Recovering America's Wildlife Act
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 4647, S. 3223) is the bipartisan product of decades of conversations and hard work by dedicated sportsmen, conservationists and business leaders who have long shared an interest in securing the funding needed for state fish and wildlife agencies to reverse population declines for at risk species.
Montana Audubon is part of a nationwide coalition (the Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife) to support this visionary conservation bill.
RAWA would redirect $1.3 billion of existing revenue annually to state-led wildlife conservation efforts, effectively allowing the states to more fully implement their State Wildlife Action Plans: 30 million dollars annually would be conveyed to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for wildlife and other conservation uses. This legislation follows the recommendation of a diverse group of energy, business, and conservation leaders and has over 100 co-sponsors from both parties.
Wildlife conservation efforts are at a critical point, with more than one-third of American species at-risk and in need of proactive recovery. State Wildlife Action Plans, developed with the best available science in collaboration with federal, local and tribal agencies, collectively identify more than 12,000 “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.” The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would provide necessary funding to implement these plans, as well as critical Tribal and Territorial wildlife conservation programs, conserving wildlife populations before they become threatened or endangered, while helping to recover those that already are.
The collaborative, non-regulatory approach of this bill will empower conservation for the full diversity of America’s wildlife as well as critical natural resources. Failure to fund these conservation efforts will not only endanger many more at-risk species, but threaten the local, state, and federal economies bolstered by the $788 billion outdoor industry, which employs 5.2 million Americans. “The signs are clear that species are declining and this bipartisan bill will take great strides towards preventing these species from becoming endangered and avoiding those ‘emergency room’ procedures that are required to recover wildlife when they get to that dangerous point,” said Larry Berrin, Executive Director. “We are excited to be leading the RAWA coalition in our state to finally get this across the finish.”
For over 80 years, state, territorial, and tribal conservation efforts have proven to be incredibly effective at restoring species, some of which were once on the brink of extinction. Today, we face a new wildlife crisis; one in which the magnitude of the solution must match the magnitude of the challenge. By prioritizing passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, we will ensure that our fish, wildlife and outdoor recreation traditions and their associated national economic benefits will endure for the benefit of future generations. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act represents a historic opportunity to simultaneously benefit wildlife, conservation, and the economy.
RAWA In The News
- Feature Article: Montana Audubon Fall 2023 Newsletter – “Keeping Wildlife On the Landscape”
- Montana Audubon and RAWA April 2022: Helena Independent Record.
- Montana FWP and RAWA: Montana FWP Website
- Montana Outdoors July 2019: Montana Outdoors
- You can read through the whole bill HERE.
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