By Stephen Smoot
For more than a quarter of a century, the federal government has requested that states provide state wildlife action plans. No mandate legally requires a state to provide them, but access to specific grant funding programs provides some incentives to do so. West Virginia created their first in 2005, updated it a decade later, then once again for 2025. In both planning and execution, the State of West Virginia works with the national organization The Nature Conservancy.
After release of the plan draft, from March 30 to April 22, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources encourages state residents to examine and, if they wish, to also comment on it.
West Virginia’s location in the central Appalachians, as well as the state hosting some of the headwaters of the country’s most important rivers, makes the plan even more significant. “Given its high biodiversity and strategic location within the Central Appalachian region,” stated the report, “West Virginia plays a critical role in regional conservation efforts.”
That statement is affirmed by West Virginia’s success in playing a key role in helping to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
A proper state wildlife action plan, according to the Congressionally passed statute establishing the SWAP program, features eight elements. It starts with “Information on the distribution and abundance of wildlife species,” then goes to description and location of key habitats, descriptions of “stressors” that can affect species in their habitats, conservation programs to protect said species, plans for monitoring species and adapting plans to fit changing conditions, guidelines to ensure appropriate renewals in “not longer than 10 year” increments, plans to coordinate all relevant government entities, and plans to enhance public participation and education.
The plan states that “West Virginia’s first SWAP, which was developed in 2005, focused on monitoring efforts to better understand and document the distribution and abundance of wildlife species, their habitats, and the stresses that may adversely affect them.” A decade later, the focus shifted to conservation efforts to protect 1,143 total natural species and their habitats.
As the plan document states, the “2015 SWAP delineated 21 Conservation Focus Areas (CFAs) that have high densities of wildlife species and important habitats.” This served as part of the shift from identification of species and habitats to conservation. Each CFA will have action plans from The Nature Conservancy to guide efforts moving forward.
For the 2025 revision, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources contacted 30 partner organizations and held three public meetings. Sharing with the public for comment represents the final outreach effort prior to sending the plan for review.
Support for the plan’s objectives comes from a long list of funding sources and potential partnerships. The plan lists a wide range of federal, state, and non profit sector sources to fund work done in service of the plan. It also shared that “the 2025 SWAP prioritizes community and stakeholder engagement and builds resilience through alliances with traditional and non-traditional partners. Internally, WVDNR will integrate the 2025 SWAP with WVDNR Game and Fish Management objectives and coordinate with neighboring states on mutual objectives.”
Some changes include the expansion of the number of species to 1,292 species “associated with 21 terrestrial habitats and 26 aquatic habitats.” The plan includes updated identification, including mapping, of species and their main habitats. This includes “monitoring pests and pathogens.” The plan also explains how management processes can adapt moving forward and also a process for minor revisions to the plan when needs arise.
