Office of the Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          CONTACT:   Hugh Vickery, DOI November 1, 2005                                                              (202) 501-4633                                                                                        Nicholas Throckmorton,                                                                                              FWS  (202) 208-5634

Norton to Hold Press Briefing on Receipt
 of State Action Plans to Conserve Imperiled Wildlife

             (WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will hold a press teleconference to mark the receipt of State Wildlife Action Plans from all 50 states and six territories on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m. EST.

            Under legislation signed by President Bush in 2001, states and territories so far have received $400 million in grants for conservation efforts intended to keep species from declining to the point of listing under the Endangered Species Act. The law requires each state and territory to submit a comprehensive wildlife action plan providing a blueprint for future conservation efforts by October, 2005 to be eligible for future grants.

            The state wildlife action plans were created in a collaborative effort that included biologists, conservationists, landowners, sportsmen, and the general public. The plans are now under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

The Service, the 56 state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies and many conservation groups are gearing up to implement the funded plans. 

Who:              Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton

                        U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall
                         Int’l Assoc. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies President John                          Cooper

 When:            11 a.m. EST, November 2, 2005

 Contact:        Reporters may call in to 1-888-947-9959. The passcode is WILDLIFE.

 -DOI-