The latest update to Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan aims to maintain and improve our natural habitats. A public comment period for protected species runs through Friday, July 18th, so the public can weigh in too. WMRA's Ayse Pirge reports.
Snowshoe hare. Gray catbird.
What these species have in common, besides their cute looks, is that they’re among species listed as having the greatest conservation need for the 2025 Wildlife Action Plan draft. The public comment period that ends soon will allow them to make input.
JEFF TROLLINGER: And so they have the ability to … see if we potentially missed any or if they have comments about how we’ve ranked those. They can look at the habitats… or if we need to edit or particularly add something to the plan…
Jeff Trollinger is the Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. He’s also the assistant chief of Aquatic Wildlife Resources.
Trollinger says the Wildlife Action Plan process began in 2005 and they were mandated by Congress in order to get state wildlife grant money to manage nongame species. He says Virginia gets about $1 million a year for this purpose. There are eight elements which Congress mandates for the plan.
TROLLINGER: Generally speaking we have to define those species that are covered. So this, a list of species of greatest conservation need. The key habitats that those species depend on. The threats that might adversely impact those species and habitats.
He says they have to coordinate with a large number of partners to develop the plan, and outline who they coordinated with as well as their input.
TROLLINGER: We have coordinated with all of our state fish and wildlife and natural resource agencies across the state… and then we have about 60 nongovernmental organizations that we have partnered with… Along with the PDCs, the council local governments… a variety of different organizations… In addition, we’ve coordinated with the seven federally recognized tribes…
Trollinger says they start with a big list and then the taxonomy teams work on their particular species to narrow that down.
TROLLINGER: …we have taxa teams that deal with each of the different groups of species. So, for instance we have a group that works just on the mammals…
The 2025 plan has a list of 1920 species that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need. And this year, they added plants– over 900– for the first time. I asked him if there’s a possibility for the grants to not come through. He says there is every possibility that they might not.
TROLLINGER: At this point there’s really nothing we can do other than try to figure out what other funding sources we might be able to come up with. So, and we have been looking at those. But at this point… it’s sort of a wait and see game. We’ve been in this position before where the state wildlife grants have been zeroed out and Congress has usually put it back in at some level.
Trollinger says they will receive a note from the fish and wildlife service sometime in January that lets them know whether the plan has been approved, and whether they need to change or add to the plan.
The Piedmont Environmental Council is one of the partner organizations. October Greenfield, the Wildlife Habitat Program Manager at PEC, has been attending stakeholder meetings with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. She says one of the things they’ve talked about quite a bit is habitat conservation and restoration. The focus is on working lands and farms in the state, as well as on private lands.
Both for our natural environment, and the action plan, collaboration is key.
