September 22, 2011
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan under review
PRATT — The Kansas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan was prepared in 2005 as a requirement for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) to be eligible to continue receiving State Wildlife Grants (SWG). Scheduled to be updated before its 10-year anniversary, efforts are currently underway for this revision.

The first element of this revision was updating the native species list in July. The next step is soliciting recommended changes to the list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), including suggestions that any species already on that list be taken off.

Also, an important new element of this revision will be the identification of priority areas for actions. By identifying priority Conservation Opportunity Areas, SWG funds may be most effectively applied to the most pressing issues and SGCN species. After nominations have been received, they will be considered for listing as SGCN species, or taken off.

The state of Kansas has received about $9 million in SWG funds since 2000. This plan revision and update will be finalized in 2013. Anyone interested in this process is welcome to provide input. Go online to tinyurl.com/cwcprevision to see the schedule and first actions as part of this revision.

With the help of many experts, KDWPT staff have updated the native species list. Within this listing, categories for the names, as well as whether a species is recognized as a state threatened (T), endangered (E), or an extirpated or extinct (x) species may be viewed. Also, the SGCN species are identified as yes (Y) or no (N) in the last column. A nomination form may also be found at this site.
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