The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) recently announced the projects that would be funded through the first year of funding for the Southeast At-Risk Species (SEARS) Program. SEAFWA states are working together through the SEARS program because the issues facing many at-risk species cannot be meaningfully addressed by individual states. Initial projects will focus on targeting information gaps and developing information synthesis/analyses.

The SEARS Program was created to implement the SEAFWA Species Action Plan developed by their Wildlife Diversity Committee (WDC). Successful implementation of this plan is realized through the development of a thorough, inclusive, and comprehensive method of rapidly evaluating the true status of at-risk species, which results in:

1. Prevention of the listing of species due to ineffective communication or data issues;
2. Identification of species for which immediate conservation actions may preclude listing; and
3. Identification of species that are in immediate peril and require listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The SEARS program is positioned to be one of the most significant joint endeavors directed by state fish and wildlife agencies to effectively address critical landscape-scale wildlife conservation needs. It will complement work accomplished in individual states and through other regional efforts, while keeping the work relevant to member states.

The WDC anticipates that most work funded in the initial 5-year period will target information gaps and information synthesis/analyses. This initial work is expected to support assessment of the post-multi-district litigation (post-MDL) list of petitioned species being addressed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). To that end, project funding for year 1 (2016 cycle) of the SEARS program focused on the following projects:

1. Data and communications platform;
2. Grant administration and coordination;
3. Population genetic assessment of MacGillivray's Seaside Sparrow as a potentially threatened taxon;
4. Distributional surveys, taxonomic investigation, and conservation assessment of crayfishes in the Duck River watershed of Tennessee and the Santee River basin in North and South Carolina;
5. Status Surveys for the Rattlesnake Master Borer Moth in the Southeast Region.

Further, the WDC is working to complete eight species status surveys this year to assist the FWS in making ESA listing determinations.

The WDC is also currently in the process of developing priorities and revising scoring criteria for the 2017 funding pool. Members are working collaboratively with Southeastern Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) and Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) to ensure that highest priority species/focal projects are identified and funded.

Finally, SEAFWA recently submitted several Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) proposals for funding in the 2016 cycle, including:

1. Cooperative Conservation of the Green Salamander in the Southeastern United States;
2. A Multistate Effort to Conserve and Manage the Eastern Hellbenders;
3. Conservation and Management of the Spotted Turtle and Associated SGCN on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Adjacent Piedmont Ecoregions;
4. Grazing for Shrub-land Habitat: Innovative Partnerships to Benefit Private Landowners and Golden-winged Warblers in the Southern Appalachians. (jwg)