2015 Update to the District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan

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A conservation strategy for wildlife in Washington, DC

Read the most recent version of the District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan.

To receive federal funding through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program, every state, territory, and the District of Columbia must have an approved Wildlife Action Plan. Wildlife Action Plans are reviewed and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Congress requires that states must review and update their plans at least every ten years.

The first District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan was produced in 2005. DOEE updated the 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.

The 2015 District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan identified 205 species of greatest conservation need (SGCN): 58 birds, 21 mammals, 17 reptiles, 18 amphibians, 12 fish, and 79 invertebrates. The 2015 Wildlife Action Plan includes the following information:

• 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 and references
• Appendices detailing selection of SGCN, threats to SGCN, and public comments received on the draft plan

The 2015 District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan:

• Preface and Table of Contents
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Species of Greatest Conservation Need
• Chapter 3 Habitats
• Chapter 4 Threats to SGCN and Critical Habitats 
• Chapter 5 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments
• Chapter 6 Conservation Actions
• Chapter 7 Monitoring and Adaptive Management
• Chapter 8 Stakeholder and Public Participation
• Resources, References, Abbreviations, and Glossary
• Appendix A Avian Species Ranking 
• Appendix B Mammal Species Ranking 
• Appendix C Reptile and Amphibian Species Ranking
• Appendix D Fish Species Ranking
• Appendix E Invertebrate Species Ranking
• Appendix F Habitat Threats Ranking
• Appendix G Public Comments and DOEE Responses