A wildlife management plan is a document used to outline and implement steps for increasing, preserving, or managing wildlife on a given property.The management plan usually contains maps, descriptive documents, and records of progress and change, taking into account the objectives and goals of the landholder.Whether you are seeking funding, tax benefits, accreditation, or simply first prize in a 4-H contest, you will need a WMP that is clear, detailed, and realistic in scope.
Step 1: The intended recipient should have clear instructions for the plan.
Wildlife management plans can range in length, detail, and scope.You might have 90 minutes to complete a 3-page plan in a 4-H club contest, or months to craft a lengthy plan to submit to your government.Before you begin, make sure you know what your recipient wants.Sample management plans from previous years are a must if you are participating in a contest or classroom project.You can find sample wildlife management plans online.
Step 2: There is a logical narrative that guides your plan.
Good wildlife management plans are easy to read and follow.While structuring your plan, make sure to link your steps and sections in a logical manner.To make sure your points are clear to your readers, you should also take care to write clearly and effectively, stay focused on the subject at hand, and eliminate typos and confusing language.Break down the WMP into sections based on your recipient's expectations.If your recipient expects your sections to be in paragraph format, you may be allowed to use bullet points or a combination of both.The section should lead into the next logically.
Step 3: Maps and data will be included.
If you want to locate the property on an easy-to-read map, you may need to provide habitat- or wildlife-specific maps, maps highlighting water features or natural barriers, and so forth.Depending on your situation, data tables may be helpful.There are provisions for wildlife management plans for different species in local and regional regulations.If you are unsure about what is involved, you may need to consult with an environmental professional to get their input and possibly retain them to prepare the document for you.Hand-drawn maps may be appropriate.You may be able to use existing maps or use mapping software to create your own.Make sure your maps are clear, legible, and informative.Make sure data tables are easy to read and understand.
Step 4: Provide a brief description of the property.
A WMP starts with a brief overview of the property.In a straightforward narrative format, give the essential details of location, size, ownership, current land condition and use.Whispering Pines is a 400 acre tract of partially forested land in Buffalo Township in east-central Starke County..
Step 5: Clear out your objectives.
WMPs try to increase, decrease, or maintain the number of one or multiple wildlife species on the property.Generic goals like increasing the number of birds and deer won't work because they are not realistic.You could write: "Increase the native blue jay population in the wooded areas of the property by improving their preferred habitat conditions."
Step 6: You can use maps and past usage info to reinforce your objectives.
Readers need high quality maps to visualize the goals of the WMP.Before and after property overview maps could be provided to show the habitat transformation that your plan envisions.For example, a former industrial site may be limited in regards to habitat transformation possibilities because of its past usage.If relevant, give the information before, after, or with the management objectives.
Step 7: To achieve the WMP's objectives, describe the planned actions.
You need to explain how to achieve the goals after you have laid them out.When describing how the objectives can be reached, you need to be clear and realistic.If you want to make the wooded areas more blue jay friendly, you need to describe how to transform the agricultural areas so that they can support deer, and how you will remove invaders from the pond, based on the goals laid out previously.If you used bullet points for the list of goals, use them as well.You are expected to provide a narrative account in paragraph format.What you will do in places where your measures can't be implemented should be accounted for.You can't put fencing across an access road.
Step 8: There is a timetable for implementing the plan.
WMPs describe long-term efforts.Give readers a clear picture of when certain elements of the plan will be started and completed, as well as an overall timetable for the WMP.3 years from the start of the plan, the removal of Invasive species will be completed.
Step 9: Any additional management recommendations can be offered.
The completion of one WMP often leads to the beginning of another.If you want to go beyond the scope of the current WMP, you should include a paragraph or a few bullet points.When creating a WMP for a client, such as the property owner, these can be particularly valuable.Coordination with surrounding property owners, building (or removing) an access road, and seeking particular tax breaks upon completion of the project are examples of things you might recommend.
Step 10: Observational notes should be kept for the plan.
A WMP is a document that grows and changes along with the project it describes.You could add status reports to the end of the WMP on a regular basis.As in the rest of the document, observational notes or status reports should be clear, detailed, and realistic.If the WMP is filed with a government agency, there may be specific guidelines for the observational notes you need to use.Follow the directions to the letter.If the plan has been broken down into 5 phases, for example, you could say that Phase I is complete, Phase II is 40% complete but delayed by weather, and Phase III will start within a few weeks.
Step 11: Keep a record of your activities.
If the WMP is being used for funding, taxation or reimbursement, documentation is critical.A file with reports from contractors, bills and receipts, site photos, evaluations from official site visitors, and so on can be created.Detailed documentation shows how the project has progressed according to the original plan, as well as the ways in which the plan has changed over time.
Step 12: Mention any changes made to the plan.
Nature is to some degree unpredictable and no WMP goes exactly according to plan.In addition to regular status reports and documentation collections, there are recurring evaluations of the plan based on the current situation.If necessary, change the goals and implementation strategies of the WMP based on the most current information.It may not be cost-effective to remove non-native species from the pond.That aspect of the WMP might be changed with a clear explanation.Evaluations may be structured as paragraphs, bullet points, or entries on existing forms based on the particulars of your WMP.Provide the same level of clarity and quality as in the original document.