U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approves action plan for at-risk species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved Idaho Fish and Game’s revision of its Wildlife Action Plan, which extends the plan for a decade and ensures Idaho will continue to receive about $700,000 annually in federal funding.

The Wildlife Action Plan is for conserving and managing Idaho’s most at-risk fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats. For the first time, plant species have been incorporated into the 2023 revision.

The plan provides information on strategic and voluntary conservation actions for species identified by Fish and Game as “species of greatest conservation need” or “species of greatest information need.” Greatest information need refers to species potentially at risk, but lacking current scientific information and expert understanding.

The plan recognizes the diverse social, cultural values and natural resource-based economies that sustain Idaho’s communities. It also creates opportunities for all stakeholders to collaborate in proactive, voluntary, and community-oriented partnerships to conserve at-risk species and the lands and waters that support them, the release said.

The plan also emphasizes ways to prevent future listings under the federal Endangered Species Act, thus helping maintain state management of Idaho’s fish, wildlife and plants.