Wildlife Management Agencies in the Southern Appalachians
Wildlife management in the past was primarily a state and federal activity. Now, however, private groups such as The Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, The Wildlife Society, and other organizations either manage wildlife or promote wildlife management. Many of these groups provide useful publications for management of wildlife, such as the manual, "Research and Management Techniques for Wildlife and Habitats" of The Wildlife Society. Wildlife management staffs of industrial forest owners are also important players.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The FWS manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which is comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. Regions 4 and 5 of that system include the southern Appalachian forests. The FWS also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices, and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. The FWS also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
The U.S. Forest Service is the federal agency responsible for managinf habitat for wildlife, including threatened, endangered, and sensitive species, on the National Forests. It often works cooperatively with state wildlife agencies to manage the faunal resource on National Forests. National Forests make up about 12 percent of all land (SAMAB 1996) and about 17 percnet of forest land in the southern Appalachians (SAMAB 1996). The Forest Service also does research and provides information and advice to state and private landowners throughout the southern Appalachians.
The National Park Service, another federal agency, manages wildlife resources on its lands in the southern Appalachians. Its largest landholdings in the region are the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Shenandoah National Park.
Each state has one or more agencies responsible for wildlife resources in the state:
The Cooperative Extension Service, operated by states and state land-grant universities, provides abundant expertise and advice for private landowners interested in forest and wildlife resource management.
Increasingly, private consultants and management groups provide expert advice and management for private clients interested in achieving diverse objectives for wildlife.
Encyclopedia ID: p2134
