News Release 02/28/07

National Coalition Concerned About Future of Wildlife
Could a new bill finally dedicate long-term funding to conserve wildlife?

WASHINGTON, DC (February 26, 2007) — Washington, DC (February 28, 2007) —More than 150 concerned citizens from 42 states met with their state representatives this week, calling for a way to find more funding for wildlife conservation. Today, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, they gathered to hear from conservation leaders about proposed legislation that would provide stable and greater wildlife funding. During the event, an American bald eagle named Challenger took flight from the Capitol steps—a poignant reminder of conservation success for onlookers.

“Challenger is a great example of what can be done for imperiled wildlife,” said Ron Regan, chair of the Teaming with Wildlife Steering Committee and Director of Wildlife for Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I'm concerned about the future of our nation's wildlife. With more than a thousand species endangered, we need to invest in a better future for species and habitat that are not as resilient.”

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. The coalition is hopeful that new legislation for stable wildlife conservation funding is eminent.

“The Coalition is already working to help wildlife agencies receive funding through several recently-introduced climate change bills,” said Regan. “States could use these funds to develop restoration and adaptation strategies to make ecosystems stronger and to help wildlife adapt to global warming. These bills would, in part, fund the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program of the Pittman-Robertson Act.”

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave final approval of the last nine state wildlife action plans—the country's answer to preventing wildlife from becoming endangered. State wildlife action plans are a thorough state-by-state look at wildlife the natural areas, clean air and fresh water that they need to survive for future generations. Completed in 2006, each state wildlife action plan contain information on low and declining populations of wildlife, their habitats and the conservation actions they require to prevent them from becoming endangered. Individually, they establish a set of conservation actions for each state, but together they represent a blueprint for national conservation.

“To fund this historic and massive effort is the next great challenge,” says Matt Hogan, executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Five years ago, Congress stepped in and asked the state agencies for a plan of action. Now that we have the priority actions in each state, there is just not enough funding.”

The action plans allow states and territories to continue receiving federal funding under the annual State Wildlife Grant Program. The President's Budget is calling for $69.5 million in 2008, 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.

“In addition to the State Wildlife Grants Program and the climate change bills, we're hoping that a few Congressional leaders this year will be able to introduce a long-term funding bill aimed specifically at wildlife alone,” said Regan.

To learn more about an individual state plan, visit www.wildlifeactionplans.org .

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

The flight of an American bald eagle, Challenger, will be provided by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation ( www.eagles.org ), Teaming with Wildlife Coalition member and leader in eagle conservation in the past seventeen years. Since 1991, its staff has traveled coast-to-coast conducting numerous public education programs with trained non-releasable eagles and other birds of prey.

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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 .