Wildlife needs your help to fund the State Wildlife Grants program, the nation’s core program for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered.
Ask your members of Congress to support $85 million for State Wildlife Grants. Ask them to please sign-on to the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Congressmen Thompson (D-CA), Saxton (R-NJ), Kind (D-WI) and Hayes (R-NC) by contacting Congressman Thompson’s office. This program funds the implementation of the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan, which is a roadmap for conserving the lands and waters we depend upon for clean water and air and offer us a peaceful escape from our busy lives. As our communities grow and crowd out wildlife, this plan will be crucial to ensuring there are places for our families and future generations to enjoy.
Please call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your member of Congress.
Background: What is the State Wildlife Grants Program?
Since the early 1990s the Teaming with Wildlife coalition has worked to secure funding for state fish and wildlife agencies to take preventative actions that help keep rare species from becoming endangered and keep common species common. The National Teaming with Wildlife is a coalition of more than 5,000 organizations working to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered by supporting increased state and federal funding for wildlife conservation. The Wisconsin Teaming with Wildlife Coalition consists of over 214 organizations that include wildlife managers, conservationists, hunters and anglers, businesses, and many others who support the goal of restoring and conserving our nation's wildlife.
During the 107th Congress (2000-2001), in fiscal year (FY) 2002 President Bush signed the State Wildlife Grants program into law. This program distributed $85 million among the states. The program continued with an appropriation of $65 million in FY 2003 and an appropriation of $75 million in FY 2004. Continued annual appropriations represent support for the State Wildlife Grants program, and we are hopeful that long-term funding will be achieved in the future. To learn more about Teaming with Wildlife efforts, visit www.teaming.com.
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 species, going back to landmark laws like the 1937 Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the 1950 Dingell-Johnson Sportfish Restoration Act. These two Acts continue to support wildlife conservation nationwide. However, State Wildlife Grants are the only funding strategy available for those species not historically managed such as nongame and threatened and endangered species.
Overview of the State Wildlife Grants program (pdf 18 KB)
State Wildlife Grants Five-Year Accomplishment Report (pdf 15 MB)
Table: State-by-State Totals To Date (pdf 8 KB)
Background: What is the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan?
In order to receive federal funds through the State Wildlife Grants program, Congress charged each state and territory with developing a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. Also known as Wildlife Action Plans, these proactive plans will help conserve wildlife and vital natural areas before they become too rare and costly to protect. As our communities grow, the Wildlife Action Plans will give us the ability to fulfill our responsibility to conserve wildlife and the lands and waters where they live for future generations.
“Unfortunately, funding vehicles to implement our nation’s wildlife action plans, such as the State Wildlife Grants Program, are inconsistent. We are working to develop long-term funding sources to make sure that wildlife conservation moves forward without any restraints. It would be a shame to have a proactive, preventative, on-the-ground wildlife action plan that cannot be implemented due to lack of funding,” said Christopher E. North, Special Projects Director for the N.C. Wildlife Federation and coordinator for the North Carolina Teaming with Wildlife Coalition.
To view the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan click here.
“This publication is the culmination of three years of effort among numerous state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, academics, industry professional and dedicated individuals. It provides a “blueprint” for conserving fish and wildlife species and their habitats, from the mountains of the Southern Blue Ridge to the marine habitats along the coast.” - Richard B. Hamilton, Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Comm
Teaming With Wildlife Brochure
Click here to view the Teaming with Wildlife Brochure. Please note this is a large file, and may take some time to download. |
