February 24, 2020
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Capitol, H-232
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Capitol, H-204
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,
As organizations collectively representing millions of Americans who enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing, birding, hiking, paddling, and gardening, as well as the state fish and wildlife agencies and other natural resource professionals charged with stewarding our nation’s wildlife, we write to express our strong support for the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 3742) and urge you to advance it to the House floor for a vote.
This legislation provides a comprehensive strategy to protect our wildlife heritage by assuring sufficient funding for on-the-ground activities that support states’ most urgent wildlife conservation priorities. This proactive approach to solving the ever-increasing challenges facing our nation’s fish and wildlife has brought over 170 Members of Congress together as cosponsors of this legislation. Just two months ago, the bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House Committee on Natural Resources and was reported out by a 26-6 vote, with a majority of Republican committee members present voting in favor. The momentum and increasingly bipartisan support building behind this bill underscore the urgency of advancing it to the floor. With more than one-third of all U.S. species at increased risk of extinction, we can’t afford not to take swift action.
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will help recover and conserve species at risk by dedicating $1.3 billion for state-level conservation and $97.5 million to Tribal nations for on-the-ground conservation projects. The legislation funds the implementation of the congressionally-mandated State Wildlife Action Plans, which outline specific conservation actions necessary to recover and sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, while also accelerating the recovery of species already listed under the Endangered Species Act. Similarly, tribal nations will expand conservation efforts on their lands, which provide vital habitat for hundreds of fish and wildlife species, including more than 500 species listed as threatened or endangered. This bill also allocates more funding for wildlife conservation in the territories, as recent natural disasters have exacerbated pressures on native species.
The premise of this bill is simple: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We can save wildlife and save money in the long run by investing in collaborative solutions before species require more restrictive and expensive “emergency room” measures under the Endangered Species Act. This approach will save federal taxpayers tens of billions of dollars by ensuring more regulatory certainty for farmers, businesses, and industry while also growing our continuously expanding $887 billion outdoor economy that supports more than 7.6 million jobs.
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act builds upon the incredible legacy of the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, which brought iconic fish and wildlife species back from the brink of extinction through cooperative, science-driven wildlife management, supported by reliable funding. It will take a similar vision and effort to address the escalating problems facing our fish and wildlife in the 21st century, and this bill presents a solution that meets the magnitude of the challenge.
Passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is unequivocally the most important thing this Congress can do to protect our nation’s outdoor heritage. We look forward to working with you to bring this legislation to the House floor in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Allegan Conservation District
American Fisheries Society
American Sportfishing Association
Anglers United
Arizona Antelope Foundation
Arizona Bass Federation Nation
Arizona Big Game Super Raffle
Arizona Bowhunters Association
Arizona Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation
Arizona Chapter Safari Club International
Arizona Deer Association
Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society
Arizona Elk Society
Arizona Flycasters Club
Arizona Houndsmen’s Association
Arizona Outdoor Adventures
Arizona Outdoor Sports
Arizona Predator Callers
Arizona Shooting Sports Education Foundation
Arizona State Council of Trout Unlimited
Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation
Arizona Wildlife Federation
Arkansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Arkansas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission
Arkansas Watertrail Partnership
Association of Northwest Steelheaders
Atlantic Salmon Federation
Audubon Arizona
Audubon Minnesota
Audubon Pennsylvania
Audubon Society of Lincoln City, Oregon
Audubon Texas
Audubon Washington
Austin Science Advocates
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Texas Chapter
Barry Conservation District
Barry County Drain Commissioner
Bass Pro Shops
Bat Conservation International
Baxter State Park
Bayou Land Conservancy
Bexar Audubon Society
Big Thicket Association
Biodiversity Research Institute
Biological Conservation
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Bucks County Audubon Society
Buffalo Creek Watershed Association
Burns Paiute Tribe
Cabela’s
California Invasive Plant Council
Cedar Run Decoy Company
Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation of Montana
Christian Hunters of America
Cibolo Conservancy Land Trust
Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
Colorado Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Confluence Consulting, LLC
Connecticut Forest & Park Association
Connecticut Ornithological Association
Conservation Council for Hawaii
Conservation Federation of Missouri
Conservation InSight
Conservation Northwest
Conservation Resource Management
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports
Crow Nation
Delaware Valley University
Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island
Downeast Salmon Federation
Downeast Trout Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited
Environment Council of Rhode Island
Environmental Collaborative Of Ohio
Environmental League of Massachusetts
First Light Wildlife Habitats
Flathead Audubon Society
Forest Society of Maine
Fort Worth Zoo
Four Townships Water Resources
Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
Freeport Wild Bird Supply
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of Stewart B McKinney NWR
Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
Galveston Bay Foundation
Georges River Chapter, Trout Unlimited
Grand Prairie Friends
Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association
Hill Country Alliance
Houston Safari Club
Houston Wilderness
Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Indiana Wildlife Federation
Ingham Conservation District
Innovative Wildlife Management Services, LLC
Institute for Natural Resources – Portland, Oregon
Iowa Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Izaak Walton League of America
Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
Kahuna’s Kids
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo River Watershed Council
Katy Prairie Conservancy
Kennebec Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Klamath Watershed Partnership
Lake County Forest Preserve District
Lake Erie Islands Conservancy
Local Ocean Seafoods
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Maine Association of Wetland Scientists
Maine Audubon
Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Maine Council of Trout Unlimited
Maine Professional Guides Association
Maine Rivers
Maine Wildlife Conservation Council
Maryland – Delaware Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Maverick Ranch-Fromme Farm
McBain Associates, Applied River Sciences
Mercy Ecology
Michigan Audubon
Michigan Chapter for The Wildlife Society
Michigan Forestry Assistance Program – Oceana Conservation District
Michigan Nature Association
Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Mississippi Flyway Council
Missouri Breaks Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Mohave Sportsman Club
Montana Audubon
Montana Wildlife Federation
Montana/Wyoming Tribal Fish and Wildlife Commission
Narragansett Chapter, Trout Unlimited
National Association of State Foresters
National Audubon Society
National Shooting Sports Foundation
National Wild Turkey Federation
National Wildlife Federation
Native American Fish and Wildlife Society
Native Plant Society of Texas
Natural Land Institute
Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society
NEC Solar
Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
Nemours Wildlife Foundation
New Jersey Audubon
New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Newaygo Conservation District
North American Falconers Association
North Dakota Natural Resources Trust
North Dakota Wildlife Federation
Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Inc.
Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association
Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers
Openlands
Oregon Association of Conservation Districts
Oregon Biodiversity Information Center
Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Oregon Chapter, American Fisheries Society
Oregon Health Sciences University
Oregon Outdoors Coalition
Oregon State University
Oregon Wildlife Foundation
Oregon Wildlife Society
Oregon Zoo
Oregon Zoo Foundation
Outdoor Experience 4 All
Outdoor Industry Association
PDXWildlife
Pennsylvania Biological Survey
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen & Conservationists
Penobscot Nation Department of Natural Resources
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Pines and Prairies Land Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Prairie Hills Audubon Chapter
Prairie Hills Audubon Society of Western South Dakota
Protect Animal Migration
Quality Deer Management Association
QuietKat, Inc.
Ravenswood Outdoors
Rhode Island B.A.S.S. Nation
Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association
Rhode Island Zoological Society
Riverside Nature Center
Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Rogue Basin Partnership
Salem Audubon Society
San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Schoolcraft Conservation District
Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited
South Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society
South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts
South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society
South Dakota Waterfowl Association
South Dakota Wildlife Federation
South Eastern Arizona Sporstmen Club
Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society
Southern Quail Forever
Southern California Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society -Alligator Gar Technical Committee
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Southwest Wildlife Foundation (Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club)
SRT Outdoors
Tennessee Wildlife Federation
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation
Texas A&M Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Texas Alliance for America’s Fish and Wildlife
Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Texas Conservation Alliance
Texas Foundation for Conservation
Texas Land Trust Council
Texas Society for Ecological Restoration
Texas Wildlife Association
The Alabama Chapter of The Wildlife Society
The BASS Federation
The Connecticut Audubon Society
The Frontera Land Alliance
The Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society
The Maine Chapter of The Wildlife Society
The Northwest Guides and Anglers Association
The Northwest Guides and Anglers Fisheries Restoration Initiative
The Ohio Chapter of The Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society – Arizona Chapter
The Wildlife Society – Iowa Chapter
The Wildlife Society-North Central Section
The Wildlife Society, Nevada Chapter
The Wildlife Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Thornapple Area Parks and Recreation Commission
Trout Unlimited
University of New England
University of Tennessee
Valley of the Sun Quail Forever
Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Virginia Conservation Network
Washington Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Washington Wildlife Federation
Watchable Wildlife Foundation
Watershed Guardians
WaterWatch of Oregon
Wayne County Conservation District
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
White River Marine Group
Wild Oceans
Wildlife Consulting and Photography
Wildlife Habitat Council
Wildlife Management Institute
Wimberley Valley Watershed Association
Women’s Progressive Party
World Wildlife Fund
Wray-Todd Ranch, LLC
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Wyoming Wildlife Federation
Xtreme Predator Callers
Yellowstone River Parks Association
