2015 District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan

A conservation strategy for wildlife in Washington, DC

The District provides valuable habitats for all types of wildlife, from tiny crustaceans to the majestic bald eagle. To protect threatened species and keep habitats healthy, DDOE developed the District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan in 2006 as a blueprint for wildlife conservation. It is one of 56 plans State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) that form a national network to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. Together, the state and tribal wildlife action plans reduce the cost of wildlife management by decreasing the need for recovery projects for endangered species.

The District's Wildlife Action Plan can be used by any agency, conservation organization, or resident who wishes to help conserve wildlife.

Updating the Plan in 2015

In order to be eligible for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants, the District is required to have an approved plan in place. Wildlife Action Plans are reviewed and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Congress requires states to update their Wildlife Action Plan every 10 years. DOEE updated its Wildlife Action Plan in 2015. The updated plan is based on 10 years of monitoring and data collection. It identifies current needs and priorities to protect the District’s species of greatest conservation need and their habitats. The plan was updated with input from several technical advisory committees, sister agencies, stakeholder organizations and the public.

SWAP 2015 Submitted Document

This is the version of the plan that was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for review. When the plan is approved DOEE will update this site to indicate that the plan has been approved.

• List of Species of Conservation Need (SGCN) and the methods used to select them (Ch.2)
• Descriptions and extent of the habitats that are critical to SGCN, with an assessment of the conditions of these habitats (Ch.3)
• Threats to SGCN and their habitats (Ch.4)
• Impacts of climate change on SGCN and habitats (Ch.5)
• Conservation actions that are needed to protect and recover SGCN (Ch.6)
• A plan for monitoring the effectiveness of conservation actions and adapting to new threats and challenges (Ch.7)
• Stakeholder and public participation in plan development and implementation (Ch.8)
• Resources for residents

The 2015 District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan is attached below.