DEEP soliciting public Input to state wildlife action plan

In a press release, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it will hold "a series of informal meetings throughout the state to obtain public input as it updates the state’s Wildlife Action Plan."

The plan “serves as Connecticut’s blueprint for conservation action.

The agency must complete a comprehensive review and revision every 10 years to make sure the Wildlife Action Plan reflects current needs and priorities for species of greatest conservation need and their habitats,” the release said.

“Wildlife and nature are the foundation of Connecticut’s beauty and cultural heritage. The State Wildlife Action Plan is a strategic plan to conserve these resources for the future,” the release said. “Recovery of species that have reached threatened or endangered status is typically more costly than preventive actions that keep wildlife populations from reaching such declines. Proactive management actions identified in Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan are intended to keep species common.”

“This revision includes the identification of new or updated actions to advance wildlife conservation over the next decade,” Rick Jacobson, director of the DEEP Wildlife Division, said, also in the release. “It also involves a reevaluation of Connecticut’s species of greatest conservation need list, taking into account new information on climate change and its impacts to wildlife conservation, as well as an update of resource mapping, the refining of conservation threats, and the incorporation of information gained through the implementation of the first Wildlife Action Plan developed in 2005.”

Jenny Dickson, DEEP supervising biologist and plan coordinator, said. “Participation by conservation partners, academic institutions, municipalities, and the public is a key to making the revised Wildlife Action Plan an effective tool for conserving Connecticut's diversity of wildlife resources for future generations.”


 

Opportunities for Public Input (per release)

To provide input to the Wildlife Action Plan:

 

-          Submit comments on the revised list of species of greatest conservation need, an updated description of key habitats found in Connecticut, and revisions to chapters of the original 2005 plan (called the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy or CWCS).

All of the revised documents can be found on the Department’s website at: www.ct.gov/deep/WildlifeActionPlan, and the public is encouraged to check the website often as more updates and revisions become available for review.

-          The Department also will be holding a series of informal meetings throughout the state and the public is encouraged to attend and provide input. Comments can also be submitted to the DEEP Wildlife Division via e-mail (deep.wildlifeactionplan@ct.gov) or by regular mail to: Connecticut Wildlife Division, Sessions Woods W.M.A., P.O. Box 1550, Burlington, CT 06013.

- Public informational presentations about the Wildlife Action Plan are scheduled for the following dates:

·         October 21 (Tuesday), 6:00 PM at the Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods Conservation Education Center, 341 Milford St (Rt. 69), Burlington (please pre-register for this presentation by calling the Sessions Woods office at 860-675-8130).

·         October 29 (Wednesday), 7:00 PM at the Glastonbury Audubon Center, Connecticut Audubon Society, 1361 Main Street, Glastonbury

·         November 13 (Thursday), 6:30 PM at Milford Point Audubon Center, Connecticut Audubon Society, 1 Milford Point Road, Milford

The public is encouraged to attend any of the following facilitated workshops to provide input on the Wildlife Action Plan:

·         November 5 (Wednesday), 1:00-3:00 PM AND 6:30-8:30 PM, at Greenwich Audubon Center, Audubon Connecticut, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich

·         November 6 (Thursday), 1:00-3:00 PM AND 6:30-8:30 PM, at Connecticut Forest and Park Association, 16 Meriden Road, Rockfall (near Middlefield)

·         November 7 (Friday), 1:30-3:30 PM, at Windsor Public Library, 323 Broad Street, Windsor

·         November 7 (Friday), 6:30-8:30 PM, at Sharon Audubon Center, Audubon Connecticut, 325 Cornwall Bridge Road, Sharon

·         November 8 (Saturday), 10:00 AM-12:00 noon, at Stonington Free Library, 20 High Street, Stonington

·         November 8 (Saturday), 2:00-4:00PM, at Pomfret Audubon Center, Connecticut Audubon Society, 218 Day Road, Pomfret Center

·         November 9 (Sunday), 10:00 AM-12:00 noon, at DEEP Marine Headquarters, 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme

·         November 9 (Sunday), 2:00-4:00 PM at the Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods Conservation Education Center, 341 Milford Street (RT 69), Burlington

A schedule of informational meetings and facilitated workshops also can be viewed on the DEEP website at .

Since its approval in 2006 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and with funding provided through the State Wildlife Grants Program for project implementation, Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan has been a foundational document for guiding research and management of fish and wildlife in our state.