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

Wildlife Crime

Wildlife Officers Recognized for Investigating Oklahoma Whooping Crane Shooting

In November 2021, news broke of the largest Whooping Crane poaching incident in modern history. In one event, five cranes—approximately 1% of the entire Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population—were killed. For the next seven months, a team of investigators maneuvered through a maze of technical and...

Mar 27, 2025

Habitat Restoration

Restoring Michigan’s Flint River

Kids swimming on a hot day, kayaks paddling downstream and dog-walkers strolling along the river trail – an active community is a healthy community. We believe that nothing gets active communities in the flow of recreation like a river. Take the community around the University of Michigan-Flint...

Mar 27, 2025

A view of a dam and river surrounded by trees.

Migratory Species

Raritan River Fish Passage Initiative

Funding to remove the Rockafellows Mill Dam in New Jersey is part of a long-term effort to bring shad and other native fish back to spawning grounds which have been blocked for almost 200 years.

Mar 25, 2025

Migratory Species

From Labrador to New Jersey: The Journey of a 22-Year-Old Surf Scoter

After retrieving the bird, the group notices a paper-thin aluminum band on the bird’s leg, which is a bit of a surprise given how rarely they have seen banded Surf Scoters. Later, through the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, he learned he had harvested the oldest Surf Scoter on record.

Mar 25, 2025

Habitat Restoration

Restoring the Coasts

The Panhandle Dune Ecosystem Project aims to stabilize 21 linear miles of degraded dunes, protect rare beach mice, and act as a bulwark against ever-harsher storms.

Mar 24, 2025

gray wolf lying down with head turned to camera

Wildlife Crime

Reward for Information Leading to a Arrest, Criminal Conviction or Civil Penalty Assessment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife is seeking information regarding the illegal killing of a federally listed endangered gray wolf. The Service is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment.

Mar 19, 2025