Congress allocates funding annually for bird, wildlife and habitat conservation programs in this country through its State Wildlife Grant program.

Each state is responsible for implementing its own plans and management strategies for effective wildlife conservation based on its State Wildlife Action Plan.

States use these funds in a variety of creative and cost-effective ways to stop the decline of species. For example, some states have initiated programs to identify important bird areas and others have identified effective strategies to fight invasive species.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began receiving funding through State Wildlife Grants in October 2001. Federal funds are available to Arkansas through State Wildlife Grants to monitor, research and protect the needs of wildlife not addressed by funding available for game species or endangered species. To be eligible for these funds, Arkansas developed a comprehensive strategy to effectively allocate the money.

The strategy was authored by teams of wildlife professionals representing public agencies and private organizations. The Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on January 17, 2007. The Plan was revised and approved January 2015.

The Arkansas Wildlife Action plan implements the priorities determined by a database of scientific knowledge of wildlife. A total of 377 species of greatest conservation need are addressed in the context of 37 terrestrial habitats and 18 aquatic habitats in 7 ecoregions in Arkansas; the need to protect many species has never been greater.

Past State Wildlife Grant Projects

Federal Fiscal Year Funding

Monarchs migrate through Arkansas during spring, most likely beginning in late March or early April, and in fall during mid-October.

Native Gardening for Pollinators

Native plants provide habitat Gardening with native plants provides habitat for pollinators, including butterflies, moths, bees, birds, flies and beetles.

Native plants require less maintenance After they are established, native plants require less maintenance, which saves time and money.

Keep Count of Monarchs

Compile Butterfly Movements This project seeks to gain a better understanding of the distribution of monarch butterflies in Arkansas and the timing of their migration. Eastern populations of monarchs have been declining during the last 10 years. Pinpointing their locations can help ensure that we manage their habitats so they’ll have nectar and milkweed plants they need available at the right time.

To report sightings, visit the iNaturalist website and create a free account. Anyone who wants to report observations but does not want to use the iNaturalist website may email observations directly to nicholas.goforth@agfc.ar.gov with date and time the monarch was observed; location of the monarch; and a photo for identification verification.

Monarch Mapping

Understanding Migration Patterns
The AGFC is seeking the public’s assistance with a new citizen science project to help answer the question, “Where and when do people see monarch butterflies in Arkansas?” This will allow biologists to tailor conservation and management strategies for this species, which has seen significant population declines in the past several years.

The Plan

As part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grant program, Congress charged each state and territory with developing a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. Arkansas’s strategy, the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan, provides an essential foundation for the future of wildlife conservation and an opportunity for state and federal agencies and other conservation partners to fit individual and coordinated roles in conservation efforts across the state. As a part of this, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is responsible for requesting and administering State Wildlife Grants to support the implementation of the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan.

State Wildlife Grants are distributed specifically for the protection and management of nongame species in greatest need of conservation identified in the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan.

To ensure that money is applied to projects that most efficiently and effectively address the needs identified by the plan, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and its partners have developed a competitive grant process for State Wildlife Grants.

Arkansas Ecological Mapping Systems

• • Ecological Mapping Systems of Arkansas: A Habitat Classification Tool to Facilitate Conservation Prioritization and Action for Species of Greatest Conservation Need
  • Map Raster Files Available for Download and Use
    Diamond, D.D., L.F. Elliott, M. Sunde, and P. Hanberry. 2024. Ecological Mapping Systems of Arkansas: A Habitat Classification Tool to Facilitate Conservation Prioritization and Action for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. State Wildlife Grants: Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP), University of Missouri; Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission; Arkansas Department of Transportation; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; The Nature Conservancy; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    

If you have trouble accessing these files or have any questions, please contact:

Wildlife Conservation Database

Download the Wildlife Conservation Database (last updated 01/04/2017)

1. S Rankings (State) have been updated for mammals.
2. Database has been reconfigured to accept aquatic habitat data.

Program Overview

As part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grant program, Congress charged each state and territory with developing a state Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Arkansas’s strategy (now referred to as the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan) provides an essential foundation for the future of wildlife conservation and an opportunity for state and federal agencies and other conservation partners to fit individual and coordinated roles in conservation efforts across the state. As a part of this, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is responsible for requesting and administering State Wildlife Grants to support the implementation of the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan.

State Wildlife Grants are distributed specifically for the protection and management of nongame species in greatest need of conservation identified in the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan.

To ensure that money is applied to projects that most efficiently and effectively address the needs identified by the plan, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and its partners have developed a competitive grant process for State Wildlife Grants.

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is a bipartisan act to provide $1.3 billion per year from existing federal revenue to fund state-based conservation on public and private land throughout the nation. This is an unprecedented opportunity to sustain the benefits of our natural world – water quality, plant pollination by insects, food production, air quality and our booming outdoor recreation industry.

Arkansas Benefits

Arkansas will be eligible for more than $15 million per year for:

• Habitat restoration to benefit game and non-game fish and wildlife;
• Proactive conservation efforts to prevent species from becoming threatened and endangered, and
• Wildlife conservation education and wildlife-associated recreation.

Read More

• More Arkansas Benefits
• Alliance for America’s Fish and Wildlife