and gain strength for the rest of their migration. “As a member of Congress, it is my job to be a leader in the charge to nurture, utilize and protect Lake Michigan, as well as the environment as a whole. Our Wildlife Action Plan outlines actions that Wisconsinites can take to conserve wildlife and natural places before they become rarer and more costly to protect.”

Earlier this year Representative Moore, along with 167 of her colleagues in Congress, signed a letter requesting $85 million in federal funding for the State Wildlife Grants Program, up from $60 million last year.  This funding supports state programs to protect wildlife before at-risk species become endangered and while it is cost-effective.  This year, using a mix of federal and state funds totaling $1.5 million, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was able to fund 29 programs, including a project to protect bird migrating sites in the Lakes Michigan and Superior basins.