Defend is supporting Bear Wise Wyoming training events by providing inert training spray, allowing participants to practice deploying bear spray during simulated encounters. The partnership with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department helps outdoor enthusiasts feel prepared and confident using bear spray in real bear country situations.
Wild Giants Conservation Fund is supporting the Georgia Wildlife Monitoring Program with an eight-person field team monitoring wildlife across the Caucasus landscape. The team will document wildlife activity, predators, poaching threats, and other challenges to inform future conservation and rewilding efforts in the region.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and The Peregrine Fund are operating an October check station in the Zion hunting unit where hunters can enter to win an $800 gift card by using lead-free ammunition or removing animal remains. The Hunters Helping Condors program aims to protect California condors and other scavenging wildlife from lead poisoning.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks opened the Avian Walkway and new flight barn at Montana WILD in Helena, with Director Christy Clark, Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation Executive Director Mitch King, and Gov. Greg Gianforte in attendance. The $1,065,000 project provides public viewing of eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls while supporting bird rehabilitation and education for over 10,000 annual visitors.
Sixty-six volunteers helped the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission maintain seven wildlife management areas on September 12, clearing boat lanes, removing litter, and improving accessibility trails. The volunteer workday initiative, which has grown over three years, coordinates efforts toward specific maintenance tasks needed across AGFC-owned WMAs.
Dallas Safari Club President Rick Warren and Life Member J.D. Yates participated in Angola's first sanctioned safari hunt in 18 years, marking a significant milestone in the country's wildlife management recovery. The hunt, initiated through a DSC auction that benefited the Angola Hunters Association, demonstrates how legal, regulated hunting can support sustainable wildlife management and local communities.
The Mule Deer Foundation announced a $2.5 million Stewardship Agreement with the USDA Forest Service to improve forest health and wildlife habitat across three Forest Service districts in southern Utah. Activities include fuels treatments, reforestation, and recovery efforts in areas affected by wildfire, supporting both ecological restoration and rural communities.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife is seeking volunteers for its annual spiny softshell turtle beach cleanup on October 17 at North Hero State Park and Swanton. Biologist Toni Mikula will discuss turtle recovery efforts and the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain's captive-rearing program for hatchlings.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is working with Lyme Great Lakes Timberlands on a 152,000-acre working forest conservation easement in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Public tours are scheduled for October 8 and 15 to showcase the project's diverse habitats and recreational opportunities.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will remove approximately 31 acres of floating tussock from Lake Weir in Marion County beginning September 25, 2026. The project will improve aquatic habitat, support native plant growth, and enhance navigation near the Weir Canal, with completion expected by December 18, 2026.
Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir has passed the three-year mark of its five-year renovation, with major milestones including a completed bridge over the auxiliary spillway and delivery of a footbridge. The AGFC's largest lake renovation features a labyrinth weir spillway design and work by Mobley Construction, with drought conditions enabling significant progress on boat lane clearing and habitat improvements.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey stocked 7,500 endangered snuffbox mussels in the Clinton River, Huron River, and Cass Lake. The mussels were reared by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center and will be monitored using PIT tags and physical identifiers to track survival and reproductive success.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and Upper Peninsula Power Company conducted three rescue missions to save 27 lake sturgeon stranded in low-water conditions in the Ontonagon River channel. The collaborative effort relocated fish to safety and gathered valuable data for the recovering threatened species population.
The Missouri Department of Conservation offers a free online Black Bear Hunting Basics course through OutdoorELN, operated by IHEA-USA, ahead of Missouri's October bear season. The state expanded permits from 600 to 2,000 and raised harvest quotas from 40 to 60 due to a growing bear population of approximately 1,100 animals.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation partnered with Ducks Unlimited and Quail Forever to acquire 377 acres of wetland habitat at Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area in Garfield County, expanding restoration efforts for waterfowl and upland game.
The decommissioned Spirit VK 780A natural gas rig has been repurposed into two new artificial reef sites off Alabama's coast through an agreement between APA Corporation and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. APA Corporation donated $1.5 million to support research, monitoring, and habitat restoration as part of the state's Rigs to Reefs program established in 2013.
Winchester announced a contribution of over $500,000 to Ducks Unlimited's Conservation for a Continent Campaign over the past seven years. The campaign generated $4.06 billion for continental conservation, helping DU conserve over 20 million acres of wetlands and habitat since 1937.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, The Peregrine Fund, and the Bureau of Land Management will release four captive-bred California condors into the Arizona-Utah flock on September 26 at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, marking the 30th anniversary of releases at the site. The condors were bred at the Oregon Zoo and World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.
NSSF's Partner with a Payer program showcases how federal excise taxes from firearm and ammunition manufacturers fund conservation. The initiative featured Arizona's Ben Avery Shooting Facility, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and Remington Ammunition, demonstrating how Pittman-Robertson Act funding supports wildlife restoration, hunter education, and public shooting access across all 50 states.
Maryland's Chesapeake Bay underwater grass coverage expanded from 36,799 acres in 2024 to 41,419 acres in 2025, a 13% increase representing about 36% of the state's 114,065-acre restoration target. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science conducted the annual survey, with Maryland DNR and the Chesapeake Bay Program SAV Workgroup leading restoration efforts.