Eastern Brook Trout (photo courtesy of Native Fish Coalition)
On June 14, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the bipartisan “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act” (H.R. 2773). Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) has been a long standing priority for many conservation organizations since 2015.
RAWA seeks to provide nearly $1.4 billion annually for proactive, non-regulatory conservation projects in every state, territory, and on tribal lands and waters. This bill would be one of the most significant investments in fish and wildlife conservation in a lifetime. Specifically, funding provided through H.R. 2773, combined with a 25% non-federal match, would fully fund each state’s Congressionally mandated State Wildlife Action Plan. Collectively, these plans have identified nearly 12,000 Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including many iconic species such as northern bobwhite quail, monarchs and other pollinators, gopher tortoise, sturgeon, and countless waterfowl species, all of which need a dedicated source of conservation funding before more regulatory and costly measures are necessary.
"Right now, the United States is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “We’ve already seen our nation’s beautiful monarch butterfly population plummet, and we’ve lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. Without a significant change in the way we finance conservation, more of the animals and wildlife we hold dear to our heart will become endangered. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is landmark legislation that takes long-overdue action to address this crisis by using innovative, on-the-ground collaboration that will protect our nation’s environmental heritage. We have a conservation, economic, and moral obligation to act in order to protect and recover America’s wildlife for future generations. I am grateful to the broad, bipartisan coalition that has fought for this legislation, and I urge the Senate to act on this bill right away.”
To learn more:
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation https://congressionalsportsmen.org/
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership https://www.trcp.org/