By Cindy Sandoval/USFWS
There are over 9,000 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) across the United States. These lands provide places for wildlife to thrive, ecosystems to function, and people to connect with the outdoors. These areas are funded in large part by the Pittman-Robertson Act, a 1937 law that directs a federal excise tax paid by manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and select archery equipment to state wildlife agencies.
Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) represent one of America’s greatest conservation investments.
Today, more than 36 million acres of state-managed habitat are conserved through this funding. At their core, WMAs are working landscapes. They are places where conservation professionals use science, research, and active management to create the habitat conditions wildlife need to thrive.
In Connecticut, 109 state-owned WMAs are managed by the Habitat Program within the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP). For species like the American woodcock, white-tailed deer, and wild turkey, the Habitat Program’s work can be the difference between simply having access to land and having a landscape capable of supporting current and future populations.
“A focus of our WMA management work is creating a mosaic of habitat types including young forests, grasslands, and meadows each capable of supporting different species at different times,” said DEEP biologist and Habitat Program and State Lands staff member, Peter Picone. Maintaining this variety of conditions across the landscape creates space for more species to flourish.
Creating Habitat for American Woodcock
Few birds are as tied to young forests as the American woodcock. Known for its spectacular spring courtship display and the unmistakable nasal “peent” call, this migratory bird depends on young forests filled with dense shrubs, saplings, and ground cover.
Without active management, forests naturally mature. As trees grow taller and canopies close, the dense vegetation woodcock need begins to disappear. To restore and maintain this habitat, habitat managers use rotational timber harvests, prescribed fire, and other habitat management practices to encourage young forest growth.
These areas provide the soft, moist soils woodcock need to probe for earthworms and other invertebrates, while offering dense vegetation for nesting cover and protection from predators.
Supporting White-Tailed Deer Through Diverse Landscapes
White-tailed deer are among America’s most well-known wildlife species, but maintaining healthy populations requires management.
Deer often thrive where different habitats meet. Areas where forests transition into fields, wetlands, and brushy areas provide a mix of food, cover, and travel corridors.
On Connecticut’s WMAs, managers use selective timber thinning, prescribed fire, and field maintenance to encourage the growth of shrubs, wildflowers, and herbaceous plants. These practices create a more diverse landscape and provide important nutrition, especially during spring and summer when deer are coming out of winter and raising young.
Restoring Wild Turkey Habitat
Once absent from much of New England, wild turkey populations were rebuilt through decades of conservation work, including reintroduction efforts supported in part by Pittman-Robertson funding.
Today, these birds continue to benefit from active habitat management. Turkeys require a variety of habitats throughout their life cycle. Mature forests provide secure roosting areas, while fields and forest openings provide feeding and brood-rearing habitat.
Management practices such as prescribed fire and field maintenance encourage native vegetation and increase insect abundance. These insects are an essential food source for young turkeys.
Building Habitat That Supports Multiple Species
The benefits of habitat management extend far beyond just woodcock, deer, and turkey populations.
At Connecticut’s Robbins Swamp WMA, a 14-acre meadow illustrates how habitat management can transform a landscape for multiple species. Once an agricultural field purchased with Pittman-Robertson Act funding, the property became part of the state’s WMA system in 1971.
Before restoration, the site was dominated by only a few plant species and offered limited habitat value.
“This area was dominated by 2 or 3 plant types offering little biodiversity and habitat,” said Picone. “With collaboration from our partners, we were able to create over 7 acres of restored meadow and nearly 5 acres of soft edge habitat.”
To restore the area, managers removed invasive plants and planted a diversity of native grasses and wildflowers. The native grasses were selected to create small pockets of cover where wildlife can find food and shelter. Restored wildflower species such as milkweed, asters, goldenrod, and ironweed now provide resources throughout the growing season for wildlife and pollinators.
This plant diversity is especially important as pollinator populations face habitat loss and fragmentation.
Researchers from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station are studying how insects are using the restored meadow habitat. Their surveys have documented species such as the yellow-banded bumble bee, a pollinator whose populations are declining, visiting the meadow. They also observed the rare oil-collecting bee, Macropis patellata, gathering plant oils to feed its young. This species had not been recorded in Connecticut since 1918.
“The goal was to create habitat that supports a wide range of species,” said Picone. “The return of pollinators, including a bee that had not been documented in Connecticut for more than a century, tells us we are moving in the right direction.”
A Conservation Investment That Keeps Growing
Pittman-Robertson Act funding supports the foundation of America’s WMAs, but their success is built on the people who manage and utilize them. Habitat managers, wildlife biologists, researchers, conservation partners, hunters, trappers, and local communities all play a role in keeping these lands healthy and productive. From young forests that provide cover for woodcock to restored meadows alive with insects, WMAs demonstrate conservation in action. These areas are a long-term commitment to managing land today so wildlife can flourish for generations to come.