Home > Past Issues >May 2005 Director's Message

FWC Needs Your Help to Create Florida’s Wildlife Initiative
By Ken Haddad., Executive Director
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The people of Florida have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of our fish and wildlife conservation programs by helping create Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative. The Wildlife Legacy Initiative is a far-sighted approach for managing all wildlife in Florida and links conservation actions to a clear program of support. By offering the possibility of permanent funding, it could make conservation dreams become conservation reality.

The goal is to find non-regulatory ways to avert future declines of native wildlife – to keep common species common – by evaluating the status of wildlife and prioritizing conservation efforts. This is a pro-active approach to prevent decline of species before they become endangered.

Congress challenged every state and territory to develop a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. Our state’s strategy is Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative. This is the first time in history all states and territories have worked together to address the entire diversity of wildlife and habitats. The collaborative process is meant to build partnerships between federal, state and local agencies and other conservation partners.

As an incentive to get states to develop a strategy, Congress made it a requirement for participating in the State Wildlife Grants Program. These grants are an important part of our non-game funding.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is leading the process to create Florida’s strategy, but it is not a plan for the FWC. It is a strategy for securing the future of all of our state’s native wildlife.

Public participation is a crucial element. The FWC launched Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative in October 2004 with an appeal for people to get involved in developing the strategy by identifying wildlife needs. Agency staff heard from citizens who attended workshops in Dania Beach, Jacksonville, Kissimmee, Tallahassee and Tampa. Comments also are being received through letters and e-mails to the FWC.

The first draft of the comprehensive strategy will be ready in early June and will be posted on the FWC Web site. Soon after that, the FWC will host a live virtual workshop, where staff will present an overview of Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative on that site and offer another forum for public comment. Log on to: MyFWC.com/wildlifelegacy to keep up to date on Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative and to find out more about the virtual workshop.

This is probably the most ambitious and innovative effort we have ever undertaken to address conservation for all of our state’s fish and wildlife. I encourage everyone who is interested in the future of Florida’s wildlife to get involved and help us craft this strategy.

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