The Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) took action to galvanize its commitment to landscape conservation and collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners at its annual meeting in South Dakota in June. At the meeting, the Board unanimously approved an amendment to its bylaws that makes the Midwest Landscape Initiative a standing committee of MAFWA.

This action is significant for a few reasons.  For one, it’s the only standing committee of MAFWA that includes federal representation. It also provides durability to the MLI and affirms MAFWA’s commitment to this collaborative, landscape approach.

The new committee is formed as follows:

“The Midwest Landscape Initiative Steering Committee shall be comprised of five Directors and three senior representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the MAFWA region. The Midwest Landscape Initiative is a collaboration of partners engaged in the conservation and management of fish and wildlife in the Midwest; it serves as forum to identify shared landscape-scale priorities and co-develop effective conservation actions to address them. The Steering Committee may include ex officio members and may form subcommittees, working groups, teams, or other collaborative approaches to aid in the development and implementation of effective conservation solutions for shared priorities.”

The Midwest Landscape Initiative is a collaboration of fish and wildlife organizations that identifies shared conservation priorities to develop solutions for healthy, functional ecosystems in the Midwest. It formed in 2018 and is interested in expanding its engagement with tribal, provincial, and other conservation partners.

More information is available on the MLI website.