USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.
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Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

07/19/2025

10/11/2024

Ask anyone who’s ever lived next door to someone, neighbors can make or break our quality of life! Good neighbors are a treasure. That’s why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strives to be as good as neighbors as possible, especially when our lands border privately owned land.

For many years, our fire managers have conducted prescribed burns on private lands through the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, which helps restore wildlife habitat on private lands that border refuge lands. All burning is done with the consent and input of the landowner.

07/02/2024

Tennessee biologists Robby Cogburn and Dustin Boles with fellow staff, partners and landowner at a tree planting project along the Wolf River in Fentress County, Tennessee.

Here, we worked to balance the landowner’s agricultural objectives with conservation actions for the Fluted Kidneyshell and Cumberland Moccasinshell, installing livestock exclusion fencing.

To further our effectiveness, we planted 900 bare root seedlings that improved aquatic habitats for years to come. Through this project, the Tennessee Field Office team and volunteers were able to interact with a landowner, learn more about his experiences on the farm and interest in conserving his land for future generations, while recognizing his commitment to conservation.

06/20/2024

Biologists Josh White and Matt Bringhurst worked with the Bruneau River Ranch, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire South Idaho Fire Zone, Idaho Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Owyhee Watershed Council to conduct their first ever prescribed broadcast burn on privately owned lands in southwestern Idaho!

Staffing on site included the US Forest Service Colville National Forest and Region 6 Uncrewed Aircraft Systems coordinator, Idaho Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls Field Office and Snake River IHC, USFWS personnel from Inland Fire Management Zone, Lower Rio Grande NWR, Southeast Idaho Refuge Complex, DOI Office of Aviation Services, IFWO Ecological Services and PFW staff, and the Idaho Fire Zone of the USFWS.

A fire prescription was used on this site to reduce bulrush encroachment into the wetland basin. Keeping bulrush out of the basin allows for better germination of moist-soil wetland plants that provide habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds migration.

Prescribed fire not only benefits wildlife habitat, but also helps to protect the community from catastrophic wildfire. Reducing hazardous fuels in this landscape is an equally successful outcome as layered thick vegetation can fuel destructive wildfires.

This coordinated effort is a result of a multi-year planning effort to implement prescribed fire as a habitat management tool under the PFW fire policy. This served as a pilot project to deliver habitat management goals through prescribed fire on privately owned lands and demonstrated USFWS ability to work across programs to achieve mission goals for the agency.

06/18/2024

Klamath Falls PFW staff recently helped to host the 24th Annual World Migratory Bird Day in Klamath Falls, Oregon, in partnership with the City of Klamath Falls and the Klamath Basin Refuges complex.

This year we had 40 participants from our community providing educational activities related to this year’s theme, “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”, entertainment (story tellers, puppeteers, and local musicians), and bird and nature related vendors.

Approximately 600 people attended our celebration to learn about birds, insects, wetlands, endangered species, and the importance of habitat!

06/17/2024

Kicking off summer from Prairie Pothole country with a field tour for the state of Minnesota’s administrators of the Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) program which provides significant financial contributions towards habitat restoration. Thank you to Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Land Trust & contractors for a great field day. Bonus was seeing this working landscape where pothole wetlands were full of baby ducklings 🐣 and cygnets 🦢!

05/17/2024

Hello from the Mountain Prairie region state coordinator meeting!

04/17/2024

Students from across the country have been attending PFW101 in Grand Mound, WA this week. This week has been filled with great stories, shared wisdom, leadership skills, and beautiful scenery!

We started the week off with some fantastic landowners too, the Mallonees. Such a warm welcome and a wonderful story of partnership!

04/15/2024

Partners staff from Missouri helped deliver a fantastic Native Grassland Summit last week in Jeff City, MO. Landowners, resource professionals, and producers came togetogether to talk about Missouri’s native grasslands,resiliency, and to line out next steps for the state’s grassland plan!

We had wonderful keynote speakers, panel discussions, lots of fantastic speakers, and brought it all together with several public input sessions!

03/14/2024

Phase I of the Green River Urban Restoration project is complete.

The 2,000 feet of riverbank that was addressed with this project was estimated to contribute over 1,600 tons of sediment each year to the Green River and Flaming Gorge system. Now construction is finished this will be reduced by 95%. Along with the water quality benefits aquatic habitat was improved at this site.

Phase I of the Green River Urban Restoration project is complete. The 2,000 feet of riverbank that was addressed with this project was estimated to contribu...