Aquatics News
Aquatic Connectivity Framework Update
In June 2024, the USDA announced an unprecedented investment in WLFW, including the launch of an Aquatic Connectivity Framework. This ecosystem-level plan transitions WLFW’s aquatic efforts from single-species initiatives to a broader landscape-scale approach across 16 states. The written framework plan will capture the science documenting the threats to biomes and the wildlife that are part of them, the conservation actions that NRCS can support to address these threats and benefit producers, and the NRCS goals for implementing these actions over time. The framework also is a way to guide the work of NRCS state offices, provide technical and financial assistance for on the ground conservation, and influence local, state and federal conservation policies.
First-of-Its-Kind Study Inventories New Mexican Beaver Dams
As part of Defenders of Wildlife’s beaver conservation initiative, a new survey, which has never been conducted in New Mexico, reveals an uneven distribution of beaver dams — and the sub-sequential ecological benefits — throughout the state. Commissioned by Defenders, the survey is a critical tool for the future of strategic beaver and water conservation New Mexico.
Hellbender Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection: A Call to Action for Aquatic Conservation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed to protect the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal addresses the dramatic decline in Hellbender populations due to habitat loss, water pollution, and other factors. The proposal builds on years of collaborative conservation work and scientific study, highlighting the need to safeguard this species to maintain the health of freshwater ecosystems. This proposed rule would extend protection to hellbenders across their range, from New York to Georgia.
