Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Planning: The Minnesota Experience
Emmett Mullin, CWCS Project Manager Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155; (651) 284-3591; FAX (651) 296-6047; Emmett.mullin@dnr.state.mn.us
Robert Blair, University of Minnesota, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Room 6125, Hodson Hall, 1980 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108
Daren Carlson, CWCS Ecologist/GIS Analyst, Ecological Services, Box 25, Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
Meredith Cornett, Director of Science, The Nature Conservancy, 1101 West River Parkway, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Gary Drotts, MNGAP/MNWRAP, Program Leader, Wildlife, Dept of Natural Resources, Box 17, 1601 Minnesota Drive, Brainerd, MN 56401
Bon Eliason, DNR Natural Heritage Program Leader, Ecological Services, Box 25, Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
Linda Erickson-Eastwood, Fisheries, Box 12, Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
JoAnn Hanowski, Senior Research Fellow, Avian Ecology, Natural Resources Research Institute, 5013 Miller Trunk Hwy, Duluth, MN 55811
Jay Hatch, University of Minnesota, General College - Sciences, Room 109 ApH, 3501, 128 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Katie Haws, Nongame Wildlife Specialist, Ecological Services, Box 14, Department of Natural Resources, 2115 Birchmont Beach Rd, NE, Bemidji, MN 56601
Melinda Knutson, USGS, Upper Midwest Env Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, LaCrosse, WI 54603
Mark Martell, Audubon, Director of Bird Conservation, 2357 Ventura Drive, Suite 106, St. Paul, MN 55125
Gerda Nordquist, County Biological Survey, Ecological Services, Box 25, Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
Brian Stenquist, CWCS facilitator, Ecological Services, Box 25, Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
Tom Will, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Migratory Birds, BHW Federal Building 6th , Floor, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056
Wildlife conservation planning took center stage in 2004 as states across the country are engaged in developing plans to meet the needs of fish and wildlife resources over the next 10 years. The planning process is mandated by Congress and guided by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Minnesota took a leadership role in the northern Midwest, engaging in training and progress meetings and providing consultation to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal and state agencies. The planning process in Minnesota includes agency administrators, technical wildlife and fisheries professionals, and conservation stakeholders. The result has been a broad, comprehensive review of the species of greatest conservation concern in Minnesota, integrating terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate and invertebrates. Concurrently, a terrestrial and aquatic cover map was developed and is based on the Minnesota GAP Program data layers and expert opinion. This information, together with a synthetic review of environmental and other threats to species of conservation need, guides the final plan. Conservation stakeholders are involved in review teams to help Minnesota develop a visionary, but practical plan that will guide conservation efforts into the next decade. We will provide an overview of our experience with the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Planning process, discuss what worked and what did not, and provide recommendations for future planning efforts.