Conserving Georgia s Nongame Wildlife

Transcription

1 Coservig Georgia s Nogame Wildlife 2016 FISCAL YEAR REPORT SUMMARY

2 s part of Georgia DNR s Wildlife Resources Divisio, our missio at the Nogame Coservatio Sectio is coservig the more tha 95 percet of ative species ot fished for or huted, plus rare plats ad atural habitats. I fiscal year 2016, we witessed highs ad lows related to that missio. Two examples: Loggerhead sea turtles shattered the previous state record with more tha 3,200 ests o Georgia beaches. That far surpassed a state recovery bechmark. The take-home: These federally listed turtles are recoverig. O the flip side, the disease that has killed millios of bats i North America is t sparig Georgia. Our surveys of white-ose sydrome have documeted 92 percet fewer bats i caves ad mies we check each witer. These examples illustrate oe thig: Coservig wildlife is log-term work, full of highs ad lows. Yet most would agree that it s also vital work. Ad that it is our resposibility to pass o to future geeratios the icredible variety of wild creatures ad wild places that erich our lives ow. This summary report offers a glimpse of our agecy s efforts to research, restore ad protect sea turtles, bats ad the scores of other ative aimal ad plat species cosidered a high priority for coservatio i Georgia. A The full report is available at I hope you fid this accout iformative, ecouragig ad, yes, challegig a challege to become ivolved i ad support the coservatio of Georgia s ogame wildlife. Thak you, Jo Ambrose Chief, Nogame Coservatio Sectio GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES WILDLIFE RESOURCES DIVISION NONGAME CONSERVATION SECTION

3 CONSERVING RESTORING WILDLIFE AND RARE PLANTS H A B I TAT E N G AG I N G M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E G E O R G I A N S

4 Swabbig bat 2016 HIGHLIGHTS We led the revisio of Georgia s State Wildlife Actio Pla, ow approved ad guidig DNR ad parter efforts to keep ative species from decliig to the poit they eed federal protectio. Coordiated the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, which documeted loggerhead sea turtle estig that is icreasig about 3% a year i Georgia ad easily topped a recovery milestoe of 2,800 ests. Cofirmed that white-ose sydrome the disease deadly to bats has spread to 11 couties ad caused a steep declie i populatios at kow bat hiberacula i orth Georgia. Promoted the Georgia Plat Coservatio Alliace, leadig to a Associatio of Fish & Wildlife Agecies award recogizig the alliace for its outstadig cotributios to professioal wildlife maagemet. Played a key role i DNR s Wildlife Resources Divisio almost doublig the amout of restorative prescribed fire o DNR-maaged lads sice 2007, from 31,897 to 60,363 acres i Created a popular childre s colorig book usig a grat from the ogame frieds group TERN ad desiged to help teach coservatio ad promote Wildlife Resources licese plates. Provided surveys DNR used i acquirig 18,790 acres for recreatio ad wildlife, icludig Alapaha River ad Altama Platatio WMAs i south Georgia ad 1,700 acres for Pauldig Forest WMA ear Atlata. Worked to form a St. Simos Islad Beach Stewards Program, a voluteer group that helped more tha 100 pairs of federally edagered least ters fledge chicks o oe of Georgia s most popular beaches. Celebratig colorig book with First Lady Sadra Deal (Jasmie Kig) Sicklefi redhorse Supported DNR as a sigatory to a Cadidate Coservatio Agreemet to coserve sickeli redhorse, a agreemet later cited with helpig keep this rare fish off the federal edagered species list. Through Charlie Elliott Wildlife Ceter, oe of seve educatio ceters Wildlife Resources operates with schools ad others, traied 525 teachers i Project WILD evirometal educatio courses. Helped develop a upper Little Teessee watershed pla ad recogize 2015 Forestry for Wildlife Parters Georgia Power, Weyerhaeuser ad CatchMark Timber Trust, which collectively maage 1 millio acres.

5 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW REVENUE TOTAL: $2,311,192* EXPENDITURES TOTAL: $2,491,544 Doatios & other icome 7% ($159,874) Icome tax checkoff 6% ($131,248) Weeked for Wildlife* 20% ($456,654) Eared iterest 1% ($21,579) Nogame licese plates 66% ($1,541,837) Professioal services (cotracts, fees) 4% ($97,234) Operatios 20% ($507,078) Persoel 76% ($1,887,232) Does ot iclude federal ad other grats or $429,318 i state appropriatios. Through Nogame Fud. * Icludes estimated reveue from Weeked for Wildlife that will be disbursed through the Georgia Natural Resources Foudatio. 12 M 11 M 10 M 9 M 8 M 7 M 6 M 5 M 4 M 3 M 2 M 1 M NONGAME CONSERVATION FUND Listed i millios per year INCOME EXPENSES BALANCE* FY 07 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10 FY 11 FY 12 FY 13 FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 * Icludes estimated reveue that will be disbursed through the Georgia Natural Resources Foudatio. As i fiscal 2015, sales ad reewals of DNR ogame licese plates exceeded $1.5 millio i 2016; yet, the umber of eagle ad hummigbird tags i circulatio cotiued to declie. Nogame Coservatio received state appropriatios for the first time i years, the $429,318 makig up about 6% of the agecy s research ad coservatio budget. Cotributios to the Nogame Wildlife Coservatio Fud through the Give Wildlife NOTEWORTHY a Chace state icome tax checkoff hit a record low of $131,248, 45% less tha i fiscal The Evirometal Resources Network (TERN), Nogame Coservatio s frieds group, fuded 20 ogame project proposals for a combied $69,918. Nogame Coservatio received early $10.1 millio i federal ad other grats, icludig $7 millio for lad acquisitio ad $1.3 millio i State Wildlife Grats. Fid our full report ad a iteractive guide at

6 The Nogame Coservatio Sectio depeds largely o fudraisers, grats ad cotributios to coserve ogame wildlife, rare plats ad the habitats these species eed. Three agecy fudraisers provide critical support through the Georgia Nogame Wildlife Coservatio Fud, created by state law to support ogame coservatio ad habitat acquisitio: Sales ad aual reewals of DNR s eagle ad hummigbird licese plates. The Give Wildlife a Chace state icome tax checkoff. The aual Weeked for Wildlife evet, www1.gadr.org/wfw. Licese plates provide more tha half of the fud s reveue. Shortly after the close of fiscal 2016, DNR itroduced a redesiged eagle ad U.S. flag tag, a sharp ew look for a icoic combo that has bee oe of the most popular specialty plates i Georgia. HOW YOU CAN HELP How ca you support wildlife coservatio? 1. Buy or reew a eagle or hummigbird plate. Each costs oly $25 more tha a stadard peach plate ad up to 80% of that fee goes to coserve ogame. 2. Make a direct cotributio to the Wildlife Coservatio Fud. Lear more at coservatio/support. 3. Explore ways to take part i wildlife work, whether by voluteerig through agecies or joiig coservatio orgaizatios such as TERN, frieds group of Nogame Coservatio. (DNR voluteer details are at voluteer.) 4. Lear about the wildlife ad plats i your yard, regio ad state. Check out DNR social media ad for updates ad species profiles. 5. Last but certaily ot least, get out ad ejoy Georgia s outdoors! FOLLOW US: Also sig up for Nogame Coservatio s free e-ewsletter, Georgia Wild. Click the red evelope at GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES WILDLIFE RESOURCES DIVISION NONGAME CONSERVATION SECTION PHOTO CREDITS: COVER: Loggerhead hatchlig (Haley Watkis/Sea Islad). All photos are from DNR uless oted. PAGE 2: Surveyig Georgia aster Gopher tortoise at Doeru WMA Rabu Gap-Nacoochee School studets thrilled by hellbeder (Johatha BySura/Rabu Gap-Nacoochee) Bald eagle (Jerry Turer)