The WGA is working with stakeholders throughout western states to share best practices in species management, promote and elevate the role of states in species conservation efforts, and explore ways to improve the efficacy of the Endangered Species Act. As part of this effort, CDR partnered with the Ruckelshaus Institute and facilitated in-depth breakout sessions at WGA’s Species Conservation and Endangered Species Act (ESA) Initiative in Denver. CDR facilitated sessions on law and policy challenges and opportunities to improve federal, state and local agency coordination. A signature Initiative of WGA Chairman and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, the Initiative includes four workshops (in Wyoming, Idaho, Denver and Hawaii) with each building upon previous discussions. WGA describes the purpose to “yield recommendations for improvements to state species conservation activities and the ESA, as well as suggest pathways for states to operate as authentic partners in the Act’s implementation.” The Initiative includes a webinar series and will ultimately result in a WGA white paper based on workshop discussions. The WGA Initiative is described in more depth at http://www.westgov.org/initiatives/esa-initiative.
For more information, please contact Ryan Golten or Laura Sneeringer or visit our land practice page.