The western association of fish and wildlife agencies (wafwa)has maintained long standing, state-lead landscape level conservation priorities through its initiatives, committees, and assigned…

The western association of fish and wildlife agencies (wafwa)has maintained long standing, state-lead landscape level conservation priorities through its initiatives, committees, and assigned working groups. Much of this work requires frequent communications and coordination among member states and between various federal agencies of DOI and USFWS and nearly always includes participation among the 5 regional FWS offices and at times national FWS leadership. Given the success of wafwas current efforts and a desire for greater landscape level collaboration between wafwa states and our federal partners, wafwa and the FWS jointly seek to enter into an agreement that will support these shared goals within wafwa and assist the FWS in their efforts to create an improved understanding of landscape priorities among all four regional associations. Current wafwa priorities are multijurisdictional and vary from biome specific priorities, principles of landscape connectivity, and species specific inventory, assessment, and recovery efforts. Examples of priorities and applicable wafwa committees andworkshops include: biome: sage brush, grasslands, riparian corridors, water resilience. Landscape connectivity:migration corridors, fish passage, and improved habitat permeability. Species planning: monarchs, black footedferrets, western trout, desert fish, wild sheep, sage grouse, mule deer, forest carnivores, and committees:endangered species act, animal movement and migration, fisheries, non-game, habitat, and executive committees workshops: ESA, sage and sharp-tails, black bear, mountain lion, and swap planning and implementation. Wafwa recognizes that coordinated landscape conservation in the region continues to be imperative for many fish and wildlife species that complete their life requirements in ecological systems that cross political boundaries. Working at the landscape scales requires broader stakeholder engagement, effective communication, transparency and accountability across multiple agencies, landownerships, and potentially opposing political realities. The assigned western coordinator and all supporting roles work under wafwa leadership and will provide a central point of communication as a liaison to the USFWS and the larger fish and wildlife landscape community of practice, including state, tribal, federal, non-governmental, and university partners.