1.1 The Origin of Wildlife Action Plans
In the mid-1990s, the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition (TWW) was formed to continue a decade-long effort working to secure funding for the conservation of fish and wildlife species that were not covered by other programs or funding strategies. From their work with mem- bers of Congress, the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Act was developed and signed into law in 2002. This Act created the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program and the State Wildlife Grants Program (or SWG), which provides federal matching funds to all 50 states and territories (separate funding is provided to tribes through the Tribal Wildlife Grants Program). The funds are to be used for conservation efforts aimed at preventing wildlife from becoming endangered and keeping common species common.
The SWG program was designed to assist states with the conservation of nongame species by providing annual allocations to supplement, not duplicate, existing fish and wildlife programs. These matching funds support work that benefits species in greatest need of conservation; species indicative of the diversity and health of the states’ wildlife; and species with low and declining populations, as designated by the states’ fish and wildlife agencies. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, which is part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), administers the SWG program and apportions funds each year to state wildlife agencies.