On Friday, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announced that Alabama’s Chuck Sykes also serves as the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) President. Sykes is the Director of ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF).
Ron Regan is the Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). Regan announced that Sykes will spend the next year leading the AFWA.
“AFWA basically exists to make sure the rights and privileges and jurisdictional responsibilities of state fish and wildlife agencies are upheld, and no harm is done through federal legislation, rulemaking or policy,” Regan said. “When possible, we advocate for funding and other authority to help states do their work better. It’s interesting to note that the provinces and territories of Canada are also members of the association. That’s why we had our annual meeting in Calgary, Canada, just a couple of months ago when Chuck became president.
Sykes has been in office since September and will serve a year.
State fish and wildlife managers are responsible for protecting both game species and non-game species.
“It’s a big deal,” Sykes said. “There’s a lot going on from one end of our country to the other and the territories and Canadian provinces. AFWA looks out for all of it. One of our top priorities right now is trying to find alternative sources of funding to work on nongame species and help states fulfill their obligations for their state wildlife action plans. We can’t use Pittman-Robertson or Dingell-Johnson (legislation) dollars that hunters, fishermen, and sports shooters are paying for on nongame species. One of the biggest deficits states have is money to spend on nongame species.”
The AFWA was formed in 1902 to represent fish and wildlife agencies in all U.S. states and territories and Canadian provinces.
“Our mission is basically to look out for the states,” Regan said. “We’re all about making sure the states have the resources to do their jobs and they don’t get compromised by some new federal program that takes away Chuck’s authority to manage species within the borders of Alabama.”
Chris Blankenship is the Commissioner of ADCNR.
“I’m happy for Chuck and his potential impacts around the country,” said Commissioner Blankenship. “He has brought a good common-sense approach to managing wildlife in Alabama and has done some progressive things here. I’m excited he has the opportunity to take that to other parts of the country and help them make the same strides we’ve made here in Alabama.”
AFWA operates with just 26 employees and a $5 million budget.
“We rely on our leaders, like our president, to make decisions, guide directions, and set tone,” Regan said. “There is virtually nothing that is major or substantive when it comes to a national issue like chronic wasting disease (CWD) or avian influenza or endangered species that we don’t run through our president. So, he has a very significant role to play in shaping the tone, tenor, and content on what we say on any national issue. Of course, he helps establish priorities.”
Sykes said that six years ago a blue-ribbon panel of state agency directors and NGO leaders convened and determined that executing the state wildlife action plans to ensure species diversity would take more than a billion dollars a year.
States came very close to gaining some relief on that funding when the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) was advanced in Congress.
“In the original bill that almost passed last year, Alabama would have received a bigger apportionment than funds from Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson combined,” Sykes said. “It was like $25 million that would have come to Alabama. It got kicked out of the Omnibus package at the 11th hour last year. It may be reintroduced right after the first of the year.”
Sykes recently addressed AFWA’s western state members in Henderson, Nevada. Working to pass that legislation is one priority that he is working on.
“When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking at rules that impact everybody, including Alabama, I’m there at the table,” Sykes said. “With the RAWA bill, I am behind the scenes, meeting with congressional staff who are drawing this up to make sure Alabama’s concerns are at the forefront. It’s a lot of work, a lot of travel, and a lot of conference calls. Most people in Alabama don’t know and may not care, but what I’m doing for them through this could be monumental.”
The state wildlife management agencies’ mission heavily depends on citizens purchasing hunting and fishing licenses.
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