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State Wildlife Action Plan Revision
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated July 21October 17, 2014
1. What are the “eight elements” that must be addressed in the State Wildlife Action Plans (Plans)?
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Yes. A letter, signed by the Director of the State fish and wildlife agency responsible for the submission, should accompany the Plan. Read More
3. Should the State identify significant changes made to the Plan and how the revised Plan continues to address the eight elements (see Guidance for Wildlife Action Plan Review and Revisions, 2007)?
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Yes. Congress intended that the revised Plans be comprehensive documents for all wildlife in a State, regardless of jurisdiction. However, the criteria used to designate Species of Greatest Conservation Need are determined by each State in conjunction with stakeholders and partners. Therefore, a smaller subset of wildlife in a state may be designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need, with specific conservation actions designed to address the threats to those species. If limited information about a species group is available, a State may include a description of how they are collecting and identifying this information for future revisions of the Plan. Existing species management plans, particularly for species that may be under the jurisdiction of another government entity, may be incorporated by reference with a brief summary included in the Plan. Read More
6. Should the revised Plan include a list of species of greatest conservation need (SGCN)?
Yes. The list of SGCN will meet the requirements of the first element (see Q&A #1).
7. May the Plan include game species that are also species of greatest conservation need?
Yes. Species that are hunted or fished and are in great need of conservation may be included on a State’s species list. For requirements relating to public review of additional species to be added to the list of SGCN, see Q&A #12.
8. May the Plan include plants?
Congress' definition of "wildlife" in the legislation did not include plants; however, a State may choose to incorporate plants in the development of the Plan (see Q&A #9 for related guidance). Read More
9. May the Plan include conservation actions, such as wildlife education, recreation, and law enforcement that are not eligible for funding under the State Wildlife Grants program?
Yes. A State may include other needs beyond the required eight eight elements. However, funding for these actions with State Wildlife Grant funds is restricted to eligible activities identified in the Service’s policy.
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Yes. As required in element 7, the State fish and wildlife agency must describe how it gathered input from Federal, State, and local agencies and Indian tribes that manage significant land and water areas. Read More
12. What must a State do to demonstrate adequate public involvement in the revision of a Plan?
The State must ensure that the general public has an opportunity to review and comment on the revised Plan and should provide written description of this process as part of the revision. At a minimum, the State should inform the public that a draft Plan is available for review and request comments over a reasonable period of time (e.g., 30 days). Notifying the public of the State’s intent to revise its Plan early in the revision process is also considered a best practice. Read More
13. Are State Plans required to address coordination with adjoining States in revising their Plans?
No. States are encouraged to coordinate, but they are not required to address this coordination with neighboring States in their revised Plans. Many States have worked together on common wildlife conservation issues, including sharing of species lists and comparing drafts to look for commonality and consistency. Read More
14. To what degree should States bordering Canada and Mexico coordinate with these countries?
Describing collaboration with adjacent countries is not part of a required element. However, if species of conservation need and their habitats are shared with these countries, the Plans would benefit from this information and any identified joint conservation actions. Read More
15. What are the minimum requirements for Plan review prior to October 1, 2015?
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The State should consult with its RRT members for requirements regarding submission format (electronic or hard copy, number of copies, etc.). See the Table, below, for RRT members and Service contact information. You may send your revised Plan to your Service Region at the address given in the Table; Service staff will forward copies to the RRT members.
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No. There is no formal review of working drafts by the RRT; however, states may ask their Regional WSFR office for informal feedback prior to submission. Once the State has finalized the document, it should be submitted in final form to the WSFR office for distribution to the RRT members. See Q&A #18 for more information.
21. What happens when the revised Plan is formally submitted to the RRT?
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No. That State’s Plan will be submitted to a different RRT to complete the review process. The RRT may or may not be from the submitting State’s Region.
Table 1. RRT Members and Contact Information by Service Region.
States, Commonwealths, the District of Columbia, and Territories by U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Region | RRT Members and Service Contact Information |
Region 1: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington | Service RRT Member: Acting WSFR Chief State RRT Member(s): Virgil Moore (ID), Tony Wasley (NV) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Contact Person: Karla Drewsen 503-231-2389 |
Region 2: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas | Service RRT Member: Stephen RobertsonCliff Schleusner State RRT Member(s): Larry Voyles (AZ) Mailing Address: Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program Contact Person: LeAnne BonnerVanessa Martinez 505-248-74597452 leannevanessa_bonner@fwsmartinez@fws.gov |
Region 3:Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin | Service RRT Member: Dave Scott State RRT Member(s): Mark Reiter (IN), William Moritz (MI) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Region 3 Contact Person: Jessica Piispanen 612-713-5142 jessica_piispanen@fwspiispanen@fws.gov |
Region 4: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the U.S. Virgin Islands | Service RRT Member: Mike Piccirilli State RRT Member(s): Dan Forster (GA) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Contact Person: Diana Swan 404-679-7058 |
Region 5:Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia | Service RRT Member: John OrganActing WSFR Chief State RRT Member(s): Patricia Riexinger (NY) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Contact Person: Dee Blanton 413-253-8513 |
Region 6: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming | Service RRT Member: Clint Riley State RRT Member(s): James Douglas (NE) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Denver, CO 80225 Contact Person: Anna SchmidtAmanda Horvath 303-236-43754414 annaamanda_schmidt@fwshorvath@fws.gov |
Region 7: Alaska | Service RRT Member: Pete Probasco State RRT Member(s): Virgil Moore (ID), Tony Wasley (NV) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1011 East Tudor Road, MS 261
Contact Person: Trevor Fox 907-786-3400 vacant, TBD |
Region 8: California and Nevada | Service RRT Member: , Eric Davis State RRT Member(s): Virgil Moore (ID), Tony Wasley (NV), Bruce Dale (AK) Mailing Address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Contact Person: Bart Prose (916) 978-6152 |
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- Please see Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans, Chapter 5, (http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Best%20Practices%20Report%20Nov%202012.pdf) for further guidance on working with your RRT during the comprehensive review process (Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Teaming With Wildlife Committee, State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Best Practices Working Group. 2012. Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans—Voluntary Guidance to States for Revision and Implementation. Washington, D.C.: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 80 pages). Page 27 of the Best Practices document includes a handy checklist of required information.
- Please see Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans (http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Best%20Practices%20Report%20Nov%202012.pdf), pg. 10, for recommended taxonomic standards. You may also wish to consider the taxonomy used by TRACS and/or the USGS Species Conservation Analysis Tool. Also see http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Pollinator%20Report%20FINAL%204-2013.pdf for voluntary guidance on incorporating pollinators (The Heinz Center. 2013. Pollinators and the State Wildlife Action Plans: Voluntary Guidance for State Wildlife Agencies. Washington, D.C., 20 pp).
- Please see Hidden in Plain Sight (http://www.natureserve.org/biodiversity-science/publications/hidden-plain-sight-role-plants-state-wildlife-action-plans) for additional guidance on incorporating plants.
- Please see Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans (http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Best%20Practices%20Report%20Nov%202012.pdf) for further guidance on coordinating with outside agencies.
- Please see Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans (http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Best%20Practices%20Report%20Nov%202012.pdf) for further guidance on creating consistency across states.
- Please see http://teaming.com/tool/incorporating-international-conservation-swaps-updated-october-2013 for further guidance on incorporating international conservation.
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