Press Releases

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to reject a Center for Biological Diversity’s petition to undertake a national rulemaking concerning lead ammunition and tackle on the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System).

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies is excited to announce that BearWise has now been adopted by 39 states and is being utilized by people nationwide. BearWise meets the growing need for consistent information on living responsibly with black bears. This innovative program provides information supported by sound science and useful resources that give people, neighborhoods, communities, and businesses practical ways to prevent human-bear conflicts and help keep bears wild.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies is soliciting Full Proposals for the 2024 Multistate Conservation Grant Program which funds projects that address regional or national level priorities of state fish and wildlife agencies. The deadline for submitting Full Proposals for the 2024 cycle is June 15, 2023.

Today, the North American Bat Conservation Alliance (NABCA) published the first ever State of the Bats in North America report, highlighting the importance of bat conservation, not only for their biodiversity value, but for the ecosystem and economic services bats provide in terms of pest control, pollination, seed dispersal, ecotourism, and their contributions to innovation and science. The report also indicates that 47% of the 154 known bat species across North America are at risk of severe population decline in the next 15 years.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, in partnership with the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plant Climate Adaptation Network, is seeking nominations for the Climate Adaptation Leadership Award (Award). This Award recognizes outstanding efforts to increase the resilience of America’s valuable living natural resources to climate change and thereby help sustain the many people, businesses and communities that depend on them.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies strongly supports the introduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.1149) in the U.S. Senate today. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced this bipartisan legislation that would provide critical funding to state fish and wildlife agencies and tribal fish and wildlife managers to effectively conserve our nation’s fish and wildlife for future generations. If passed, this bill will not only help the one-third of wildlife species in the United States currently at risk of becoming threatened or endangered, but also save taxpayer money by implementing proactive solutions to conserve those species in greatest need and prevent wildlife from becoming threatened or endangered.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies is excited to see the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society (NAFWS) partner with the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA), allowing Native American tribes to become certified to teach Hunter Education. This announcement was made last week during the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in St. Louis, MO.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is pleased to see the National Fish Habitat Partnership program assist in providing more than $39.2 million to support 95 fish habitat conservation projects in 24 states. Collaborative partnerships between the state fish and wildlife agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribes nongovernmental organizations, and other partners are key to implementing these conservation priority projects.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies welcomes Director Chuck Sykes to the list of Officers, and Directors Bryan Burhans and Kendra Wecker to the list of Members of the AFWA Executive Committee.

The Association was disappointed to learn that in the final hours of negotiation, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was not included in the final language of the year end 2023 Omnibus package. The impasse had little to do with the contents of the legislative bill, which is widely supported, but the clock just ran out.