Senators Across Aisle Join RAWA Conservation Efforts

On February 2, 2024, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced that two additional senators—U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL)—have joined them as cosponsors of their bipartisan legislation, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). This legislation dedicates significant resources toward state-, territory-, and Tribe-led conservation work to support the long-term health of fish and wildlife and their habitats across America. 

Read the full press release on Senator Heinrich’s website: Heinrich, Tillis Announce More Bipartisan Support for Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

As leaders of the Montana Coalition for Recovering America’s Wildlife, we applaud these senators for supporting this important legislation. The Montana Coalition consists of organizations and businesses who have come together to support fish and wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation, and conservation education. These groups include: Montana Trout Unlimited, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Hellgate Hunters & Anglers, and the Montana Wildlife Federation. Nationally, RAWA is supported by over 1,500 organizations and businesses including REI, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Bass Pro Shops, Cabella’s, Toyota, and over 60 tribes. 

RAWA is different from other conservation funding models because it will provide money to states and tribes to conserve at-risk, nongame species that are not currently covered by the Endangered Species Act, allocating just under $1.4 billion dollars every year to wildlife conservation. 

“We’ve all heard the saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and this is really the vision of RAWA,” said Larry Berrin, Montana Audubon’s Executive Director who is leading the Montana RAWA Coalition. “We know the more we can fund and fuel efforts to protect vulnerable species before they become endangered, the better chance we have of avoiding the costly measures we face once a species is listed.”

Though RAWA seemingly has been overshadowed by other issues at the federal level, we are hopeful it will continue to find bipartisan support in the coming months.  

Learn more about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

• Read “Keeping Wildlife on the Landscape: Montana Audubon is Leading a Coalition to Protect Vulnerable Species,” the feature article in our Fall 2023 newsletter
• Visit the Montana Coalition for Recovering America’s Wildlife website