The Western Native Trout Initiative represents the first time relevant agencies, organizations, and private interests have come together to express common concern over the status of western native trout. WNTI makes a unified commitment to improving the effectiveness of management actions and increasing public awareness of and support for the conservation needs of these imperiled species. WNTI provides the opportunity to gain significant new resources to address a common theme – revitalizing native trout resources across the western United States.
The Western Native Trout Initiative and our partners – including twelve western states, five federal agencies, and grassroots conservation groups – worked together in 2008 to develop “A Plan for Strategic Actions”, establishing strategic goals, objectives and specific actions for conserving, protecting and restoring 15 western native trout char and inland salmon species and sub-species. Our approach includes increasing coordination between resource management agencies and local community groups; leveraging and focusing public and private resources on common priorities; raising awareness for the importance of western native trout; increasing accountability by measuring the impact of our work over time. In 2010, the WNTI Steering Committee formally amended the Plan for Strategic Actions to include 6 core conservation populations of native Arctic Char, Arctic Grayling, Dolly Varden, freshwater Rainbow trout sub-species, freshwater Kokanee and Lake Trout within historical range as species of interest and targets for conservation actions.
In 2015, the WNTI Steering Committee reviewed the Plan for Strategic Actions and 2010 addendum and subsequently updated the plan to document progress made since 2008 and to set goals for the next 10 years. The updated Plan for Strategic Action was approved by the WNTI Steering Committee on November 10, 2016. To better focus our efforts and accelerate conservation, WNTI Strategic Priorities and Species of Emphasis were developed beginning in 2017. Current
WNTI Strategic Priorities and Species of Emphasis 2018-2027
Past
WNTI Strategic Plan (2008)
WNTI Species Assessment Status Report (2007)
If you need to reference the documents, please use the following notations:
- Western Native Trout Initiative Steering Committee. 2016. The Western Native Trout Initiative – Plan for Strategic Actions November 2016. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Boise, ID. 8p.
- Western Native Trout Initiative Steering Committee. 2010. Addendum to the 2008 Plan for Strategic Action. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Cheyenne, WY. 7p.
- Western Native Trout Initiative Work Group. 2008. Western Native Trout Initiative-A Plan for Strategic Action. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Cheyenne, WY. 35p.
The 2008 publication was funded (or partially funded) by Federal Aid to Sportfish Restoration Funds through the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant WY M-8-P), a program supported with funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and jointly managed with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2008-9.