Archived Teaming with Wildlife Updates
August 4, 2009 - Senator Johnson Awarded for His Leadership in Helping to Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Endangered
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.
Photo (l-r): Mark Humpert, AFWA Wildlife Diversity Director; Matt Hogan, AFWA Executive Director; Senator Tim Johnson; representing the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition --Laura Bies, Director of Government Affairs, The Wildlife Society; Derek Brockbank, Conservation Funding Campaign Director, National Wildlife Federation
May 20, 2009 Update - $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 50 states, 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.
May 8, 2009 -
The Teaming With Wildlife Act
(S655), sponsored by Senator Tim Johnson (SD) recently added
Senator Klobuchar (MN) and Senator Merkley (OR) as co-sponsors.
The Teaming With Wildlife Act would provide state fish and
wildlife agencies and their partners with $350 million from 2012
to 2016 to implement State Wildlife Action Plans which are
designed to prevent future endangered species listings. If you
would like to help, contact the Senator in your state and ask them
to consider co-sponsoring.
Co-sponsors of TWW Act (S655)
Sen Klobuchar, Amy
Sen Merkley, Jeff [OR]
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI]
Sen Tester, Jon [MT]
Sen Thune, John [SD
5/7/09 The President just released his detailed budget and we have great news to share. The president has requested an additional $40 million in budget authority for State Wildlife Grants in FY10. Of that amount, $30 million in new funding is “proposed for incorporating strategies to address the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife into State Wildlife Action Plans. The new funds will also support fish and wildlife climate change related adaptation actions included in the state plans”. I’m headed to a budget briefing at Interior shortly, but wanted to get this out to you as soon as possible. The full budget appendix is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Appendix/.
4/04/09 Staff from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies are meeting with Senate and House Appropriations staff to discuss the need for increased funding for State Wildlife Grants in FY10. President Barack Obama will be releasing his budget on Thursday and we’ll find out then how much the administration included in its 2010 budget for the State Wildlife Grants program. Check back here for more information later in the week.
4/04/09 The National Wildlife Federation along with its partners is sponsoring a National Call-in Day on May 8th to inform members of the House of Representatives of the need for natural resources adaptation funding in proposed climate change legislation. To participate, call the House switchboard at 202-225-3121 and ask to speak with your Member. Ask him or her to support climate legislation that includes dedicated funding for natural resources. More…
