• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Wildlife Conservation Board Wins Prestigious National Award for Conservation Leadership, California Resources Agency Announces

Posted on: Friday, 24 March 2006, 21:00 CST

The California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) today received national recognition from the Wildlife Management Institute for its partnership-based efforts to protect California's natural heritage. The institute presented WCB Director Al Wright with its President's Award during the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Columbus, Ohio. The award recognizes a state or federal agency for exceptional efforts in implementing a program that has made a significant contribution to the scientific management of natural resources.

"It's great to see the Wildlife Conservation Board receive this kind of recognition," said Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman. "This award demonstrates that what we are doing in California can serve as a conservation model for other states to follow."

The WCB, part of the California Resources Agency, was established nearly 60 years ago to administer a capital outlay program for wildlife habitat protection.

"Forging partnerships has been an extremely successful part of our program to protect California's unique natural heritage, and we are honored that the Wildlife Management Institute has acknowledged our efforts by presenting us with this award," said Wright. "Just in the last five years, the WCB has worked with more than 275 partners who have contributed more than $1 billon towards the conservation of California's incredible natural beauty and amazing biodiversity."

The WCB and its partners have accomplished hundreds of successful habitat restoration and land conservation projects throughout California. These endeavors have increased wetland acreage in the Central Valley by more than 70,000 acres since 1990, and protected 63,000 acres of San Francisco Bay wetlands and restored 61,850 acres of the bay's wetlands and riparian habitats in the last decade. In the last five years alone, these projects have protected 300,000 acres of rangelands and oak woodlands, 90,000 acres of forest lands, 23,000 acres of vernal pools and 9,000 acres of riparian habitat.

"In implementing their mission, the board has taken an approach that respects, supports and maximizes the partnership opportunities of every project they undertake," said Fritz Reid, Chair of the Central Valley Joint Venture, a public-private partnership of which the WCB is a member. "They bring tremendous resources to the table combined with a genuine commitment, and understanding of the benefits of taking an informed, ecosystem-wide approach to those projects they support."

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category