The State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is a strategic and cost-effective mechanism to preserve the state's wildlife resources for the future. Recovery of species that have reached threatened or endangered status is typically more costly than preventative actions that keep species populations from reaching such declines. Proactive management actions identified in the SWAP are intended to keep species from becoming federally (and state) threatened and endangered.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife is currently updating the 2005 Wildlife Action Plan as required by Congress to continue to receive federal State Wildlife Grants. More importantly, New Jersey's update will serve as a blueprint for conserving our wildlife heritage. The plan will identify priority actions addressing known threats facing our targeted species and habitats that we, as a conservation community, can implement in the next five to 10 years. The revised plan is due to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) by October 1, 2015.

What is a Wildlife Action Plan?
These are proactive plans that assess the health of each state's wildlife and habitats, identify the problems they face, and outline the actions that are needed to conserve them over the long term. The New Jersey, the Wildlife Action Plan will identify both priority species and habitats, assess the threats they face and outline actions to take to improve or stabilize their condition.

New Jersey's 2005 Plan has helped sustain and enhance populations of our at-risk species and habitats - ensuring a better quality of life for all. We expect the 2015 SWAP to continue to provide a guide to actions that will protect our species of greatest conservation need.

What are State Wildlife Grants?
Essentially, State Wildlife Grants (SWG) fund state programs that serve as "preventive medicine" for avoiding the federal (Endangered Species Act) listing of species at risk. SWG-funded programs are based on the cooperation of partners from the public and private sectors through voluntary collaborative efforts. These efforts bring about mutually desirable, effective projects focused on fish and wildlife species as well as habitats of greatest conservation need. SWG funds must be matched with state or private money.

Individuals submitting comments will NOT receive a response directly addressing their comments, but a summary of comments and our responses to them will be posted. Subscribers to the NJ Wildlife listserve will receive notification of when such postings.

Please join the NJ Wildlife listserve to ensure you receive notices of each draft section posted to the web page.

The 2005 State Wildlife Action Plan is available for review, and we welcome general comments directed at helping make improvements during the ongoing revision. To view the plan and submit general comments on the 2005 plan that will help us improve the 2015 plan, please visit the 2005 State Wildlife Action Plan page.