tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18217378148705277362024-03-14T14:24:57.756-04:00Conservation NewsRecent updates and announcements from the conservation,wildlife management and environmental community of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comBlogger284125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-53851245632637255712019-04-11T11:39:00.000-04:002019-04-11T11:39:20.174-04:00Recruit, Retain, Reactivate (R3) Training - Register TODAYThis year’s Recruit, Retain, Reactivate (R3) Training will take place <b><u>June 11-14, 2019 </u></b>at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV. The 2019 R3 Training builds on last year’s pilot to provide R3 coordinators and practitioners with the necessary tools and information needed to effectively support R3 efforts.<br />
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Please review the R3 Training 2019 Course Announcement for full details and registration information. RBFF will reimburse travel and tuition costs for state angler R3 coordinators.<br />
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Upon completion, participants will be able to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Apply the Adaptive Management Model to improve R3 programs</li>
<li>Develop strategies to build support within agencies and among stakeholders for R3 programming</li>
<li>Perform customer engagement and outreach activities to diversify audiences and increase overall participation</li>
<li>Lead R3 plan development, implementation and evaluation efforts</li>
<li>Engage stakeholders in R3 planning, implementation and evaluation </li>
</ul>
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This R3 Training includes a goal of developing future training and modules that will provide continuing education opportunities for all involved with R3 efforts.<br />
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<a href="http://www.takemefishing.org/getmedia/2d6064c3-a873-4049-a301-bf145632d43b/R3-Training-2019-Course-Announcement.pdf?utm_source=R3%20training&utm_medium=email">Click here for more information and to download the flyer!</a><br />
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-36831711420092981852019-03-20T15:45:00.002-04:002019-03-20T15:45:57.070-04:00APHIS and NRCS to Host April 5th Joint Listening Session on Feral Swine Farm Bill Provision<br />
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">New
Time: APHIS and NRCS to Host April 5<sup>th</sup> Joint Listening Session on
Feral Swine Farm Bill Provision</span></strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
time of the joint APHIS-NRCS feral swine listening session has been changed and
will now take place on Friday, April 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT. We
apologize for the inconvenience. If you previously registered for the original
March 28<sup>th</sup> listening session date, you are automatically registered
for the April 5<sup>th</sup> session and can use the phone number and unique
conference code you already received via email. If you still need to register,
you can do so by clicking on the link in the invitation. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please
join APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea and NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr along with
members of their leadership teams, including APHIS Associate Administrators
Mike Gregoire and Mike Watson and NRCS Acting Associate Chief Kevin Norton on
Friday, April 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT for a Farm Bill Listening
Session via teleconference. This listening session is an opportunity for
interested State and Tribal partners as well as stakeholders to comment on the
feral swine provision in the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 that will be
jointly managed by APHIS and NRCS. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
recognize that many of you live outside of the Washington, D.C., area, and we
hope this call-in format makes it easy for you to participate in the upcoming
session and share your thoughts on implementation. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
summary pasted below provides a brief overview of the feral swine farm bill
provision. The listening session will also begin with a short briefing on the
provisions followed by stakeholder comments for the remainder of the call. In
order to hear from as many participants as possible, we ask that you plan to
limit your comments to 3 minutes or less. If you would like to provide a
written copy of your comments either before or after the listening session, you
can do so by sending them to <u><a href="mailto:hallie.zimmers@aphis.usda.gov">hallie.zimmers@aphis.usda.gov</a></u>.
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
participate in the listening session, we ask that you please register in
advance by clicking on the link below and providing your name, organization and
email address. Once you submit your information, you will promptly receive an
email that includes the call-in number and a unique conference code to enter
the call. You will also have the opportunity to join by webinar. The listening
session will be recorded.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you
would like to make other colleagues aware of this event, please forward them
the link below. To avoid any problems connecting to the call, do not share your
unique code. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Registration
Link: <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMzIwLjM0NjA1MjEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwMzIwLjM0NjA1MjEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xODA3MTM1NiZlbWFpbGlkPXJyZWdhbkBmaXNod2lsZGxpZmUub3JnJnVzZXJpZD1ycmVnYW5AZmlzaHdpbGRsaWZlLm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&102&&&http://ems8.intellor.com/?do=register&t=1&p=813125">http://ems8.intellor.com?do=register&t=1&p=813125</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2018</span></strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">RELEVANT FERAL SWINE PROVISION</span></strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SEC. 2408. FERAL SWINE ERADICATION AND
CONTROL PILOT PROGRAM.</span></u><o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Provides
$75 million in mandatory Commodity Credit Corporation funds to be split
between APHIS and NRCS on a feral swine eradication and control pilot
program.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Allows
the Secretary to provide direct financial assistance to producers to
mitigate damage and to implement control activities.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-54757519120697920252019-03-15T09:35:00.000-04:002019-03-15T09:35:06.381-04:00The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Applauds the Introduction of the National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnerships ActMarch 14, 2019<br />
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The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies strongly supports the introduction of the National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnerships Act this week in both the House and the Senate (S.754). This legislation aims to codify the National Fish Habitat Partnership, whose mission is to protect, restore and enhance the nation's fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation and improve the quality of life for the American people. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) in the House, and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) introduced these bipartisan bills on March 12, 2019.<br />
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“The Association is excited to see this legislation introduced which, if passed, would help restore our fish populations and habitats across the nation,” said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “We thank Rep. Wittman and Rep. Veasey in the House, and Senator Crapo and Senator Cardin in the Senate, for their leadership on this important legislation that will help states and local communities with the management and conservation of fish and fish habitats that also bolster our great outdoor recreation economy.” <br />
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“We appreciate both the House and Senate sponsors of these bills that are critical to codify the National Fish Habitat Action Plan,” said Ed Schriever, Director of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game and Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. “This legislation is critical to keep the National Fish Habitat Partnership, which was established in 2006, moving forward and will ensure that needed funding goes to support on-the-ground conservation projects of our partnerships across the U.S. “<br />
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The National Fish Habitat Partnership is a voluntary, non-regulatory, fish habitat conservation program. The National Fish Habitat Partnership has supported more than 840 projects benefiting fish habitat in all 50 states. The partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide; leveraging federal, state, tribal, and private funding resources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects of 20 regionally-based Fish Habitat Partnerships.<br />
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The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.<br />
tions. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-37415234234574414682019-03-13T13:21:00.003-04:002019-03-13T13:21:41.481-04:00The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies is Pleased about the Passage of the Public Lands Bill<br /><i><b>Washington D.C. (March 13, 2019)</b></i>- The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies was pleased to see President Trump sign into law <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/47">S.47</a>, the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (formerly known as the Natural Resources Management Act). This bipartisan legislation permanently authorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a significant tool for increasing recreational access to public lands and supporting fish and wildlife habitat. This public lands package also contains more than 100 local and regional public lands bills that aim to benefit sportsmen and women. <br /><br />“The Association is delighted to see the Land and Water Conservation Fund has a secure future,” said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “We look forward to working with our federal partners and supporting the Land and Water Conservation Fund to invest in clean water and productive land and wildlife habitat across the nation.” <br /><br />The Land and Water Conservation Fund works in partnership with federal, state and local efforts to protect land in our national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, national trails, and other public lands. The program’s goal is to preserve working forests and ranchlands; to support state and local parks and playgrounds, to preserve battlefields and other historic and cultural sites and to provide the tools that communities need to meet their diverse conservation and recreation needs. <br /><br />The bill was named in honor of former Congressman John Dingell who passed away last month. The Michigan Democrat was a lifelong outdoorsman and tireless conservation champion, responsible for leading many of our nation’s landmark conservation bills during his 59 years in Congress. <br /><br />### <br /><br />The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-33680831183281083142019-03-12T12:49:00.003-04:002019-03-12T15:13:19.244-04:00Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Approves Statement on the Cause of Chronic Wasting Disease<br />
Last week, at the 84th North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference, state directors approved a statement entitled <a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/5915/5239/7836/2019_AFWA_CWD_Etiology_FINAL_APPROVED_FORMATTED.pdf">Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Statement on Chronic Wasting Disease Etiology</a> during the of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies business meeting. This statement was drafted by leading experts in wildlife disease management and affirms the current scientific consensus that Chronic Wasting Disease, a 100% fatal disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer, is caused by a misfolded protein called a ‘prion.’ <br />
<br />
"Recent media coverage has focused on alternative theories that suggest that Chronic Wasting Disease may be caused by bacteria or other sources," said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "We felt that until there was definitive proof otherwise, it was important that the Association go on record as supporting the overwhelming scientific consensus that Chronic Wasting Disease is caused by mutated protein known as prions." <br />
<br />
The Association and its members have been at the forefront of Chronic Wasting Disease management for decades, having most recently written and adopted the <a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/5215/3729/1805/AFWA_CWD_BMPS_12_September_2018_FINAL.pdf">Best Management Practices for Prevention, Surveillance, and Management of Chronic Wasting Disease</a> which provides extensive guidance to state, federal, provincial, and territorial wildlife agencies tasked with managing this disease. <br />
<br />
"I strongly support the statement that is being released by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies today," said Bob Duncan, Director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and chair of the Association's Fish and Wildlife Health Committee. "Our nation's hunters deserve to have the best available scientifically credible information about this deadly disease, and to know that our state, federal, provincial, and territorial wildlife agencies are doing everything within their power to stop its spread." <br />
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The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-71087750682294817572019-01-28T09:06:00.001-05:002019-01-28T09:06:14.034-05:00Urban Wildlife Workshop <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2ORG69_LIt67n3rcUapAmeC4Dpkel46GCl-qNl2kRZAxYDGT_HYpVN-jGHOjQN8C4vdeSGQpJooKl_-FkhqEYiBhrhBMKv1nesJlk4DLxTLeA3vz8qHAPqSmBeK_lYLdKNL_kG7bG9I/s1600/pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2ORG69_LIt67n3rcUapAmeC4Dpkel46GCl-qNl2kRZAxYDGT_HYpVN-jGHOjQN8C4vdeSGQpJooKl_-FkhqEYiBhrhBMKv1nesJlk4DLxTLeA3vz8qHAPqSmBeK_lYLdKNL_kG7bG9I/s320/pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
Extreme weather events: How to protect native fish and wildlife in a changing urban environment</h3>
The world is increasingly becoming urbanized. In the United States alone, over 80% of the population now resides in urban areas. At the same time, our climate is rapidly changing and causing novel issues for fish and wildlife, as well as for people, their communities, and their jobs. Extreme events like hurricanes and drought, wildfire, and nuisance flooding, among others, are affecting these systems in new and record-breaking ways. Increasingly, the public will be looking to their natural resource agencies for ways to prepare for, endure, and restore after these events. In this half-day workshop, we will explore these critical issues and the solutions to them. Hear stories from leaders in the field, engage new partners, and learn the creative approaches to adapt effectively in a changing world.<br />
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<b>Join us Tuesday, March 5th 8am-12pm at the <a href="https://wildlifemanagement.institute/conference">84th North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference in Denver, Colorado</a></b>. This workshop is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, National Wildlife Federation, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. For more information, email <a href="mailto:mjohnson@fishwildlife.org">Maggie Ernest Johnson</a>, Adaptation Program Manager, AFWA.<br />
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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-68757830493463390202019-01-11T10:23:00.001-05:002019-01-11T10:23:45.670-05:00The Association Commends the Service for Opening 38 RefugesPRESS RELEASE<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Washington D.C. </b>(January
9, 2019)-<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>The Association of Fish
& Wildlife agencies learned yesterday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), for the next 30 days, using previously appropriated funds,
will bring back a limited number of employees to resume work on high priority
projects and activities at 38 National Wildlife Refuges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“The Association would like to thank Acting Secretary David
Bernhardt for continuing to meet our community’s priorities and needs with the
limited resources and authorities at hand during the partial federal government
shutdown,” said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies and Executive Director of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “The
opening of these National Wildlife Refuges will also bring economic benefits to
local communities.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
During the partial federal shutdown, the Service has been
able to keep parts of some National Wildlife Refuges accessible to the public
where the presence of federal employees or contractors is not required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Service is adding “additional staff to
support scheduled events and other public uses on 38 selected refuges based on
criteria that takes into consideration visitation during the month of January,
opportunities, including hunting [and fishing], that would otherwise be limited
or unavailable during this time, and protection, management and security of
public resources.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Those refuges affected are:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 1<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Midway Atoll (HI)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Kilauea Point (HI)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Tualatin River (OR)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually (WA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 2<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Laguna Atascosa (TX)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Lower Rio Grande Valley (TX)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 45.75pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -27.75pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Santa Ana (TX)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Anahuac (TX)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->McFaddin (TX)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bosque del Apache (NM)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Wichita Mountains (OK)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Valle de Oro (NM)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 3<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Minnesota Valley (MN)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Fergus Falls WMD (MN)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->DeSoto (IA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Great River (MO)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Clarence Cannon (MO)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Mingo (MO)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 4<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Crystal River (FL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->J.N. Ding Darling (FL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee (FL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Merritt Island (FL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Wheeler (AL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 5<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->John Heinz (PA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Wertheim (NY)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bombay Hook (DE)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Parker River (MA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Umbagog (NH)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 6<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Rocky Mountain Arsenal (CO)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bear River (UT)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Region 8<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sacramento (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Delevan (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Colusa (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sutter (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->San Luis (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Merced (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Kern (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Pixley (CA)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Association of Fish &
Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to
advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife
and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state
agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable
fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all
entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association
also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as
well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy
development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education,
leadership training and international relations. Working together, the
Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and
wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/association-commends-service-opening-38-refuges">Download our press release here</a>The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-27426257426218990272018-12-17T09:10:00.001-05:002018-12-17T09:10:44.513-05:00Press Release: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Commends Congress for Passing the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018December 17, 2018<br />
<br />
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) applauds the passage the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2">Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018</a> by Congress, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill (HR2). The Farm Bill is the single largest federal investment for conservation on private lands in the nation and is critical to state fish and wildlife agencies for conserving and improving millions of acres of habitat through voluntary efforts that can also provide opportunities for hunting and angling.<br />
<br />
“We applaud and thank Chairman Roberts, Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Stabenow, and Ranking Member Peterson for listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers, and the conservation community by working together to pass a Farm Bill that has a strong conservation title which is needed to conserve our natural resources while keeping working lands working,” said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.<br />
<br />
The 2014 Farm Bill expired September 30, 2018, and many provisions have been in a state of flux since then. The Senate and House Agriculture Committees spent much time this Congress listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and the wildlife conservation community to carefully craft and pass a conference report that is welcomed by many.<br />
<br />
“This Farm Bill is extremely important for conservation – it provides much needed resources and policy improvements for private agricultural producers that are also a good fit with fish, wildlife, soil, and water conservation. Further, the conference report aligns well with the Association’s 2018 Farm Bill reauthorization <a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/3915/1870/7876/2-pager_AFWA_Policy_Priorities_for_the_2018_Farm_Bill.pdf">priorities</a>. We greatly appreciate the many long hours and deep dedication exhibited by our Members of Congress, their staffs, and the conservation organizations that helped make this Farm Bill a reality,” said Jim Douglas, Director of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and chair of the Association’s Agriculture Conservation Committee.<br />
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“We look forward to enactment of this critical piece of legislation and rolling up our sleeves and getting to work with our partners at the US Department of Agriculture to craft rules for implementing the newly enacted provisions,” said Ron Regan Executive Director of the Association.<br />
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Notable conservation benefits provided in the 2018 Farm Bill include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The Conservation Reserve Program will provide contracts for 27 million acres of private land by 2023, allocating around $2 billion annually for farmers to remove environmentally sensitive land from their agricultural production to improve the land quality.</li>
<li>The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program will provide $450 million per year (totaling $2.25 billion over five years) for financial assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands.</li>
<li>The Voluntary Public Access - Habitat Improvement Program (VPA-HIP) will include $50 million total to enable state/tribal governments to increase public access to private lands for recreational opportunities and enhance fish/wildlife habitats.</li>
<li>The Environmental Quality Incentives Program will allocate $9.2 billion over five years to allow agricultural producers to plan and implement conservation practices to improve soil, water, and fish and wildlife habitat.</li>
<li>Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which will provide $300 million annually ($1.5 billion total), the Natural Resources Conservation Service will help producers increase restoration and sustainable use of natural resources by implementing and maintaining conservation practices across landscapes.</li>
<li>The Conservation Stewardship Program will allocate $3.9 billion over five years to help agricultural producers improve conservation systems.</li>
<li>The bill also includes $75 million in mandatory funding to control and eradicate feral swine populations in the US and a provision to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires by renewing the insect and disease categorical exclusion and expanding its purpose to allow for expedited reduction of hazardous fuels.</li>
<li>Additionally, the bill includes an important categorical exclusion for restoring and rehabilitating sagebrush habitat for the benefit of sage-grouse and mule deer.</li>
</ul>
<br />
One of the new priorities for USDA Agricultural Research and Extension is to provide grants to land grant colleges and universities that have established deer research programs for the purposes of treating, mitigating, or eliminating chronic wasting diseaseThe Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-30751236196963382952018-12-07T11:34:00.001-05:002018-12-07T11:34:21.912-05:00Webinar- Clean air and water, human health, and economic benefits: How bird conservation benefits some of the things Americans value most -- and how we spread that message. <h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wildlife Viewing & Nature Tourism Working Group </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2018 Fall Webinar Series</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPWb2zjIzNhQLWx7Q92f-PEN99HgHEQQaVjmI7KiCkUn_dFYYGwHvvr2x0DIvNXgDCSNBpRmwS18Ya-VbjrmH6aQBmWeuQQsBB5YwTuNxvMhAo7Njl0CpbTk8953vzCrmyUM8vq7IUJg/s1600/NABCI+Benefits+of+Birds+Dec2018+WVNT+webinar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPWb2zjIzNhQLWx7Q92f-PEN99HgHEQQaVjmI7KiCkUn_dFYYGwHvvr2x0DIvNXgDCSNBpRmwS18Ya-VbjrmH6aQBmWeuQQsBB5YwTuNxvMhAo7Njl0CpbTk8953vzCrmyUM8vq7IUJg/s1600/NABCI+Benefits+of+Birds+Dec2018+WVNT+webinar.jpg" /></a>Stay warm this weekend and mark your calendars for the next webinar in the Wildlife Viewing & Nature Tourism series: <b><i>Clean air and water, human health, and economic benefits:How bird conservation benefits some of the things Americans value most -- and how we spread that message. </i></b><br /><br />December 18, 2018 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST <br /><br />Featuring our ‘own’ Greg Butcher, Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service International Programs; and Steven Albert, Assistant Director for Demographic Monitoring Programs at the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) at Point Reyes Station, CA. <br /><br />This webinar will describe the origin and mission of NABCI (North American Bird Conservation Initiative), discuss Bird Conservation Relevancy examples that NABCI has gathered, and discuss how these might be used to reach a diverse audience with a message about the benefits of bird conservation.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/3815/4420/0409/NABCI_Benefits_of_Birds_Dec2018_WVNT_webinar.pdf">Download the flyer here.</a></div>
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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-11603176717329034222018-11-02T09:50:00.000-04:002018-11-02T09:50:07.070-04:00Webinar: Using eBird Data to Provide Useable Metrics<h2>
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Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’</div>
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Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group</div>
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2018 Fall Webinar Series</div>
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Using eBird’s Data to Provide Useable Metrics</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtQIx9WR4MqGD02Gow2Z_6dT-JPppaCxRDqxxr7nj8jvWiCXNESMJh8aofvYvwiRR8XpjP-jHyCNtjZI_HwGYtMncoU5uuFkMpTPQHGiSSTu_zOy72j0a2sTHnZJfHwj0I3LDsGaFoeo/s1600/EBird+Data+Webinar+Nov+13+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtQIx9WR4MqGD02Gow2Z_6dT-JPppaCxRDqxxr7nj8jvWiCXNESMJh8aofvYvwiRR8XpjP-jHyCNtjZI_HwGYtMncoU5uuFkMpTPQHGiSSTu_zOy72j0a2sTHnZJfHwj0I3LDsGaFoeo/s640/EBird+Data+Webinar+Nov+13+2018.jpg" width="152" /></a>November 13, 2018 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST</h4>
Nature tourism projects are often a tough sell, partially because success is difficult to measure. Hard data on wildlife watcher activity (e.g., birdwatchers) often requires expensive, rigorous human dimensions surveys. The eBird service provides a free, wildly-popular, and easily-accessible method for the general public to log and view bird sightings. eBird not only informs an improved understanding of bird distribution, but also the location and activity of the birders themselves. For example, in North Carolina alone, 3,748 eBirders spent 72,102 hours completing 68,679 checklists in 2017. Scott will present the benefits and caveats of harnessing the massive and open-access eBird Basic Dataset (EBD) to devise visitation metrics for sites, cities, communities, or regions. These data have the potential to provide a low-cost method to inform marketing strategies and provide measures of effectiveness for bird tourism programs.<br />
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<b>Presented By</b>: Scott Anderson<br />
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Scott grew up in Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut before attending University of Delaware and earning a BS in Environmental Science. After spending 3 years working field jobs on northern goshawk, three-toed woodpecker, burrowing owl, and marine mammals, Scott worked as a database manager and computer software trainer. To move back towards a career in the natural sciences, Scott completed an MS in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University investigating foraging habits of Caspian terns in the Columbia River Estuary. After graduation, he began as a database manager for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.<br />
Scott is currently a statewide bird biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (ncwildlife.org) and coordinator of the NC Birding Trail (ncbirdingtrail.org).<br />
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<b>Connection</b>:<br />
Join the webinar at <a href="http://fwc.adobeconnect.com/wildlifeviewing">fwc.adobeconnect.com/wildlifeviewing </a>(sign in as guest, with first and last name, no password required).<br />
Conference call audio: 888-670-3525<br />
Participant code: 835-369-4269<br />
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<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/9615/4116/6587/EBird_Data_Webinar_Nov_13_2018.pdf">Download flyer here</a>.The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-62564796531503762282018-10-17T15:22:00.001-04:002018-10-17T15:22:37.010-04:00The Strategist: Fall 2018 EditionArticles include brief updates on the 2018-2019 AFWA Officers & Executive Committee; Legislative Updates; 2018 AFWA Annual Awards; Recovering America's Wildlife Act; International Updates, and Business Meeting Resolutions. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/download_file/view/1487/2257">Download the Fall 2018 Edition of The Strategist here.</a><div>
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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-89574686479357549432018-10-09T09:10:00.000-04:002018-10-09T09:10:11.841-04:0021st International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species, October 27-31, 2019<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtNIA-He7m5K_IhPlqfLcPpAL6YujKX2Hg1koz8P1v7QiNdMaz7CcYWUObrs1SfPU7w6fv64qgtGTnVtv21PTB-TllG84yRp62j235BZXHA-2eEaGmTu_MGhiRD-we7D-5h_4hrBdpv8/s1600/ICAIS+2019+Banner1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtNIA-He7m5K_IhPlqfLcPpAL6YujKX2Hg1koz8P1v7QiNdMaz7CcYWUObrs1SfPU7w6fv64qgtGTnVtv21PTB-TllG84yRp62j235BZXHA-2eEaGmTu_MGhiRD-we7D-5h_4hrBdpv8/s320/ICAIS+2019+Banner1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /><b>SAVE THE DATE!</b><br />International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species (ICAIS) 2019 will be the premier scientific conference on aquatic invasive species issues that will offer new experiences for all participants, plus unique professional development opportunities for students and young professionals.<div>
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Key topics that will be covered during next year’s conference include:</div>
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<li>Conservation and restoration</li>
<li>Predictive ecology and risk assessment</li>
<li>Ecophysiology and adaptive evolution of invaders</li>
<li>Advances in invasion theory</li>
<li>Effects of multiple stressors on invasion success and impact</li>
<li>Impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems</li>
<li>New developments in management and control</li>
<li>Policy and public outreach</li>
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Learn more: <a href="https://www.icais.org/html/info_intro.html">https://www.icais.org/html/info_intro.html</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.icais.org/pdf/ICAIS%202019%20Call%20for%20Abstracts.pdf">Download the Call for Abstracts Announcement.</a></div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-7679947586395770452018-10-03T14:23:00.002-04:002018-10-03T14:24:36.140-04:00 Science Does Guide Wildlife Management in North America: Scientists and Conservation Leaders Respond to Artelle et al.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUV0M3vQ4uotMgaaNc24xO4U4dcAT4bca31ZciMfTgLAd2sg5ZgXYpJKqfrK6YiYi35cwa9o32qg8x1wtt9FS2UUcRf-Es_it8MtYdshyXc0A1DlT8uZ1S8QlU9SNUWXwGwT_JjpVRlI/s1600/AFWA+logo+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="246" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUV0M3vQ4uotMgaaNc24xO4U4dcAT4bca31ZciMfTgLAd2sg5ZgXYpJKqfrK6YiYi35cwa9o32qg8x1wtt9FS2UUcRf-Es_it8MtYdshyXc0A1DlT8uZ1S8QlU9SNUWXwGwT_JjpVRlI/s200/AFWA+logo+small.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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October 3, 2018</div>
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Today, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Science
Advances</i> publishes a formal response entitled ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/10/eaat8281">Artelle
et al. (2018) Miss the Science Underlying North American Wildlife Management’</a></i>.
This response, authored by a broad group of scientists, wildlife managers, and
conservation professionals in the United States and Canada, reveals the
unfortunate errors in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842039/">Artelle et al.
article</a> which inaccurately concluded that state and provincial fish and
wildlife agencies in North America are managing wildlife without using
science.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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“We are happy to report that state and provincial fish and
wildlife management is indeed guided by a broad range of scientific information,
deployed by individuals who have extensive scientific training, in order to
conserve our nations natural resources for future generations,” said Ed Carter,
President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive
Director of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Our state fish and wildlife agencies use all
means at their disposal to manage and conserve their most valuable resources, our
fish and wildlife, along with clean air, water, healthy forests and
agricultural lands that support all of us.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Artelle et al. (2018)
Miss the Science Underlying North American Wildlife Management</i> highlights
several key errors in the original Artelle et al. paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, Artelle et al. confuse the process of
conducting scientific research with the process of managing wildlife or other
natural resources: while wildlife and natural resource management is informed
by science, management activities may not always conform to the same principles
and format as a scientific research project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furthermore, the primary source of information for the Artelle et al.
paper was a series of wildlife management reports and documents that they
downloaded from agency websites; these authors did not actually meet with state
and provincial wildlife agency managers to learn how science is applied in
real-world wildlife management. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Artelle
et al. identified a set of “hallmarks of science” and then examined their
collection of documents and reports from agency websites to see if these
“hallmarks” appeared in these management documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Artelle et al. mistakenly concluded that an
absence of their “hallmarks of science” from agency documents meant that these
documents are not grounded in science, when in fact scientific information is considered
by wildlife managers at each step in the decision-making process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The Association would like to acknowledge the authors of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Artelle et al. (2018) Miss the Science
Underlying North American Wildlife Management</i>: Jonathan R. Mawdsley (AFWA),
John F. Organ (USGS), Daniel J. Decker (Cornell University), Ann B. Forstchen
(Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Ronald J. Regan (AFWA),
Shawn J. Riley (Michigan State University), Mark S. Boyce (University of
Alberta), John E. McDonald Jr. (The Wildlife Society), Chris Dwyer (U. S. Fish
and Wildlife Service), and Shane P. Mahoney (Conservation Visions). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Association of Fish &
Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to
advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife
and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state
agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance
favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure
that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The
Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on
cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish
habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans,
conservation education, leadership training and international relations.
Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North
American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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View our press release here: <a href="http://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/science-does-guide-wildlife-management-north-america-scientists-and-conservation-leaders-respond-artelle-et-al">www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/science-does-guide-wildlife-management-north-america-scientists-and-conservation-leaders-respond-artelle-et-al</a></div>
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-26377363327995358402018-10-03T09:19:00.002-04:002018-10-03T09:19:12.492-04:00Job Announcement- Open Recruitment for Director of Leadership Development<br />The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) is seeing a Director of Leadership Development based out of the AFWA offices at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. The selected candidate will lead the Association’s leadership development offerings focusing on three key areas: (1) State agency multi‐level leadership products and services including online offerings and regional adaptive leadership workshops; (2) State agency focused leadership level consulting and training; (3) Conservation community‐wide engagement through the National Conservation Training Center. The selected candidate will ensure that these offerings are meeting the needs of AFWA’s members and our conservation partners and that they are successfully implemented through effective operations, management and staff leadership. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/6415/3840/0392/Director_of_Leadership_Development_2018.pdf">Click here to download the full Director of Leadership Development Job Announcement.</a> <br /><br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, founded in 1902, represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies. It promotes sound management and conservation and speaks with a collective voice on important fish and wildlife issues. The Association is a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) trade association. See <a href="http://www.fishwildlife.org/">www.fishwildlife.org</a> for more information. <br /><br /> The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-34754733889199359802018-10-01T14:49:00.000-04:002018-10-01T14:49:04.040-04:00Ed Carter Elected 2018-2019 President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife AgenciesSeptember 21, 2018 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOJ4ZX0RlzZUl7JDT-4TUx-QU4XojxTcu8nRDp7wEAnNW1onIq6GGf1DsdbyxQJ18WRqYnffxb7awm3ypY9hyphenhyphenhKPDRDY3zgv4G0keuBJeqqziC93tU6hIpYp7iQHMREtMBZtnQSYX62M/s1600/Ed+Carter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOJ4ZX0RlzZUl7JDT-4TUx-QU4XojxTcu8nRDp7wEAnNW1onIq6GGf1DsdbyxQJ18WRqYnffxb7awm3ypY9hyphenhyphenhKPDRDY3zgv4G0keuBJeqqziC93tU6hIpYp7iQHMREtMBZtnQSYX62M/s200/Ed+Carter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1771421234"></span><span id="goog_1771421235"></span>The membership of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies elected Ed Carter, Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), as its new president during its 108th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida.<br />
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In accepting AFWA’s Presidency, Carter reflected on the critical importance of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act as well as all the accomplishments made by the Association over the past year under the leadership of Past-President Virgil Moore, Director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. <br />
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“Thank you for this opportunity and honor to serve in this capacity,” said Carter. “I am looking forward to personally working with all of the state and federal agencies, partners, and friends towards our common conservation goals. It is of great importance that we work together to conserve the fish and wildlife that are among this nation’s most valuable resources, along with clean air, water, healthy forests and agricultural lands that support all of us.”<br />
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Other priorities on Carter’s agenda include passage of The Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act, engagement with federal ESA issues, and Chronic Wasting Disease. Carter also plans to continue efforts towards strengthening partnerships and increasing our efforts on hunting, shooting sports, angling and boating recruitment, retention and reactivation initiatives. <br />
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Carter will serve as AFWA President through September 2019.<br />
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“Ed Carter is a true leader in conservation with a wealth of knowledge and experience,” stated Virgil Moore, Director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and 2017-2018 President of the Association of the Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Ed brings new energy and insights that will be invaluable to the Association and its members as we forge ahead through the challenges of today.” <br />
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Carter’s career began with the TWRA in 1972. He served as an education representative, hunter education coordinator, education and law enforcement training officer and a Region II assistant regional manager over the 25 counties of middle Tennessee. . He became TWRA’s Chief of the Boating Division when the division was formed in 1990. TWRA is the sole state agency charged with the responsibility for boating safety and law enforcement. Carter was named the Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in 2009. <br />
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“Ed Carter has been a true champion of wildlife and conservation for more than 46 years,” said Kurt Holbert, Vice Chair of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission. “I have no doubt that he will continue to make Tennessee proud by leading the advancement of those interests on a national scale. “ <br />
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Ed carter has chaired numerous AFWA committees and task forces during his tenure in Tennessee. He will also receive the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Meritorious Award, the Institute’s highest and most prestigious award, later this month. <br />
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A native of Hawkins County, Carter is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He and his wife of 44 years, Karen, have three adult children Mark, Tracie, and Christie. <br />
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The full list of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies elected 2018-2019 Officers and Executive Committee:<br />
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<b>President</b>: Ed Carter, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency<br />
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<b>Vice President</b>: Glenn Normandeau, New Hampshire Fish & Game Department<br />
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<b>Secretary/Treasurer</b>: Gordon Myers, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission<br />
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<b>Past President</b>: Virgil Moore, Idaho Fish & Game Department<br />
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<b>EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE</b><br />
<b>Chair</b>: Bob Broscheid, Colorado Division of Parks & Wildlife<br />
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<b>Vice Chair</b>: Sara Parker Pauley, Missouri Department of Conservation<br />
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<b>Members</b>:<br />
Mark Reiter, Indiana Department of Natural Resources<br />
Jim Douglas, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission<br />
Kelly Hepler, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department<br />
Carter Smith, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department<br />
Cathy Sparks, Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management<br />
Tony Wasley, Nevada Department of Wildlife<br />
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<b>EX OFFICIO VOTING MEMBERS </b>Canada: Travis Ripley, Alberta Environment & Parks<br />
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<b>REGIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS</b><br />
<b>Midwest</b>: Terry Steinwand, North Dakota Game and Fish Department<br />
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<b>Northeast</b>: Jim Connolly, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife<br />
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<b>Southeast</b>: Chuck Sykes, Alabama Division of W<img height="16" id="81zgh1jsvoey" src="data:image/gif;base64,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" width="16" />ldlife and Freshwater Fisheries<br />
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<b>Western</b>: Curt Melcher, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife<br />
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<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/ed-carter-elected-2018-2019-president-association-fish-wildlife-agencies">Click here for full press release. </a></div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-55707890943323358152018-10-01T14:43:00.002-04:002018-10-01T14:43:28.745-04:00AFWA Applauds Interior’s Reaffirmation of States' Primary Role in Fish and Wildlife Management<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #4f4f4e; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Times New Roman", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
September 19, 2018</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBfC837z6g5OfRDIYmG9nkhPY41M1D-y8zGymeBrnW5fouNK_hjx7tXFxd84Asc9al2GtLZAldwRdBlP8nK2q6TkwvWHuDm-NiI4z9LFBc5tiOInabQHihrNhkZg0jm-yQRQQSnHmO_8/s1600/Brown+Trt+GFD_0529+George+Andrejko+sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBfC837z6g5OfRDIYmG9nkhPY41M1D-y8zGymeBrnW5fouNK_hjx7tXFxd84Asc9al2GtLZAldwRdBlP8nK2q6TkwvWHuDm-NiI4z9LFBc5tiOInabQHihrNhkZg0jm-yQRQQSnHmO_8/s320/Brown+Trt+GFD_0529+George+Andrejko+sml.jpg" width="214" /></a>The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies applauds the memorandum issued by Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke, on September 10, which reaffirms the primary authority of state fish and wildlife agencies to manage fish and wildlife within their borders, including on DOI land. The Memorandum states ‘The Department recognizes States as the first-line authorities for fish and wildlife management and hereby expresses its commitment to defer to the States in this regard except as otherwise required by Federal law.’</div>
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The memorandum is based on a policy, adopted in 1983, that recognized the primary state authority regarding fish and resident wildlife in the absence of specific, overriding federal law (43 C.F.R Part 24). The memorandum was announced last week by DOI Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Aurelia Skipwith, at the annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In this announcement, Skipwith stated that this memorandum is intended to clarify the relationship between the states and the DOI bureaus and offices, to strengthen the joint state-federal conservation partnership, and to enhance public opportunities to enjoy the benefits of the Nation’s fish and wildlife.</div>
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The memorandum includes three key action items:<br />
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<li>Within 45 days of this Memorandum, all Bureaus and Offices complete a review of all regulations, policies, and guidance that pertains to the conservation and management of fish and wildlife species on lands and waters under their jurisdiction that are more restrictive than otherwise applicable State provisions for the management of fish and wildlife, including all such regulations, policies, and guidance that pertain to public recreational use and enjoyment of fish and wildlife species;</li>
<li>Within 90 days, each Bureau and Office referenced provide the Deputy Secretary a report containing detailed recommendations for the respective Bureau or Office to better align its regulations, policies, and guidance with State provisions.</li>
<li>After receiving the reports containing detailed recommendations, the Deputy Secretary shall appropriately consult with the State fish and wildlife agencies regarding the recommendations and deliver an implementation plan to me within 120 days of this Memorandum.</li>
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Ed Carter, President of the Association, expressed gratitude for this important statement and that “he is looking forward to working with the DOI bureaus in furthering our collaborative commitment to our nation’s great outdoor recreational heritage and conservation stewardship.”</div>
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<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/afwa-applauds-interiors-reaffirmation-states-primary-role-fish-and-wildlife-management">Click here for full press release.</a></div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-52779996686867266482018-10-01T14:40:00.002-04:002018-10-01T14:40:56.821-04:00AFWA Honors its 2018 Annual Awards Recipients<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #4f4f4e; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Times New Roman", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
September 19, 2018</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMzew0hHzeBdR8oTFgKzsfGyu6CBgMbgrArovCllwjPMZUCCUs_nD3y63m-3vBHxXN59_q6n__IlIOhy5NCjZuVQPp69gNda2M0Q_e1qtJ_QHQ9fcd4BajI4UKgGZ0X0nDHV5BiNZQvg/s1600/20180911+AFWA+141-2+8x10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMzew0hHzeBdR8oTFgKzsfGyu6CBgMbgrArovCllwjPMZUCCUs_nD3y63m-3vBHxXN59_q6n__IlIOhy5NCjZuVQPp69gNda2M0Q_e1qtJ_QHQ9fcd4BajI4UKgGZ0X0nDHV5BiNZQvg/s320/20180911+AFWA+141-2+8x10.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) recognized nine individuals, two state agencies, one cooperative agency, and one private landowner for their dedication to advancing fish and wildlife conservation at the Association’s Annual Awards Ceremony held on September 11, 2018 in Tampa, Florida.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">SETH GORDON AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Keith Sexson received AFWA’s top honor, the Seth Gordon Award for lifetime achievement in conserving North America’s natural resources in the public trust and contributing to the programs of the Association. </div>
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Keith Sexson has dedicated 50 years to the advancement of professional wildlife management in Kansas and beyond. First and foremost, within his career, there has been a dedication to Kansas and the heritage and traditions of natural resource management in the state. He found ways to advance wildlife conservation under varying administrations, ever-changing social and political pressures, and technological and industrial progress. </div>
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As Mr. Sexson saw opportunities to impact larger areas and ever increasing complex issues of regional and national importance, he expanded his horizons and became a leader on the regional and national stage. He has been active within the Midwest, Western and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and continuously works to find acceptable compromises which advance natural resource conservation.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">JOHN L. MORRIS AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Bruce Culpepper, CEO, Shell, United States, of Houston, Texas, received AFWA’s John L. Morris Award which recognizes a lifetime commitment to fish and wildlife stewardship by citizen conservationists who have exhibited exemplary leadership at the highest level and demonstrated a steadfast commitment to large scale natural resource challenges.</div>
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An avid outdoorsman, Bruce Culpepper, grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama and was a typical country kid. His keen interest in land and water conservation laid the foundation for the conservation ethic he’s brought to his professional career. Mr. Culpepper was a founding member of the Coastal Conservation Association’s Building Conservation Trust marine habitat program, which has put millions of dollars into restoring coastal marshes and building critically important oyster reefs. He was a member of the national Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. He has also been a Board leader with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the nonprofit funding partner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Through his time on the Board, the Foundation acquired the iconic 17,351-acre Powderhorn Ranch for establishment of a state park and wildlife management area, as well as secured vital funding for the Texas Game Warden Training Center.</div>
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Mr. Culpepper has created a lasting legacy in the conservation arena though his unique ability to organize and galvanize corporate and private partners for the cause of natural resource conservation.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">ERNEST THOMPSON SETON AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study received AFWA’s Earnest Thompson Seton Award for leadership in scientific management. The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) has afforded state fish and wildlife agencies with far greater capabilities for wildlife health monitoring and investigation than could be attained singularly.</div>
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The research accomplishments of SCWDS have been recognized nationally and internationally. The parasites and diseases affecting every major game mammal and upland game bird, as well as numerous nongame species, in the Southeast have been studied by researchers at SCWDS. These studies have practical application in wildlife management, domestic livestock and poultry production and public health policy.</div>
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The achievements of SCWDS are most impressive, and they provide great value to wildlife professionals, agricultural interests and public health officials throughout the country. Dr. John Fischer, Director for SCWDS, accepted this prestigious award on behalf of SCWDS. </div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for their ‘Protect The Lakes You Love’ Aquatic Invasive Species Public Awareness Campaign, is the recipient of this year’s Boone and Crockett Award, which honors an agency and team leader for outstanding achievement in promoting and encouraging outdoor ethics.</div>
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The ‘Protect The Lakes You Love’ Aquatic Invasive Species Public Awareness Campaign whose goal is to prevent the spread of invasive species, specifically Zebra Mussels and Giant Salvinia, to un-infested water bodies by motivating boaters to always properly clean, drain, and dry their watercrafts after they leave the lake and before traveling to another lake.</div>
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The campaign has been very well-received and has increased awareness amongst boaters of the importance of doing the right thing and always practicing “Clean, Drain and Dry” every time they leave a waterbody. In two instances boaters have also reported zebra mussels to TPWD and attributed their awareness of the invasive species to TPWD’s boater awareness campaign. TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith and Nature Tourism Manager Shelly Plante accepted the award on behalf of team leader Carly Montez.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">MARK J. REEFF MEMORIAL AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Devin DeMario with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is the Mark Reeff Memorial Award recipient for the outstanding young wildlife management professional under age 35. Ms. DeMario has done tremendous job of establishing relationships with key individuals and becoming familiar with important (and complex) issues. Importantly, this person also acts as a catalyst for communication and relationship building amongst fishery chiefs and other agency staff, while demonstrating remarkable courage when engaging challenging issues. Devin’s leadership and dedication is a true asset to AFWA and the state’s fisheries program’s throughout the United States.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">CONSERVATION LAW ENFORCEMENT AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />This award goes to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement, specifically the hard work of South Region Bravo, “Operation Thimblerig”, Lieutenant Jose Escabi, Lieutenant Jeremy Munkelt, Investigator Danielle Munkelt, and Officer Adam Garrison.</div>
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Numerous Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers played key roles in the two-year undercover operation dubbed "Operation Thimblerig," which exposed a large-scale fraud, theft and forgery operation responsible for a complex web of criminal activity centered around the South Florida commercial fishing industry.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">PRIVATE LANDS FISH AND WILDLIFE STEWARDSHIP AWARD</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />This year’s recipient of AFWA’s Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award is Dr. Kent Forney and the Forney Ranch for their proactive conservation and environmental practices and exhibiting outstanding stewardship of fish and wildlife resources.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The Forney ranch was homesteaded in 1906 by Hubert Forney and eventually passed on to son Don Forney. The ranch was incorporated in the 1960s with the stockholders being Don and Oliva Forney's children: Kent (Veterinarian), Glen (Surgeon, ret.), Bruce (Doctor), Dean (Attorney) and Joann (Rancher). Today it encompasses approximately 34,000 acres. The land use today includes agriculture, ranching, wildlife and fisheries. The management effects to the overall productivity and aesthetics are impressive. Abundant wildlife inhabits the properties including Mule deer, Whitetail deer, elk, Mountain lion, turkey, bobcat, pronghorn, pheasant, waterfowl, coyote as well as many other furbearers, game/non-game species. Sandage prairie is a Tier 1species in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan and the largest known population of these species in the state is on the Forney property. </div>
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Past and current property uses have involved the public through youth turkey, deer and pheasant hunts. Limited hunting and fishing is also allowed on much of the property. The Forney family has been committed to the conservation of wildlife over many years both on their ranches and in their willingness to serve on local, state, and national conservation boards. They have worked hard to find the balance of a working ranch with the benefits to wildlife and have consistently provided advocacy of conservation minded stewardship both on their own land and sharing their passion with others.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The Association presented three special recognition awards for outstanding commitment to the work of AFWA to Dr. Stephen Torbit, the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.</div>
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Over the past several years, Dr. Torbit has strived to collaborate with state resource management partners to identify and support shared wildlife management priorities and facilitating the ability for the USFWS and the States to obtain key scientific information across the 8-state Mountain-Prairie Region, as well as the broader 11-state sagebrush ecoregion- one of the most significant ecosystems in the west. Specific examples of Dr. Torbit's conservation leadership include multiple collaborative efforts working with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) to coordinate science within and across agencies, fill key data gaps, and provide decision support capability for both the Service and State agencies. His exemplary efforts and dedication to science-based cross-agency collaboration, Dr. Stephen Torbit's work is especially relevant to AFWA's mission to advance sound, science based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest.</div>
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The Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program demonstrated outstanding commitment to the recovery of the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot through the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. After each event, without hesitation, even after personally suffering the impacts from the hurricanes on their families and property, these Service employees stepped up working tirelessly under harsh conditions and with limited resources to safe guard the captive parrot population at the lguaca Aviary, restored the damaged facilities and conducted surveys to locate wild parrots. They also provided assistance to the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, struggling to repair its own aviary after the storm.</div>
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In December 2017 Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI) introduced the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (HR4647). This legislation is a top priority of the Association and would implement the first recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife. If the Act becomes law, it would provide states with $1.3 billion in annual funding to implement State Wildlife Action Plans. Congressman Fortenberry and Congresswoman Dingell have worked diligently to secure more than 90 co-sponsors on the bill. They worked with House Natural Resources Committee leadership to hold a hearing on the bill in February 2018. The Association and many of its partners have been working on securing dedicated funding to conserve the full array of fish and wildlife for more than four decades. Passage of this legislation would fulfill that long sought goal and be a game changer for state-based fish and wildlife conservation aimed at preventing endangered species.</div>
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Introduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is only the latest example of Congressman Fortenberry’s and Congresswoman Dingell’s leadership on conservation.</div>
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<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/afwa-honors-its-2018-annual-awards-recipients">Click here for full press release</a>.</div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-85776536058285317332018-10-01T14:38:00.001-04:002018-10-01T14:38:58.520-04:00U.S. House Passes The Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #4f4f4e; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Times New Roman", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNLwgeMZMA1gMJnUNd7bexiSDsMje1uqBwq2J4ILFQXkiLRVx446Fq8lZzMC1UMwbruaHzuKoiwsF29Idkmgu45yag3t3LMlbfgqtjZ0HcoLAG0wbGMEPMwEljyDRp-Rt8bTn7KSSoMo/s1600/father-child-hunting-woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNLwgeMZMA1gMJnUNd7bexiSDsMje1uqBwq2J4ILFQXkiLRVx446Fq8lZzMC1UMwbruaHzuKoiwsF29Idkmgu45yag3t3LMlbfgqtjZ0HcoLAG0wbGMEPMwEljyDRp-Rt8bTn7KSSoMo/s320/father-child-hunting-woods.jpg" width="320" /></a>September 14, 2018- The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies applauds passage, in the U.S. House of Representatives, of <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2591/cosponsors" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #006225; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;">bipartisan legislation to modernize the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act</a> (HR 2591). Without increasing taxes or existing user fees, this bill clarifies that the Pittman-Robertson fund can be used by state fish and wildlife agencies for outreach, communication, and education of hunters and recreational target shooters, including focused efforts on the recruitment, retention, and reactivation of hunters and recreational shooters through R3 initiatives. </div>
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“HR 2591 will give state fish and wildlife agencies the flexibility to meet the needs of our constituents while allowing us to continue to meet our wildlife conservation objectives,” said Ed Carter, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “This bill with help ensure that funding for wildlife conservation will keep pace with the demands of our citizens and our communities.”<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> <br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />“With a national decline in outdoor recreational activities, Pittman-Robertson funds are shrinking and our state and local habitats are suffering, which is why I have been fighting to give states more flexibility in how they use their PR funds and hopefully attract more Americans to the outdoors in the process,” said Rep. Scott. “I am very pleased the House passed my PR modernization bill, and I thank Chairman Rob Bishop for his commitment to this legislation as well as to sportsmen and women across the country. As this bill heads to be considered in the Senate, I will keep pressing until our decades-old wildlife conservation funding model receives the critical updates it deserves.”</div>
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The Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act (HR 2591) passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources by unanimous consent on May 8, 2018. The full House approved the Bill on September 12, 2018. A companion bill awaits action in the Senate. </div>
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<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/landing/blog/us-house-passes-modernizing-pittman-robertson-fund-tomorrows-needs-act">Click here to view full press release</a>.</div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-48051722709190598282018-07-20T11:12:00.002-04:002018-07-20T11:12:38.765-04:00Webinar for State Fish and Wildlife Agencies on Proposed ESA Regulation Revisions<br />
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries Propose Changes to Improve
Implementation of Endangered Species Act</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">What:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries
(Services) are proposing revisions to portions of their regulations that
implement two key sections of the Endangered Species Act. The changes are part
of an ongoing effort to improve implementation of the ESA so that it is clear
and consistent, and provides the maximum degree of regulatory certainty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The
proposed changes incorporate industry innovation, best science, and best
practices to improve reliability, safety, and environmental stewardship. The
proposals reflect President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at reducing the
regulatory burden on citizens and industry, while simultaneously encouraging
collaborative conservation from a broad range of partners to make the ESA as
effective as possible in achieving its goal – recovery of our most imperiled
species to the point they no longer need federal protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">You can
learn more about the proposed revisions at <a href="https://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/regulation-revisions.html" target="_blank">https://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/regulation-revisions.html</a>.
In addition, we will host a webinar for our State agency partners on the
proposed revisions. Below is the information on how to access the
webinar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">Who:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> State Agency partners<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">When:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> July 25, 2018; 3:00 PM EST</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">How:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span>Conference Call and Webinar</div>
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Number: 888-324-8019</div>
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Passcode: 9210600</div>
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Participants can join the event directly at: </div>
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<a href="https://www.mymeetings.com/emeet/join/index.jsp?customHeader=mymeetings&netId=PWXW7841467&netPass=9210600&netType=conference&acceptTerms=on">https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PWXW7841467&p=9210600&t=c </a></div>
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Please be prepared to provide your name and affiliation.</div>
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-59342511688133791272018-04-25T09:37:00.000-04:002018-04-25T09:37:05.305-04:00Webinar: Integrating dynamic vegetation models with bird abundance models to identify priorities for avian conservation and habitat management<b>Abstract</b>: Managers and decision makers recognize that successful climate-smart conservation strategies must focus on a broad range of future scenarios that represent and anticipate changes in climate, habitat types and species assemblages. Past attempts to model changes in bird habitat distributions relied on statistical models of vegetation change under climate change scenarios. While these statistical models fit present-day vegetation biogeography well, they assume that current vegetation are in equilibrium with climate, fail to account for non-analog climates in the future, and provide little insight into mechanisms of change under climate change scenarios. Dynamic general vegetation models (DGVM) simulate mechanisms of vegetation response to climate, which increase our confidence in estimating vegetation response to non-analog climate. However, the coarse spatial resolution of DGVM output presents a barrier for use in simulating avian habit distributions. We developed a methodology for combining the coarse DGVM projections with a finer-scale statistical distribution models to generate projections of future bird distributions across Oregon and Washington. The DGVM-based approach produces projections of avian habitat distributions that are markedly different from those relying on statistical correlations alone. The DGVM-based avian habitat projections expand the set of future conditions for managers to contemplate. We demonstrate how land managers can view and explore the results on an interactive website, to make climate-smart conservation decisions.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Contacts</b>: Monica Tomosy (mstomosy@fs.fed.us) and John Rothlisberger (jrothlisberger@fs.fed.us)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Speakers:</b><br />
<b><i>Dr. John Kim</i></b><br />
Biological Scientist,<br />
<br />
Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center & PNW Research Station, US Forest Service<br />
<br />
<b><i>Dr. Leo Salas</i></b><br />
Senior Scientist,<br />
Climate Change & Quantitative Ecology, Point Blue Conservation Science<br />
<br />
<b>Date</b>: Thursday, April 26, 2018<br />
<b>Time</b>: 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central/ 12 p.m. Mountain/11 a.m. Pacific<br />
<br />
<b>To join the webinar:</b><br />
Step 1: Dial-In: 800.768.2983, access code: 8383462<br />
Step 2: Web Login: <a href="https://cc.callinfo.com/r/18tqyjwu8enno&eom">https://cc.callinfo.com/r/18tqyjwu8enno&eom</a><br />
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-52890057842776629172018-03-09T10:25:00.000-05:002018-03-09T10:25:43.586-05:00Webinar- A Fish's Eye View: Snorkeling Freshwater Streams in the U.S.<h3>
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Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ </div>
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Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Working Group</div>
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2018 Webinar Series</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvlu8GO1F1hde3TVOPvaCHYOwjid-IyAYCAWuc7o0Bf6fneNxsahki_hRqzewfmyFk47UMlOWvyDevTX5SuBwZMhgIsc30YPDPY5Mv_C-U3TKymRs60zH6lIQ7ltLw5Kr8J36HvPriV4/s1600/AprilWebinar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="402" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvlu8GO1F1hde3TVOPvaCHYOwjid-IyAYCAWuc7o0Bf6fneNxsahki_hRqzewfmyFk47UMlOWvyDevTX5SuBwZMhgIsc30YPDPY5Mv_C-U3TKymRs60zH6lIQ7ltLw5Kr8J36HvPriV4/s400/AprilWebinar1.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
<b>Date</b>: April 17, 2018<br />
<b>Time</b>: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT<br />
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<b>Description</b>: We often perceive that there isn’t much to see beneath the surface of our nation’s freshwater rivers and streams, but once we look underwater, an amazing world appears. Fish of incredibly diverse colors, shapes and behaviors live in freshwater ecosystems. The streams themselves create otherworldly, breathtaking streamscapes, giving humans willing to submerge themselves the opportunity to witness incredible ecological feats such as thousand-mile fish migrations, predator-prey interactions, or the vibrant colors of mating displays. The underwater world of our rivers and streams is unexpected, largely unnoticed and amazing! They are thriving aquatic communities, composed of subjects intimately tied to one another and to humans through an aquatic matrix.<br />
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Snorkeling establishes powerful connections between people and rivers, and is one of the most intimate interactions we can have with a river, experiencing the movement and organisms of a moving water body on its own terms. Snorkeling allows us to bond with subjects that are intertwined in these aquatic communities, granting us new perspectives and reasons to care about the importance of clean water. The ways in which rivers, and the creatures that live in them, are woven into our cultural and natural heritage become apparent.<br />
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Join underwater naturalist Keith Williams and share his adventures of exploring and discovering the underwater world of our nation’s rivers and streams. Keith will discuss how to establish successful river snorkeling programs to encourage fish watching.<br />
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<b>Connection</b>:<br />
Join the webinar at fwc.adobeconnect.com/<br />
wildlifeviewing (sign in as guest, with first<br />
and last name, no password required).<br />
Conference call audio: 888-670-3525<br />
Participant code: 835-369-4269<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/4515/2060/9104/AprilWebinar1.pdf">Download the Flyer Here.</a><br />
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-46562138640276213252018-03-07T11:23:00.001-05:002018-03-07T11:23:25.241-05:00Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and partners seek nominations for Climate Adaptation Leadership Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiuHb15jREBdljtlaUKShpHiHxaJ9VAR1Cri36UhGyAyv0sjU3a1bthU-TfYeXSioPJRyxsbnBKslf9U4raup2dI1f4XmJiB4p2HrHFdwsLmFEUW4eZTKJC4GBi6foUnPlufsu2eIkN8/s1600/Climate+Adapation+Award+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="102" data-original-width="430" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiuHb15jREBdljtlaUKShpHiHxaJ9VAR1Cri36UhGyAyv0sjU3a1bthU-TfYeXSioPJRyxsbnBKslf9U4raup2dI1f4XmJiB4p2HrHFdwsLmFEUW4eZTKJC4GBi6foUnPlufsu2eIkN8/s320/Climate+Adapation+Award+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Nominations due by April
13 <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></i></div>
<br />The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and its members and partners are seeking nominations for the <a href="https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/award.php">Climate Adaptation Leadership Award (Award)</a> which recognizes outstanding efforts to increase the resilience of America’s valuable living natural resources and the many people, businesses and communities that depend on them. <br /><br />The Climate Award Leadership Award was established in 2016 to recognize exemplary leadership by individuals, agencies, businesses and other organizations to reduce impacts and advance adaptation of the nation’s vital natural resources in a changing world. <br /><br />Previous Award recipients for <a href="https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/2016-award-recipients.php">2016</a> and <a href="https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/2017-award-recipients.php">2017</a> have been recognized for outstanding leadership in resource management, science, education, training and other goals of the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy.<br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQRDI_le8aIJufWJqjPF6YFPly7_nP43zPRxGom1Qn9EEkXg/viewform?c=0&w=1">Nominations will be accepted until April 13</a>. Individuals, groups, organizations, and government agencies are eligible to apply. Five to seven Awards (and Honorable Mentions) are expected to be announced in September 2018.<br /><br />Fish, wildlife, and plant resources provide billions of dollars in economic activity, millions of jobs, and many other important benefits and services to Americans every year including food, clean water and air, building materials, storm protection, tourism, and recreation. The Award recognizes efforts to reduce impacts and sustain these valuable living resources and the many businesses and communities that depend on them every day.<br /><br />Led by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and its Climate Change Committee, the Award is given out each year in collaboration with federal and state government partners including the USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and others.<br /><br />For more information about the Award or how to apply, please visit the <a href="https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/award.php">Climate Adaptation Leadership Award</a> web site: <a href="https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/award.php">https://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/award.php</a>.<br /><br />The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. For more information about the Association, please visit: <a href="https://www.fishwildlife.org/">https://www.fishwildlife.org</a> <br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<br />The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-25488082172013200882018-02-09T10:37:00.000-05:002018-02-09T10:37:05.218-05:00Webinar Series: Marine Protected Area Management and the Role of Federal Agencies, States and the Public<div align="center" class="Default" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Hosted by AFWA’s Ocean Resources Policy Committee<u5:p></u5:p></span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /><br /><b>Please join us this Tuesday, February 13th , from 2-3:30ET for the third and final installment in the AFWA webinar series on U.S. marine protected area (MPA) programs. Tuesday’s webinar will be focusing on MPA Programs at the Department of Interior. </b><br /><br />Each webinar in this series will feature presentations on individual federal agency MPA programs and will discuss legal authorities, program objectives, designation processes, management approaches, relationships with state governments, stakeholder engagement and public involvement. The webinars will be formatted to allow for interactive discussion and questions with the federal agency representatives after each formal presentation. Please see the attached invitation and below for more information how to join the discussion! <br /><br />In the event you were not able to join us for the first two webinars in this series you may view them by following the links below: <br /><br /><a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5494979072000435211">MPA's 101</a><br /><br /><a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7676849946596709121">Marine Protected Area Programs at NOAA </a><br /><br /><b><u>Upcoming Webinar: Marine Protected Area Programs at DOI</u></b><div>
<br /><b>February 13th, 2:00-3:30 ET </b><br /><br /><b><u>Presenters:</u></b><br />Samantha Brooke - Coastal & Marine Team Lead, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<br />Pete Leary - Marine Program Coordinator, National Wildlife Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<br />Cliff McCreedy - Marine Resource Management Specialist, Ocean and Coastal Resources Branch, National Park Service.<br /><br />This webinar will include presentations on coastal and marine National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges and Marine National Monuments.<br /><br /><br /><b><u>How to Join:</u></b><br /><br /><a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2029254650788729858">https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2029254650788729858</a><br /><br />After registering via the link above, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.<br /><br />Please feel free to forward the information about this webinar series to any of your colleagues who may have an interest in this topic!<br /><br /> Contact Devin DeMario (<a href="mailto:ddemario@fishwildlife.org">ddemario@fishwildlife.org</a> or 202-838-2562) with any questions or concerns. </div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-18940979230822893262018-01-22T11:04:00.000-05:002018-01-22T11:04:33.874-05:00Job Announcement- Open Recruitment for an Adaptation Program Manager<h3>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-line;"><i><b>We're Hiring!! Open recruitment for an Adaptation Program Manager.</b></i></span></h3>
<b><br />Position Title</b>: Adaptation Program Manager <br /> <br /><b> Position Location: </b> Washington, D. C.<br /><br /><b>Reports To</b>: Science Advisor<br /><br /><b>Job Type</b>: Exempt / full-time <br /><br /><b>Salary</b>: Commensurate with experience. Please include salary expectations in cover letter.<br /><br /><b>AFWA Background: </b> The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, founded in 1902, represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies. It promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a collective voice on important fish and wildlife issues. The Association is a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) trade association. See <a href="http://www.fishwildlife.org/">www.fishwildlife.org</a> for more information.<br /><br /><b>Position Summary:</b> The Adaptation Program Manager manages the Association’s programs and activities related to climate adaptation, providing leadership in managing national efforts to develop and implement practical climate adaptation strategies for fish, wildlife and habitats. <br /><br /><b>Duties</b>: Manage and facilitate a collaborative partnership of government agencies, academia, industry, and NGOs which is developing and implementing climate adaptation activities for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and habitats, as outlined in the “National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy” and the State Wildlife Action Plans.<br /><br /> Provide staff support for the AFWA Climate Change Committee and its affiliated subcommittees and working groups, including monthly conference calls and in-person meetings. Help advance the work of state fish and wildlife agencies (including marine resource agencies) and partners for climate-ready fish and wildlife management.<br /><br /> Produce and distribute a regular e-newsletter, the “AFWA Climate Change Round-Up,” to AFWA members and partners.<br /><br /> Facilitate the administration of an annual “Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources,” in partnership with state and federal agencies and the AFWA Climate Change Committee.<br /><br /> Create and facilitate the development of a “community of practice” among climate adaptation professionals at state and federal agencies through regular communications such as webinars, workshops, special conference sessions, conference calls, training sessions, and other learning and networking opportunities.<br /><br />Represent AFWA on the steering committee overseeing the annual “Climate Academy” course at the National Conservation Training Center.<br /><br />Represent AFWA at national conferences and meetings of committees and working groups that are focused on natural resource climate adaptation.<br /><br />Other duties as assigned. <br /><br /><b>Qualifications</b>: Outstanding written and verbal communications skills; strong organizational and people skills; experience facilitating diverse multi-stakeholder groups; ability to work independently and as part of a team; prior experience working in a fast-paced office environment; excellent understanding of climate change and climate adaptation as related to wildlife or natural resource management; knowledge of wildlife and natural resource management as currently practiced in the United States; understanding of the role that state fish and wildlife agencies play in conservation.<br /><br /><b>Education</b>: Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Conservation Biology or related field; Master’s degree preferred.<br /><br /><b>Travel</b>: 10% of time (~6-12 trips per year).<br /><br /><b>Desired Work Experience:</b> At least 5 years’ relevant work experience in fish or wildlife conservation; experience working in a state, provincial, or federal wildlife or natural resource agency in the United States or Canada a strong plus.<br /><br /><b>Application Process:</b> Please submit a letter of interest and CV to John Lord, Director of Operations at <a href="mailto:jlord@fishwildlife.org">jlord@fishwildlife.org</a>. Applications must include salary expectations.<br /><br /><br /><b>Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 21, 2018, or until a suitable candidate is found.</b><div>
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<b><a href="http://www.fishwildlife.org/files/Adaptation__Program_Manager-_AFWA-FINAL.pdf">You can download this announcement here!</a></b></div>
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821737814870527736.post-57553945198810595232018-01-17T10:14:00.000-05:002018-01-22T12:15:15.654-05:00Webinar: A Vulnerability Assessment Tool (“SAVS”) to Evaluate Species Response to Environmental Stressors Including Climate Change<h3>
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<span style="color: red;">Due to the government shutdown,
we are unfortunately postponing the AFWA – U. S. Forest Service webinar on
species vulnerability assessments which had originally been scheduled for
Wednesday, January 24<sup>th</sup>. We will post a new
announcement about this webinar once it has been rescheduled.</span></div>
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<i>Webinar presented by the U.S. Forest Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies</i></h3>
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<b>Abstract</b>: Species’ response to disturbances are often difficult to assess, especially where such disturbances have large scale and interactive impacts. Climate change represents a major challenge for wildlife management because its impacts are ubiquitous but also likely to vary across diverse landscapes. Further, individual wildlife species exhibit a range of coping mechanisms and sensitivities to climate related change in habitat and biotic communities challenging attempts to predict impacts. Vulnerability assessments provide a method for developing relevant information that can help wildlife managers identify priorities for actions that may reduce impacts. The System for Assessing Vulnerability of Species (SAVS) to climate change was developed as a tool that would quantify species’ vulnerability to climate and related disturbances. SAVS is easily implemented using expert knowledge or literature and provides scores that indicated overall species vulnerability to expected changes. The SAVS system also identifies the primary ways in which a species might be affected by climate related changes in habitat, physiological limitations, phenology, and biotic interactions. This information is critical to efforts to identify potential intervention points. During this presentation, I will describe SAVS and discuss its use in several wildlife management assessments for federal and State planning efforts.<br />
<br />
<b>Dr. Megan Friggens</b><br />
Research Ecologist<br />
U.S. Forest Service<br />
Research & Development<br />
Rocky Mountain Research Station<br />
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<b><i>Wednesday, January 24</i></b><br />
<b><i>3 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Central/ 1 p.m. Mountain/12 p.m. Pacific</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>To join the webinar:</b><br />
<b>Step 1:</b> For audio, dial: 1-800-768-2983, and use access code: 8383462<br />
<b>Step 2:</b> Web Login: <a href="https://cc.callinfo.com/r/11qsccjgfyg4a&eom">https://cc.callinfo.com/r/11qsccjgfyg4a&eom</a><br />
<br />
<i>Contacts: Monica Tomosy (mstomosy@fs.fed.us) or John Rothlisberger (jrothlisberger@fs.fed.us)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="http://www.fishwildlife.org/files/AFWA_Friggens_01242018_FINAL.pdf">Download the flyer here.</a>The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380136623710190573noreply@blogger.com