Pennsylvania’s New Wildlife Action Plan Approved by USFWS.
USA -(Ammoland.com)- An updated blueprint for continued management and protection of Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need has been approved by the U.S.
This revision updates the 2005 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan that has guided management of the Commonwealth’s troubled wildlife for the past 10 years.
The approved 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan ensures the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) remain eligible for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant Program.
“We look forward to working with you as you implement it.” Using the best available science, the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission coordinated the congressionally-required 10-year update of the Commonwealth’s existing wildlife action.
“Although this plan outlines how best to help our species of greatest conservation need and prevent species from becoming endangered, resource agencies will need teamwork from the public and legislative assistance to ensure we can stay as proactive as we must.” PFBC Executive Director John Arway added that “this plan builds upon the strong foundation and many collaborative efforts under the first plan.
Implementing this plan will continue to advance our knowledge of Pennsylvania’s species and their habitats so we can develop the most informed management recommendations to secure species now and for the future.
“The end result is an improvement over Pennsylvania’s 2005 Plan, as the new plan will serve as an updated blueprint for implementing the conservation of Pennsylvania’s … fauna and natural habitats through the conservation actions of Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Game Commission, their partners, and the communities and individuals of the state.” The review team included Colleen Sculley, a regional chief in the USFWS’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and David Whitehurst, director of the Bureau of Wildlife Resources in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VADGIF) with technical assistance from Dee Blanton (USFWS) and Chris Burkett (VADGIF).
The plan offers its vision on how people who care about wildlife can advance conservation through local, state and national programs and projects, and works hard to raise awareness of the problems wildlife faces.
To learn more about the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan, and its significant role in conservation, as well as State and Tribal Wildlife Grant projects within Pennsylvania, visit the Game Commission’s website and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s website.
USA-(Ammoland.com)- An updated blueprint for continued management and protection of Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
This revision updates the 2005 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan that has guided management of the Commonwealth’s troubled wildlife for the past 10 years.
The approved 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan ensures the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) remain eligible for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant Program.
“The Service is confident that the Plan will yield great benefits for the conservation of Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife resources,” said James W. Kurth, USFWS Deputy Director for Operations. “We look forward to working with you as you implement it.”
Using the best available science, the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission coordinated the congressionally-required 10-year update of the Commonwealth’s existing wildlife action.
Also contributing technical expertise to this reorganized and updated plan were federal and other state agencies, conservation organizations and several universities, including a small army of affiliated biologists and other professionals. Administered by both commissions, this plan is a road map for all Pennsylvanians interested in wildlife conservation.
“Our new plan keeps us on the course we charted for wildlife conservation a decade ago,” emphasized R. Matthew Hough, Game Commission executive director. “But making progress and protecting imperiled species in the face of mounting development and environmental problems will not be easy. It will take a greater commitment from more Pennsylvanians and more funding for wildlife to stay the course.”
“Pennsylvania now finds itself in a conservation conundrum: the state’s resource agencies are in trouble financially,” explained Hough. “Although this plan outlines how best to help our species of greatest conservation need and prevent species from becoming endangered, resource agencies will need teamwork from the public and legislative assistance to ensure we can stay as proactive as we must.”
PFBC Executive Director John Arway added that “this plan builds upon the strong foundation and many collaborative efforts under the first plan. Implementing this plan will continue to advance our knowledge of Pennsylvania’s species and their habitats so we…
