Tools for Landowners

Conservation Programs for Private Landowners

Our nation’s private landowners are critical to the success of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. The Service has many tools and programs for conservation of fish, wildlife and plants on private lands.

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Idaho

The goal of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program is to work with private and tribal landowners
who want to voluntarily improve fish, wildlife and plant habitat on their lands. The program provides cost-share funding and technical expertise to these landowners. The program's focus is on enhancement or restoration of wetland, riparian, sagebrush grasslands, wet-meadow and aquatic habitats to benefit migratory birds, threatened or endangered species, and other sensitive or declining species.

Landowners can request assistance at any time through the year. There is no application period. Idaho landowners simply contact the local Partners Program representative in Boise or Chubbuck for program and enrollment information.

• 2007 Idaho Focus Areas
• 20th Anniversary of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife - Poster
• Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Idaho - Fact Sheet
• Annual Reports 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
• National Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
• Palouse Prairie Plants Brochure: A Landowner Guide

Roll over the photos below to see "before" and "after" Partners projects.

Conservation Agreements and Planning in Idaho

It is estimated that two-thirds of our nation's lands are privately owned. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes that the key to ensuring healthy fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats rests in the hands of private landowners.

Our Conservation Planning Program provides opportunities for the Service to work with interested landowners to restore and maintain quality habitat. Through this Program, Service personnel use collaborative methods to provide technical and financial assistance needed to protect species and enhance the ecosystems upon which they depend. Participation in all programs is voluntary.

We are interested in developing strong partnerships with landowners to manage and conserve native fish, wildlife and plant species such as migratory birds, and threatened, endangered, or other sensitive species. We often work with landowners across the Idaho landscape, including wetland, riparian, sagebrush, grasslands, forest and aquatic habitats.

Conservation Planning Tools

Conservation Agreements are tools for non-federal landowners wishing to work with the Service to conserve listed or at-risk species, consistent with existing land use practices and management. Participants in these agreements commit to actions on their property that will reduce threats to species and enhance their conservation.

Agreements may include Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs), Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs), Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and Safe Harbor Agreements (SHAs). For more information: Conservation Planning Tools in Idaho - Fact Sheets

Examples of Conservation Agreements in Idaho

Castilleja christii Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA)
Southern Idaho ground squirrel Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)
Schwisow Northern Idaho ground squirrel Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)
Sam Noble Springs Columbia spotted frog Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)

Private Landowners, States, and the Endangered Species Act

National Candidate Conservation Program

Cooperative Conservation Initiative

Conservation Funding Opportunities

There are a variety of funding opportunities available for non-federal landowners interested in implementing conservation measures on their property. For information about opportunities in Idaho, please contact a staff representative.