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Program Aimed at Helping State Manage Nongame Wildlife

Posted on: Friday, 29 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Tennessee's nongame species are the focus of a new federal initiative aimed at improving state-level management for all wildlife, not just the species that are legally hunted or fished.

Funds from the federal program already have enabled the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to launch an inventory of the state's nongame species, which account for 90 percent of the more than 1,300 wildlife species found in Tennessee.

"We're in charge of all of the wildlife in the state, and most of it is nongame," said Mark Fagg, TWRA conservation biologist for Region IV. "Most of these species are relatively small but very important. This program gives us our first opportunity to take stock of what we've got."

Nongame wildlife programs typically receive far less money at the state level than game management programs, which are funded through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and a special tax on fishing and hunting equipment.

In 2004, grant money distributed among state fish and game agencies through the program totaled $61.2 million. Tennessee's portion of the funding is expected to be about $1 million a year.

The program requires that each state submit a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Oct. 1. TWRA officials say their portion of the money would keep the nongame inventory and monitoring program running, as well as fund various educational and habitat enhancement efforts.

Biologists say that while the new funding initiative is geared toward nongame management, game species such as turkey, bass and deer will benefit, too.

"Many of these smaller animals provide food for game species," Fagg said. "The same problems facing game species, such as habitat loss and poor water quality, also affect nongame species."

In 2004, TWRA has used the federal funding to hire eight people to begin collecting and cataloging nongame wildlife species on state- owned public lands.

Biologists also have identified a "target list" of 700 nongame species across the state that need increased management to keep them off the threatened and endangered list.

Working with the Tennessee Valley Authority and The Nature Conservancy, TWRA has developed computerized maps and models that help biologists identify regions of the greatest concern based on habitat loss and other environmental threats.

Fagg said that Tennessee as a whole is renowned for rare freshwater mussels and fish, and that East Tennessee is expected to score high in terms of salamanders, small mammals and snails.

"We are probably the most biologically diverse state in the country without a coastline," Fagg said. "This is our chance to shine."

Morgan Simmons may be reached at 865-342-6321.

NONGAME MEETINGS

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has scheduled the following public meetings to discuss details of the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy and its implications for nongame management across the state

* Knoxville: 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21, Plant Science Building Auditorium, University of Tennessee Agricultural Campus

* Nashville: 7 p.m. July 26, meeting room of the TWRA Region II office

* Jackson: 7 p.m. July 28, auditorium of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station

* Crossville: 7 p.m. Aug. 2, conference room of the TWRA Region III office

Source: News Sentinel

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