The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has worked together with partners in the conservation community to create the state's first Wildlife Action Plan. The plan, which was mandated and funded by the federal government through the State Wildlife Grants program, provides New Hampshire decision-makers with important tools for restoring and maintaining critical habitats and populations of the state's species of conservation and management concern. It is a pro-active effort to define and implement a strategy that will help keep species off of rare species lists, in the process saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

The NH Wildlife Action Plan was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on October 1, 2005, and approved in spring of 2006.

Click on a topic:

Conservation Planning Tools (especially for community conservation planners)

Maps (map descriptions, examples, and more)

Habitats (descriptions, habitat management, and more)

Workshops and Presentations (learn about the WAP and how to use it)

Want to read the plan? You can download each section from the box below.

Wildlife Action Plan DOWNLOADS (all PDF* format) Please be aware that these documents may not be the final version; updated sections will be posted as they become available. Wildlife Action Plan Introduction (includes Table of Contents and Guide to the Eight Required Elements) (1.1 MB) Chapter 1: Public Participation (119 KB) Chapter 2: NH Wildlife and Habitats At Risk (142 KB) Chapter 3: NH Wildlife Habitat Conditions (911 KB) Chapter 4: Wildlife Risk Assessment - Introduction (182 KB) Chapter 4: Wildlife Risk Assessments (915 KB) Chapter 5: Conservation Strategies (363 KB) Chapter 6: Monitoring, Performance Evaluation, and Adaptive Management (364 KB) Chapter 7: Implementation (55 KB) WAP Appendices (all PDF* format - please be patient with large downloads): A: Species Profiles Invertebrates (PDF, 1.8 MB) Go to Invertebrate Page for individual species profiles. Fish (PDF, 1.4 MB) Reptiles and Amphibians (PDF, 1.5 MB) Mammals (PDF, 1.8 MB) Go to Mammal Page for individual species profiles. Birds (PDF, 5.7 MB) Go to Bird Page for individual species profiles. B: Habitat Profiles (PDF, 3.3 MB) C: Natural Community "Crosswalks" (PDF, 75 KB) D: Species and Habitats (PDF, 85 KB) E: Big Game Plan (PDF, 963 KB) Public Input: F: Wildlife Action Plan - Planning Process (PDF, 59 KB) H: Wildlife Summit Results (PDF, 411 KB) I: Web Survey (PDF, 150 KB) J: Public Participation Record (PDF, 221 KB) K: Wildlife Conservation Strategy Forum Results (PDF, 454 KB) Templates and Other Material for Science Writers: L: Species and Habitat Profile Template (PDF, 123 KB) M: Identifying and Ranking Risks - Instructions (PDF, 221 KB) N: Risk Factor Ranking Template (PDF, 80 KB) O: Strategy Template (PDF, 57 KB) P: Feasibility Ranking Form (PDF, 52 KB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight Required Elements of the Wildlife Action Plan (click for more information)

Congress requires eight elements be included in the Plan. These include:

1. Where are they now? -- current distribution and abundance of wildlife species.
2. How are they doing? -- location and condition of habitats critical to species' survival.
3. What is threatening their survival?-- identifying problems that may harm wildlife species and habitat, and priority research needed to adequately address conservation actions.
4. What can we do? -- prescriptions and goals for conserving wildlife species and critical habitats.
5. How do we know what we are doing is working? -- monitoring of wildlife populations and habitats and success of prescribed conservation actions
6. Do we need to make some changes? -- assessment of the Plan at intervals not to exceed ten years.
7. How are other agencies going to be participating in the planning process? -- involvement of federal, state, local agencies and Indian tribes that manage lands or programs affecting wildlife.
8. How is the general public participating? -- public participation is imperative for successful completion and implementation of the Plan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Common Questions about New Hampshire's Wildlife Action Plan Click here
• List of New Hampshire's critical habitats and associated species Click here
• See what other states are doing for their wildlife plans! Click here
• Teaming With Wildlife -- A national coalition working to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered, and to ensure the timely implementation of the Wildlife Action Plans, by supporting increased state and federal funding for wildlife conservation. Visit www.teaming.com.