Partnerships | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Partners are valuable allies to the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and play a vital role in meeting the Service's conservation goals. We team up with private conservation organizations, state and federal agencies and tribes. Together, with the landowner, this collective shares funding, materials, equipment, labor and expertise to meet restoration goals and our conservation mission.

Partnership Categories

Great things happen when partners are matched with the right opportunities. That's why we work with many types of partners at FWS from local businesses and conservation groups to veterans and large industry partners. Here are just a few of the Partner Categories working with FWS today.

Academic Institutions

We frequently partner with academia to further the conservation of and research into the stewardship of many species.

Conservation, Science, and Land Management Organizations

We often partner with non-governmental conservation organizations on conservation projects, whether it's to conserve identified species such as the monarch butterfly or to advise on land acquisition for conservation so that it has the greatest benefit for species.

Economic, Tourism, Retail, and Industry

We partner with these groups to help them conduct their commercial activities in a way that best promotes conservation.

Federal Agencies

We work with other federal agencies to help them meet their legal responsibilities as well as their mission.

Friends Groups

Friends groups are organizations of community members committed to helping national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries meet conservation goals that would otherwise be out of reach.

Our Partners

Here are just a few of our national partners. You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

View Full Partner List

Latest Stories About Our Partners

For Parents and Educators

From Seeds to Trees: Earth Day Blooms at Wolf Creek

Many celebrated the planet with hands-on fun and outdoor adventure! Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery's Earth Day event brought families together with free trees, wildlife exhibits, kids' activities, and educational booths—including live birds, archery, spinning demos, and even stream critters!

Apr 19, 2025

Our Partners

Red Coats and blue-spotted salamanders

USFWS partners with Hanscom Air Force Base to survey for a rare salamander in a Revolutionary War landscape

Apr 18, 2025

Surveys in the Sierra

The morning felt as though the still air had frozen. In my small backpacking tent, cold air swirled to the roof as I let out the first few breaths of the day. Not a sound was to be heard as morning began in the Sierra Nevada.

Apr 16, 2025

Heavy equipment on a dirt landscape with green vegetation and blue skies above

Habitat Restoration

Final Environmental Assessment for the Kootenai Floodplain Reconnection Project

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service released a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Kootenai Floodplain Reconnection Project.

Apr 16, 2025

Endangered Species Act

Hellbent On Survival

Hurricane Helene, in September 2024, killed 106 people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes across a wide swath of western North Carolina. But there was serious damage, too, below the water lines to the fish, mussels, salamanders and other animals that live largely out of sight.

Apr 14, 2025

small fish and a rush of water exit a pipe being supported by someone

Wildlife Management

Lake trout restoration in Lake Champlain a success

Thanks to a successful, decades-long effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, lake trout have been restored to Lake Champlain. As a result, the wild population no longer needs to be augmented by...

Apr 11, 2025