CONCORD — New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking for the public’s help in obtaining additional funding for its Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program.
The state is offering a $100,000 challenge grant to fund the work of the program, but to qualify, Fish & Game must raise an equal amount in private contributions by June 30. These funds are also critical in meeting federal grant match requirements.
For more than 35 years, the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program has worked with state and private partners to steward the Granite State’s nongame wildlife.
The program is currently engaged in the year-and-a-half long process of revising the plan, a blueprint for conservation in the state that is updated every 10 years.
In addition to the 51 threatened and endangered species in New Hampshire, the Nongame Program is also responsible for the protection of over 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as thousands of insects and other invertebrates.
Using the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan as a guide, and with the help of private financial support, the plan has achieved meaningful results over the years.
Working with partners, it implemented recovery programs for iconic species such as New England cottontails, piping plovers, and the Karner blue butterfly, New Hampshire’s state butterfly.
Donations support field research and monitoring of nongame and endangered wildlife identified as priority species in the NH Wildlife Action Plan.
The money is also used to provide technical assistance to other organizations and private landowners, and direct on-the-ground species and habitat restoration efforts.
Hunting and fishing license revenue does not support nongame wildlife protection efforts in the Granite State.
“Partnerships, volunteers, and the public’s financial support have been, and continue to be, critical to our success,” said Nongame Program Supervisor Mike Marchand. “We have initiated research efforts focused on turtles, freshwater mussels, and pollinating insects and are now using that knowledge to put action on the ground for these species.”
To donate, visit www.wildnh.com/nongame.
To learn more about the Nongame Program and the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan, visit https://shorturl.at/38Tvd.