The Wildlife Society Participates in Annual Fly-in Event | The Wildlife ...

The Maryland Teaming With Wildlife Coalition poses with Naomi Edelson, the Senior Manager of State Wildlife Programs for the National Wildlife Federation, after being honored at this year?s Teaming With Wildlife Fly-in Reception. From left to right: Glenn Therres, Naomi Edelson, Laura Bies, Jim Rapp (Credit: Maryland Teaming With Wildlife Coalition)

The Wildlife Society participated this month in the 2013 Teaming With Wildlife Fly-in. Teaming With Wildlife is the largest and most diverse wildlife conservation coalition in the United States with over 6,300 members nationwide consisting of organizations, agencies, and businesses. This annual event gathers coalition members from across the United States to inform Members of Congress about the value of the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. This program is the core source of funding for managing non-game and non-endangered species. These grants provide each state with approximately $1 million annually to develop and implement State Wildlife Action Plans and thus are crucial in preventing wildlife from becoming endangered and in promoting collaborative conservation projects.

The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants are a small investment compared to the expense associated with the listing of a species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. According to the Government Accountability Office, the average cost of recovering a single species listed under the Endangered Species Act is $15.9 million, with a range of $58,000 to $125 million.

Since 2001, this grant program has provided over $400 million in federal grants that have been matched by at least $200 million in state funds to make available over $600 million in new funding for practical, on-the-ground conservation efforts. However, the level of appropriated funding has decreased by over 30 percent between 2010 and 2012. With sequestration taking effect, any further cuts to the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program will adversely impact efforts made to preclude species at risk from being listed under the Endangered Species Act by reducing on-the-ground management and monitoring, decreasing invasive species control efforts, garnering fewer dollars in matching funds, and reducing the ability to provide technical assistance to private landowners.

Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) (Credit: Jill Utrip/USFWS)

The Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, along with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, honored Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Saxby Chambliss (GA), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT), and Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA) at this year?s event for their efforts in supporting conservation of at risk species and State and Tribal Wildlife Grants. Additionally, the Teaming With Wildlife Maryland Coalition was recognized for their year-round-efforts to maintain effective relationships with their Congressional delegation as well as promoting Teaming With Wildlife to the Maryland Sate Congress. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Hellbender Recovery Partnership were also acknowledged for their use of State and Tribal Wildlife Grant funds in the development of both a new environmental DNA protocol for the efficient monitoring of hellbender presence and a new sampling protocol to increase the understanding about the impacts of ranaviruses and chytrid fungus.

Over 70 individuals representing 32 states, 17 state agencies, 22 non-profit organizations, three universities, and two private businesses participated in this year?s fly-in and expressed their support for continued funding of The State and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program. To learn more about State and Tribal Wildlife Grants, state action plans, or how to get involved in your state, visit the Teaming With Wildlife website.

Sources: Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, Government Accountability Office report GAO-06-463R, The Outdoor Wire (March 15, 2013)

Source: http://news.wildlife.org/featured/the-wildlife-society-participates-in-annual-fly-in-event/

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