Environmentalists and others are pointing to an audit of the nonprofit Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), a five-state In-Lieu Fee (ILF) program whose stated mission is protection for the lesser prairie chicken, saying the conservation program was not properly managed and money was wasted.
Among other issues, the nonprofit spent money on a building in Idaho to house staff and wrongfully paid staff salaries from the program's endowment fund, according to the audit.
The audit focused on WAFWA and its administration of the Range-wide Oil and Gas Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances program. It also evaluated the management of a species recovery foundation, overseen by WAFWA, that has raised approximately $60 million that was to be used, among other things, to pay private landowners who are willing to place parcels into conservation easements critical to the lesser prairie chicken.
“The audit’s conclusions make clear WAFWA grossly mismanaged efforts to save the lesser prairie chicken from extinction,” Noah Greenwald with the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement. “Given these revelations, there’s no question these magnificent dancing birds need the Endangered Species Act’s protections to have any hope of survival.”
>Learn More about the inherent risks of ILF programs in this report from Duke University
Mitigation banking is often discussed in terms of credits—wetland credits, stream credits, or other units used to compensate for unavoidable environmental impacts. But the value of a mitigation bank extends far beyond the regulatory credit itself. Well-designed mitigation banks can provide a broad range of ecosystem services that benefit watersheds, wildlife, communities, and taxpayers.
Read MoreThe National Environmental Banking Association is proud to honor this year’s award recipients—leaders who exemplify innovation, integrity, and excellence in advancing mitigation banking and ecological restoration. These individuals and organizations are setting new standards for environmental outcomes, strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors, and inspiring the next generation of restoration professionals. 2026
Read More