We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are distributing $9.7 million to states in the Great Lakes Region for the conservation of imperiled wildlife and their habitats. Nationally, $55 million will be distributed through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program, which uses the best available science as the foundation of conservation efforts. Ensuring species nationwide will benefit, grant funds are allocated to all states, commonwealths and territories according to a congressionally mandated formula based on population size and geographic area.
“State wildlife agencies conduct critical conservation work,” said Service Principal Deputy Director Martha Williams. “The SWG Program allows the Service to support their unique authority and expertise in managing vulnerable species. Together, we create nationwide conservation networks that protect species before they need the conservation triage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).”
The SWG Program funds projects that accelerate the recovery of endangered species and can prevent others from being listed under the ESA. Since its inception 20 years ago, the Program has contributed to a myriad of conservation success stories, including the recovery of Kirtland’s warbler. The Kirtland’s warbler is a small, yellow-bellied songbird found in the jack pine forests of Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario. Threatened by habitat loss and parasitism, the species was listed under the ESA in 1973. Decades of collaborative work were supplemented with SWG Program funding beginning in 2008. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with their partners, worked to restore the warbler’s habitat and control parasitic threats. Thanks to their efforts, the species rebounded from 170 breeding pairs in the 1970s and ‘80s to 2,300 breeding pairs in 2019, exceeding recovery plan goals. The warbler was removed from the endangered species list in 2019.
The SWG Program is administered by the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Funds must be used to address conservation needs described within State Wildlife Action Plans. These plans take a collaborative approach to conservation and facilitate partnerships among universities, industry, non-profit conservation organizations and private landowners. The projects also garner financial support from non-governmental organizations.
