The draft 2025 state wildlife action plan (swap) designates 30 mammal species as species of greatest conservation need (sgcn), a classification based upon the assessed threats to these species and…

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 awarded $895,937.08 to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources on January 1, 2026, under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611).

The grant funds conservation and monitoring work for mammal species of greatest conservation need designated in West Virginia's draft 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, specifically the Allegheny woodrat, water shrews, Northern flying squirrels, and bat species. The Division will implement two discrete treatments to mitigate white-nose syndrome impacts on bat populations and sustain long-term bat population monitoring to assess community diversity and evaluate conservation intervention efficacy across the state. The Division maintains an established program for monitoring bat fauna and Allegheny woodrat populations statewide, tracking population trends and recovery or decline attributable to white-nose syndrome while identifying conservation opportunities. Longitudinal monitoring of Allegheny woodrats provides current understanding of species status, distribution, associated threats, and recovery prospects. Survey work on water shrews has refined knowledge of their range, habitat, and distribution within West Virginia; this grant work includes taxonomic clarification of water shrew classification to support initiation of conservation actions.

The period of performance runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027. Work is performed in West Virginia.

The draft 2025 state wildlife action plan (swap) designates 30 mammal species as species of greatest conservation need (sgcn), a classification based upon the assessed threats to these species and or their associated habitats. Furthermore, the plan recommends conservation or restoration measures deemed necessary to secure or recover sgcn populations and habitat. This grant proposal specifically targets the conservation requirements, as identified in the swap, for a discrete assemblage of mammal sgcn. The allegheny woodrat, water shrews, northern flying squirrels, and nearly all BAT sgcn within the scope of the draft 2025 west virginia state wildlife action plan. The west virginia division of natural resources (wvdnr) maintains an established program for the long-term monitoring of the states BAT fauna and allegheny woodrat populations. Monitoring BAT populations permits the wvdnr to track population trends statewide, assess their recovery or decline attributable to white-nose syndrome, and pinpoint potential conservation opportunities. Similarly, longitudinal monitoring of the allegheny woodrat furnishes a current understanding of its status, distribution, associated threats, and prospective opportunities for conservation and recovery. Recent status assessments of water shrews have refined the comprehension of their range, habitat, and distribution within west virginia. However, contemporary survey work has introduced a question regarding the taxonomic classification of water shrews, specifically concerning their designation as sorex palustris punctulatus or s. Albibarbis. Clarification of this distinction is a prerequisite for the initiation of conservation actions.under the auspices of this grant, the wvdnr will implement two discrete treatments to mitigate the impact of white-nose syndrome and will sustain BAT population monitoring to ascertain community diversity and evaluate the efficacy of conservation interventions across the landscape. Technical assistance will be extended to public and private landowners to facilitate the exploitation or enhancement of conservation opportunities for bats. Northern flying squirrel populations will be assessed via remote methodologies to ensure the stability and consistency of their habitat occupancy within their historical range. Furthermore, this grant will enable the wvdnr to initiate an allegheny woodrat conservation program, which will encompass captive breeding and subsequent reintroduction into natural habitats with the explicit objective of RE-establishing viable populations. Finally, the wvdnr will endeavor to clarify the taxonomy of water shrews in west virginia to ensure that future conservation efforts are correctly aligned with the appropriate species.