Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), the most significant investment in wildlife and habitat conservation in a generation. This bipartisan legislation will help promote and enhance our nation’s conservation efforts and ensure the long-term health of fish and wildlife throughout the country.
Our nation is currently facing an unprecedented loss of wildlife. Bird populations have declined almost 30% in the U.S. since 1970, over 40% of our freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, and state agencies have identified over 12,000 species of fish and wildlife across the nation – and over 400 in Wisconsin –in need of conservation assistance. RAWA would dedicate nearly $1.4 billion in support to the Wildlife Conservation Restoration Program for proactive efforts led by the states, territories, and Tribal nations to prevent vulnerable wildlife from becoming endangered.
“Wisconsin is home to unparalleled natural beauty and incredible diversity of wildlife. We need to make sure it stays like that for generations to come,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Today, I was proud to vote for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act to bring over $18.4 million to Wisconsin to support wildlife and habitat conservation efforts, boost our outdoor economy, and protect our environmental heritage.”
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would:
- Fund conservation efforts for more than 12,000 species of wildlife and plants in need of assistance by providing $1.3 billion in dedicated annual funding for proactive, on-the-ground efforts in every state and territory, including $18.4 million for Wisconsin
- Boost our outdoor economy which generates $17.9 billion in consumer spending and 168,000 jobs each year in Wisconsin. Nationwide, our outdoor economy supports over 7.6 million jobs and is fueled by more than 100 million American wildlife enthusiasts, hunters, anglers, birders, and hikers.
- Accelerate the recovery of 1,600 U.S. species already listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
- Ensure wildlife recovery efforts will be guided by the Congressionally-mandated State Wildlife Action Plans, which identify specific strategies to restore the populations of species of greatest conservation need.
- Provide Tribal nations $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts on roughly 140 million acres of land.
- Include improvements to ensure funds are appropriately targeted to the areas of greatest need and facilitate additional investments in protecting at-risk plant species.
