New! – Take a survey and provide your input
As part of the public review process for the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), we invite you to provide input by clicking on the survey link below. You can provide your opinions on (1) the importance of various criteria used to identify species of greatest conservation need, (2) your opinions on the importance of various criteria used to identify habitat for wildlife conservation, (3) your opinions on how much of a threat certain factors pose to Arizona wildlife.

Survey link: http://swap.questionpro.com

Overview of the SWAP public review

Arizona's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) requires the Arizona Game and Fish Department to conduct a public review of the plan after the fourth year from its initial approval. Public review meetings will be held in December 2009 and January and February 2010 (see schedule below).

A link to the current State Wildlife Action Plan, as well as links to new documents and maps, are posted beneath the public meeting schedule.

The review will focus on three main areas of the plan:

• The Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including the criteria used to determine their status and their spatial distributions.
  
  
• The spatial distribution of stressors to wildlife, including a vulnerability assessment for climate change.
  
  
• Delineation of landscapes of conservation concern.
  

Public meeting schedule

A series of public meetings are scheduled to run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates:

• Tuesday, Dec. 15, Kingman, Arizona Game and Fish Department Kingman regional office, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road.
  
  
• Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, Tucson, Arizona Game and Fish Department Tucson regional office, 555 N. Greasewood Road.
  
  
• Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, Yuma, Arizona Game and Fish Department Yuma regional office, 9140 E. 28th St.
  
  
• Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, Mesa, Arizona Game and Fish Department Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive.
  
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, Pinetop, Arizona Game and Fish Department Pinetop regional office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
  
  
• Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, Flagstaff, Radisson Woodlands Hotel, 1175 West Route 66.
  
  
• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, Phoenix, Arizona Game and Fish Department Headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Highway.
  
  

At each meeting, formal presentations on the proposed revision will begin at 3 p.m. and will be followed by the opportunity to participate in active "worktable" sessions until 7 p.m., if needed. The meeting will end early if the needs of the participants have been met prior to 7 p.m.

Download Arizona's SWAP plan

New! Links to SWAP meeting presentation slides

• SWAP history presentation, [PDF, 775kb]
• Species and Habitat Conservation Guide presentation, [PDF, 3.4mb]
• Species of Greatest Conservation Need presentation, [PDF, 5.8mb]
• Threat models presentation, [PDF, 8.1mb]

Links to documents related to the SWAP review process

• Draft Species and Habitat Conservation Guide, [PDF, 57kb]
• Draft threat mapping report, [PDF, 167kb]
• Species vulnerability scoring criteria, [PDF, 32kb]
• SWAP 2005 species list, [PDF, 44kb]
• SWAP 2010 species list, [PDF, 78kb]

Links to maps (related to the draft Species and Habitat Conservation Guide)

• Species of economic and recreational importance, [JPG, 250kb]
• Species of greatest conservation need, [JPG, 262kb]
• Sportfish, [JPG, 153kb]
• Riparian, [JPG, 181kb]
• Unfragmented, [JPG, 218kb]
• Species and Habitat Conservation Guide, [JPG, 252kb]

Note: A DVD of all maps (there are more than 340) is available upon request at the public meetings or by e-mailing SWAPcomment@azgfd.gov.

Background on SWAP

Arizona's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), previously known as the Conservation Wildlife Conservation Strategy, was accepted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's National Acceptance Advisory Team in April 2006. It was the culmination of a 2-year effort during which Arizona Game and Fish Department solicited input from numerous experts, resource professionals, federal and state agencies, sportsmen groups, conservation organizations, Native American tribes, recreational groups, local governments, and private citizens and integrated those ideas and concerns into a single, comprehensive vision for managing Arizona’s fish, wildlife, and wildlife habitats over the next ten years.

For over a decade, a coalition of more than 3,000 conservation organizations known as “Teaming With Wildlife” has labored to keep species from becoming endangered by increasing state and federal funding for wildlife conservation.  This effort culminated in 2001 when federal legislation established a new State Wildlife Grant (SWG) program.  SWG funds are used to support the needs of wildlife, their habitats, and related recreational and educational activities.  In order to continue receiving SWG funds, each of the 56 U.S. states and territories were required, by congress, to submit a CWCS plan for approval to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Guidelines for developing the state plans and the 8 required elements were established by state fish and wildlife agencies working with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Teaming With Wildlife Committee.

Arizona's CWCS is unlike existing recovery plans and other regulatory documents in that it builds on and complements existing plans and wildlife conservation projects that are already underway.  The plan outlines strategies and conservation actions aimed at promoting partnerships and coordinating efforts among all who hold a stake in conserving Arizona’s wildlife.  As such, the plan addresses the full array of wildlife and habitats but focuses on identifying and managing the “wildlife and biotic communities of greatest conservation need.

Additonal SWAP (CWCS) Information

• Nationwide Vision [PDF, 119kb]
• State Wildlife Grants Program [PDF, 124kb]
• Guiding Principles [PDF, 127kb]
• National Wildlife Action Plan Web Site
• Team With Wildlife Web Site