The state Department of Environmental Conservation has revised its list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need, which is used to focus conservation resources where they're most urgently needed.
The draft final list contains 372 species. High priority species needing swift intervention include black rail, loggerhead shrike, piping plover, eastern hellbender, Blanding's turtle, and Atlantic sturgeon.
The list is part of developing the State Wildlife Action Plan, which enables New York to be eligible for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grants Program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Since 2010, New York has received an average of $2 million per year in these funds. The grant money has supported efforts to restore the eastern hellbender salamander, preserve grassland bird habitat, and restore lake sturgeon, among other projects.
