New State Wildlife Plan Needs You – Georgia Wildlife Blog

If you value Georgia’s wildlife and wild places, we need to know what you think about a newly updated strategy aimed at making sure our state stays wild.

From now through March 21, a draft of the State Wildlife Action Plan is open for review at georgiawildlife.com. Created 20 years ago and revised every 10 years since, this plan required by Congress shapes and guides work across Georgia to keep native animal and plant species from becoming more rare and costly to conserve.

That wild lineup varies from gopher tortoises and American oystercatchers to tangerine darters and fringed campion wildflowers.

American oystercatcher, one of over 1,000 species in the Wildlife Action Plan (Tim Keyes/DNR)

The revised plan will be critical to restoring, managing and protecting Georgia’s wildlife, said Dr. Brett Albanese, plan coordinator and an assistant chief with DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section.

Albanese pointed to updates including:

Identifying more than 1,000 “species of greatest conservation need” and their habitats.
Exploring the most effective ways to conserve these creatures and plants.
Providing an online map to help streamline work on public land and encourage voluntary efforts on private lands.

He also noted that while over 100 organizations helped create the draft, more feedback is needed.

“This is Georgia’s plan, not DNR’s. Experts and other partners helped develop a robust plan to address the threats to wildlife across the state. Now we need the full conservation community – and especially everyday citizens who enjoy and appreciate the outdoors – to help us refine and implement it.”