Implement the 2015-25 pennsylvania wildlife action plan (PGC-pfbc 2015), to initiate the 2025 PA WAP revision, and to support critical recovery actions, research, and monitoring needed to steward…

This $3,276,626 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program supports wildlife conservation and research initiatives in Pennsylvania. The funding will be used by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to:

1. Implement the state's 2015-2025 Wildlife Action Plan, including initiating the plan's 2025 revision, and directing conservation actions for the state's highest priority species and habitats. This includes research, monitoring, and recovery efforts for vulnerable bird and mammal species, as well as addressing emerging threats.

2. Advance a targeted research and monitoring agenda to increase knowledge and inform evidence-based wildlife management decisions, focusing on the species and issues with the greatest knowledge gaps.

3. Collaborate with regional, national, and international partners to implement priority conservation actions for migratory species throughout their full range.

The award period is from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

Implement the 2015-25 pennsylvania wildlife action plan (PGC-pfbc 2015), to initiate the 2025 PA WAP revision, and to support critical recovery actions, research, and monitoring needed to steward pennsylvanias bird and mammal sgcn. With these funds we will address conservation needs while species are still common while also directing immediate conservation actions needed by our most-imperiled species. This grant supports research and monitoring designed to understand and arrest population declines before the population dips to critical levels and directs conservation actions to priority species with population data demonstrating the greatest decline to stabilize or reverse population declines PA WAP goal 1). Such actions will address the limiting factors affecting the whole population. These actions will be focused on: 1) state or regional high-responsibility species, through direct recovery, research and monitoring, habitat improvement, and other high-priority actions 2) high priority assemblages within hibernacula, coniferous forests, early-successional forest habitats, prairie and old field habitats, shrub mosaic complexes, mature-forests, and wetlands 3)emerging issues with population-level impacts on priority species.funds will enable the agency to base wildlife conservation decisions on the best available science (PA WAP goal 2): focused on the highest-priority species, and on the largest knowledge gaps, we will advance a targeted research and monitoring agenda to increase our knowledge for the benefit of sgcn. Species that have undergone declines and reduced range have threats listed in the wildlife action plan, but might experience other limiting factors, such as low genetic diversity, some of which could be addressed with planning and action. Contribute to range-wide conservation of species of greatest conservation need (PA WAP goal 3): pennsylvania is a critical keystone geography for migratory species due to its location as a bottleneck between the atlantic shore and the great lakes system. To effectively achieve long-term population improvements and stability, we will work through regional, national and international multi-state, multi-agency partnerships to advance pennsylvania priority actions for sgcn throughout their breeding, migratory, and wintering range.continue to improve cooperation within and between public agencies and other partners (PA WAP goal 5): the game commission, in collaboration with the fish and boat commission, will begin the congressionally required 10-year pennsylvania wildlife action plan comprehensive review and revision to maintain an effective and current plan, which is due to the U.S. Fish and wildlife service by september 30, 2025.consequences of not funding this work include continued decline of species of greatest conservation need, lack of state or federal guidance in recovery planning, and reduced ability to proactively recover populations heading toward federal listing.