Louisiana would receive $19 million annually to conserve more than 700 nongame fish and wildlife species and their habitats through a bill filed recently in Congress.
 
The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.B. 3223), introduced by Senators James Risch (R-Idaho) and Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), proposes to provide state fish and wildlife agencies across the country a total of $1.3 billion annually to implement State Wildlife Action Plans. Louisiana’s share would be $19 million.
 
The source of funding would be royalties and revenues collected from energy and mineral development on federal lands and waters.
 
The new Senate bill is complementary to, and supports, the House bill (H.R. 4647) introduced in December 2017 by Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) and Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan). That bill has received strong support from both sides of the aisle, with more than 75 representatives having signed on to date.
 
“We’re encouraged that both the Senate and House see the value of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act,’’ LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet said. “This legislation would certainly have a major impact on our state’s Wildlife Action Plan. We would go from $600,000 to $19 million annually. That would allow us to fully implement our plan for nongame and threatened species and habitat in our state.”
 
It cost the American public hundreds of millions of dollars annually to restore threatened and endangered species. Implementing proactive conservation measures could eliminate or greatly those costs.
 
Proactive conservation is good for wildlife, good for taxpayers, good for business and good for our communities. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, supported by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, would provide the needed resources for proactive conservation nationwide.
 
The Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife supports those critical efforts. The Alliance’s purpose is to create a 21st-century funding model for critically needed conservation of the nation’s most precious natural resources – fish and wildlife.
 
This effort was built upon the strong partnership created by the “Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish & Wildlife Resources.” The panel consisted of members representing the outdoor recreation, retail and manufacturing sector, the energy and automotive industries, private landowners, educational institutions, conservation organizations, sportsmen’s groups and state and federal fish and wildlife agencies.
 
For more information, go to OurNatureUSA.com. For specific information on Louisiana’s State Wildlife Action Plan, go to http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/wildlife-action-plan or contact Carey Perry at cperry@wlf.la.gov .
 
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The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.