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State Wildlife Grants Funding Alert |
In June the House of Representatives passed an FY10
Interior Appropriations bill that included a $40 million increase for the State
and Tribal Wildlife Grants and a reduction in the non-federal match requirement
from 50% to 25%. Last week the Senate passed a bill that included a $5 million
increase and no change in the match requirement. The two bills are now headed
to a conference committee.
State Wildlife Grants are the principal source of
funding dedicated to implement State Wildlife Action Plans in every state and
territory. Currently states receive an average of just over $1 million annually
per state and territory to implement conservation actions to conserve and
monitor more than 10,000 species known to be at risk. This level of funding is
inadequate for these congressionally-mandated plans.
We need your help to inform members of the Senate the
importance of the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. Please take a few
minutes to call members of the Senate in your state and ask them to
support State Wildlife Action Plan Implementation by increasing funding for the
State Wildlife Grants Program and by reducing the non-federal match requirement.
Senator Bond: 202-224-5721, ask to speak with or leave a message for Meagan Perry - Senator Bond's staff person on this issue
Senator McCaskill: 202-224-6154, ask to speak with or leave a message for Nichole DiStefano - Senator McCaskill's staff person on this issue
Suggested Talking
Points
1. The Obama administration recommended and the
House of Representatives approved $115 million for the State and Tribal Wildlife
Grants program in the FY10 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act (HR2996). The House also decreased the nonfederal match
requirement from 50% to 25% for implementation projects as a no cost way to aid
states during the economic downturn.
2. The Senate approved $80 million for the State
and Tribal Wildlife Grants in the FY10 Interior, Environment and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act. The Senate did not change the nonfederal
match requirement.
3. Please help to increase funding for the State
and Tribal Wildlife Grants program to a level that more closely matches the
House amount and reduce the non-federal match requirement to 25% for
implementation of congressionally-required State Wildlife Action
Plans.
4. Full implementation of State Wildlife Action
Plans are our best hope to recovering listed species and preventing more than
10,000 at-risk species from being listed in the future.
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