SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Species across California and Nevada will benefit from more than $3 million in funding allocated to state wildlife agencies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program. California is scheduled to receive just under $2.5 million and Nevada will receive approximately $848,000 in funding. The program provides critical support for imperiled species and habitats listed in approved State Wildlife Action Plans. All 50 state and U.S. territorial wildlife agencies have such plans, which proactively protect species in greatest conservation need.
“State wildlife agencies are critical in protecting America’s wild places and the animals that live there. These funds are an important component in their conservation and management efforts, and one that the Service is proud to help support,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “By working together with these and other partners, I am confident we can effectively conserve our nation’s natural legacy on a landscape scale for current and future generations of Americans.”
Examples of SWG projects include:
- Monarch Butterflies: With support from SWG funding, many states are joining in the nationwide effort to protect and restore the beloved monarch butterfly. Monarch populations have declined by over 90 percent in the last few decades. Causes of their decline include loss of milkweed and prairie habitat and loss of habitat in their overwintering grounds. By designing and implementing projects such as species and habitat analyses, as well as active propagation of the butterfly, SWG funds are having a significant impact on monarch conservation and habitat restoration efforts. The 2015-16 monarch butterfly population estimates released by Mexico this month reflect a 255 percent increase in the area occupied by monarchs in their overwintering habitat since last year. At least 18 states have added the species to their State Wildlife Action Plans, enabling them to use SWG funding to actively manage monarch populations and build on this momentum.
- Pika: SWG funding has supported Nevada Department of Fish and Wildlife surveys to gather data on the status, trends and distribution of the pika. Pikas have received special attention in recent years due to their sensitivity to climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change and local extirpations, including in the Great Basin. Surveys have provided new information on occupied sites and the discovery of additional occupied sites in the state. Survey data will allow NDOW to track the sites over time and consider developing a scientifically rigorous monitoring protocol to better understand population trends and detect potential declines in this species.
- Greater Sage-Grouse: SWG funding has supported western states in researching and conserving greater sage-grouse since 2002. Funds awarded to the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies supported the first detailed assessment of greater sage-grouse on a range-wide scale, including 14 western states. Current projects funded by SWG are underway in California, Colorado, Montana, and Washington, and include habitat and genetic analysis, research on migration patterns and disease, as well as active reintroduction and augmentation projects. Through these and other proactive measures, the SWG program has contributed to the Service's 2015 decision to remove the greater sage-grouse as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
SWG grants are administered by the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) program and are allocated to states and territories according to a congressionally mandated formula based on population and geographic area. Grant funds must be used to address conservation needs, such as research, wildlife surveys, species and habitat management, and monitoring identified within State Wildlife Action Plans. The funds may also be used to update, revise or modify a state’s plan.
“This program would not be possible without our dedicated state, federal and non-governmental partners,” said WSFR Assistant Director Hannibal Bolton. “In addition to saving wildlife and their habitats, these efforts are also creating jobs which will support this critical mission for generations to come.”
Click here for the complete list of 2016 SWG apportionments.
Learn more about SWG program accomplishments here: http://tracs.fws.gov/public/.
