The new District Department of Environment (DDOE) received approval from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to implement its Wildlife Action Plan. This plan will allow the District to receive grants from USFWS to facilitate conserving the District's wildlife and their natural habitat. Local scientists, sportsmen, conservationists and other community members worked on the plan for over a year because of their concern about preventing the District's wildlife species from becoming threatened or endangered.
DDOE's Interim Director Corey Buffo said, "If we invest in conserving wildlife and natural areas now, we can protect them for future generations." The plan is the first of its kind for DC and involves specific actions that the DDOE Fisheries & Wildlife Division will be taking in combination with its government and private partners in FY07:
- Implement fish, reptile, amphibian, mammal, invertebrate, and bird surveys to monitor the status and trend of populations and habitat
- Improve wildlife habitat in the District through invasive plant management, partnering with the National Park Service
- Restore freshwater tidal wetlands through goose management
- Restore native understory vegetation through deer management, partnering with the National Park Service
- Viewing and commenting on the DC Wildlife Action Plan
- Volunteering to assist with wildlife surveys once they are announced