Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California
[email protected]
Statement: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is a big win for nature in California
Media Contacts
The bipartisan bill will allow state and tribal wildlife agencies to intervene before species become endangered
Environment California
The bipartisan bill will allow state and tribal wildlife agencies to intervene before species become endangered
WASHINGTON — Reps. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican from Nebraska, and Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, introduced the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act on Thursday. The bill which was cosponsored by California Representative Jared Huffman, earmarks $1.397 billion annually for state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as $97.5 million to tribes, to carry out wildlife conservation efforts such as remediating downstream barriers to steelhead trout entering California rivers. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified 1,121 species in need of conservation measures, including Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep and California condors.
Environment California State Director, Laura Deehan issued the following statement:
“There are 3 billion fewer birds in the skies in North American today than in 1970, and globally, one million species are at risk of extinction, according to the United Nations’ biodiversity conference. Wildlife continue to face old challenges like habitat loss and fragmentation, but species are increasingly dealing with newer threats like climate change and invasive species. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will give our wildlife a leg up.
“This act is exactly the kind of proactive legislation we must implement to help nature recover and thrive in the 21st century. It makes sense that this is a bipartisan effort because Republicans and Democrats all understand that it’s much harder to bring species back from the brink than it is to address their decline before things get out of hand.”
“We are blessed in this country with beautiful open spaces and iconic wildlife species that are the envy of the world. We have a responsibility to protect this brilliant inheritance and pass it on to the next generations. This bill is an important part of that effort.”
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Environment America is a national network of 29 state environmental groups. Our staff work together for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate. Our members across the United States put grassroots support behind our research and advocacy. Environment America is part of The Public Interest Network, which runs organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world, a set of core values, and a strategic approach to getting things done.
