Take action to support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

WILD NW Action Alert #322: Tell your Members of Congress that supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is essential to the future of our wildlife and wildlands!

We’re facing a growing crisis for wildlife and habitat, in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. Fueled by climate change, human development and other challenges, one-third of fish and wildlife species in the United States are at increased risk of extinction.

Washington state urgently needs proactive investment in our diverse ecosystems—before our wildlife require the “emergency room” intervention of the Endangered Species Act.

State Wildlife Action Plans drafted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have identified 268 species of highest conservation need. Yet while we’ve restored cuts to state funding for the WDFW through years of hard work in Olympia, current appropriations are a mere baseline, and roughly five percent of the total needed to recover at-risk fish and wildlife.

A new bipartisan bill introduced in the other Washington can change this, and we need YOU to take action by urging your Members of Congress to invest in fish and wildlife recovery by co-sponsoring the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

Use our easy action form to send them a message!

If your U.S. Representative has already co-sponsored the House version of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, this action form will send them a thank you message.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA, S.2372, H.R.2773) will make commonsense investments in wildlife recovery efforts, allocating approximately $21 million to the WDFW annually for locally-led programs to conserve wolverines, bighorn sheep, steelhead trout, harlequin ducks, fishers, pygmy rabbits and dozens of other species.

Tribal Nations such as the Tulalip, Colville and Quinault tribes would also share $97.5 million annually directed to tribal natural resource departments to fund wildlife and habitat conservation efforts on the tens of millions of acres under Tribal management nationwide.

Please take action TODAY!

This legislation champions proactive strategies for local conservation, and will also create jobs restoring wildlife species and habitats vital to the Evergreen State’s quality of life. The voluntary cooperative nature of the projects RAWA funds should have broad appeal and will support local economies, communities and landowners.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House, and is supported by more than 1,500 business and organizations, including Conservation Northwest and our partners at the National Wildlife Federation. But we need your help getting this bill across the finish line.

Please use our action form to send your Members of Congress a message calling on them to support this monumental legislation for wildlife conservation, especially Washington’s Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. Or scroll down for suggested comments.

This is the biggest opportunity for fish and wildlife recovery funding in a generation, and time is running out for many at-risk species. Let’s not miss this moment.

For the wild,

Paula Swedeen, Ph.D.
Policy Director
Conservation Northwest

 

SUGGESTED LETTERS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:

Thank you for supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

(For Washington’s U.S. House Democrats, all of whom have sponsored this bill)

Dear Legislator,

I am writing to thank you for co-sponsoring the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.2372, H.R.2773), and asking you to do all that you can to ensure it passes and is signed into law.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act invests in proactive, on-the-ground, collaborative conservation efforts that match the magnitude of America’s wildlife crisis. This legislation is critical for Washington state’s fish and wildlife—from wolverines and bighorn sheep to harlequin ducks and pygmy rabbits—and other species across the nation.

Healthy wildlife populations are a vital component of our national heritage and our $887 billion dollar outdoor economy. But our diverse array of fish and wildlife is in crisis with more than one-third of all species at risk of becoming endangered. Challenges facing our fish and wildlife in the 21st century include habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, and emerging diseases.

Thank you for standing up for wildlife through your support of this bipartisan legislation! I urge you to continue advocating for passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in the 117th Congress.

Sincerely,

Your name

Please co-sponsor the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

(For Washington’s U.S. Senators and House Republicans, who have not yet sponsored this bill)

America’s wildlife are vital to our national heritage and our $887 billion outdoor economy. But due to challenges like habitat loss, invasive species, emerging diseases, and climate change, we’re losing ground and species — and fast.

I’m writing to ask you to co-sponsor the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.2372, H.R.2773) to invest in proactive, locally-led conservation programs across the country.

Saving wildlife is an investment in a cleaner, sustainable, and thriving economy for rural and urban communities alike. Right now, more than one-third of our fish and wildlife species are at-risk of becoming extinct.

We have already lost more than 150 species that are presumed extinct and another 500 species are missing in action. State fish and wildlife agencies have identified more than 12,000 Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will accelerate the recovery of these species and their habitats through proactive programs in coordination with local agencies, Tribes, organizations and landowners.

To continue the Evergreen State’s rich natural heritage and quality of life, Washington urgently needs investment in our diverse ecosystems—before our wildlife require the “emergency room” intervention of the Endangered Species Act. State Wildlife Action Plans drafted by the

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have identified 268 species of highest conservation need. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will send approximately $21 million to our state each year, which the WDFW will use to help the 268 species including wolverines, steelhead trout, bighorn sheep and pygmy rabbits.

Nationwide, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act dedicates $1.4 billion annually to locally-led wildlife restoration efforts, with most of the money going to wildlife agencies like the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife who will use the money to implement existing plans for at-risk wildlife. At least 15 percent of the funds will be used to help species that are already considered endangered or threatened.

Tribal Nations such as the Tulalip, Colville and Quinault tribes would also share $97.5 million annually directed to tribal natural resource departments to fund wildlife and habitat conservation efforts on the tens of millions of acres under Tribal management nationwide.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is built upon the premise that the best way to save America’s wildlife is through collaborative, proactive, voluntary work before species become endangered. I urge you to create a bright future for America’s wildlife and the next generation by supporting and co-sponsoring Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

Thank you for being a wildlife champion.

Sincerely,

Your name

thank you for TAKING ACTION for our WILDLIFE! Learn more about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act on our website.