Multistate Conservation Grants

The Multistate Conservation Grant Program annually provides $11 million dollars from the Wildlife Restoration Account and the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. This program is jointly administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). These high priority projects address problems affecting states on a regional or national basis. Projects include species population surveys, outreach, data collection regarding hunter or angler participation, hunter or aquatic education, economic value of fishing and hunting, and regional or multistate habitat needs assessments.

Below are listed the abstracts for the most recent grant abstracts awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These grants are currently active. Interested parties can visit the AFWA Multistate Grant website for final reports for all grants that have been completed in the past.

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Advancing the use of Motus to track migratory bat movement throughout the year

Conservation of migratory species requires cross-border collaboration within and beyond the United States to coordinate conservation measures over the entire species phenology. Understanding movement patterns and habitat use throughout the year is essential to coordinating these efforts. A total of 44 states identify at least one of the three long-distance migratory bats (silver-haired, red and hoary bats) as vulnerable, imperiled or a species of conservation concern. Documenting migratory phenology of bats has been hindered by a lack of ability to track long-term movement. Recent advances in radio-transmitter technology and increased coverage of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) network provide opportunities to track long-distance migratory bat movement. However, this requires the use of advanced attachment techniques that are not commonly used in the United States. Long-term attachment methods (more than 4 months) are available but are rarely used due to a lack of accessibility or familiarity. Attachment of tracking technology with collars is a proven method for small bat species and is regularly used to attach tracking devices to migratory insectivorous bats in Europe and insectivorous and frugivorous bats in Central America. Collar attachment of transmitters is not commonly used in the United States but Bat Conservation International (BCI) is currently pioneering the use of collars to track the Florida bonneted bat and cave myotis. The greatest barrier to deploying transmitters capable of long-duration tracking of migratory bats is a lack of knowledge on how to safely use collars. We propose to advance the use of Motus for tracking migratory bat movement by building regional and state capacity to safely use collars to attach tracking devices to bats. This will be applicable to current Motus tracking devices and future technologies (e.g., GPS) that can document the movement and habitat use of migratory bats across the annual cycle. We will train state biologists in the Northeast and Southeast on the safe use of collar attachments through a series of online and in-person workshops that provide hands-on experience with the method. Furthermore, we will develop resources that can be referenced in permitting materials. Through our workshops and targeted capture efforts (led by the Biodiversity Research Institute) in the Northeast we will deploy up to 205 tracking devices compatible with the Motus network and two new Motus stations. These efforts will help demonstrate the utility of collar attachments while simultaneously providing data on migratory movement and habitat use of bat species of conservation concern. All materials and movement data will be made easily available to stakeholders through BCI and the Motus website. We propose to focus on long-distance migratory bat species due to their wide range across the United States and an urgent need to understand their movement patterns. This information will aid conservation efforts and potentially reduce regulatory burdens and the need for legal protection. The methods and materials that we develop will be relevant beyond our targeted regions and species as collars become more familiar to state, federal, academic and private-sector biologists and are used more widely by bat biologists.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Bat Conservation International

Grant Number

F26AP00495

Categories

Research, Technical Assistance, Tool Development, Training

AFWA’s Legal Strategy at 10 Years: Taking Stock of our Program to Raise Awareness of State Wildlife Authorities and Develop Educational Opportunities in Wildlife Law

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) established its Legal Strategy program in 2014 with the goal of building awareness of the constitutional, statutory, and jurisprudential sources of state authority to manage wildlife, to create opportunities for students and practitioners of natural resources law to learn about state management and the conservation successes of the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, and to support state authority to address longstanding and emerging threats to fish and wildlife under this time-tested conservation framework. Methods of accomplishing these objectives have included, but are not limited to:

Publication of materials on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (“Model”), public trust doctrine, and other foundational elements of wildlife law and policy
Placement of wildlife law and policy courses with secondary educational institutions including undergraduate and law schools
Field placements / internships / clerkships with agencies and nongovernmental organizations
Development of continuing legal education programs for state fish and wildlife agency and non- governmental partner attorneys
Establishment of the Association’s Legal Strategy Advisory Council (a.k.a. “Think Tank”) to advise the Association’s Executive Committee, Legal Committee, and others on emerging developments and to perform detailed analyses of issues relevant to a majority of, or all, states for their voluntary use
Organization and sponsorship of special symposia at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, or at other professional conference events (e.g., The Wildlife Society) After a full decade of activity, the Legal Strategy program—and all fifty states—will benefit from a comprehensive review. This review will be executed by the Principal Investigator in cooperation with the Think Tank as well as an external coordinator (see: Key Personnel), and will take the form of a report containing the following elements:
Narrative history of the program, its conception and establishment, and relationship with other programs • Detailed review of all Legal Strategy sub-programs, projects, and deliverables, as well as funding sources • Qualitative surveys of program collaborators and partners
Assessment of program priorities, success in meeting those priorities, and what if any shifts are merited as the Legal Strategy moves into its next decade
Assessment of effective approaches to engaging governmental members and nongovernmental conservation partners in “horizon scanning,” efforts to foresee emerging issues and problems facing conservation professionals, and to strategize initiatives to deal with those problems
Development of best practices applicable to AFWA’s work to forecast emerging issues and problems, and to develop strategies in response to them.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00142

Categories

Coordination, Technical Assistance

Aiming for New Target Shooters from Anglers’ Ranks

The recent Multistate Conservation Grant-funded 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (National Survey) reported three times more target shooters (47 million) in the U.S. than hunters (15 million 6 years and older), indicating overall greater public interest. In addition, the 2022 National Survey also shows 50% of target shooters also fish compared to only 25% that also hunt (Jerry Leonard, USFWS, personal communications). The percentage for all anglers who are target shooters is 36%; this percentage goes up to 38% if those age <18 are dropped. For the U.S. six-and-over population as a whole, the percent of target shooters is 16%, so an angler is more than twice as likely to be a target shooter than a random U.S. resident. Given the need to increase target shooting participation, the high affinity for target shooting among anglers combined with the fact that states already have contact information and basic relationships with millions of anglers, states’ Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) programs may have a significant opportunity before them to recruit new target shooters from anglers’ ranks. However, no one has examined if this opportunity is worth pursuing or not. A need exists to determine if this is a significant opportunity, and if so, how states can most effectively pursue and recruit these potential new target shooters. State agencies are ideal to test this potential opportunity to recruit new target shooters because they have access to anglers via license records, the necessary R3 research and application knowledge and are the intended beneficiaries for implementing the findings, if proven worthwhile. Southwick Associates will be contracted to coordinate efforts and conduct quantitative research based on their recent similar efforts, and DJ Case & Associates will be contracted to provide qualitative research and web-design services. Work will begin by first thoroughly examining angler and target shooter data within the 2022 National Survey data set to identify commonalities and concepts to test. Next, we will conduct quantitative and qualitative work to find out more about target shooters who also fish, and how anglers who do not shoot might be encouraged to do so. The summarized results, including marketing recommendations, will then be tested via a pilot campaign in one state per Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies region. The insights from these tests, along with the research results, will then be summarized and distributed to states and Non-governmental Organization partners to use in their own custom marketing efforts. Recommendations will include describing if target shooters can be effectively recruited from anglers’ ranks, how to do so, along with tested imagery and messaging that will enhance recruitment success. This project builds on previous Multistate Conservation Grant investments, specifically by utilizing the 2022 National Survey and further exploring insights under production in 2024 via the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation’s "Welcome New Shooters" project. The expected outcome, if the pilot campaigns prove successful, will be greater numbers of target shooters.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00105

Categories

Human Dimensions, Marketing, Research

Yes

Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative: Expanding a Trusted Regional Protocol and Combining Barrier Assessment Databases for the Enhancement of Sportfish Populations in the NEAFWA and SEAFWA

Both the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) and the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) maintain databases to document anthropogenic barriers in streams. We propose to upgrade the NAACC database and extend its geographic scope to cover 16 states and territories in the Southeastern U.S. covered by SARP (one SARP state, Virginia, is already covered by the NAACC) with potential to include other regions of the U.S. over time. SARP is already working with states in the Midwest, Intermountain West, and Great Lakes regions. The NAACC central coordinators based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, are included in this proposal as subrecipients; their role will be to oversee the upgrade and expansion of the NAACC database. This new database will be maintained by SARP and will ultimately result in a more streamlined and unified process for collecting field data, prioritize sites for restoration, and ultimately reconnect more miles of aquatic habitat for sport fish and non-game aquatic species across the states and territories of both the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Northeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as well as the nation as a whole.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00116

Categories

Tool Development

Assessing Training Needs in the Natural Resources Professions and Building a Clearinghouse of Professional Development Courses

Fish and wildlife professionals need high quality training to enable them to meet their professional challenges. Success in the workplace is critical for these professionals be they state or federal agency, nongovernmental organizations, industry or others. Yet the vast majority of employing entities are poorly equipped to provide their staff with such training. The science societies, notably The Wildlife Society and the American Fisheries Society, provide significant course offerings but it is highly dispersed among chapters, sections and nationally with limited coordination. Key training partners such as the Management Assistance Team, academic institutions, other nonprofits and even private industry also provide high-quality training courses however these opportunities are often hard to identify, are not coordinated with other providers and collectively leave gaps unrecognized or key training needs insufficiently met. Recent conversations with agency heads showcase these gaps with numerous topics of interest for which there are no existing training opportunities identified such as fish kill investigations. Based upon a structured and facilitated workshop on the future of professional development in the fisheries and wildlife profession with participants from a highly diverse set of organizations and agencies, it was clear that our profession would greatly benefit from a more collaborative and efficient approach to providing training. To create the foundation for this important effort, two key tasks were identified as fundamental to addressing the needs. First is to fully understand the constraints, opportunities and needs of state fish and wildlife agencies in providing comprehensive training opportunities for their staff. The ability of state agencies to provide training varies greatly with some states essentially having no capacity whatsoever while some states have strong programs with solid structures in place. The second major goal of this project is the development of a structured web-based open access clearinghouse of professional development training opportunities. This tool will allow training providers and users to search for and share courses already in deployment, craft training options and coursework plans, and allow for better utilization of qualified instructors across the profession. This clearinghouse will allow for better planning on course delivery, promote reduced duplication, and allow for more efficient sharing of instructional resources throughout the fish and wildlife profession. This project will approach this objective through a two-step process of developing a formal survey followed by a series of focused workshops that will engage fish and wildlife administrators in discussions and explorations regarding training provision support and needs. The primary beneficiaries of this project are state fish and wildlife agency staff at all levels with the eventual goal of ensuring that every state agency has the ability to provide staff with the training to be successful in their current position and in positions to which they aspire. This project will help our profession move to a much more thoughtful collaborative and efficient model that will benefit our people agencies and the resource.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

American Fisheries Society

Grant Number

F26AP00499

Categories

Coordination, Tool Development, Training

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) Management Assistance Team (MAT) proposes a national professional development initiative to strengthen the leadership and capacity of state fish and wildlife agencies. The project will deliver high-quality training, consulting and resources to enhance staff effectiveness, improve retention, and support conservation programs funded through the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts. This initiative addresses a critical need: State fish and wildlife agencies are facing rapid changes in workforce skills requirements, loss of institutional knowledge, and increasing conservation challenges. According to a January 2025 report from The World Economic Forum: “Overall, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030”. State agency staff have also noted the lack of coordinated, cross-agency training efforts, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration and efficiency. AFWA’s MAT is a trusted provider of leadership and professional development to state agencies and is uniquely equipped to address this need. With decades of experience and deep connections to states, MAT is positioned to scale access to high-quality, cost-effective training and build stronger cross-agency collaboration. With support from the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP), this project will scale up delivery and coordination of professional development opportunities nationwide. This project will support two primary objectives: (1) Deliver at least 800 training engagements through online courses, live webinars, in-person workshops and on-demand trainings; and (2) Develop a dynamic training and professional development resource guide and directory to share best practices, build community among training leads and promote cross-agencies learning. MAT will expand access to its courses and webinars, while maintaining high standards of instructional quality and participant engagement. The team will track participation and outcomes to ensure broad reach across agencies. By investing in the people behind conservation, this project directly supports AFWA’s MSCGP strategic priorities to enhance workforce effectiveness and program outcomes. The benefits will extend well beyond the grant period, as training resources remain available, and the training leads network continues to drive collaboration and shared growth nationwide.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F26AP00608

Categories

Tool Development, Training

The Farm Bill conservation programs play a critical role in supporting both America farmers and ranchers and the work of state fish and wildlife agencies. This project, led by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) through its Agriculture Conservation Committee (ACC) and working groups, will provide that essential communication. Dedicated staff support will ensure timely information sharing through monthly news updates, weekly briefings, and participation in AFWA communications. This project will also support bi-annual ACC meetings and provide travel assistance for state staff to attend key meetings, conferences, and Farm Bill workshops – opportunities that are financially out of reach but vital for sharing expertise and strengthening program delivery. By supporting working groups focused on specific Farm Bill programs, this project will create space for states to share solutions, troubleshoot challenges, and elevate landowners’ perspectives that improve program outcomes. AFWA will compile and deliver science-based recommendations to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and conservation partners ensuring that wildlife conservation needs are fully integrated into agriculture policies. Expected results include stronger collaboration among states, increased awareness of Farm Bill opportunities, more effective program implementation, and expanded access to hunting and fishing. Ultimately, this project will help ensure Farm Bill conservation programs continue to deliver long-term benefits for landowners, rural communities, bird, mammals, sport fish and the public.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F26AP00244

Categories

Communication, Coordination, Technical Assistance

Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States

The grantee represents the consensus interests of state fish and wildlife agencies to ensure that fish and wildlife habitat conservation needs are properly incorporated into United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Bill conservation programs. In 2023, these USDA funds provided $1.77 billion for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), protecting 1.8 million acres of land by taking marginal cropland out of production and 2.4 million acres into grassland conservation. In addition to this “bread and butter” program for most wildlife agencies, the NRCS spent nearly $5 billion dollars on conservation programs the same year. Additional investments in conservation through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2023 also provided state agencies with an opportunity to leverage these funds for fish and wildlife. Roughly 70% of the Continental United States (CONUS) land base is privately owned, so Farm Bill conservation programs targeting these lands have broad-reaching effects on fish and wildlife conservation. State fish and wildlife agencies help the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) deliver these programs by providing technical assistance, participating in State Technical Committees and Local Working Groups, and working within USDA offices to ease administrative workloads. The current Farm Bill passed in December 2018 and is set to expire on September 30, 2024. While the goal is to have the Farm Bill reauthorized by this date, the reality is that passage will likely occur late in 2024, or in 2025. The new farm bill will bring opportunities for input and collaboration as the USDA finalizes rules and implements programmatic policies and procedures. State agencies must proactively work with USDA to properly incorporate the needs of fish, wildlife, and their habitats into rules, policies, strategic frameworks, and conservation practices. State agencies’ effectiveness in this regard relies in part on their ability to share information among themselves and to address USDA with a unified voice. The grant will support collaboration and coordination of state fish and wildlife agencies across all regions to provide input during the rule-making process of these USDA programs and feedback on how program implementation and rollout of the continued Farm Bill is functioning in each state, including recommendations for further actions. The grant will also facilitate coordination and collaboration with conservation partners who share AFWA’s agriculture conservation goals. The grantee will facilitate working groups under the broader Agriculture Conservation Committee (ACC) that represent each farm bill program impacting wildlife to ensure state members are aware of updated policies and have an opportunity to voice professional opinions, ensuring that these federal dollars are used as effectively as possible. Those working groups include the Conservation Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) / Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Farm bill Easements, Forestry, Public Access, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Private Lands working groups.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00155

Categories

Coordination, Technical Assistance

Coordination of Fish and Wildlife Conservation by State Fish & Wildlife Agencies Across Multiple Jurisdictions

State fish and wildlife agencies are charged with managing wildlife for the benefit of the public but many federal agencies also share wildlife management responsibilities across state boundaries and engage in international forums. In addition, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to species and habitat conservation operate at regional, national, and international levels—often in coordination with state and federal partners. Without strong, strategic coordination among all parties, the full benefits of these varied efforts cannot be realized. Successful conservation across North America requires dedicated resources to bring state agency leaders to the table and ensure their voices are heard. Many state agencies are already stretched thin, with limited resources focused on internal, state-specific priorities. Without external support, they often lack the capacity to participate meaningfully in broader, multi-jurisdictional efforts. For example, decisions made through international bodies such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) can significantly affect the authority and operations of state fish and wildlife agencies. While U.S. federal agencies, foreign governments, and NGOs actively participate in these forums, state agencies frequently lack the time and funding needed to engage effectively. Participation in CITES is particularly critical due to its economic implications. The trade of furbearers supports hundreds of thousands of Americans and generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually in tax revenue and economic activity. Ensuring a coordinated and informed state agency presence in international conservation discussions is essential. To meet this need, the CITES Technical Work Group was established in 1994 by the states. In parallel, dedicated resources are also needed to foster, maintain, and expand relationships between state agencies and industry. Hunting- and angling-supportive industries contribute substantial excise tax revenue under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Acts—funding that forms a significant portion of state agency budgets. Improved communication with industry reduces misunderstanding and promotes collaboration at events and conferences where NGOs and industry representatives convene. Effective coordination also relies on strong centralized communication. Accessible platforms ensure that key issues are identified, and that state agencies and their partners can collaboratively develop solutions to cross-jurisdictional, national, and regional challenges. Currently, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) website—launched in 2018—is outdated and only partially meets Section 508 compliance. A redesigned website will ensure mobile optimization, Priority Accessibility Level AA 508 compliance, and improved search engine visibility (SEO), enhancing accessibility for AFWA members and partners and supporting broader coordination efforts. Outcomes of this project will include increased state participation in critical international and national conservation forums, improved collaboration between agencies and industry stakeholders, and a modernized communication platform to support coordination across jurisdictions. Together, these investments will amplify the states’ voice in conservation policy and strengthen the long-term capacity of agencies to manage wildlife for the benefit of the public.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F26AP00476

Categories

Communication, Coordination, Technical Assistance

Coordination of National Scale Conservation by State, Provincial and Territorial Fish & Wildlife Agencies

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies are charged with managing wildlife for the benefit of the public. Numerous federal agencies share management responsibility across state boundaries. Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) dedicated to conserving specific species and landscapes act regionally and nationally in coordination with State and Federal Agencies. Without strong coordination, it is impossible to realize the full benefit of these varied efforts. Coordinating successful conservation efforts among all involved parties across North America requires the resources to bring state agency leaders to the table. Many state agencies whose resources are focused on internal, state-focused efforts (often inadequate for that purpose) would be unable to participate in these efforts without external funding support. Related to this is the necessity for dedicated resources to foster, maintain, and grow relations between state agencies and industry. The latter is responsible for excise tax contributions to the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funding programs, which are significant contributors to agency budgets. When state agencies and industry are not actively meeting and coordinating, there is a high risk of misunderstanding and dysfunction. Opportunities to coordinate with industry exist at specific events and at most other conferences and meetings where NGO industry representatives are present. Centralized communications ensure that relevant issues are brought to light, and state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners can debate and discuss the best solutions to cross-jurisdictional, national, and regional wildlife management issues. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) website is currently not 508 compliant. Section 508 compliance is important for websites because it makes them more accessible to a broader audience, including AFWA’s members. State fish and wildlife agency leadership in landscape conservation is essential to the long-term sustainability of fish and wildlife. In 2018, AFWA passed a resolution on landscape conservation that acknowledged the importance of landscape conservation and the need for collaboration between state fish and wildlife agencies and the US Fish and Wildlife (FWS) because of their unique roles and authorities over fish and wildlife. Three of the four fish and wildlife regional associations (Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies) have established regional landscape conservation collaboratives with support from the FWS. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is leading several individual landscape conservation initiatives. A full-time national landscape conservation coordinator is needed to

provide professional staffing of the AFWA/FWS Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force;
support coordination between regional fish and wildlife association landscape conservation collaboratives;
support the implementation of the recommendations of the AFWA President’s Task Force on Shared Science and Landscape Conservation and the State Wildlife Action Plan Landscape Conservation Framework;
and serve as a liaison between the states, federal agencies, landscape conservation partnerships, and NGOs working in the landscape conservation space to foment communication and raise awareness and secure resources for regional fish and wildlife association landscape conservation priorities.

The FWS and regional fish and wildlife associations provided funding over the past two years to hire a part-time national landscape conservation coordinator. Funding for the part-time position will end in September 2023. This proposal seeks funding for a full-time coordinator for one year. Additional funding will be sought in the future to continue this coordination capacity. This proposal will allow for coordinating conservation across the United States by state, regional, territorial, and provincial fish and wildlife agencies (including Canadian leadership involved in US conservation efforts). This coordination will lead to better policy, greater efficiency, and the most effective conservation efforts.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00143

Categories

Communication, Coordination, Technical Assistance

Coordination of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Authority to Manage Wildlife Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by International Treaties, Conventions, Partnerships, and Initiatives

Decisions made in international fora, such as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), can positively and negatively affect the management authority or practices of state, provincial, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies. However, the state fish and wildlife agencies (states) do not have the resources (e.g., time or funding) necessary to all participate in CITES, IUCN, or other international fora. At the same time, U.S. federal agencies, foreign governments, and NGOs are at the table and have input in decisions. Therefore, it is critical that state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have a voice in international fora. In 1994, the states created the CITES Technical Work Group (Work Group) to address the need in an efficient and effective manner. It includes a member from each state regional association and AFWA. The Work Group has been highly effective in supporting the state’s (and where appropriate Canadian Provinces and Territories) ability to manage and conserve wildlife, and in influencing decisions through science-based positions that encourage the sustainable use of wildlife. In the absence of the Work Group, the states do not have a voice, nor can they bring science-based, on-the-ground expertise to help guide decisions. 2025 is a particularly important year because the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP20) and the IUCN World Conservation Congress will occur. In 2023 and 2024, the CITES Technical Work Group collaborated with the USFWS on non-detriment findings development, species data and information collection (e.g., polar bear, caribou, and peregrine falcon), and preparing for the Animals and Standing Committee; participated in working groups (e.g., non-detriment findings, reducing the risk of zoonotic disease emergence, species specific groups); represented the state agencies at the CITES Animals and Standing Committee; participated as a member of the US Delegation to the Standing Committee; and kept the state agencies informed on CITES issues and developments. This was in preparation for the Conference of the Parties and Standing Committee meetings in 2025. The purpose of the grant is to ensure that state positions and data/management information is presented in international forums; that those positions support sustainable use, state authority, and the conservation and management of native species using the best available science; and that the states and the U.S. government collaborate on international conservation issues. The Work Group coordinates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure that processes for the implementation of CITES decisions are practical to implement by the states. The Work Group must participate in CITES meetings and work closely with the USFWS and other federal agencies. This grant will allow the Work Group to ensure that the state’s ability to manage wildlife is not negatively impacted by actions taken at CITES, IUCN or other fora, and where appropriate, the Work Group will support Canadian Provinces and Territories. The Work Group will also serve as the state contact point for the USFWS and other federal agencies, providing an efficient way for the U.S. government to cooperatively implement their international obligations. Deliverables include effective and targeted outreach to the states, species conservation and management data and information to help the U.S. government make informed decisions and implement their international obligations, and participation in key meetings and on important technical committees. The grant will also help ensure that CITES and IUCN are a tool in the conservation of management of our native wildlife. The impact of grant outcomes continues beyond the life of this grant by impacting fish and wildlife conservation and management.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00157

Categories

Coordination, Technical Assistance

Creating a National Toolkit to Support Hunting and Shooting Sports Pathways for 1.25 million NASP® Student Archers Annually

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) is operating in all 50 states, with the majority of states hosting the program through their state fish and wildlife agency. The program continues to expand and is currently being taught in over 10,000 schools. According to the 2024 NASP® Student Survey, well over 20% of the student archers want to learn to hunt, shoot in other disciplines, and enjoy more outdoor wildlife-based recreation. However, they lack the knowledge of how to get started, and wildlife agencies often lack the tools to adequately communicate such opportunities to them. Even when student archers find their way to state agency websites, they rarely “see themselves” in the imagery and descriptions of hunters and shooters they find there. This project will provide a much-needed national database of imagery and videos of NASP® student archers in a variety of settings, from the gymnasium to outdoor ranges, to field hunting. This marketing collateral will enable state agencies and their partners to develop pathways to hunting and shooting sports for 1.3 million student archers annually—pathways that clearly show how these activities are already being enjoyed by many other student archers that look just like they do. In a 2025 survey of NASP® state coordinators, a significant number of respondents indicated they had an inadequate number of resources for marketing pathways to NASP® student archers and that they would be extremely interested in access to such media resources. This project will not only develop new and exciting marketing collateral, it will also test which kinds of imagery and messaging resonate best with the actual target audience. The end result will be a national toolkit that can be used by state agencies and their partners to lead this vast and growing corps of student archers and their families toward hunting, fishing, and shooting sports. This project is a partnership among the National Archery in the Schools Program, National Bowhunter Education Foundation, International Hunter Education Association, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA), Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The Youth Shooting Sports Recruiting Toolkit (MAFWA 2025) developed by MAFWA through a previous Multistate Conservation Grant gives state agencies and their partners the tools they need to attract youth into the shooting sports. This project will build upon that effort, providing agencies the resources they need to encourage those youth to take the next steps into hunting, other shooting sports, and beyond.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

National Archery in the Schools Program

Grant Number

F26AP00613

Categories

Marketing, Tool Development

Yes

Creating Bridge-Builders to Accelerate Implementation of the Relevancy Roadmap

This project will provide state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) with a reliable, replicable methodology for developing new collaborations with unengaged population segments and novel partner organizations, using existing staff and resources without being heavily reliant on external consultants. The need for agency-led engagement of broader constituencies has emerged from the many pilot projects led by Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) and its SFWA partners in implementing the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap. The models most likely to succeed are those that, intentionally or not, identify and empower an existing staff member(s) to serve as a “bridge- builder”—somebody who has the interest and skills to develop and engage a specific constituency in a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with the agency. As the Roadmap was not intended to be, nor written as, an implementation guidance document, there is a critical need to establish specific and tactical approaches for SFWAs to forge relationships with new constituencies by leveraging in-house connections that, if supported, can “build a bridge” between the agency and a new partner. The project team (WMI staff and Clearwater Communications) will collaborate with at least one agency in each of the four Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies regions in developing, implementing, and evaluating a bridge-building engagement strategy, focused on one population segment or potential partner organization per state. The team will use evaluation results to refine the bridge-builder engagement model, then distill and package tactical recommendations into a set of tools for use by conservation relevancy-related staff and practitioners. Anticipated project outcomes include enhanced staff capacity for building lasting collaborations with unengaged population segments and new partner organizations; increased confidence of agency leadership that their agency has the tools it needs to build collaborations with such populations and organizations; lasting relationships with constituency groups who have not historically engaged with agencies; and increased constituency awareness of, participation in, support for the agency’s role in conservation. Project deliverables will include tactical recommendations presented as a set of practical, accessible tools that can be implemented by staff at any level within an agency, descriptions of processes used during the project, links to resources used during the project, and an evaluation of project outputs and outcomes. The project is designed to provide lasting benefits to the four-or-more participating agencies, the population segments and potential partner organizations engaged during the project, and all state fish and wildlife agencies in need of a reliable methodology for developing new collaborations.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated

Grant Number

F25AP00118

Categories

Professional Development, Technical Assistance, Tool Development

Deploying Ultralight Solar Transmitters on Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) to Document Movement Ecology

Recent innovations in wildlife tracking have advanced the field of movement ecology, yet applications to the smallest species have remained limited by the acceptable weight of tracking devices relative to that of the organism. Despite a century of banding, hummingbird migration across North America remains poorly understood, limiting efforts to develop effective conservation strategies in the U.S. Yet, recently, a new technological advancement has emerged and has demonstrated its astounding capacity. Here we propose to use a novel, ultralight, solar-powered transmitter, the BluMorpho transmitter, that enables continuous, fine-scale tracking of North American hummingbirds. This technology will allow us to obtain migration tracks of North American hummingbirds throughout the Southeastern U.S. and even more broadly, the entirety of North America – a previously impossible feat. We propose to conduct a multi-state effort to deploy transmitters on two species in the Southeastern U.S. – Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) and Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). The BluMorpho transmitter combines solar power with near real-time transmission via a ubiquitous crowd-sourced network, all in a device weighing just 0.058-0.060 g. These transmitters are also compatible with the Motus Wildlife Tracking Network enabling continuous, remote tracking at high spatial and temporal resolution with no need for recovery. In total, we will deploy 500 BluMorpho transmitters across 7 Southeastern U.S. states and will also present our work at a prestigious avian conference – the American Ornithological Conference. By leveraging our expert team, we will not only collect novel, individual tracks to describe migration and stopover ecology for conservation efforts but will then utilize these tracks to better inform large-scale population models in an open-access format. Our expert team consists of leads in the field of biology, wildlife, collaborative migratory bird research, spatial analyses with avian tracking data, multivariate population-level data, and technological expertise. With many hummingbird species currently experiencing population declines, identifying key areas along their full-annual cycle to focus conservation efforts is critical for population management and to understand how these species interact with encroaching urbanization. We expect this work to produce millions of data points in near real-time which then will be used for population-level and ecological modeling so that state and federal agencies may better identify crucial habitat and landcover types for the conservation management of these species. This project will not only benefit the Southeastern U.S. but will benefit hummingbird research and conservation on a continental scale. Our methodologies will be applicable for federal, state, and non-governmental organization (NGO) replication in a scientific and conservation driven manner. Additionally, our results will help to facilitate application of these transmitters to other species which currently have little to no tracking data due to weight or other tracking limitations. This advancement opens a new frontier in movement ecology, enabling year-round, individual-based studies in a group previously inaccessible to telemetry.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

University of Memphis

Grant Number

F26AP00342

Categories

Research, Tool Development

Sportfish viruses are a persistent and costly problem for natural resource agencies. New approaches are needed to mitigate the spread of these viruses in hatchery and wild sportfish populations. For any infectious disease, knowledge of pathogen transmission is critical to controlling spread and is a critical tool in disease management. Regarding sportfish viruses, a gap in our knowledge of viral transmission is the role of ectoparasites as vectors of viral disease. Because no information on this critical transmission pathway is available for sport fisheries in the southeastern US, the goal of this project is to understand the interaction of gill lice and viral infections in sportfish in the Southeastern United States, which will give fisheries managers new knowledge/understanding with which to prevent and mitigate viral infections in sport fishes. This will be accomplished by detecting viral infections in rainbow trout and largemouth bass using conventional (cell culture and polymerase chain reaction) and emerging (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) methods, screening gill lice infecting these fish for viral infections, quantifying viral load in fish and gill lice using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and using histopathology to assess the pathological effects of gill lice and viral infections. These will field test the theory that high intensity/prevalence of gill lice infections is correlated with high intensity/prevalence of sportfish viral infections. This project produces knowledge/understanding that improves disease biosecurity and mitigation strategies; thereby reduces the spread of sportfish viral infections. By detecting viruses using conventional and emerging methods, the project will assess sensitivity of viral detection methods and optimize viral diagnostics protocols. If gill lice represent viral vectors, this project will assess gill lice as a potential non-lethal sampling method for sportfish viruses. These results will contribute to developing more robust risk assessment models for the potential impact of viral infections on wild and cultured sportfish. The results of this project will be incorporated into fish health workshops for agency staff, presentations at regional and national meetings, and peer-reviewed manuscripts in national and international journals. This project benefits the majority of Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency states: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas. There are no subrecipient activities associated with this project.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Auburn University

Grant Number

F25AP00150

Categories

Diseases, Research

Documenting the Nutritional Value of White-tailed Deer Meat: An Unmet Need for R3 Engagement

In North America, the number of people who hunt and purchase hunting licenses has been declining over the past few decades. There is also less public support overall for hunting, especially if it is considered “trophy” hunting. Yet, long-term survey data (Responsive Management et al., 2025) shows that public approval of hunting for meat (81%) and locally sourced food (80%) remains very high. A weakness for the hunting advocacy community and recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) effort is we cannot verify nutritional claims about game meat in support of the motivation “hunting for meat.” Currently, there is no publicly accessible nutrition content data for wild white-tailed deer meat in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) national nutrient database, FoodData Central, which is used for standard reference for human nutrition. To leverage social acceptance to hunt for healthy, locally sourced meat and R3, we need to fill the information gap on the nutrition content of wild white-tailed deer meat. Meat is an important source of dietary protein and essential vitamins and minerals in the human diet. Consumer demand for healthy, lean meat is rising, with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommending meat and poultry consumption from lean, non-processed forms. Americans are also interested in consuming local, grass-fed meat that is not factory farmed. Many recent books, websites, podcasts, recipe blogs, and television shows highlight hunting for healthy food, yet ambiguities and uncertainties remain concerning the nutritional content of these foods. White-tailed deer is very popular to hunt and consume in the United States, but it is not specifically included in FoodData Central. The closest species listed to white-tailed deer is generic “deer meat” which is farm-raised deer or wild harvested “Sitka deer” found in Alaska, and not white-tailed deer. Through this grant, we aim to conduct research on white-tailed deer meat and include this data in USDA’s FoodData Central nutritional database to substantiate hunting for healthy meat as part of R3. The National Deer Association (NDA), along with Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center will collaborate on this project to collect white-tailed deer samples, use laboratory protocols to analyze the meat for nutrient content, and publish this nutrition information for consumers. NDA is a respected resource for information about white-tailed deer and has trained professionals across the country who are able to collect legally harvested deer during the hunting seasons in different regions. NDA will coordinate this grant and help disseminate findings from this work. Cornell University Cooperative Extension has led the charge in collecting wild game and fish samples for inclusion in the USDA nutritional database with brook trout, Canada goose, ruffed grouse, and Eastern wild turkey meat. The Tidball Lab in the Department of Natural Resources has researched, written, and spoken at large conferences about leveraging the locavore movement for R3 efforts. They will coordinate with USDA to establish a research protocol for inclusion of white-tailed deer meat into the database and work on publishing the findings. USDA’s Human Research Center will process the meat and conduct the nutritional analysis. They will conduct the laboratory work to establish calories, fat content, vitamin, mineral, and cholesterol content for a serving size of white-tailed deer meat. They will include the findings in FoodData Central for the public to be able to access this information along with nutritional professionals. This strong collaborative team and the nutritional findings from this project will help promote hunting for healthy nutritional meat as part of R3 efforts and to help improve the social acceptance of hunting, which ultimately impacts conservation of the species.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

National Deer Association

Grant Number

F26AP00373

Categories

Marketing, Research, Tool Development

Yes

Employing Social Media Creators and Influencers to Retain Female Anglers – An Application of the Find Your Best Self Campaign

According to previous surveys and license dashboard work, churn rates, or the percentage of anglers not renewing their licenses the next year, have averaged just under 50% for the past 10 years. In 2021, MAFWA states reported an overall angler churn rate of 44%, while the female angler churn was 53%. In the Midwest female anglers represented an estimated 37% of the overall angler population. In Southeastern states, the overall churn rate was 53%, and the female angler churn rate was 65%. In the US the reported annual churn rate was 50.4% with 46% of survey respondents being female having a churn rate of 56%. (Data courtesy of Southwick Associates data dashboard.) High churn rates, and the reported higher churn rate amongst women is alarming. Women are more likely than men to lapse after purchasing an angling license, meaning female anglers may be dropping out at rates that result in little or no net gains in female participation. Reducing churn will benefit retention and has the potential to increase conservation funding for states and organizations. This project will be a partnership between the Midwest and Southeastern Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA and SEAFWA), the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS), influencers/creators, and participating states. The purpose of this project is to utilize the research and messaging assets recently developed by RBFF (Find Your Best Self) and the networks and reach of social media creators to reach female anglers around the Midwest and Southeast Regions. The project will track female angler churn rates in participating states, design and implement social media video campaigns to encourage continued participation and measure their effect. Influencers/creators will create content throughout the year and MAFWA and SEAFWA will cooperate with participating states to organize placement of online content (videos and resources accentuating the fun, and family benefits of angling). Our goal is to create content with these influencers that has a shelf life of at least 5 years. Digital ads, emails, and additional outreach will be incorporated. Participating states will be required to provide local expertise to develop the videos, advise on outlets for placement of the videos, and will place the videos on sites they select. Placement will be targeted to regional angling opportunity areas such as the driftless area, Missouri River, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, large lake systems (i.e. Kentucky Lake), the Ohio River, etc. Videos will be family friendly depictions of the regional features available such as communities, resorts, eating establishments, and angling opportunities. Outreach will target female anglers, particularly those in the Friendly, Occasional, Social Dabbler and Zen personas identified by Southwick Associates (2020), all of which reported that an invitation from friends or family members would be a motivation to fish more. Control samples will be held and the impact of the content will be analyzed and reported. Video performance will also be measured by analytics including tracking video click-throughs and views.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00104

Categories

Marketing, Research

Yes

Engaging Retailers as R3 Partners

In January 2023, Southwick Associates’ Angler Survey found 40% of new anglers depended on brick-and-mortar fishing tackle retailers to prepare them to fish, more than they depended on friends, family and online retailers. In addition, 10% of new anglers depended on retailers to learn how and where to fish. However, mystery shopper research by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) showed many new anglers, especially women and other non-traditional audiences, are often overlooked or poorly served by retailers, thus fostering an image they are not welcome. This poor introduction to fishing likely ends the attempt to fish for many, or erodes their enthusiasm, thus canceling much of states and others’ recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) successes. Retailers are a critical cog in the R3 process and need attention if states and non-governmental organization (NGO) R3 efforts are to reach their full potential. Retailers are also perfectly situated to assist in retaining anglers, but also not likely well engaged in such efforts. This project is a collaboration between industry, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), state agencies and the RBFF. As the association for the sportfishing industry, the ASA works closely with tackle retailers, manufacturers, outdoor media and the rest of the supply chain. We are best suited to connect with independent and chain retailers to help their staff better identify when an angler needs introductory support and to provide necessary support. In 2024, the RBFF began engaging with retailers and their wholesale suppliers to best understand their interest in recruiting and retaining new customers, plus their limitations and capacity to engage in R3. However, their outreach efforts, once determined, will likely be limited to one or two states yet to be determined and are not gathering feedback from new and potential anglers. These efforts will provide critical insights regarding how to engage tackle retailers. With ASA’s national reach, this proposed project will coordinate with the RBFF to improve and expand their effort to fishing tackle retailers everywhere. The results of this project will help retail owners understand how to better engage new anglers through their customers’ eyes. The results will then be combined with the RBFF’s 2024 experience to develop and improve educational and training materials designed to help front-line retail staff better identify first-time and newer anglers, proper questions to ask, assumptions to avoid and how to best prepare new anglers for success, plus other support materials identified in the surveys as important. ASA has retailers available to assist. The materials and toolkit(s) will incorporate findings from recent churn and motivation research funded by past AFWA/FWS Multistate Conservation Grants. We will also consider the retailer education materials developed by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA). The deliverables – most likely online toolkits and training materials complete with recruitment, retention, and ‘help offered’ materials – will be distributed to retailers nationally via our industry networks, regional retailer (or “dealer”) shows, trade webinars and our annual ICAST trade show which is the largest annual gathering of tackle retailers and suppliers. Results will be evaluated based on feedback from participating retailers via interviews to determine if the toolkit materials were effective in creating/retaining new anglers and, most importantly, if the pilot retailers are willing to continue using the materials. The RBFF will not need financial support for this effort, and volunteer retailers will work at their own expense. The beneficiaries will be states and other NGOs’ R3 programs and retailers. The outcome will be a greater number of new and retained anglers each year.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

American Sportfishing Association

Grant Number

F25AP00379

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research, Tool Development, Training

Yes

Facilitating Adoption of Uncrewed Aerial Systems In Wildlife Monitoring Through Northern Bobwhite Thermal Surveys and Habitat Mapping

State fish and wildlife agencies face increasing wildlife monitoring demands but often lack the time and resources to rapidly adopt and assimilate emerging technologies. Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) are one of those emerging technologies. Despite their time on the market, along with their cost-effectiveness, rapid deployment, and minimal habitat impact, the use of UAS among state fish and wildlife agencies is limited owing to an absence of protocols and accessible workflows. This project will develop and evaluate UAS based thermal survey methods for Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), a culturally and ecologically significant gamebird that has declined precipitously over the last three decades. Using North Bobwhite as our focal species, we will refine thermal UAS survey methods for covey detection and individual counts, link bird occupancy to high-resolution UAS-derived habitat features, and compare enterprise and open-source mapping software to generate practical mapping workflows. Outcomes will include, Northern Bobwhite thermal detection methods, guidance on UAS and software selection, and manager friendly workflows that empowers managers to incorporate UAS into their habitat and species monitoring. Results will be shared with fish and wildlife agencies through regional workshops, webinars, national conferences, and publications. While this project is executed through the lens of Northern Bobwhite management, the methodologies developed will be applicable to other species and habitats, creating an adaptable framework for incorporating UAS into any wildlife monitoring plan.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill-Carolina Drone Lab

Grant Number

F26AP00293

Categories

Research, Tool Development

Federal Aid Coordinators Subcommittee Capacity Enhancement

This project will strengthen the capacity and coordination of state Federal Aid Coordinators (FACs) by supporting the Federal Aid Coordinators Working Group (FACWG) with enhanced facilitation, information-sharing, and development of practical tools. As federal aid programs grow more complex, state fish and wildlife agencies (States) face increasing demands for consistent compliance, efficient administration, and effective collaboration with federal partners. The FACWG serves as the primary forum for addressing these challenges and driving improvements at the national and policy levels, but requires sustained support to operate effectively and deliver meaningful and timely products to States. Through this grant, a part-time coordinator position will be hired by the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) and dedicated to providing FACWG support. Activities will include finalizing and distributing a national capacity survey of state FACs, analyzing results, and providing recommendations for future support. The project will also ensure that timely and accessible resources are maintained on the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) website (or an alternative platform), and that regular coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Conservation Investment (FWS-CI) and the Federal/State Joint Task Force on Federal Assistance Policy and the Fish and Wildlife Trust Funds Committee is supported through agenda development, document preparation, and finalization of Chair’s reports. In addition, the coordinator will assist the FACWG to update and develop Best Management Practices (BMPs), job aids, and training modules to support consistent federal aid administration across states, while creating a framework to onboard new members and maintain leadership continuity. The coordinator will also provide continuity as FACWG Chair and Vice Chair positions transition and as members rotate off and new members are onboarded, ensuring consistent leadership and institutional knowledge. Outcomes will include stronger state capacity for federal aid administration, improved compliance, enhanced cross-agency coordination and innovation to provide tools and resources to state wildlife agencies that will increase the efficiency of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program grant administration, and provide sustained institutional knowledge to support effective conservation funding administration nationwide.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Inc.

Grant Number

F26AP00220

Categories

Coordination, Technical Assistance, Tool Development, Training

Filling the Hole in the ORAM: A Fix for Practitioners

Reliable research supporting the evaluation of Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) efforts have progressed significantly in recent decades with methodologies and tools being developed and increasingly adopted by R3 practitioners. Central to the structuring of these numerous evaluation techniques is the Outdoor Recreation Adoption Model (ORAM), a foundational theoretical framework that has been instrumental in promoting consistent standards of R3 efficacy within the field. While its contributions are significant, the framework is not without limitations. Decades of research grounded in Self-Identity Theory reveal that the decision to persist in an activity is strongly influenced by the individual’s perception of their group membership and by the individual’s self-perception. Recent research (Chase & Dunfee, The Hole in the ORAM: Going Back to the ABC’s of Hunting and Fishing, Multistate Conservation Grant project, 2025) has worked to strengthen the ORAM by focusing on the “decision to continue” point within the model and its direct linkage to individual identity formation. This paradigm-shifting study integrated, for the first time, practical methodology that incorporates identity formation factors into the application of the ORAM in R3 effort delivery and evaluation at individual, event, and program levels. Chase and Dunfee (2025) worked to further expand the application of identify formation in R3 efforts by finding that hunters can be categorized into eight typologies, based their identification in three identity factors: aptitude, behavior and community. Additionally, this study proved that the nuances of hunter identity formation could be determined via a simple 10-question battery that could be incorporated into existing R3 effort evaluation systems. While an admirable start, these innovations were developed in a pilot effort and need additional validity and reliability testing in real-world conditions to optimize their functionality for R3 practitioners in state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) and other R3-vested organizations. This proposed research will build on the previous research by extending the study to other selected SFWAs and their R3 partners. Six to eight interested states will be recruited to participate in this study to evaluate the degree to which their R3 efforts contribute to identity development. Unlike the pilot study, which relied on expert opinion to generate the strategic orientation matrix to classify events as to their effectiveness at increasing aptitude, behavior, and community, this research effort will provide a far more robust quantitative assessment of each R3 event that each participating state assesses in pre- and post-event surveys. Upon completion, this project will provide a series of identity-formation assessment tools, accompanied by analysis protocols, that can be seamlessly integrated into existing surveys, event registration systems, and evaluation instruments used to measure the effectiveness of R3 initiatives. By integrating identity-based measures into R3 practice, participating SFWAs stand to achieve three primary benefits through their engagement in this applied research project: (1) more targeted, efficient, and strategically aligned R3 program design; (2) a more robust means of measuring the impact of R3 efforts through increased identify formation of participants; and (3) improved behavioral outcomes of program participants who will be more likely to make the pivotal “decision to continue” as independent hunters or recreational shooters. These benefits will be applicable to all other SFWA’s and their R3 partners who choose to incorporate the tools created and refined by this project. Given the long-established need for more targeted, efficient, and outcome-oriented R3 efforts, the results of this project will have significant and long-standing benefits to all R3-vested organizations and agencies.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Inc.

Grant Number

F26AP00208

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research, Tool Development

Yes

FishAge 2.0: A National Resource for Age Estimation and Training

Fish age estimation is a fundamental component for fisheries management, but poor practices and improper training may lead to widespread mismanagement for both exploited fisheries and native species in need of conservation. Our collaborative team recognized these challenges and with support from a Multistate Conservation Grant in 2023 created FishAge, www.fishage.org, an online repository of calcified structures from known-age fishes. Through the support from the 2023 Multistate Conservation Grant, we were able to collect over 1,000 known-age structures from 12 different species. These structures were processed and digitized to be freely available for viewing on our newly constructed website. We have received overwhelming positive feedback on the website with helpful suggestions on how to better serve fisheries biologists across the nation. Therefore, we aim to build on the momentum created with the 2023 Multistate Conservation Grant through efforts to include additional structures, build user friendly features to our website and incorporate educational materials for an all-inclusive website aimed at learning the science of age estimation. Our intent is to submit proposals through the Multistate Conservation Grant program over the next three years to sequentially obtain our goals. This proposal will fund activities centered around the collection and processing of additional known-age fish, tagging newly stocked fish species for additional known-age fish in the future, and incorporating educational material such as instructional videos to fishage.org. After obtaining our 3-year goal we envision fishage.org to be an integral resource for anyone looking to learn the science of age estimation. Through promotional efforts during this period, we are confident that this resource will be well known and widely used among all state and federal fish and wildlife agencies and incorporated into classroom instruction at universities around the country.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

American Fisheries Society

Grant Number

F26AP00377

Categories

Tool Development, Training

From Detections to Decisions: Improving Motus Data Quality and Analytical Tools for Species of Greatest Conservation Need

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a global network of radio receivers that track small flying animals carrying tiny lightweight transmitters. As these animals fly within range of a station their unique signal is automatically recorded allowing researchers to track movements across continents without recapturing the animal. However, the rapid growth of the system has created new challenges and opportunities for improving data processing, interpretation and conservation relevance. With thousands of tags active simultaneously, and the sometimes-noisy radio environments of a human-dominated landscape, signals can sometimes overlap or be misidentified creating false detections or data gaps that could potentially hinder data quality making it difficult for wildlife managers to use the information confidently. This project addresses these challenges by demonstrating how enhanced data filtering and practical stakeholder-guided tools can unlock the conservation value of Motus tracking data. Focusing on 48 bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) with significant Motus tracking histories this Phase 1 effort will pursue two objectives. (1) Improving Data Quality. We will finalize and implement an updated tag detection algorithm tag-finder software that acts as a filter to sift through raw radio signals. This will reduce false detections, resolve conflicts where tags talk over one another, and produce clean trustworthy datasets for 48 priority species. (2) Create Usable Tools. We will launch a steering committee of state agency biologists to determine what Motus data products they need. Instead of generating abstract data we will co-develop decision-support tools that answer practical needs such as quantifying landscape and migratory connectivity, evaluating population health, prioritizing habitat or better understanding threats. The result will be cleaned Motus detection datasets for 48 bird SGCN and a set of prototype tools designed by and for state agencies. This lays the groundwork for standardized best practices mobilizing Motus as a reliable decision support system for conservation planning across species agencies and landscapes into the years to come.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

American Bird Conservancy

Grant Number

F26AP00176

Categories

Research, Tool Development

Game Processing Assets and Closing the New Hunter Knowledge Gap

Over the past few years multiple research projects centered around new hunters have uncovered the same five knowledge gaps as barriers to new/potential hunters. International Hunter Education Association’s studies on adult hunter ed graduates, Wildlife Management Incorporated’s work with new hunters seeking mentors and Wildlife Management Incorporated’s studies on new hunter personas and the journey new hunters take to hunting were just a few of the projects to uncover essentially the same list of knowledge gaps:

Understanding regulations, seasons, and licensing.
Learning how to field dress and process wild game.
Learning firearm handling.
Finding somewhere to hunt and understanding access to hunting areas.
Understanding general hunting techniques and prey behavior.

While the individual items are not in the same order for every study or audience segment, these same knowledge gaps prevent new adult hunters from feeling confident enough to actually hunt.
This project aims to develop video lessons and PowerPoint Decks for live training for the three knowledge gaps as of yet unanswered by the R3 Community.

Understanding regulations, seasons, and licensing.
Learning how to field dress and process wild game.
Finding somewhere to hunt and understanding access to hunting areas

These lessons will be made available at no cost to state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, outdoor learning centers, and other recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3)-related organizations to use and disseminate among their hunting audiences. And for new/prospective hunters to find on their own on YouTube.

We will also be creating photography assets during the production of game processing videos for sharing with the entire R3 community to assist in telling the story of food as the center of the motivation for hunting.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

National Deer Association

Grant Number

F25AP00108

Categories

Training

Yes

How “Safe” is Online Hunter Education: Using Real-World Outcomes to Assess HE Delivery

The primary objective of State Fish and Wildlife Agency (SFWA) Hunter Education/Safety (HE) programs is to promote safe, responsible, and ethical hunting practices. In current practice, the preparedness of HE students to achieve these behaviors is determined by using a minimal passing grade on the final examination, typically given at the end of a course. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many SFWAs to adopt online and hybrid models of HE in addition to the traditional in-person programs. A previous Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) study, conducted by IHEA (Baer, Dunfee, & Chase, 2021) found that virtual, hybrid, and in-person delivery methods had nearly identical results in terms of student satisfaction and student preparedness (as measured by the final exam score). Even though SFWAs use the final exam score to certify to the conservation community, other hunters, and the non-hunting public that an individual is minimally competent to participate in hunting in a safe and legal way, one reasonable critique of that research is that exam score is likely only an indicator for hunter education knowledge, rather than a metric for likelihood of experiencing an actual hunting-related injury or accident (i.e., incident). The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented situation in which HE was delivered primarily using virtual and hybrid methods, as most in-person, field tests, and live-fire events were canceled. This phenomenon offers the conservation community a unique natural experiment to determine the effectiveness of hunter education, by delivery method, this time using a direct measure of hunter incident rates, rather than student exams and satisfaction as indices of safety. This study proposes to use an Interrupted Time Series analysis with an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to determine how HE delivery method affects, or not, the safety of hunters in the field as directly measured by hunter incidents (as reported by the SFWAs). Currently, hunting incidents are collected each year by the International Hunter Education Association U.S.A. (IHEA-USA) from hunter education teams (often nested within law enforcement within SFWAs). These collected data, when compiled correctly, has the potential to serve as a national R3 resource capable of identifying trends in hunting incidents over time to aid SFWA’s and their partners in evaluating the impacts of future HE programs, products, curriculum, and course delivery policy decisions. Fortunately, the existing national Hunter Incident Database used by SFWAs and IHEA-USA has been recently redesigned and updated. This upgrade positions the database to serve as a national resource, offering new analysis tools for SFWA’s and industry researchers when examining the available data. While the customer experience and data entry options are improved, there are still gaps in the data from previous years which need to be collected from SFWA’s. This presents an opportunity as the data collection and analysis for this project will feed the new database and provide a model for data synthesis that can be used in future HE evaluation efforts.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

International Hunter Education Association – USA

Grant Number

F25AP00450

Categories

Research

Yes

Identifying and Overcoming Hunting’s Competition

Churn rates, or the percentage of hunters not participating each year, have held between 21% to 27% annually for the past five years, according to the grant-funded hunting license dashboard. Even the pandemic did not notably reduce churn rates, meaning we lose approximately one-quarter of our hunters each year, offsetting our successes with new recruits. High churn rates hinder states and NGO’s abilities to maintain participation and to maximize social awareness and support for hunting. Though states continually encourage people to continue hunting, we have a limited understanding of why many hunters often choose other recreations. By not understanding how and why other activities often are preferred over hunting, our ability to retain hunters is limited. The most recent insights regarding which activities often win over hunters, why they win and how to overcome these challenges is 14 years old (NSSF’s Understanding Activities That Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting (2011). Given the social and participation changes over the past decade and a half, basing retention efforts on such old data may send states’ R3 and marketing efforts off track. With assistance from Southwick Associates, we will examine participation trends using license data, then survey former and infrequent hunters to learn why they hunt(ed), what they like and disliked, which recreational activities they engage in instead of hunting, why these other activities are often preferred, plus optimal message/imagery/support tactics we can field to improve hunter retention efforts. Results will be shared widely in visually appealing summary reports with all states, hunting NGOs and industry and the R3 Clearinghouse. Work will begin with a careful review of recent WSFR-funded projects to ensure we complement existing information. The results will help boost hunter retention rates and increase participation in hunting.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00109

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research

Yes

Implementation of the Hunt for Good Campaign in the Southeast: Increasing Public Support for Hunting Among Non-Hunters

The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is partnering with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) and the National Wild Turkey Federation to launch a regional Hunt for Good campaign aimed at increasing support of legal, regulated hunting among non-hunters. Responsive Management’s Americans’ Attitudes Towards Hunting and Shooting Sports 2025 report shows that public support for legal hunting has been declining for several years. To address this, the National Wild Turkey Federation developed Hunt for Good. It is the only national marketing campaign focused on building cultural support for hunting by highlighting themes that resonate with non-hunters, such as stewardship, quality food, social connection, and wildlife health. In partnership with the Council, the campaign was implemented four times between 2023 and 2025, which was a limited national run, a Northeast effort targeting Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, and twice in Missouri. These efforts generated 45,652,842 unique impressions, reaching the middle 80 percent of the public that does not hunt but may be persuaded to support it. Like many marketing-focused Multistate Conservation Grants, early Hunt for Good efforts did not sufficiently connect Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) work to the core outcome of increasing public support for hunting, relying instead on weaker metrics such as open rates, clicks, and time on page. This proposal advances the campaign by adding an evaluation component to assess whether content actually improves viewer perceptions. Using six original Hunt for Good creative themes (e.g., Hunt for Clarity, Hunt for Freedom), the Council and 2060 Digital, will create six theme-specific landing pages for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) that will be created within the original and active Hunt for Good webpage. Pages will be hosted by project subrecipient 2060 Digital, the marketing firm managing ad buys, placements, implementation, and evaluation. Each landing page will explain why and how its theme represents a benefit of hunting. 2060 Digital will run ad buys and placements for ads associated with each of the six creative themes in or near major population centers across the Southeast that serve at least eight SEAFWA member states. Each ad will link to its associated landing page, and viewers will receive a pop-up survey assessing whether they fall within the target demographic and whether the content they viewed positively influenced their perspective of hunting. This approach was selected over broad-band surveying to ensure responses come only from individuals who actually viewed campaign content. Each landing page will also include SEAFWA-curated links for further information. Ad buys will be optimized throughout the campaign based on platform performance, and SEAFWA member states will be offered ads to run parallel efforts to drive organic traffic to the campaign landing pages. While standard outputs like impressions, clicks, and time on page will be tracked, the primary outcome will be survey data showing whether exposure to Hunt for Good strengthens support for hunting among non-hunters in urban areas who recreate outdoors, and which ads were most effective. Google Analytics will identify which supplemental links drew the most engagement, informing future refinements. Deliverables include customized regional landing pages, an evaluation report, and campaign assets for states and partners. By measuring whether the campaign actually improves public support for hunting, this project can model how R3 efforts should be tied to outcomes, encouraging broader adoption of stronger evaluation practices and raising expectations for future Multistate Conservation Grant applications across hunting, shooting sports, fishing, and boating.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F26AP00464

Categories

Human Dimensions, Marketing, Research

Yes

Significant loss of senior leadership and tenured staff across state fish and wildlife agencies continues to impact and put at risk the conservation community’s future. This staggering loss of leadership capacity, coupled with the challenges facing these agencies to remain relevant, adapt to changing landscapes and constituencies, and/or secure funding – to name a few—requires continued, ongoing, and focused leadership and organizational development. Leadership development and well-managed fish and wildlife agencies are priorities identified in the Association’s strategic plan. The purpose of this project is to support the effective implementation of projects funded under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts by developing leadership skills in state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies, federal agencies, and partner organizations, including non-profits and excise-tax paying industry partners. Compared to isolated attempts to foster leadership skills in individual agencies and partner organizations, this grant offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to professional development that capitalizes on consistent, skilled training and peer-to-peer networking within a shared experience of working to conserve wildlife and sport fish across the country.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Grant Number

F25AP00154

Categories

Education, Technical Assistance, Training

Leadership Training for SEAFWA Members and the Conservation Community

Throughout the conservation field, specifically Wildlife Restoration (WR) or Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) related efforts, there is a continual challenge to maintain leadership capacity as senior staff retire and more early- and mid-career staff begin taking on leadership roles and responsibilities. Although existing leadership programs already provide excellent training, they mainly target mid- to late-career staff and can accept only so many participants annually. Conservation of birds, mammals, and sport fish requires navigating deeply held beliefs and conflicts among constituents (e.g., managing multi-use game lands, promoting catch and keep programs to remove invasive fish species, managing effect of double-crested cormorants on sport fish, and managing waterfowl ponds for the benefit of both birders and hunters). To be effective, conservation professionals must employ high-level leadership – the vision to see problems from different perspectives, skills to moderate conflicts, and creativity to devise novel resolutions. These aspects of leadership are key to preserving hunting and fishing heritage and biodiversity. To increase these leadership capacities and promote more consistent and efficient progress in the southeastern US, we propose the Southeast Conservation Leadership Program (SECLP), a conservation leadership training program targeting early- and mid-career staff in the southeastern US. This program will introduce participants (fellows) to leadership concepts and tools, including engaging in adaptive leadership, developing reflective practices, and boosting internal capacity. By teaching these skills earlier in their careers, fellows will have more time to further develop and apply them. Additionally, the SECLP will offer an opportunity for alumni of other leadership programs to share their knowledge of adaptive leadership to SEAFWA staff. These coaches would be working on or have had experience with WR/SFR species or activities. As we gain more alumni from this regional program, we will maintain a connected network, allowing continued learning alongside others who have completed the training. We envision that this network will enable unique and innovative collaborations that might not be possible otherwise. Relationships and trust built between fellows in each cohort will promote and advance collaborative approaches to regional and national WR and SFR challenges for decades.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Inc.

Grant Number

F26AP00541

Categories

Training

Leveraging the 2028 Olympics to Grow Archery Participation and Conservation Funding

The upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to substantially increase interest and participation in target archery. Archery will receive unparalleled global visibility thanks to the spotlight of the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, presenting a major recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) opportunity to bring new and returning target archers into the fold; yet, without coordinated planning, this attention risks being short-lived. State fish and wildlife agencies must have reliable strategies to engage new and returning archers effectively as we get closer to the 2028 Games—a data-driven R3 approach for targeting new and returning archers will ensure that these individuals become and remain lifetime participants. State fish and wildlife agencies have an opportunity to expand their reach and relevance beyond the hunting and fishing constituencies by working with USA Archery to implement a national R3 communications campaign in advance of the 2028 Games, which include both Olympic and Paralympic recurve and compound archery disciplines. USA Archery’s social media content achieved the second-highest global reach among national archery federations during the 2024 Games. If state agencies prepare now for the upcoming increase in worldwide archery exposure, they can capture and convert interest to participation. Archery engages new audiences (especially youth, women, and families) who may not initially be interested in hunting or other types of sport shooting, but who may have substantial latent interest. Target archery provides a safe, community-friendly entry point to both hunting and other sport shooting activities. According to the most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, the current target archery market consists of around 19 million individuals, including dedicated and casual participants (notably, the National Survey also indicates that about a fifth of all U.S. target archers are under age 16). There is a major need for new research to determine the capacity of agencies and R3 specialists to provide outreach specific to target archers, and to assess awareness, interest, and barriers to archery participation among U.S. residents ahead of the 2028 Games. The purpose of this project is to provide actionable national- and regional-level data, strategies, and tools that allow state fish and wildlife agencies, stakeholders, and R3 practitioners to leverage the 2028 Games to increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation in target archery through participation in USA Archery and other programming. Specifically, the project will gather data from R3 professionals and U.S. general population residents, hunters, and anglers (the latter making up important market segments for target archery participation) to inform the development of a new R3 toolkit for target archery that includes digital assets for state fish and wildlife agencies and their non-governmental organization partners; the toolkit will also include partnership models and engagement strategies. The project will be led by USA Archery and Responsive Management will be a subrecipient responsible for all research, analysis, and reporting. This project addresses Strategic Priority 3 (Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation), with a focus on Engaging Participants.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

National Archery Association of the United States

Grant Number

F26AP00303

Categories

Human Dimensions, Marketing, Research, Tool Development

Yes

Modeling the health and distribution of essential fish habitat for highly migratory sport fishes to preserve future stocks in the southeastern US

Highly migratory (HM) sport fishes such as sharks, tuna, and marlin are a challenge for conservation because they have large ranges that cross many jurisdictional boundaries. Sharks are especially at risk: their numbers have dropped more than 70% in the past 35 years, and one-third of species are now vulnerable to extinction. Their slow growth and reliance on shallow coastal nurseries for harboring young in the first few years of life—classified as Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)—make sharks vulnerable to overfishing, pollution, and development. But seascape- level conservation of large fishes is hampered by a general lack of knowledge on the specific environmental factors that can negatively affect EFH, or if the animals that use them will be ecologically and genetically suited to survive under future conditions. Understanding these dynamics is important for protecting sport fish stocks, but while migration can be measured with tagging and telemetry, evidence of reproductive connections can only be found with DNA. Even when genetic have been done on relevant species, though, their results are almost never applied to management because of the lack of tools to integrate these findings with spatial analyses used in stock assessments, like Species Distribution Modeling (SDMs). Yet models like SDMs are exponentially more accurate when they include genetic data on ecotypes, which are distinct subpopulations that have adapted to different conditions, and have different habitat requirements. With prior Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP) support, we addressed this lack by developing a prototype Genetic SDM (GSDM), which we found to have exponentially more predictive power than regular SDMs. With the current proposal, we aim to further develop this technical framework by testing it on nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) in the northwest Atlantic, a charismatic but poorly studied species that has experienced impacts from marine heatwaves and is considered globally vulnerable to extinction. By leveraging our library of hundreds of pre-existing nurse shark tissues collected over 35 years, we will (1) identify nurse shark ecotypes and use them to model future EFH, (2) measure patterns of connectivity between EFH at both the population and individual level, and (3) examine how measures of genetic viability change over time, particularly before and after marine heatwaves. This work will deliver the first seascape-level conservation plan for a migratory sport fish, while meeting the need for approachable new ways for managers to obtain, integrate, and apply research findings to better direct the conservation of sport fishes. The project area spans the majority of the Atlantic and northern Gulf states and into the Caribbean by leveraging the PI’s membership in the Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry (FACT) Network, a group of scientists and institutions who manage an array of receivers for tracking large migratory fishes and share data across state boundaries throughout the northwest Atlantic. By partnering with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and state agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, we will ensure results will be directly relevant, inexpensive, and accessible to non-specialists. This proposal aligns with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Strategic Priorities in Conservation & Science by specifically addressing aspects of habitat connectivity, fish and wildlife health, and emerging technologies. These results will help managers anticipate and plan for future habitat shifts, strengthening fisheries resilience by advancing the successful long-term conservation of HM sport fishes.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Florida Institute of Technology

Grant Number

F26AP00405

Categories

Research, Tool Development

Modernizing and Enhancing Tools for Regionally Coordinated Fish and Wildlife Conservation

The Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee of the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is charged by the Directors and Administrators of the 14 Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency jurisdictions in the United States with developing and maintaining a list of Northeast Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) that identifies shared species of conservation concern at the regional level. That process and the Regional Northeast Database (here after referred to as the Database) that contains all the RSGCN data has evolved to include baseline information on nearly 18,000 species of fish, wildlife, and plants extant in the Northeast. The Database of scientific information on those 18,000 species also includes their habitats, threats, management needs, and research and monitoring needs. The data are currently stored in a Microsoft Access database that has reached its capacity and functionality. The purpose of this project will be to upgrade the Database, including 250 eligible Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need species with current enhanced data and baseline information on 426 birds, 183 mammals, and 1025 fish species known to be present in the Northeast into an enhanced platform to increase efficiency and utility. Specifically, we will modernize the current database platform and data structure by building a new database with the future capability to connect it to the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee website with accessible web portals for state agency staff. The upgraded database will facilitate cross-jurisdictional conservation for all Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency members, and all associated conservation partners and the public. This project will create an enhanced database that has increased capacity for collaboration across the Northeast, which will facilitate planned 5-year update cycles allowing better landscape integration of Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and all other priority taxa in the Northeast, including Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson eligible species, and by providing priorities for the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs Grant Program, other landscape level conservation planning, and supporting overall fish and wildlife management and conservation across the Northeast region.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00134

Categories

Tool Development

Brook trout are a recreationally and ecologically important native fish species across the Eastern United States. They are sensitive to water quality and temperature making them strong indicators of stream health. However, their populations have declined due to land use changes, habitat fragmentation and warming water temperature. This project aims to enhance brook trout habitat conservation and restoration by using cutting-edge data and tools. The Chesapeake Conservancy will develop a web-based decision support tool that helps state and federal agencies identify the most impactful stream reaches for habitat conservation and restoration. The tool will use newly developed high-resolution stream data known as Hyper Resolution Hydrography Data, which identifies more than twice as many stream miles compared to the traditional National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), especially headwater streams critical to brook trout. The project will evaluate how landscape features such as forest cover or agriculture affect brook trout habitat and identify which streams offer the greatest opportunity for habitat improvement. These analyses will be used to create an interactive publicly available mapping application. This tool will allow agencies to explore what-if restoration scenarios and target their efforts for maximum benefit. Additionally, the project will compare conservation opportunities identified using traditional NHD data versus those using the more complete Hyper Resolution dataset. By doing so, it will demonstrate the added value of using LiDAR derived data in fisheries management. The project will also provide guidance for states interested in replicating this high resolution data approach outside the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The project directly supports the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ strategic priorities of using emerging technologies, e.g., LiDAR and improving landscape-level habitat connectivity. It will benefit multiple states within the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5. Results will help these states efficiently allocate conservation resources, improve regional coordination and ultimately strengthen brook trout populations. Deliverables include the prioritization tool geospatial databases training materials and a final report summarizing findings and differences in restoration opportunities with and without Hyper Resolution data. Outreach will include training webinars and presentations at regional conferences.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Chesapeake Conservancy Inc.

Grant Number

F26AP00242

Categories

Research, Technical Assistance, Tool Development, Training

Protecting Waterfowl and Sportfish Habitat through Whole-Genome Sequencing of Aquatic Invasive Plant Species

Aquatic invasive plant species pose an urgent and growing threat to freshwater ecosystems in the United States, displacing native sportfish and waterfowl biodiversity, degrading ecosystem function, and imposing escalating economic and ecological costs. Globally, aquatic invasive plants have caused over $32 billion in the last five decades, with 65% of these costs attributed to freshwater ecosystems. In the United States alone, annual expenditures for aquatic plant control approach $100 million, underscoring the immense financial burden of these invasions. Despite the ongoing financial investment, current molecular tools lack the resolution to reliably distinguish closely related invasive plant species, limiting effective early detection and rapid response. Building on our successful foundational project, “Improving Conservation Efforts for Sportfish and Waterfowl: Developing eDNA Tools for Use in Aquatic Invasive Species Detection,” which applied chloroplast-based nanopore sequencing but revealed critical taxonomic ambiguities, this proposal advances to a transformative next phase. We will generate high-quality nuclear genome assemblies for 10 high-priority aquatic invasive plant species – including Nitellopsis obtusa (starry stonewort), Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil), and Hydrilla verticillate using PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute’s cutting-edge bioinformatics resources. Our primary objective is to identify highly specific, species-level nuclear genetic markers that provide unprecedented discriminatory power. These markers will underpin scalable, field-ready molecular assays such as high-throughput quantitative PCR (HTqPCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), essential for advancing eDNA surveillance and empowering the early detection and rapid response framework for aquatic invasive plant species in the United States. The whole genome sequence and species-level nuclear genetic markers will be shared via open access websites (National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI) enabling other researchers to freely build upon this work. Delivering these foundational genomic resources is critical to protecting freshwater biodiversity, supporting healthy populations of sportfish and waterfowl, reducing costly invasions, and ensuring long-term ecological and economic resilience.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

University of Minnesota

Grant Number

F26AP00403

Categories

Research, Tool Development

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a globally distributed, highly infectious morbillivirus affecting numerous mammalian species. In the United States, many domestic and wild carnivores are susceptible to CDV, including important furbearer species such as the raccoon (Procyon lotor), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and coyote (Canis latrans). Neurologic disease caused by CDV is indistinguishable from that caused by rabies virus (RABV). Many wild animals with neurological symptoms are submitted to public health laboratories for rabies virus (RABV) testing, often without additional testing for canine distemper virus (CDV) or other pathogens. This may confound CDV surveillance efforts and lead to an underreporting of CDV prevalence in wild populations. This 1-year research project aims to promote cooperation and information exchange between state wildlife agencies and public health departments to investigate the presence, distribution, and prevalence of CDV in neurological wild carnivores previously submitted to public health laboratories for RABV testing. Additionally, this project will update the current knowledge regarding the diversity of CDV strains circulating among wild carnivores. To accomplish this, brain tissues and associated metadata will be collected from RABV-negative wild carnivores previously submitted to public health laboratories. Molecular testing for CDV will be conducted at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study using real-time RT-PCR, and positive samples will be further analyzed to identify CDV strains. Deliverables include a standardized sample collection protocol, an online repository for sample data and diagnostic results, and the results of CDV testing on ~1500 wild carnivore brain tissues with corresponding phylogenetic analyses of viral strains. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed manuscript, shared in technical reports, and presented at scientific conferences. This grant will benefit wild carnivores across 49 states, especially in the 42 states where carnivore-variant RABV strains hinder CDV surveillance. Finally, this study will provide crucial data on CDV prevalence and strain diversity and promote collaboration between state wildlife agencies and public health departments, fostering partnerships.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00114

Categories

Diseases, Research

The 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the number of youth ages 6 to 17 that participated in firearms target shooting was just under six million. Recent reports suggest substantial increases in shooting sports participation across all ages, and numerous organized youth shooting sports programs have also reported enrollment surges. However, to date no concerted effort has been made to estimate the total youth participation in organized shooting sports nor the corresponding economic impact. Further, outside of this potentially large economic impact, anecdotal reports also suggest that youth shooting sports are affecting the individual participants, including increasing confidence, discipline, academic performance, leadership skills, and motivation. While these impacts to the individual are often reported at conferences and used in program recruiting materials, no serious investigation across programs has been undertaken to see if these claims have merit. Quantifying and sharing these impacts could potentially help youth shooting programs secure greater support for increased capacity and longevity. This project will reach youth (through their parents) and program administrators using surveys and interviews to:

Investigate the personal, psychological, and social impacts of participating in organized shooting sports on youth.
Estimate participation in and economic impact of organized youth shooting sports.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and supports approximately 2,800 school, club, and private youth shooting programs nationally, and more than 80 state and national youth shooting organizations, the MidwayUSA Foundation (Foundation) is teaming with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) to produce and share results with potential sponsors, local communities, legislatures, industry, media, and the general public. The goal is to increase support and capacity for youth shooting programs, especially those reaching kids from non-target shooting families.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Midway USA Foundation Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00101

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research

Yes

Standardizing health information of moose (Alces alces) across its range to unlock population scale research

Moose (Alces alces) populations vary across their range with historical and current trends dependent on specific management regimes. But across its range, moose are increasingly facing direct impacts posed by escalating overlap with competitors and their diseases. Preliminary evidence suggests that diseases and parasites may play a disproportionate role in population declines of moose in select areas, fueling research interest in how continued moose viability may is jeopardized by increasing health threats. While researchers explore diseases and parasites in moose in studies limited largely in scope to local areas, any large-scale standardized guidance to conduct regional health studies is lacking. Nor does the scientific community have data infrastructure needed to convene comparable moose health records in preparation of population-scale analyses. In this project, we will convene leading experts in moose health from around North America to (1) summarize investigation protocols (including data collection, definitions, methods, and collation), (2) identify and examine existing (historical) data sets regarding moose health investigations, (3) produce an open repository of protocols available to any agency researcher so they may more efficiently conduct analyses in their home jurisdictions, and (4) if possible, plan a shared (and voluntary) digital repository for moose health data that can facilitate future larger regional- or continental-scale analyses. Outcomes will provide the first basis to assess the impact of disease in moose across ecologically meaningful and broad scales and understand how adjustments to landscapes may impact this iconic North American species.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

Cornell University

Grant Number

F26AP00308

Categories

Coordination, Diseases, Tool Development

Streaming Audio/Podcast Campaign for SE States to Accomplish R3

The purpose of this project is to put tested messages on the ground to achieve recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) through podcast and streaming audio ads in 4 pilot states in the Southeastern US. Working with representatives from each state and the National Deer Association, we will develop audio ads for placement in each state. We will use the research funded in by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program #F22AP01126 that developed new Hunter Personas and develop ad creative around each of the personas and target the messages developed to Family Firsts, Self Sufficients, Locavores, and Recreationalists. Then measure success at increasing participation by using their license purchase behavior to determine success using pixel tracking technology. The persona research found here in the R3 Clearinghouse recommends placing ads in streaming or podcasts as these targeted groups engage with that medium very often. On top of that research, in 2023 podcast listeners increased to 164 million in the US and listenership has increased 60% since 2020. Of all podcast listeners, almost half (47%) are aged 12-34 years. 33% are 35 to 54-year-olds. And the remaining 20% are aged 55+ years. The majority of podcast listeners are male (53%). These stats lend to podcasting and streaming ads being a good marketing investment to accomplish R3. Our expected outcomes will be that new people are motivated with these ads to try hunting and that people that used to hunt are motivated to pick the hobby back up again. Using the psychographic network, a database of listeners that tracks digital interactions of users and allows you to target personas, we are able to target the personas identified and then using pixel tracking we can see what people who heard these messages also purchased a license indicating that they are participating in hunting. This will also measure how effective the ads were and which ad was most effective. The deliverables from this project will be scripts for ads as well as recordings of ads that any state or region can use as well as a report with a case study from each state with all the findings from placing these ads in 4 pilot states including which ads recruited or reactivated the most hunters. The beneficiaries of this project will be the people that discover or rediscover hunting. The 4 pilot states will benefit the most, but all states in the southeast (or anywhere) will benefit from this marketing campaign because the ads created will be available for any state to use at no cost and the lessons learned and campaign engagement and effectiveness will be shared with staff from each state. The pilot states will also benefit from the increased participation. This project will leverage research from #F22AP01126 that this grant program granted hundreds of thousands of dollars developing. The case studies from each state stand to benefit any state that learns from them and then may decide to utilize this R3 tactic. There will be one contractor in this grant that is the marketing firm that will be placing the ads.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

National Deer Association

Grant Number

F25AP00106

Categories

Marketing, Research

Yes

Effective fish and wildlife management requires meaningful interaction with all segments of society, not just the people who buy hunting and fishing licenses. States’ mission statements often reflect their broad responsibilities on behalf of all residents; however, significant segments of the public may not be aware of their state fish and wildlife agency at all, much less its responsibilities, services, and benefits provided. These issues were documented in recent public perceptions/relevancy research in the Southeastern US and are likely especially pronounced in the urbanized Northeastern US. According to the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, only 3% of the New England population hunts, as compared to 11% of the Middle Atlantic states. Also, some of the highest percentage of people distanced from wildlife reside in northeastern states (Manfredo et al., 2018). Give this information, there is the potential for states to have conflict with the public who may not agree with or understand states’ priorities and actions. For agencies to be publicly relevant in the face of a declining user base, an urbanizing population, and a need to better engage with under-served communities, there must be a deeper understanding of the majority who do not buy hunting or fishing licenses. Similarly, state agencies have a limited understanding of how they are perceived by the public, especially by non-traditional stakeholders. Together, these issues hinder states’ abilities to effectively deliver programs relevant to the diverse range of constituencies they are charged to serve. This project will help state fish and wildlife agencies understand the public’s awareness of their core functions and perceived effectiveness, the priorities and responsibilities expected of state agencies, preferred funding structures, and more. The results will help state agencies engage and serve their many diverse publics and improve public acceptance and support to carry out conservation and public use of resources managed under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts. Eleven of the NEAFWA states will be engaged to identify their public programs and responsibilities, along with their current management challenges. For each state, two online surveys will be developed to capture the opinions and perceptions of:

residents not engaged in traditional state managed activities (fishing, hunting, and trapping), and
residents who identify as traditional stakeholders, for comparative purposes.

We will obtain up to 1,000 responses from non-traditional stakeholders to gather insights for unique geographic, demographic, and socio/ cultural audiences, and up to another 1,000 responses from traditional audiences. The methods will replicate and build upon the currently funded MSCG projects, “The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies”, completed in the SEAFWA states and currently underway in the MAFWA states. Being the representative organization for Northeastern states fish and wildlife agencies, NEAFWA understands states’ needs, has been focused on relevancy topics on behalf of states but has yet to connect with the general public about their perceptions and preferences. No other funding sources are available or known to address this issue at the regional level, hence the need for multi-state conservation grant funding.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00133

Categories

Communication, Human Dimensions, Research

Understanding Crossbow Hunters Participation, Characteristics, and the Factors that Contribute to Their Retention in Hunting

Crossbow hunting has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years. Yet while ample research exists looking at the overall market of bowhunters in the United States, relatively little focuses specifically on crossbow users. In order to implement successful Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) strategies, the unique market of crossbow hunters must be understood. Crossbow hunting is particularly important to understand given that crossbows are often favored by older hunters—it is possible that the aging population of the United States may be helping to drive interest in and use of crossbows (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, 1 in 6 people in the United States were 65 years old or older). While a number of states restrict crossbow use to hunters over a certain age, many other states permit general use of crossbows by all hunters. It is therefore possible that crossbows may be favored by some novice or first-time hunters, making them especially important from a recruitment perspective. In order to better understand these topics and plan purposeful R3 efforts specific to crossbow hunters, new research is needed to understand how crossbow users compare with other bowhunters. Such comparisons require data collection from both crossbow users and bowhunters who use non-crossbow equipment such as compound bows, recurve bows, and longbows. The proposed project entails scientific survey data collection with bowhunters—including sufficient samples of crossbow users as well as non-crossbow bowhunters—in three states from each of the four major Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) regions. Results and implications of the research will benefit all 49 states that allow some type of crossbow hunting (Oregon is the only state that currently does not allow hunting with a crossbow). In addition to determining the current rate of crossbow use among bowhunters, the survey will look at the characteristics of crossbow hunters, their expenditures, preferences, motivations, and the factors that contribute to their retention in hunting. The research will be used to develop a webinar by Archery Trade Association (ATA) and Responsive Management that explains the significance of the crossbow market and the most important characteristics of this group. The resulting information will benefit state agencies by allowing them to develop crossbow-specific R3 strategies. Refined R3 strategies specific to crossbow users will help drive hunting license sales and improve the agency customer connection to crossbow hunters and general bowhunters. The ATA and Responsive Management have a strong foundation on which to build the new research: in 1999, ATA and Responsive Management collaborated on one of the first nationwide bowhunting participation studies; in 2017, the two partners designed and implemented a major market study to determine bowhunters’ avidity, the species they hunt, their opinions on bowhunting compared to other outdoor activities, and their use and purchasing of bows and archery equipment (Responsive Management has partnered with ATA on other archery and bowhunting participation studies over the years as well). These studies have been invaluable resources to the R3 community, helping to inform R3 strategies specific to the bowhunter market. There is now a need for a similar study specific to crossbow users.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Archery Trade Association, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00345

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research

Yes

Understanding Hunters’ Knowledge of, and Interest in R3 Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation

Many organizations within the outdoor industry, from state wildlife agencies and conservation groups, to manufacturers, media and sportsmen’s clubs, have invested substantial time, money and effort into recruiting new, retaining current, and reactivating lapsed hunters over the past 15 years. This practice has been named; “R3”, which stands for; Recruit, Retain, Reactivate. “R3” has a goal of increasing participating in hunting and it has been accepted as a key initiative among the aforementioned groups. While the goal of increasing overall participation is common among these groups, no research has been done among America’s 15 million active hunters to understand their knowledge level and interest in this important initiative. We do not know what percentage of current hunters are for, or against, having more participants, nor do we know how to best communicate with current participants no matter their opinion on the topic. To confirm if there was a need for comprehensive research on this topic, the project team conducted an awareness poll / exploratory survey in May 2024 and received 240 completed responses from American’s that have hunted within the past 12 months. Among the results from this exploratory survey were that only ~29 percent of respondents (current hunters) had a clear understanding of what “R3” (Recruit, Retain and Reactivate) is, and 10 percent of respondents were opposed to organizations focusing on recruiting more hunters. Full results from the awareness poll are available at the end of the proposal application. The awareness poll results proved to the project team that further, in-depth research is needed on this topic. This proposal aims to identify, for the first time, items such as; what current hunters know about “R3”, what their opinions are on increasing hunting participation, and what are the best communication tactics to implement no matter their opinion on increasing hunter numbers. The project team has more than thirty years collective experience with this topic and has well-rounded representation from state agencies, NGOs and industry.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc.

Grant Number

F25AP00112

Categories

Marketing, Research

Yes

We All Quit, But It Doesn’t Have to Be Today

According to the Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) funded dashboard project, hunting licenses have declined to pre-pandemic levels. These declines are national, but particularly apparent in the Midwest, where 2021 vs 2022 sales declined 2.5% for 11 reporting states. Another recent MSCG examining the age-period-cohort effect on license sales2 showed that cohort (generational) effects were the strongest drivers in participation. An entire cohort of hunters (baby boomers) are getting older, and they are dropping out with declines becoming more precipitous as they age. Simply, we can’t stop the aging process, but there are regulatory tools we can use to slow the decline in participation. While younger hunters have been a primary focus for recruitment efforts, too little attention has been paid to keeping older licensed customers engaged and participating. Once a person quits, it is difficult to bring them back, regardless of the activity. Retention, whether in the consumer market or R3 community, is much easier and less costly than creating new customers. Historic opposition from both stakeholders and agency staff to some regulatory tools (e.g., crossbows for deer, game attractants, longer seasons) has presented hurdles; while changes in one’s social and lifestyle preferences after middle-age may make it easier for competing activities to capture our hunters’ time and attention. For example, in the Midwest, there are ample hunting opportunities for both big and small game, as licenses are easily available, and bag limits (particularly for deer) often exceed the number of animals a person is willing to take in a year. Consequently, while opportunities are readily available, individuals are still dropping out. Given the overall decline in hunter numbers, particularly among older hunters, there is a need to better understand the limitations, motivations, and preferences of older hunters. This information is critical, and the knowledge gained can become part of states’ retention efforts, to extend customers’ years of participation. The purpose of this project is to retain licensed hunters for a longer period of time. State agencies’ are the intended beneficiaries. Work will be accomplished by first working with state biologists and R3 managers to identify hunting statutes and rules that present barriers or opportunities for older hunters and related issues. We will then conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of hunters at least 50 years old to determine potential solutions management strategy to facilitate their continued participation. Once complete, we will disseminate recommendations and research findings to the R3 community in reader-friendly formats. The outcome will be greater numbers of people hunting annually. There are no sub-recipients in this project.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated

Grant Number

F25AP00119

Categories

Human Dimensions, Research

Yes

Where are Shooting Ranges Needed Most?

From 2009 to 2022, shooting sports participation increased 85% (NSSF Sport Shooting Participation in the United States), a rate greater than the growth in shooting range capacity. This demand surge has left many new and long-time enthusiasts with nowhere to shoot. Further, a lack of conveniently located ranges also reduces shooting sports participation as thirty minutes was found to be the limit most people will travel to visit a range [Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) #F24AP00312]. Maintaining and growing shooting sports participation depends on an adequate number of convenient places to safely shoot. The need is to provide greater shooting range capacity, especially near where people live. The purpose of this project is to help states identify where new and expanded shooting ranges are needed most. With funding from MSCG #F23AP00834, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) piloted a geographic information systems (GIS) approach that successfully mapped and identified where unmet demand for places to shoot was the greatest. This was done for many states simultaneously using standardized techniques. Each of the 12 test states received maps showing where new ranges or additional capacity were needed most (https://www.nssf.org/ranges/stateagencies/). The remaining 38 states still do not have such information, and advances identified in the initial pilot effort will allow improvements to the original 12 states’ results. In partnership with the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) and the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA), the NSSF will provide the same maps and insights for the remaining 38 states, plus provide updated and enhanced maps for the original 12 pilot states. State wildlife agencies are the intended beneficiary, with the results also of service to commercial public ranges. The results will help guide state efforts to locate new ranges and expand current sites in places with the greatest unmet demand, with the outcome of increased shooting sports participation. Results will be provided to each state in high-resolution visual maps accompanied by text explaining the data sources, methods, and recommendations regarding where to expand range capacity. NSSF will be assisted by Southwick Associates as a subrecipient, given their extensive experience in conducting recruitment, retention, reactivation (R3) and capacity research for the recreational shooting sports community.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

National Shooting Sports Foundation

Grant Number

F26AP00538

Categories

Tool Development

Yes

Where is Demand for Sportfishing Access the Greatest?

In a continuous cycle, people take up fishing while others quit. Simultaneously, people move from place to place, transforming communities in the process. As these changes occur, demand for sportfishing access also shifts across communities. Considering past research shows people frequently quit their preferred recreational activity if access exceeds 30 minutes, these shifts might cause fishing to become less popular as areas become more denser, thus decreasing fishing participation. Providing convenient access and promoting available sites is needed to retain current anglers and make fishing more attractive to potential new anglers. Likewise, investing in R3 efforts that target people living outside convenient range of public fishing opportunities will generate poor results. The first part of this project will pilot the use of mapping techniques to show where anglers are clustered, available public fishing sites, and communities with high levels of fishing interest but low rates of license purchases. If successful, states will have a proven tool available to visually show where new public access points are needed and where marketing efforts would be most effective to promote nearby access points that current and potential anglers may not be aware of. The second part will identify the types of neighborhoods most interested in fishing. As seen in initial but long outdated angler lifestyle research, interest in angling varies across types of neighborhoods based on their lifestyle characteristics. This project will update and identify which of the 67 lifestyles or types of neighborhoods have the most significant growth potential in fishing participation. States can then use the result to better understand where to focus fishing R3 and access development efforts down to specific city blocks. Being precise is important as many neighborhoods, urban or rural, show little interest in fishing, while others may be emerging as new participation hotspots. Representing the tackle industry, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has led numerous projects to help states and industry improve R3 efforts. For the first part of this project, one state per AFWA region will be selected. Each state will provide 10 years of license data that will be transformed to show the 10-year buying history of individual anglers. Then, using street addresses, each angler’s residence will be plotted on statewide high-resolution Geographic Information System (GIS) maps with results showing how anglers cluster and which communities are seeing increases or decreases in participation. We will also work with the Department of Interior and participating states to acquire GIS maps listing publicly accessible water bodies. Finally, we will use Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) Business Analyst data to identify neighborhoods with high and/or increasing levels of sportfishing interest using techniques pioneered in previous ASA grant-funded research. The results should identify areas where new access points will have higher probabilities of increasing participation. If successful, all states will then have a new tool to apply. Even if not successful, the lifestyle profiles will benefit all 50 states by identifying specific types of neighborhoods with the greatest potential interest in fishing. The results will help states find potential new anglers, prioritize new access points, locate urban fishing programs, and initiate marketing campaigns to help anglers in communities with limited access find the nearest places to fish. The outcome will be increased fishing participation.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

American Sportfishing Association

Grant Number

F25AP00181

Categories

Data Management and Analysis

Yes

WMI for ACI: Continued R3 Through Marketing with Pilot States

R3 through marketing is the project’s purpose. Using 5 trial state Fish and Wildlife agencies, we will implement marketing efforts via a $50,000 grant each to accomplish recruitment, retention, and reactivation of hunters and/or target shooters as this project has successfully done since 2020. The Association for Conservation Information (ACI) along with Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) will open applications for states to apply for grant funds for a marketing campaign that they would like to do. We will select the 5 best proposals as scored by ACI/WMI committee and implement them. The 5 trial states will complete their marketing campaigns within the 2025 calendar year and develop a case study. Expected outcomes include:

Increased participation as indicated by engagement with marketing assets and number of licenses sold linked to campaign.
Case studies for other states to learn from.
Help states learn marketing strategies and try new things.

This project will further develop states’ ability to innovate and continually improve R3 marketing techniques. Over the 2020-2024 awarded R3 marketing grants we have an established working committee and 20 states have been able to put $1 million toward marketing tactics that have accomplished R3. The case studies outline the successes and challenges of each $50,000 project and detail the increase in participation where possible. Over the past several years we have proven this program through helping states invest in marketing and assisting them in implementing effective, trackable campaigns that are tied directly to increasing participation. This year we expect the same. The grant funds will increase participation in hunting and target shooting in a measurable way as has been done in every year this has been funded. This program continues to be one that teaches through case studies and increases participation in a proven way also increasing the effectiveness of our conservation funding system. Deliverables include 5 marketing campaigns that will increase participation in 5 trial states; R3 stats for number of people impacted by these campaigns; and 5 case studies from the 5 trial states. There is still a great need to increase marketing efforts and try new experimental efforts and share the successes and challenges of doing those efforts using marketing to accomplish R3. Intended beneficiaries include 5 trial states; however, every state can learn from these projects that can be replicated in any state if they are successful or learn from the challenges that are faced. People that will be recruited, retained, or reactivated! Subrecipients will be associated with the project. Depending on the trial state projects chosen, subrecipients could include state agencies, a state agency foundation, marketing firm, or other related firm.

Fiscal Year

2025

Organization

Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated

Grant Number

F25AP00120

Categories

Marketing

Yes

Youth Shooting Sports National Promotional Campaign

This project, led by the MidwayUSA Foundation with DJ Case and Associates as a subrecipient, is designed to increase participation in rifle, pistol, and shotgun youth shooting sports in all 50 states by creating and implementing a nationwide promotional campaign that raises awareness among students and families who may not currently be engaged. The campaign will address a critical gap in outreach capacity: while thousands of youth shooting teams exist across multiple disciplines and leagues, most coaches lack the time, training, and resources to effectively promote their programs. This initiative will provide centralized, professionally developed messaging and media outreach to support recruitment efforts at the local level. The project will begin with a comprehensive literature review of existing research on youth shooting sports participation, motivations, and barriers. Drawing on insights from recent studies and practitioner experience, the team will develop five parent-targeted messages designed to complement existing youth-oriented materials. These messages will be tailored to address parental concerns and highlight the benefits of participation, including confidence-building, leadership development, self-discipline, and teamwork. The campaign will then launch across social media platforms and paid media outlets to reach new audiences of high school and college students and their parents not currently connected with shooting sports. Messaging will be strategically placed to engage teens and parents, driving traffic to a new “Give It a Shot” page on the MidwayUSA Foundation’s website which educates visitors about shooting sports, shares links to information and opportunities as well as matching prospective participants with local teams based on location and interest. Throughout the campaign, metrics such as exposures, click-through rates, landing page traffic, and user engagement will be monitored and used to optimize media placement. In month seven, the research team will evaluate the campaign’s effectiveness, analyzing performance across geographies, media types, and target audiences. By the end of the grant period, project results will be compiled into a final report summarizing strategies, outcomes, and lessons learned. These findings will be shared with the R3 (Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation) and conservation community through presentations at major conferences, including the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Annual Meeting, the National R3 Symposium, and the Youth Shooting Sports Conference. Additionally, newly developed parent messages will be added to the existing Youth Shooting Sports Toolkit and disseminated through online platforms such as the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) R3 Clearinghouse. Subrecipient, DJ Case and Associates, will manage campaign development, media strategy, message creation, and evaluation. Their team of engagement strategists, marketers, and designers will ensure that all deliverables are grounded in research, creatively executed, and effectively communicated. The expected outcomes of this project include increased awareness and participation in youth shooting sports, a proven model for coordinated national outreach, and a set of tested messages and strategies that can be replicated by teams, leagues, and agencies in future efforts.

Fiscal Year

2026

Organization

MidwayUSA Foundation

Grant Number

F26AP00344

Categories

Marketing, Tool Development

Yes

Multistate Conservation Grants​

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Grant Abstracts

2025 – 2029 Facilitation of National R3 Strategies

2025 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination

2026 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination

A Taste of Conservation: Boosting Public Support of Hunting Through Approachable Wild Game Recipes

Advancing the use of Motus to track migratory bat movement throughout the year

AFWA’s Legal Strategy at 10 Years: Taking Stock of our Program to Raise Awareness of State Wildlife Authorities and Develop Educational Opportunities in Wildlife Law

Aiming for New Target Shooters from Anglers’ Ranks

Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative: Expanding a Trusted Regional Protocol and Combining Barrier Assessment Databases for the Enhancement of Sportfish Populations in the NEAFWA and SEAFWA

Assessing Training Needs in the Natural Resources Professions and Building a Clearinghouse of Professional Development Courses

Beyond the Catch: Building a Communication Blueprint for Bass Fisheries

Beyond the Catch: Investigating the Role of Fishing Guides in Angler R3

Boosting Local Support for New and Expanded Shooting Ranges

Bowhunting in the U.S. Market Study: Updated Insights into Bowhunter Attitudes, Motivations, and Economics

Bridging the Gap: Building Pathways for NASP® Families to Outdoors Resources that Foster Lifelong Recreation

Building Capacity for Conservation: National Training, Leadership, and Collaboration for State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Building Conservation Workforce Capacity through Applied Training in Strategic Communication and Related Skills

Can the Role of Online Hunting Communities Lead Us to New Hunters

Comprehensive Research on Participation and Perceptions of Four Key Fishing Segments: Flyfishing, Surf fishing, Ice fishing, and Charter boat fishing

Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States

Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States

Coordination of Fish and Wildlife Conservation by State Fish & Wildlife Agencies Across Multiple Jurisdictions

Coordination of National Scale Conservation by State, Provincial and Territorial Fish & Wildlife Agencies

Coordination of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Authority to Manage Wildlife Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by International Treaties, Conventions, Partnerships, and Initiatives

Creating a National Toolkit to Support Hunting and Shooting Sports Pathways for 1.25 million NASP® Student Archers Annually

Creating Bridge-Builders to Accelerate Implementation of the Relevancy Roadmap

Deploying Ultralight Solar Transmitters on Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) to Document Movement Ecology

Designing an automated machine learning method for large scale aerial pronghorn monitoring

Determine Why Recreational Target Shooting Participation is Declining

Developing Best Practices to Engage People of Color in Fishing, Hunting, Sport Shooting, and Archery

Do gill lice vector sportfish viruses?

Documenting the Nutritional Value of White-tailed Deer Meat: An Unmet Need for R3 Engagement

Employing Social Media Creators and Influencers to Retain Female Anglers – An Application of the Find Your Best Self Campaign

Engaging Retailers as R3 Partners

Facilitating Adoption of Uncrewed Aerial Systems In Wildlife Monitoring Through Northern Bobwhite Thermal Surveys and Habitat Mapping

Federal Aid Coordinators Subcommittee Capacity Enhancement

Filling the Hole in the ORAM: A Fix for Practitioners

FishAge 2.0: A National Resource for Age Estimation and Training

From Detections to Decisions: Improving Motus Data Quality and Analytical Tools for Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Game Processing Assets and Closing the New Hunter Knowledge Gap

How “Safe” is Online Hunter Education: Using Real-World Outcomes to Assess HE Delivery

Identifying and Overcoming Hunting’s Competition

Implementation of the Hunt for Good Campaign in the Southeast: Increasing Public Support for Hunting Among Non-Hunters

Increase Public Awareness of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Increasing Engagement and Support for State-Regulated Trapping Programs through Targeted Media Campaigns and Professional Development Workshops

Increasing Newcomers to the Shooting Sports

Increasing Recruitment Rate of Hunter Education Registrants

Increasing the Number and Diversity of Hunting and Shooting Sports Mentors and Volunteers

Increasing Volunteer Support for State Agencies Fishing R3 Programs

Increasing Volunteers for States’ Hunting & Shooting R3 and Education Efforts

Interim Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

Leadership Development for AFWA Members and the Conservation Community

Leadership Training for SEAFWA Members and the Conservation Community

Leveraging the 2028 Olympics to Grow Archery Participation and Conservation Funding

Modeling the health and distribution of essential fish habitat for highly migratory sport fishes to preserve future stocks in the southeastern US

Modernizing and Enhancing Tools for Regionally Coordinated Fish and Wildlife Conservation

National Fish Habitat Assessment

Organizational Structure for R3: Implementing Change to Improve Efficiencies

Pathways to Partnership: Empowering Agency Ambassadors to Achieve R3 Success

Prioritizing Eastern brook trout habitat restoration using Hyper-Resolution Hydrography Data

Protecting Waterfowl and Sportfish Habitat through Whole-Genome Sequencing of Aquatic Invasive Plant Species

Ranking and Visualizing Eastern Brook Trout Climate Refugia to Guide Their Range-wide Management

Recruiting and retaining volunteer instructors and mentors in the northeast

Recruiting Non-Resident Hunters to Your State – Responsibly

Regional assessment of canine distemper virus in wild carnivores

Regional assessment of pathogen and toxin impacts on furbearer populations

Shooting Range Development, Marketing & Operations Toolkit

Should Urban Ranges be the New Priority?

Social and Economic Impacts of Organized Youth Shooting Sports

Standardizing health information of moose (Alces alces) across its range to unlock population scale research

Streaming Audio/Podcast Campaign for SE States to Accomplish R3

Supporting Inclusion of Disabled Wildlife Viewers in State Agency Programs by Conducting and Sharing Findings from Case Studies

The Committed Cohort: An Untapped R3 Resource

The Future of Hunting and Fishing: A New Vision

The Nexus of R3 and Deer Hunting

The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of Northeast State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Understanding Crossbow Hunters Participation, Characteristics, and the Factors that Contribute to Their Retention in Hunting

Understanding Hunters’ Knowledge of, and Interest in R3 Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation

Multistate Conservation Grants