Program Update - Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program - U.S. ...

The Wildlife
and Sport Fish
Restoration
Program releases
the Conservation
Heritage Strategic
Plan and the
Conservation
Heritage Measures
The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (Program) was the subject
of a Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) Review conducted by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2005. The results of that review were
encouraging, but suggested that the Program needed a Strategic Plan and
performance measures. To meet the requirements of the PART process, the
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association), representing State Fish and
Wildlife agencies, and the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) agreed
that both development of a Program Strategic Plan and performance measures should
be completed through a joint State agency and Service endeavor. The Joint State/
Federal Task Force on Federal Assistance Policy (JTF), working with a group of State
agency and Service employees skilled in strategic planning and grant management,
drafted two documents: the Conservation Heritage Strategic Plan and a performance
reporting document, the Conservation Heritage Measures. The Conservation
Heritage Strategic Plan was recently reviewed and approved by the Association
and the Service. The Conservation Heritage Measures will likely be completed by
December 2008.
The Conservation Heritage Strategic Plan is a broad, overarching document that
describes core values, mission, vision, and intended outcomes for the Program. The
information contained in the Conservation Heritage Measures builds off the Strategic
Plan and will include: operating principles that are grounded in the Program’s core
values and support the effective and efficient administration of the Program by State
agencies and the Service; examples of actions that will be taken to achieve the mission,
vision, and intended outcomes described in the Strategic Plan; and, measures that will
document Program performance in two areas outlined in the Strategic Plan: (1) Fish
and Wildlife Conservation and (2) Program Administration.
The Conservation Heritage Strategic Plan is available publically through the WSFR
website and in hard copy (send an email to webmaster_wsfrprograms@fws.gov to
request a copy). The Program plans to implement the Strategic Plan starting in FY
2009.
The State agency and Service employees on the writing team and/or the JTF include:
• Gary Armstrong, Federal Assistance and Planning Supervisor, Indiana Division of
Fish and Wildlife
• Carol Bambery, Counsel, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• Tom Barnes, Chief, Policy Branch, WSFR Program, USFWS
• Gerry Barnhardt, formerly Director, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine
Resources, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
• Steve Barton, Chief, Division of Administration and Information Management,
WSFR Program, USFWS
• Mark Burch, Planner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Melba Davidson, formerly Funds Planning Manager/Federal Aid Coordinator,
Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Vaughn Douglas, Program Chief, Lands & Development, WSFR Program,
USFWS, Region 5
• Ken Elowe, Director, Bureau of Resource Management, Maine Department of
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
• Lisa Evans, Assistant Director, Sport Fish Division, Alaska Department of Fish
and Game
• John Frampton, Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• Rowan Gould, Assistant Director, WSFR Program, USFWS, Region 9
• Jim Greer, formerly Chief, WSFR Program, USFWS, Region 9
• Kelly Hepler, formerly Director, Sport Fish Division, Alaska Department of Fish
and Game
• Joyce Johnson, Chief, Division of Policy and Programs, WSFR Program, USFWS,
Region 9
• Philip A. King, Federal Aid Coordinator, Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Wildlife
4 Wildlife and Sport Fish Program Update September 2008