A SURVEY OF PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT BY STATE AND PROVINCIAL FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES IN WESTERN STATES AND PROVINCES

A survey was devised to compare and summarize the management of areas established by western states and provinces for the protection of fish and wildlife and their habitat. A letter was sent to habitat manageme nt branches of state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies in twel ve western states and two western provinces. These agencies are member s of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Alaska was included as the thirteenth state in this survey. The results of this survey demonstrate that each of the western states and provinces has m ade a significant commitment to protected areas management for fish an d wildlife and their habitat. We learned that the number and size of p rotected areas appears to be steadily increasing. Resources allocated to manage protected areas do not appear, however to be increasing apac e. Many systems of protected areas management are evolving on an ad ho c basis without the benefit of a predesigned framework or vision. Resp onses to the survey indicated that these systems of protected areas ar e continuing to evolve and that all could benefit from the sharing of common problems and individual solutions among western states and prov inces.