Take action for wildlife recovery!

WILD NW #296: Contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to speak up for at-risk species by supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act!

Washington is home to an inspiring array of wildlife, both large and small. And restoring native animals from wolverines and fishers to mountain caribou is at the core of our mission.

Nature makes the Northwest great, but our wildlife are disappearing, with scant funding for recovery. If you live in southwest or eastern Washington, please take action today!

Like many other states, our Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has been woefully underfunded for years. Funding is especially scarce for State Wildlife Action Plans to recover the more than 268 native species that are threatened in our state—before they are listed as Endangered.

Thankfully, a bill moving through the U.S. House of Representatives would give our wildlife the funding they need. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would substantially increase resources to states to reverse the decline of our wildlife heritage. This bill would permanently provide $1.3 billion dollars in proactive conservation funding for state fish and wildlife agencies per year. Under the latest version, WDFW would receive $24 million to restore key ecosystems and species.

Funding for local wildlife conservation programs that provide practical solutions is effective at reversing our national wildlife crisis and species decline, according to a comprehensive review by our partners at the National Wildlife Federation. Congress should enact RAWA to preserve our natural heritage for future generations, while we still have the chance to reverse declines in animals from orca whales and Chinook salmon to marbled murrelets and millions of other birds.

Many of Washington’s Members of Congress are already cosponsoring this bipartisan bill, and we’re now encouraging Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in southwest Washington’s 3^rd District, Rep. Denny Heck in south Puget Sound’s 10^th District, Rep. Dan Newhouse in central Washington’s 4^th District, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in eastern Washington’s 5^th District to join them.

If you live in one of these areas, please use our simple form to contact your Member of Congress, and ask them to cosponsor the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act!

If you live elsewhere but still want to take action, consider writing your U.S. Representative expressing your support for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (HR 3742).

Suggested message to your U.S. Representative:

Subject: Please cosponsor HR 3742, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

Washington’s wildlife are a vital part of our Northwest natural heritage, and the decline of our native species reflects the health of our ecosystems. With threats including habitat loss, development and climate change, we have to act now to conserve our fish and wildlife for future generations.

In our state, at least 268 species need conservation intervention under State Wildlife Action Plans to keep them from becoming critically Endangered, or to reach state recovery goals. But our Department of Fish and Wildlife is woefully underfunded to accomplish all of the work that needs to be done.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, HR 3742, is a significant step in reversing the decline of native species and our natural heritage. This bill has bipartisan support and will give state agencies and Native American tribes the funding they badly need to implement proactive, collaborative conservation actions to save threatened species. Proactively recovering wildlife also saves government and private businesses the challenge, costs and restrictions of federal Endangered Species Act listings.

Please conserve our natural heritage and restore our fish and wildlife by cosponsoring the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Thank you for being a champion for wildlife!

Sincerely,
Your name

THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION. WITH SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS, WE CAN SAVE OUR ICONIC WILDLIFE! LEARN MORE ABOUT RAWA ON THIS WEBPAGE.