News Release 02/28/07

Congressional Leaders Awarded for Efforts to Help Conserve Wildlife

WASHINGTON, DC (February 26, 2007) —Today, nine members of Congress were presented with an award for thier leadership in championing federal funding for state-based wildlife conservation under the State Wildlife Grants Program. The award recognizes their role in leading an effort to secure greater funding for the State Wildlife Grants Program, which remains our nation's core program for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered in every state. The award was presented at two Teaming with Wildlife receptions on Capitol Hill in Washington , D.C. morning sponsored by Teaming with Wildlife Coalition and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

Those honored during today's events include:
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) , for long history of supporting wildlife conservation.
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) , for his inclusion of wildlife conservation funding in recently-introduced climate change legislation.
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA ) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) , for supporting the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Interior , for her support of the State Wildlife Grants Program.

These members of Congress were honored during the Teaming with Wildlife Fly-In Days , an annual event held by the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition to educate Congress about the State Wildlife Grants Program. Each was honored for their “exceptional leadership in advocating state wildlife conservation funding” and “commitment to America 's wildlife that will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

During the three-day “Fly-In” event, m ore than 150 conservation leaders from 42 states, including representatives from state fish and wildlife agencies and dozens of other conservation organizations, ranging from environmental and hunting and fishing groups to wildlife-based businesses met with their lawmakers to inform them about the State Wildlife Grants Program. Teaming with Wildlife, a national coalition of 5,000 conservation-minded organizations and businesses, works to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered by supporting increased state and federal funding for wildlife conservation.

“State agencies leverage State Wildlife Grants funding to help restore habitat, reintroduce wildlife, and work with private landowners to help keep wildlife from declining,´ said Ed Parker, president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources for the Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection . “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is the perfect adage for this program. This is a wise use of taxpayer dollars that delivers on-the-ground results for wildlife.”

The State Wildlife Grants Program provides federal money to every state and territory for cost-effective conservation aimed at preventing wildlife from becoming endangered. This program

continues the long history of cooperation between the federal government and the states for managing and conserving wildlife. Funds appropriated under the State Wildlife Grants Program are allocated to every state according to a formula based on each state's size and population.

“Our conservation achievements spring from commitment appreciation of science, and focus on priorities,” said Scarlett. “The State Wildlife Grants Program and the wildlife action plans the program supports bring us the science and focus necessary to translate our conservation commitment into action.”

The President's Budget is calling for $69.5 million in 2008 for State Wildlife Grants, an increase from last year's final appropriation of $67.5 million, but the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition feels this number remains well below the amount it will take to conserve the nation's wildlife and their habitats. The coalition has called for $85 million, recognizing that this also is too low. Already, the coalition is working to help wildlife agencies secure additional funding through several recently-introduced climate change bills. These bills would, in part, fund the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program of the Pittman-Robertson Act.

Despite historical successes in bringing many wildlife species back from the brink of extinction, other species have continued to decline as evidenced by the staggering numbers listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. State hunting and fishing license dollars, federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear, and motorboat fuel taxes have provided the backbone for funding the nation's state wildlife conservation programs over the past century. However, there has always been a gap in funding for species that are not hunted or fished. State Wildlife Grants has provided state fish and wildlife agencies with the resources they critically need to fill that gap.

To lean more about the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, visit www.teaming.com and www.wildlifeactionplans.org .

Accepting the Awards: Comments from Congress

“We cannot have success in protecting our country's wildlife without people who dedicate their lives to make sure that we get the most bang for our buck for these State Wildlife Grants and other programs,” said Sen. Crapo. “The emphasis must be pro-active and should be on protecting the species before they reach the point where they may need to be listed as threatened or endangered. This type of collaboration and cooperation is exactly what we should focus on if we want to make significant progress in species recovery.”

"Wildlife habitat up and down the coasts have been disappearing at an alarming rate over the last 10 years," said Rep. Saxton, whose New Jersey district includes nearly 30 miles of barrier islands, three large bays, a National Wildlife Refuge and a half-million acres of federally-protected Pinelands. "Overdevelopment is a problem everywhere along the Jersey Shore . State and federal cooperative efforts to preserve wildlife habitat areas are a good way to stabilize or increase species populations. It's easier and effective and far less expensive to prevent a species from declining than to attempt a last-ditch effort to bring them back from the brink of extinction. Land preservation not only helps wildlife, it helps curb development and creates open space for people, too."

"State Wildlife Grants are a tremendous vehicle for protecting our country's diversity of wildlife, and I am proud to support this program,” said Thompson. “As a sportsman and the Representative of a district rich in animal habitats and with the best agricultural lands in the world, I understand how important it is to keep species off the Endangered Species List and out of the courts. I am honored to receive this award and grateful for everyone's hard work to protect our wildlife."

“I'm honored to accept this award from the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition,” said Sen. Nelson, an avid sportsman. “We've made a lot of progress, but we must continue to work together to preserve and protect our nation's wildlife.”

"I am pleased to help with garnering greater support on Capitol Hill for this significant wildlife program,” said Sen. Hayes. “It is important to make an effort to conserve our wildlife resources in North Carolina and throughout the nation. The State Wildlife Grants Program is a prime example of how we can work together to ensure our love for the outdoors endures."

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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies —the organization that represents all of North America's fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a unified voice on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org .