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For Immediate Release
Defenders of Wildlife Hails First Award by Conserve Wildlife License Plate Fund
Tallahassee, FL -- Defenders of Wildlife today applauded the first grant from the Florida Conserve Wildlife license plate fund, a $100,000 award to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for conservation, management, and research efforts on the threatened Florida black bear. In addition, $5005 was granted to the Wildlife Commission for updating antiquated publishing equipment used to produce the agency's magazine "Florida Wildlife." Florida motorists who purchase the Conserve Wildlife license plate each contribute $15 a year to the fund, which has raised more than $200,000 since the plates’ debut in 1999. At the current rate of sale, the plate will raise over $300,000 per year for the management and protection of Florida's fish and wildlife resources.
"It is wonderful to see the original idea for the conserve wildlife plate now put into real action," said Laurie Macdonald, Florida Director for Defenders of Wildlife, which initiated and worked for adoption of the plate. "It's especially fitting that the first grant be given to the Florida bear, a threatened species that is a symbol for wildlife throughout the state."
The grant will enable the Wildlife Commission’s Bear Management Section (BMS) to conduct detailed research on black bear populations in Florida. Half of the grant will go to further the work of the Ocala Bear Study, including population estimation through genetic analysis of approximately 1,000 bear hair samples collected in 1999 and 2000. This analysis and $21,000 of the Conserve Wildlife license plate grant will contribute to a state-wide survey of Florida’s six core bear populations.
An additional $15,000 of the grant will fund a pilot program to develop standards and certification for private contractors who will respond to nuisance bear reports and incidents of bear/vehicle collisions. The final $14,000 will purchase radio tracking and other essential equipment for Florida bear management programs.
Defenders of Wildlife, the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worked with former state Representative Sharon Merchant (R-N. Palm Beach) and former state Senator and newly elected Secretary of Education Charlie Crist (R-St. Petersburg) to create the specialty plate. The plate features the Florida black bear standing amongst palmetto with saw grass and a snowy egret in flight behind the bear.
A digital image of a sample Conserve Wildlife license plate is available at Florida Conserve Wildlife license plate.
The bear, Florida's largest land animal, is a wide ranging omnivore that uses a variety of Florida's natural communities. Protection of the bear and its habitat benefits a large number of Florida's species and ecosystems.
Vehicle owners who request the plate each contribute $15 a year to fund various research, habitat, education, and law enforcement programs by the Commission. The funds are granted by the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, a statutorily established non-profit Board that serves to support the Wildlife Commission's mission to protect and manage the state's fish and wildlife.
Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.
