Celebrating 10 Years of State Wildlife
Grant Funding
August 2010
This year marks the 10th Anniversary
of the State Wildlife Grants Program – a national funding source created to
prevent species from becoming endangered by protecting and restoring native
habitats. Missouri has received more than $12.4 millio
n over the past 10 years
(averaging about $1.2 million annually) to help ensure that Missouri has
healthy, sustainable plant and animal communities for future generations to use
and enjoy. Part of this vision is to have fish, forest and wildlife resources
in appreciably better condition tomorrow than they are today. That is why
projects and other conservation actions are developed through citizens,
government agencies and non-governmental organizations working together to
protect, sustain, enhance, restore or create sustainable plant and animal
communities of local, state and national significance.
One important
state funding source made possible with State Wildlife Grant funding is the
Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative (MoBCI) Grant Program. MoBCI is a
coalition of over 55 organizations and agencies that support bird conservation
in Missouri. State Wildlife Grant funding has made the MoBCI Grants program
possible each year since 2003. In the past six years, State Wildlife Grant
funding has allowed more than $600,000 to be available for MoBCI grants which
has been matched with over $1.2 million in partner funds! This investment has
made thousands of acres of bird habitat work possible on public and private
lands throughout Missouri.
The State Wildlife Grants Program
also makes the Department of Conservation’s Wildlife Diversity Fund possible.
This significant funding source is made available to Missouri Department of
Conservation employees and partners to accomplish native habitat restoration
and research and inventory needs for species of conservation concern on public
and private land. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of acres have been
affected by conservation practices such as clearing unwanted trees and brush
from native prairie, replanting native species, and applying prescribed fire to
stimulate natural communities. Practically every habitat type has benefited by
projects made possible by State Wildlife Grants, including wetlands, rivers,
forests, woodlands, savannas, glades, prairies and caves.
Teaming With
Wildlife Week (September 4th –
12th) is an opportunity to highlight the State Wildlife Grants
Program and Missouri’s Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy. In celebration of
10 years of State Wildlife Grant funding, the Conservation Federation of
Missouri is sponsoring a series of congressional field tours.
The
State Wildlife Grants Program is a major accomplishment of the Teaming With
Wildlife Coalition – a network of over 6,000 organizations and businesses
nationally (275 in Missouri) that support additional funding for fish, forest
and wildlife conservation. Because it is an annually appropriated funding
source, the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition must speak up each year to ensure
its inclusion in the Department of Interior’s budget. Your organization or
business can help support State Wildlife Grant funding (and other potential
funding sources), by joining the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition. It’s free and
easy to join. Simply fill out the brief form at www.teaming.com/action or contact Amy
Buechler (800-575-2322, abuechler@confedmo.org).
