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HomeNewsNews 2013Executive Director's Notebook: Testifying on The Hill about state wildlife data

Executive Director's Notebook: Testifying on The Hill about state wildlife data

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Even though I was born in Arizona and now call Denver home, I spent nearly 20 years working in Washington, D.C. That time included a stint as staff director for the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. 

So it felt familiar to be in Washington on Wednesday (April 17) to deliver testimony on behalf of WGA before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. (In fact, I was a staff member on the Appropriations Committee as well, so it was a homecoming of sorts.)

My topic: "State Wildlife Data and Its Use by Federal Land Management Agencies." While you can read the entire testimony, here are some highlights.

For the past several years, WGA has partnered with the federal government to develop statewide GIS mapping tools to identify crucial wildlife habitat and migratory corridors.

Funding provided by the subcommittee has helped support development of these geospatial mapping tools, which provide access to credible, broad-scale scientific data (compiled and analyzed by the states) for use in public land management and in the pre-planning of projects such as transmission lines and conservation initiatives.

Several western states (including Arizona, California, Montana, Washington and Wyoming) have developed and deployed wildlife tools with federal funding assistance and the coordination of the Western Governors’ Wildlife Council, an arm of the WGA.

WGA is developing a West-wide GIS mapping tool called CHAT (Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool) that will knit together the efforts of the states for presentation of wildlife data and analysis on a regional landscape level. The CHAT viewer will be unveiled by December.

WGA respectfully urges the Committee to ensure a maximum return on the federal investment to date by issuing a directive to land management agencies within its jurisdiction to use state fish and wildlife data and analyses to inform the land use, land planning and related natural resource decisions of those agencies.

James Ogsbury is the Executive Director of the Western Governors’ Association. Contact him at 303-623-9378 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.