Who We Are

Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team

The Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team (BFFRIT) was created in 1996 to integrate the expertise and resources of various partners contributing to recovery of the black-footed ferret. BFFRIT is a multi-agency conservation effort led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and includes representatives from federal, state and tribal governments, zoos, private landowners and nonprofit organizations. The team was created pursuant to Section 4(f)(2) of the amended Endangered Species Act which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to procure the services of appropriate public and private agencies, institutions, and other qualified persons to help implement endangered species recovery plans.

Although the role of BFFRIT is strictly advisory in nature, many team members are hands-on participants in captive breeding, reintroduction and population monitoring efforts. Members assist in review of the recovery plan and provide recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the appropriate conduct, methods and priorities for black-footed ferret recovery efforts.

BRRFIT Executive Committee

The BRRFIT Executive Committee (EC) reviews the overall management and direction of the Recovery Program and provides board policy and planning guidance to the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the BFFRIT subcommittees. The subcommittees include the Conservation Subcommittee, Education and Outreach Subcommittee, and Species Survival Plan Subcommittee.
Members of the EC include representatives from the following partners:

  • Association of Zoos and Aquariums
  • APHIS/Wildlife Services, USDA
  • Arizona Game and Fish Department
  • Audubon of Kansas
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs, USDI
  • Bureau of Land Management, USDI
  • Canada, Parks Canada Grasslands National Park
  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  • Defenders of Wildlife
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service, USDI
  • US Forest Service, USDA
  • Fort Carson, US Army
  • US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, USDI (Fort Collins, CO and Madison, WI)
  • Gros Venture and Assiniboine Tribe (Ft. Belknap, MT)
  • Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
  • Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (South Dakota)
  • Mexico; University of Mexico, Institute of Ecology
  • Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
  • Natural Resources and Conservation Service, USDA
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
  • National Park Service, USDI
  • National Wildlife Federation
  • Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico)
  • Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
  • New Mexico Game and Fish Department
  • North Dakota Game and Fish Department
  • Northern Cheyenne Tribe (Montana)
  • Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
  • Prairie Wildlife Research
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota)
  • South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
  • The Nature Conservancy (Kansas and South Dakota)
  • Turner Endangered Species Fund
  • Utah Division of Wildlife Resource
  • World Wildlife Fund
  • Wyoming Game and Fish Department

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