Kentucky's Wildlife Action Plan
Conserving Kentucky's Rare or Uncommon Animals
The
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is developing a
"Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy" (CWCS) in an effort
to manage Kentucky's fish, wildlife and natural habitats. This effort,
mandated by Congress, is designed to protect and manage fish and wildlife
species in greatest conservation need. This proactive approach supports
projects that help prevent fish and wildlife from declining to the point of
being threatened or endangered.
The
Wildlife Action Plan is ready
The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program (STWG), and its predecessor,
the State Wildlife Grants Program (SWG), were created by Congress to
administer this effort. Similar federal efforts exist for state fish and
wildlife agencies for sport fishes (Sport Fish Restoration or
Dingell-Johnson program) and game species (Wildlife Restoration or
Pittman-Robertson program). The primary emphasis of this program is on
conservation of non-game fish and wildlife. Federal funding is presently
annually apportioned to the states in a formula based on land area (1/3) and
population (2/3). No State may receive more than 5% or less than 1% of the
available funds. For more information on this program and the funding status
visit: http://www.teaming.com/
All
50 States, U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia are producing
their own CWCS plans under the program. All CWCS plans must be submitted to
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by October 1, 2005 to continue
eligibility for this future funding.
This plan and continued federal funding for the program will direct future
research, management, and planning for these species of concern and their
habitats.
Federal
Requirements for a CWCS
The CWCS process requires each state to develop a list of species of
concern. Kentucky's present
list includes the following fish and wildlife groups and the species within
these groups.
