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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

Latest Stories About Our Partners

Three people stand together, one holding an award plaque
Our Partners
Fort Drum earns Regional Military Conservation Partner Award
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Drum received the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region’s Military Conservation Partner Award for its outstanding contributions to natural resource management. 
A flock of white and blue geese standing in shallow water
Snow Geese
Hundreds of snow geese flew into the South Pond on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on a recent morning. The snow goose gets its name due to its white plumage. The classic snow goose is white with black wing tips
snail underwater
A Magnificent Return
LIVE! IN THE WILD! It’s the amazing...the incredible...the magnificent ramshorn (Planorbella magnifica)! No, we’re not in a Las Vegas magic show. We’re in a pond in Brunswick County, North Carolina, where magnificent ramshorn snails were recently released into the wild for the first time.
a brown, wooden building on a grassy hill
History and Culture
Cat Point Creek Lodge transferred to the Rappahannock Tribe
A steady drum beat rose under the watchful eyes of native bald eagles, friends and ancestors. For the first time in more than 350 years, the Rappahannock Tribe’s drums sounded over their ancestral capital town.
Flock of white Ibis, tall, pink-legged, long-curved pink bill wading bird standing on shore
Keep an Eye on the Ibis
On Pea island National Wildlife Refuge you'll currently find flocks of white ibis wading in shallow water and feeding on the shore land.
Ernesto Gomez taking photos of wildlife in a wetland
Our Partners
Neotropical Bird Conservation through the Lens of Ernesto Gomez
For Ernesto Gomez, birds are a lifelong passion and a muse behind his lens. As the Bird Conservation Program Coordinator at Pronatura PY in Yucatan, he inspires people to live in harmony with nature, collaborating with local communities on projects that benefit migratory birds and their habitats....

Partnership Services

Through our partnerships we are able to expand our capabilities through the inclusion of services in areas such as:

  • Grant opportunities
  • Sponsorship of grants
  • Cooperative Agreements

To find out more about how our partner provides services view our partner services below.