Washington D.C. (April
28, 2016) - Senators Mike Crapo (ID)
and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Congressmen Don Young (AK), Frank LoBiondo
(NJ), Mike Thompson (CA), and Ron Kind (WI) were joined by 188 of their fellow
Members of Congress on a “Dear Colleague” letter to appropriators in support of
funding for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program next fiscal year.
In both letters, Members urged their Subcommittees on
Interior, Environment and Related agencies to provide robust funding for the
program to support proactive conservation to prevent fish and wildlife from
becoming endangered.
“By emphasizing a proactive approach, the State and Tribal
Wildlife Grants Program supports states and territories in their efforts to
conserve at-risk fish and wildlife,” said Dave Chanda, President of the
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Director of New Jersey Division
of Fish and Wildlife. “Early, preventive
conservation of at-risk species and their habitats is the most cost-effective
investment of taxpayer dollars and most efficient way to address the challenges
facing all wildlife today.”
The State & Tribal Wildlife Grants program is the only
federal program available to states, territories, District of Columbia and
tribes to conserve more than 12,000 fish and wildlife identified in State
Wildlife Action Plans as species in greatest need of conservation. State
Wildlife Action Plans were recently revised and updated with the best science
and rely on funding from the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program for
implementation. The program has the support of the 6,475 organizations that
make up the ‘Teaming with Wildlife’ coalition, representing millions of
conservationists. This investment helps supports jobs and the $730 billion outdoor
recreational industry.
“I’m proud to have led over 150 of my House colleagues, both
Democrats and Republicans, in calling on appropriators to fully fund the State
and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program in Fiscal Year 2017,” said Thompson. “This program
is incredibly effective. And today, when many species are facing decreased
populations, we need to fully fund the only federal program designed to prevent
species from being listed as endangered.”
“Conservation is at the very core of keeping wildlife off
the endangered species list,” said Congressmen Don Young. “By creating a
successful partnership between the states, territories, tribal lands, and
federal government we can come together in a bipartisan manner to support a
proven wildlife management program with unquestionable results”
“We are pleased with the bipartisan support for our nation’s
core program to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. This legislation
addresses a pressing issue that both Democrats and Republicans agree on and are
working towards forward-thinking solutions,” said Collin O’Mara, President and
CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “This program has been proven
effective in the past; as evidenced by such species as the fisher in the
Pacific Northwest and the New England Cottontail. Both of these iconic species
have been successfully reintroduced and now not under consideration for listing
under the Endangered Species Act.”
A total of 194 Members of Congress, including 30
Republicans, 162 Democrats, and 2 Independents from 43 states and territories
signed on to the letters this year demonstrating broad bipartisan support for
fish and wildlife conservation funding. The list of members who signed the letters is available here.
