The Georgia Department of Natural Resources opened a 30-day public nomination window on June 1, 2026, for the state’s protected species list, the first comprehensive revision in 20 years. Nominations run through June 30 for species to add, remove, or reclassify on a roster that has not been revised since 2006.
The list covers plants and animals protected under the Georgia Endangered Wildlife Act of 1973 or the Wildflower Preservation Act of 1973, including the saltmarsh sparrow, gopher tortoise, monarch butterfly, and pink lady’s-slipper orchid. Draft revisions were developed using Georgia’s 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, project coordinator Katrina Morris said in a June 1 announcement, with public nominations folded in to catch anything biologists missed. The state’s protected species list page hosts the nomination form and links to the rule that governs the roster.
The First Update Since 2006
Georgia’s protected species list was last revised in 2006. The 2026 update is the first comprehensive review in two decades, the agency said. The roster draws its legal authority from two statutes passed in 1973 and a state administrative rule that DNR is preparing to amend. The board that adopts the final rule is the Georgia Board of Natural Resources, the body that oversees DNR’s broader policy work.
The list covers species protected under the Georgia Endangered Wildlife Act of 1973 (O.C.G.A. § 27-3-5) and the Wildflower Preservation Act of 1973 (O.C.G.A. § 12-6-3), as detailed in Rule 391-4-10 on protected species, the state’s Protection of Endangered, Threatened, Rare or Unusual Species rule. These are the species the state considers most in need of conservation, with examples that range from the saltmarsh sparrow and gopher tortoise to the pink lady’s-slipper orchid and monarch butterfly. Species considered extirpated from the state are removed from the current list, and extirpated species are not considered for addition, the agency’s nomination page notes.
The 20-year gap is the headline context. The public nomination window is paired with the technical revision DNR’s biologists drafted from the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, and public submissions will be folded into that draft after the window closes, according to DNR’s June 1 news release.
What State Listing Actually Does
State listing is not symbolic. It prohibits intentionally harming protected animals and bars removal of protected plants from state lands without a permit, or from private land without the landowner’s permission, according to the DNR’s protected species list page. Plants and animals get different rules, and the protections vary in strength.
Listing also focuses DNR’s own conservation work and authorizes the agency to coordinate with federally listed species. The state list is meant to keep species from declining to the point they qualify for the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The state’s species are sorted into four protection classes, and the class sets the level of protection. State-listed species also become the focus of voluntary habitat conservation by private landowners.
The four protection classes DNR applies are:
| Protection Class | Definition |
|---|---|
| Endangered | Any resident species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or designated as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 |
| Threatened | Any resident species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or designated as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 |
| Rare | Any resident species that, although not presently endangered or threatened as defined, should be protected because of its scarcity |
| Unusual | Any resident species that exhibits special or unique features and deserves special consideration in its continued survival in the state |
Filing a Species Nomination
Nominations are submitted through an online form linked from the Georgia DNR’s protected species list page. The submission form is open to any Georgia resident, the agency said, and stays open outside the formal window for off-cycle submissions.
Submissions received after the formal window will be considered for the next revision, and the agency notes that nominations can be made at any time. Before nominating a species, DNR asks submitters to review the proposed updates and profiles of Georgia’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need, which include sections on life history, habitat, range, threats, and management recommendations. Nominations can include distribution maps, publications, web links, and other supporting data, and the agency also considers other scientific and commercial data the submitter wants to attach. The form is hosted by Google Forms and includes instructions for what to attach.
The state’s protected species list page is the starting point for anyone looking to nominate a species. The site links to a PDF of proposed list changes and the Georgia 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan. Reviewers can also browse profiles of species already flagged as most in need of conservation, and the agency encourages nominators to start there.
DNR will also consider scientific and commercial data beyond what the form collects. The form is open throughout the year for off-cycle submissions, with the formal June window shaping the 2026 list, and submissions outside that window roll over into the next revision cycle.
The Process After the Window Closes
After the nomination window closes, the work moves to DNR staff. The agency will review submissions, revise the draft list as needed, and release an updated version for public comment. The proposed changes already on the table include adding and removing species, updating scientific names, and syncing state status with federal listings, Morris said.
The changes were developed using the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan and the technical teams that built it. Final amendments to Rule 391-4-10 will then be recommended to the Board of Natural Resources for approval. Public nominations are the second pass, the part of the process designed to catch anything the technical teams missed.
The 2026 process runs in four steps:
- June 1 to June 30, 2026: Public nomination window is open.
- After June 30: DNR reviews nominations and revises the draft list as needed.
- Following review: Updated draft is released for public comment.
- Final step: Recommended amendments to Rule 391-4-10 go to the Board of Natural Resources for approval.
Why the 20-Year Gap Matters
A list that has not been touched since 2006 will need to absorb changes in population status, range, taxonomy, and federal listings that have piled up in the meantime. DNR’s draft revisions include updated scientific names and species reclassified to match federal listings, both of which speak to the maintenance a 20-year gap forces onto a single review cycle.
The 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, the document that fed the draft revisions, used hundreds of experts to assess Georgia’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need. That plan, the subject of a broader DNR conservation push detailed in Georgia’s plan to protect at-risk species, is what flagged which species most need attention in the revised protected list. The nomination window is the public’s chance to flag species the technical teams did not prioritize.
DNR biologists and species experts from across the Southeast helped develop the draft revised protected species list by reviewing the best available information on the status and trends for Georgia species. Giving the public an opportunity to review this list and provide input on things we may have missed will help ensure that we provide protected status for the species that are in the greatest need of conservation in our state.
Katrina Morris, a Wildlife Conservation Section program manager with DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, said the public window is meant as a check on completeness, not a parallel science review. Her June 1 announcement framed the public nominations as a complement to the technical review, not a replacement for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can Georgians nominate species for the protected list?
The nomination window runs through June 30 on the Georgia DNR’s protected species list page.
Who can nominate a species?
Any Georgia resident can submit a nomination, and the form is open to all. The agency notes that nominations can be made at any time, with submissions after the formal window considered for the next revision.
What species are already on Georgia’s protected list?
The list includes the saltmarsh sparrow, gopher tortoise, monarch butterfly, pink lady’s-slipper orchid, and others protected under the Georgia Endangered Wildlife Act of 1973 or the Wildflower Preservation Act of 1973.
What does state listing actually do?
State listing prohibits intentionally harming protected animals and removing protected plants from state lands without a permit, with rules differing between animals and plants. The designation also authorizes DNR to coordinate with federally listed wildlife.
When will the updated protected species list take effect?
After the window closes, DNR will review submissions, revise the draft list, and release an updated version for public comment before recommending final amendments to the Board of Natural Resources.
