State Wildlife Action Plans: Results for All Wildlife in Every State

Congress charged each state and territory with developing a statewide wildlife conservation strategy, called a Wildlife Action Plan.  Action Plans are proactive strategies that identify species and habitats of greatest conservation need, and outline the necessary actions to protect them for our children’s future.  These plans allow for cost-effective, strategic conservation with deliverable results with benefits for both wildlife and people.  By protecting species before they decline, we can conserve them before they become increasingly rare and the task more difficult.  Wildlife Action Plans, which have now been completed for every state and territory, provide a landmark conservation tool for statewide conservation efforts across the country.  To find your state's action plan, go to the Teaming with Wildlife website and click on your state.

Teaming With Wildlife Coalition

Nationally, Teaming with Wildlife is a coalition of more than 5,000 organizations working together to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. The coalition works to support increased public funding for wildlife conservation and implementation of Wildlife Action Plans in every state. The National Teaming with Wildlife Coalition includes wildlife biologists, state wildlife agencies, conservationists, hunters, anglers, birdwatchers, nature-based businesses and many others who support the goal of restoring and conserving our nation’s wildlife. 

Teaming with Wildlife Coalitions also exist in most states. While members are part of the national coalition, they work at the state level locally to support their state's Wildlife Action Plan.  These coalitions aim to partner with their state's fish and wildlife agency to 1) develop a shared agenda for state conservation work based on the Wildlife Action Plan and 2) coordinate state-based support of the plan.

National Wildlife Federation's Role

One of our highest priorities is supporting the successful implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans, including advocating for critical funding for the plans through the State Widllife Grants (SWG) Program. The State Wildlife Grants Program is the only source of federal funding specifically directed at ALL wildlife, including the nearly 90 percent of all species that are not hunted or fished. The proactive conservation called for in the Wildlife Action Plans and paid for by the SWG program helps keep species from being listed as threatened or endangered.

Since early 2006, the National Wildlife Federation has been working with 5 of its affiliate partners to grow robust Teaming with Wildlife Coalitions in Georgia, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina and Wisconsin. These coalitions are led by our affiliates and their state fish and wildlife agencies. The objectives of this effort are to (1) educate people in the five pilot states about State Wildlife Action Plans, (2) organize coalitions in those states that will ensure effective implementation of those strategies and (3) to share success stories and best management practices with states across the country. Beginning in early 2007, we will be partnering with several more of our affiliates to work in additional states. For a short overview of our work and project milestones to date, click here to download a brief fact-sheet.

The National Wildlife Federation is a member of the national Teaming with Wildlife Coalition and is represented on the coalition Steering Committee.

Join the Coalition

Join the national coalition by signing the endorsement form!  Add your voice to the call for new and essential public funding to implement these important new plans.  Spread the word about the new state wildlife action plans and encourage others, like your chapters, affiliates or other partners, to join Teaming with Wildlife.

Help set put the action in the wildlife action plans!  Each state’s fish and wildlife agency is working with the state Teaming with Wildlife Coalition to determine priorities for action and how each organization can contribute to the plan’s implementation. To find out more about what's going on in your state, go to state contacts.

You can also learn more by contacting:

National Teaming with Wildlife Coalition
Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
444 N. Capitol Stree, NW Suite 725
Washington, DC 20001

Tel: 202-624-7890
Fax: 202-624-7891

Email: teaming@fishwildlife.org

Support Dedicated Wildlife Funding in Climate Change Legislation

Global warming is the single most urgent threat to the future of wildlife and the natural systems that sustain both wildlife and people. The 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluded that up to a third of plant and animal species worldwide are likely to be "committed to extinction" by 2050 if we do not take action to manage climate change.

As fish and wildlife are increasingly affected by global warming, bills addressing climate change represent a tremendous opportunity for the wildlife community to achieve the stable funding state wildlife agencies need to implement the wildlife action plans and protect wildlife from global warming. Now is the time to make your voice heard by speaking out in support of the inclusion of wildlife funding as a standard component of any climate change bill!

Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA) recently introduced global warming legislation that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases and provide significant funding to help protect wildlife from the impacts of global warming. This bill is called America's Climate Security Act. Starting within five years, the bill will reduce global warming pollution from major emitters such as power plants and oil refineries by about two percent each year from current levels. The Climate Security Act will provide an estimated $125 billion through the year 2030 to protect America’s fish and wildlife, great waters, and other natural resources from the climate changes that can no longer be avoided. Funding will be distributed to well established and successful wildlife conservation and natural resource management programs at the federal and state level. This includes funding for implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans. See the bottom of the page for more resources, including fact sheets and analysis of this bill, also called the Lieberman-Warner bill. For more information about the bill and global warming solutions, see our Advocacy page.

Here's How You Can Help

1) Please join the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition in urging the Senate to support including wildlife conservation funding in climate change legislation. Sign on to our letter urging key members of Congress to support strong wildlife funding in the Lieberman-Warner bill - DEADLINE is December 3rd! View the full letter here.

2) Take the Hunter/Angler Pledge and join hunting and fishing organizations across America taking action to confront climate change and address the threats it poses to fish and wildlife.