Senator Johnson Awarded for His Leadership in Helping to Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Endangered

August 4, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today was honored by the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for championing federal funding for state-based wildlife conservation as part of the Teaming With Wildlife Act, which he introduced in March 2009.

The award recognizes the Senator’s leadership in supporting legislation to establish a first-of-its-kind funding program to help state fish and wildlife agencies further move their State Wildlife Action Plans into on-the-ground action to prevent at risk wildlife from becoming endangered nationwide.

"I am honored to receive this award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,” Johnson said. “South Dakota has a deep history of appreciation for the outdoors and that’s why I introduced important legislation that will help preserve our wildlife.”

As introduced by Senator Johnson, the Teaming With Wildlife Act would provide $350 million annually over five years through a portion of the royalties collected from Outer Continental Shelf drilling and mineral development on federal land to help state agencies carry out their State Wildlife Action Plans, the primary, comprehensive conservation tool adopted in every state and territory to keep fish and wildlife healthy and off the list of threatened and endangered species.

“We are grateful to Senator Johnson for recognizing that taking action to conserve wildlife before it becomes endangered is environmentally sound and fiscally responsible to taxpayers, said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Once a species declines to the point of potential extinction, recovery efforts become risky and expensive. The Teaming With Wildlife Act is a major milestone in the effort to secure dedicated funding essential for state agencies’ fish and wildlife conservation efforts.”

In addition to state fish and wildlife agencies, the Teaming With Wildlife Act has the active support of the 6,100-member Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, which is the largest and most diverse wildlife conservation alliance ever assembled in the U.S. representing millions of birdwatchers, hikers, anglers, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and conservation professionals.

To lean more about Teaming With Wildlife and State Wildlife Action Plans, visit www.teaming.com and www.wildlifeactionplans.org.

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Smaller Increase for State Wildlife Grants for FY10

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $5 million dollar increase for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program in FY10. The full House previously approved a $40 million dollar increase and a reduction in state match requirement from 50:50 to 75:25.

Since it’s unlikely an increase would be agreed to on the Senate floor, we will be working with members of a conference committee to secure funding in final legislation that reflects the president’s and House of Representatives request and for a reduction in state match.

Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Mark-up Today

The Senate Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will mark-up it's bill today. This bill will include proposed funding for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants for FY10. For those states with members of the subcommitttee (list below), please send a quick email/phone message and ask your member to support $115M for state wildlife grants (increase of $40M to help combat climate change) and to reduce the match requirement for implementation projects to 75:25 (reduction in match is needed because the economic crisis has signigicantly reduced the ability of many states to provide matching funds). Thanks.


Democratic Subcommittee Members:
Senator Dianne Feinstein (Chairman) (CA)
Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV)
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
Senator Byron Dorgan (ND)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Senator Herb Kohl (WI)
Senator Tim Johnson (SD)
Senator Jack Reed (RI)
Senator Ben Nelson (NE)
Senator Jon Tester (MT)


Republican Subcommittee Members:
Senator Lamar Alexander (Ranking) (TN)
Senator Thad Cochran (MS)
Senator Robert Bennett (UT)
Senator Judd Gregg (NH)
Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Senator Susan Collins (ME)
Senator George Voinovich (OH)

Supporter Spotlight!

Teaming with Wildlife would like to Shine the Supporter Spotlight on Wild Virginia a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to preserving wild forest ecosystems in Virginia's National Forests.

Wild Virginia
P.O. Box 1065
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 971-1553
http://www.wildvirginia.org/

New Supporters for the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition!

The following groups joined the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition on 6/18/09.

National Parks Conservation Association-California, CA
The Nature Conservancy-California, CA
EcoLogic Landscape Design, Inc., FL
Pandion Systems, Inc., FL
SaltwaterNOW, FL
Wildwood Preservation Society, FL
Wild Virginia, VA

Energy and Commerce panel passes cap-and-trade bill, 33-25

The House Energy Commerce Committee voted 33-25 on May 21, 2009 to pass sweeping legislation that would overhaul U.S. energy and global warming policy. Democrats largely held together in support of the 946-page bill shaped over several months of closed-door negotiations and nearly 40 hours of debate this week. Only one Republican supported the bill, as GOP opponents unified against the measure, insisting it was a costly and unattainable measure to be pushing in a tight economy.

$61 Million in State Wildlife Grants Will Help State Fish and Wildlife Agencies Conserve Species and Habitats at Greatest Risk of Becoming Endangered

More than $61 million will be distributed to the fish and wildlife agencies of the 50states, commonwealths, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories to help conserve and recover imperiled fish and wildlife species through the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Competitive Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday.

The State Wildlife Grants Program provides federal dollars to every state and territory to support the development and implementation of their unique State Wildlife Action Plans, which assess the health of each state’s wildlife and habitats, identify the problems they face and outline the actions needed to conserve them over the long term to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered.

“The State Wildlife Grant program exemplifies the Department of the Interior’s strong support for conservation efforts by the states,” said Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. “Along with President Obama’s commitment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the State Wildlife Grants will provide states critical funding to help conserve their highest priority wildlife, plants and habitat.”

“State and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have a long history of success in conserving game species, thanks to the support of hunter and angler license fees and federal excise taxes; but 90 percent of our nation’s wildlife—tens of thousands of species—is neither hunted nor fished,” said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “State Wildlife Grants help to partially fill the gap in conservation funding by supporting projects that prevent all wildlife from declining to the point of being endangered.”

Projects supported by State Wildlife Grants protect and restore important lands and waters; collect information on what kinds of wildlife are in trouble; and facilitate partnerships with landowners to protect declining species and habitats on public and private lands. Priority for use of grant funds is placed on those species and habitats with the greatest conservation need.

“By emphasizing a proactive approach, the State Wildlife Grants Program supports states and territories in their efforts to conserve wildlife and habitats before they become more rare, risky and costly to protect,” said Mark Humpert, Teaming With Wildlife Director at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The 6,000-member Teaming With Wildlife coalition, made up of organizations and businesses, strongly supports increased State Wildlife Grant funding for wildlife conservation, education and nature-based recreation.

Congress created the State Wildlife Grants Program in FY2002, funded from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Funds appropriated under the program are allocated to each state and other eligible jurisdictions according to a formula based on land area and population. Since the program’s inception, Congress has distributed more than $500 million for conservation work on state and private lands.

For more information about State Wildlife Action Plans and to read an accomplishments report, visit www.wildlifeactionplans.org.

To view the State Wildlife Grant allocations for each state, go to http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SWG/SWG09Apportionment.pdf.