$7 Million Awarded to Accelerate the Implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northwest

Grant will enable organizations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to conserve priority natural areas.

SEATTLE, WA — March 11, 2009 — The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) today announced a grant of $7 million over three years to The Nature Conservancy. The grant will enable efforts to preserve the natural areas identified as priorities by the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington in their wildlife action plans.

“The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is proud to support efforts aimed at realizing the vision that the states have put forward in their wildlife action plans,” said Dr. Mark Shaffer, director of DDCF’s Environment Program. “The action plans were developed with scientists, conservationists, hunters, anglers and others all working together. If we can now implement the plans with that same collaborative, pro-active and solution-oriented approach, the benefits for wildlife and people alike will be enormous.”

The grant from DDCF spurred the formation of the Northwest Wildlife Conservation Initiative, which includes The Nature Conservancy in all three states, Defenders of Wildlife in Oregon, Lava Lake Land and Livestock in Idaho, and Wilburforce Foundation in Washington. The Initiative is working with dozens of partners across the Pacific Northwest to advance critical land protection projects and build support and capacity for future conservation efforts. Projects supported by the Initiative must align with the priorities identified by the states in their action plans, and bring additional funds from other sources. The Initiative’s goal is to build upon the initial investment by DDCF and secure a total of at least $38 million for conservation priorities across the three states.

“This landmark grant is a great endorsement for state wildlife action plans as a framework for more effective conservation,” said Karen Anderson, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Washington. “This is a strategic approach that enables all of us, working together, to focus investments on the highest priority habitats. We’re excited by the many important wildlife conservation projects local groups are proposing and implementing across the Pacific Northwest.”

“Conserving and enhancing wildlife habitat is an important legacy for all the people of Washington,” said Phil Anderson, interim director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “This public-private partnership is an important first step toward making the Washington Wildlife Conservation Strategy and Wildlife Action Plan a blueprint that guides conservation investments in our state.”

Several land protection projects have already been awarded grants from the Initiative, including:

Oregon: acquisition of 6,733 acres primarily along rivers and streams in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, important for federally protected Snake River steelhead and salmon and other fish and wildlife.
Idaho: acquisition of 26,280 acres of conservation easements on sagebrush and riparian habitat linking Craters of the Moon National Monument with the high divide of the Pioneer Mountains, important for over two dozen species of conservation concern.
Washington: acquisition of 321.9 acres by the Columbia Land Trust that includes a one-mile reach of the Klickitat River and its floodplain. The acquisition builds on thousands of acres of land already protected by state agencies, Yakama Nation and Bureau of Land Management.

State wildlife action plans were first conceived in 2000, when Congress mandated that each state develop a comprehensive strategy for conserving its wildlife. The states submitted their plans to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the fall of 2005, and they were all approved by February of 2007. In developing these plans, the state wildlife agencies identified species and habitats in greatest need of conservation attention.

They were careful to consider the broad range of wildlife, including game and non-game species, common species as well as endangered ones. They also brought multiple stakeholders to the table to establish a common conservation agenda that could achieve broad acceptance within each state.

Additional information about the wildlife action plans for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho can be accessed through http://www.wildlifeactionplans.org

Contacts for The Nature Conservancy:

Oregon: Stephen Anderson, (503) 802-8100, standerson@tnc.org

Idaho: Matt Miller, (208) 343-8826, x20, m_miller@tnc.org

Washington: Robin Stanton, (206) 343-4345, x338, rstanton@tnc.org

Contact for the Doris Duke Foundation:

Douglas Meyer, (202) 329-3299; environment@bernuthconsulting.com

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.