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# Urban Wildlife Conservation

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                -  Urban Wildlife Conservation
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## What We Do

#### Our Services

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With 80 percent of Americans living in and around cities, ensuring they can connect to nature is vital – both to people’s quality of life and the future of conservation. 

That’s where the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program comes in.

Since 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has partnered with urban communities to improve residents’ access to nature. Often, these efforts involve urban wildlife refuges — the 100+ national wildlife refuges located within 25 miles of urban areas. Participants in the Urban Bird Treaty, a Service effort combining bird conservation and community improvement, are also frequent partners. 

The National Wildlife Refuge System and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Migratory Birds Program allocate $7.7 million a year to scale local solutions to the broader wildlife conservation community. 

#### List of Urban Wildlife Refuges

#### List of Urban Partnership Cities

#### By the Numbers

                      - 101 urban national wildlife refuges within 25 miles of 250,000 people or more 
                      - 7 flagship urban national wildlife refuges  
                      - 32 designated Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership cities, 26 with nearby refuges 
                      - 30 Urban Bird Treaty cities, 16 that are also associated with refuge partnerships 

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#### Conservation Through Inclusion  

The Urban Wildlife Conservation program centers on the idea that building strong, meaningful relationships with diverse communities is key to achieving equitable conservation outcomes. Community-building requires a new way of doing business – one that prizes innovation, promotes organizational culture change and builds a workforce that better mirrors America’s racial and ethnic diversity.  

At the core of the urban program are eight Standards of Excellence. These measurable indicators of success are also commitments to racial equity, social and environmental justice. The standards are:
                      - Know and relate to the community.
                      - Use stepping stones to engage people in nature.
                      - Build partnerships.
                      - Be a community asset.
                      - Ensure adequate long-term resources.
                      - Provide equitable access.
                      - Ensure visitors feel welcome and safe.
                      - Model sustainability. 

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#### Critical Elements 

Our work has taught us that *how*we foster a community-centered approach is as important as *what* we do. In support of the Standards of Excellence, we developed criteria to define how we work with new and ethnically diverse audiences to ensure positive and relevant conservation experiences.

These critical elements focus on building long-term, meaningful relationships. Each element is essential and interrelated. We measure every action against these elements to ensure continued progress. The elements are:
                      - Community-focused: Prioritize community needs with long-term commitments.
                      - Intentional: Adopt community engagement methods that are well-informed, purposeful and measurable.
                      - Inclusive: Implement equitable solutions to involve the community in solving conservation challenges.
                      - Collaborative: Form long-term transformational relationships with community partners and across Service programs with the goal of increasing the collective impacts of conservation efforts.

## Latest Stories and Topics

RecreationRelocation of Narrows Wake Zone on Lake LowellThe lake is open for recreation and is home to nesting birds. Review the new no wake zone and ways to recreate responsibly.Apr 16, 2024

Our PartnersBringing some green to Southwest Philly Service, partners, and passionate community members brought green back to a community of colorFeb 29, 2024

Our PartnersSense of wonder, not worry For ten years, the Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership has inspired city residents with a sense of wonder with the nature in their community.Feb 13, 2024

Our PartnersU.S. Fish and Wildlife celebrates decade of connecting people with nature in ProvidenceToday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, elected officials and partners came together at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence, Rhode Island, to celebrate ten years of urban conservation through the Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership.Feb 5, 2024

Wildlife ManagementAn Amazing Journey From Intern to Zoologist In 2022, a Bowie State University biology student, Muhannad Alghamdi, entered into the Masonville Cove Partnership's Urban Conservation and Education Internship (UCEI). Now, two years later, Muhannad is a zoologist at a nature reserve in Saudi Arabia. One of his first projects is an intensive 200-...Jan 14, 2024

Our PartnersSupporting an Existing Community AssetDeer Flat National Wildlife Refuge develops a new partnership with a local school district to support their family and community resource centers as established assets to the community.Jan 11, 2024

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## Our Library

Critical Elements of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program

For the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program is defined by four critical elements: community-focused, intentional, inclusive, and collaborative. They are the foundation of our Standards of Excellence for building long-term, meaningful relationships with urban...

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Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

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