The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service recently recognized the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program with their "Partners Appreciation Award" for the second consecutive year. Here, Ricardo Colón of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Puerto Rico is recognized for his valuable contributions toward accomplishing Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) goals during 2011. Ricardo has served as a STEP student with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program for five years, working with private landowners and other conservation partners to restore important wildlife habitat. Ricardo recently accepted a position as a biologist with the National Wildlife Refuge System in Culebra, Puerto Rico.
Service biologist selected as Conservationist of the Year by Virginia non-profit foundation
Will Smith working at the shallow Lake Tecumseh, whose rapidly changing water levels diminished water quality in the Back Bay watershed for nearly 50 years. USFWS Photo.
The Back Bay Restoration Foundation honored Will Smith of the Service's Virginia field office with their 2011 Conservationist of the Year Award. Under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Will has led restoration efforts at the degraded Lake Techumseh in Virginia Beach. The placement of structures that maintain water level has improved water quality, fish numbers and variety, and boating opportunities.
America’s Great Outdoors: Salazar Highlights Efforts to Conserve Working Landscapes with Proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area
Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazar
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today visited South Dakota to highlight the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area as a model for conserving working agricultural landscapes while benefiting wildlife and its habitat under President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Salazar conducted a series of site visits to habitat restoration projects on private lands and met with conservation partners, including private landowners, who are working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve wildlife habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region, a grass- and wetland-rich area known as “America’s Duck Factory” for its importance to the nation’s migratory waterfowl population. While meeting with partners in Highmore, Secretary Salazar signed two agreements with private landowners to restore and conserve wildlife habitat on their lands. These voluntary agreements with the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (private lands) provide for cost-share technical assistance to private landowners and will achieve the twin goals of enhancing grazing regimes for cattle producers and wildlife habitat for federal trust species, especially migratory birds such as grassland-nesting birds and raptors.
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program works to restore important habitat for the threatened Bog Turtle in Region 5.
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Vermont
Partners for Fish and Wildlife is a national U.S. Fish and Wildlife program that works with private landowners and other organizations to protect, enhance and restore important fish and wildlife habitats on private lands.
In the Northeast Region, we have Partners for Fish and Wildlife offices in all 13 states. Watch this video to learn more about the Partners Program in Vermont, which has implemented more than 500 programs since its establishment.
Celebrating 100,000 acres of Wetland Reserve Program Enrollment in California
Craig Isola, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program,
Matt Hamman, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, with Ed Burton, NRCS California State Conservationist.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California recently celebrated enrollment of 100,000 acres into Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), with the help of partner organizations that have helped the agency work one-on-one with landowners to restore their wetlands. These partners include the California Waterfowl Association, California Department of Fish & Game, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Audubon, Ducks Unlimited and others. State Conservationist Ed Burton presented awards to the following individuals for their contribution to the 100,000-acre milestone: -Matt Hamman, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Biologist, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service -Craig Isola, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Biologist, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service -Shawn Milar, Coastal Program Coordinator of North Central California Coast, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Monterey -Loren Ruport, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Tulelake"
OUR MISSION
To efficiently achieve voluntary habitat restoration on private lands, through financial and technical assistance, for the benefit of Federal Trust Species
