 MO Teaming With Wildlife Leaders visit Washington, D.C., Share the need for increased conservation funding!
As part of the 8th Annual Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In Day, more than 100 conservation leaders from over 30 states met with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of new and greater funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered through the State Wildlife Grants program. Missouri was represented by Amy Buechler (Conservation Federation of Missouri), Tim Ripperger and Gene Gardner (Missouri Department of Conservation), Justin Johnson (Missouri Prairie Foundation) and Rick Thom (Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation).
We urged our Members of Congress to:
1) Sign on to a letter of support restoring State Wildlife Grant funding to $85 million.
- The State Wildlife Grants Program provides federal money to every state and territory for cost-effective conservation aimed at preventing wildlife from becoming endangered. Because this funding is annually appropriated, the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition must work each year to ensure that it remains in the budget.
- We expect that most, if not all, of our Missouri Members of Congress will sign on to this letter by the April 1 deadline. Congressman Ike Skelton (District 4) is the first to officially sign. As we approach the deadline, we may ask that you help by contacting your Members of Congress, encouraging them to sign on to this letter of support for the State Wildlife Grants Program.
2) Co-sponsor the Teaming With Wildlife Act of 2009 to provide increased and dedicated funding for wildlife conservation.
- The anticipated Teaming With Wildlife Act would provide $350M annually for six years through the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program to provide funding for fish, forest and wildlife conservation, education and outdoor recreation. If passed, these funds would replace the State Wildlife Grants program and bring significantly more funds to Missouri. Stay tuned for more information about how you can support this legislation!
3) Support wildlife adaptation funding in climate change legislation.
- We urge that any climate change legislation that passes should include funding for wildlife and natural resources conservation.
|
