May 27, 2025 (Juneau) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is seeking feedback on the revised State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The draft SWAP will be available for public comment 27 May – 25 June 2025. Public input will help us plan for the next ten years of wildlife conservation in Alaska. The 2025 SWAP identifies “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”, key habitats, priority threats, and conservation actions for wildlife in Alaska.

The primary goal of the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program is to support research on species that have a real or potential conservation concern and to take actions that avoid the need for species listings under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Each of the 50 states has its own SWAP, which is required for states to receive federal SWG funding. The SWAP identifies a range of “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in the state, from declining birds and mammals to culturally and economically important species, such as beluga whales and Chinook salmon. Keeping these species healthy is in the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the people of Alaska.

Since the first SWAP was written in the early 2000s, many Alaska species have been kept off the endangered species list, because ADF&G provided new information about distribution, or population status to show that ESA listing was not warranted (e.g., Tufted Puffin, Kittlitz’s Murrelet, Yellow-billed Loon, Suckley’s bumblebee). Populations are often different in Alaska, because we have intact ecosystems and contiguous habitat, unlike many places in the Lower 48, where populations may be declining due to limited habitat and therefore listed as threatened, endangered, or extirpated.

Example priority conservation actions in the SWAP include:

• Understanding the population status of priority species (are they declining and why) and implementing activities to mitigate or reverse decline.
• Removing invasive species that harm native wildlife from islands or inland waters.
• Identifying important habitat for high priority species (where they primarily feed or nest).

Alaska must submit a revised plan by October 1, 2025. Public comment during the 27 May – 25 June 2025 window is welcome. Please visit this site to learn more about the plan revision and provide public input.

Media Contact: Julie Hagelin, julie.hagelin@alaska.gov, 907-459-7239.

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