With National Endangered Species Day on the near horizon, members of a Wisconsin coalition of conservation organizations issued an urgent call last week for Congress to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
“Each week seems to bring more dire news for our natural world,” said David Clutter, executive director of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, in a statement. “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save our wildlife and their habitats.”
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would dedicate $1.3 billion annually to state fish and wildlife agencies to implement their science-based wildlife action plans and an additional $97.5 million for tribal fish and wildlife managers.
The legislation is designed to provide critical funding and proactive conservation efforts to prevent non-game species from becoming threatened or endangered. At least 15% of its funding would be used on already imperiled species.
The bill has been approved by committees in both chambers of Congress and is available for floor votes.
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The concept for RAWA emerged from a 2016 Blue Ribbon Panel and has been introduced in three previous sessions of Congress. None advanced as far as this year.
Funding for the program would come from fines paid for environmental violations.
Wisconsin would receive about $18 million annually from RAWA, a significant increase from the $900,000 it currently receives each year from the federal government to fund the state’s wildlife action plan.
The coalition said 416 species are at risk in Wisconsin, including monarch butterflies, piping plovers, long-eared owls, wood turtles and four cave bat species. Hundreds more species in Wisconsin are classified as species in need of information, as little is known of their locations and abundance.
The proposed legislation has enjoyed broad bipartisan and popular support. The Senate bill has 32 cosponsors – including 16 Republicans – and the House bill has 171 cosponsors.
About 2,000 conservation groups and outdoor businesses have publicly stated their support for the bill, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sierra Club.
The Wisconsin coalition for RAWA is similarly diverse.
About 280 Wisconsin organizations and businesses have signed on to a letter supporting the legislation, according to the coalition. In addition, 85% of voters at the April spring hearings indicated they supported passage of RAWA.
The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, which represents more than 200 hunting, fishing and other affiliated organizations, was an original member of the state coalition.
“Our members know that their hunting and fishing depend on having healthy ecosystems, and that pheasants, deer, turkey, ducks, grouse and other game species will also benefit from habitat work funded by RAWA,” Mark LaBarbera, WWF executive director, said in a statement. “We’ve shown in Wisconsin that investing in conservation and our natural infrastructure helps increase fish and wildlife populations and endangered species recover. It also benefits our local economies, improves air and water quality, creates jobs and improves public health.”
The coalition urged Wisconsin residents to contact their elected representatives in the House and Senate by Friday, May 20, which is designated as National Endangered Species Day.
Supporters of the legislation are hoping it receives a vote before Congress breaks for its summer recess and before more attention turns to the fall elections.
For links to Congressional offices and more, visit the website for the Wisconsin RAWA coalition at wicoaltionforrawa.org.
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