Everyone has a role in preserving Washington's biodiversity
By Dr. Jeff Koenings, WDFW Director

You’ve read here before about the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) development of a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy—our plan for helping keep common Washington species common—written at the direction of Congress and approved by the federal government.

Implementing that strategy is a joint effort among many partners. Last month the Department’s strategy was incorporated into the Washington Biodiversity Conservation Strategy at a conference on “Sustaining Our Natural Heritage for Future Generations,” attended by public and private, federal, state and local partners

The statewide biodiversity planning effort began in 2002 when the Legislature—recognizing Washington’s declining environmental health in the face of growing human populations and land-use changes—directed development of a comprehensive framework to safeguard our rich biodiversity heritage for future generations. The Washington Biodiversity Council was formed in 2003 to create a 30-year prioritized strategy and implementation plan.

There are many aspects to this biodiversity plan, and you can view the plan and conference presentations at http://www.biodiversity.wa.gov/conference.html.

Some of the recommendations for action may be of special interest to those of you who take an active role in preserving biodiversity on your own property, especially those with suburban-rural acreage.

One key recommendation is to expand citizen-science networks to engage more people in biodiversity conservation efforts. Citizen-science programs—such as WDFW’s community “BioBlitz” nature mapping—collect scientific data to determine biodiversity levels. Bringing these kinds of programs together could create a collaborative, statewide citizen-science initiative for biodiversity monitoring.

Universities with expertise in data management, monitoring and training citizens and K-12 teachers in data gathering, could provide coordination of citizen-science efforts. Other partners could include museums, environmental and science volunteer programs, the Environmental Education Association of Washington, the Puget Sound Partnership, University of Washington’s NatureMapping Program, Pacific Education Institute, conservation districts and regional learning centers.

Another recommendation for putting the biodiversity strategy to work would involve community stewardship programs that conserve biodiversity and restore and care for ecosystems. These programs are mostly citizen-led efforts based around specific areas or school districts, such as the National Wildlife Federation’s “Community Wildlife Habitats” programs in several western Washington communities, from Bellingham to Tukwila. In a related effort, WDFW works through the Pacific Education Institute to update school environmental education programs with hands-on, outdoor experiences.

Training and recognition are needed to link these programs with the citizen-science initiative where appropriate. In addition to existing community stewardship programs, potential partners in this effort include local governments, land trusts and conservancy organizations, environmental education organizations, the state Department of Natural Resources’ Small Forest Landowner Office, grange organizations, conservation districts and cooperative extension services.

These and other parts of our state’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy are steps toward making sure the species and open spaces we enjoy today are there tomorrow for our kids and grandkids.

I know that’s why many of you participate in WDFW’s Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program. I thank you for your work and encourage you to learn how you can do more through this statewide effort.