Audubon Applauds Advance of Wildlife Recovery Bill by House Committee
Bipartisan legislation will benefit birds, other wildlife, and communities
WASHINGTON (December 5, 2019) – The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted today to advance the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2019 (RAWA). Co-sponsored by a growing bipartisan list of Members of Congress, RAWA would provide a dedicated $1.3 billion for states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and $97.5 million to tribes, to implement wildlife conservation plans.
“This is the kind of bipartisan conservation leadership we need from Congress to address a bird crisis,” said Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president for conservation policy, National Audubon Society. “Birds are quite literally the canary in the coal mine and their stark decline signals danger for all of us. By providing the funding states need now to protect vulnerable wildlife, including bird species like the Golden-Winged Warbler and Black Tern, we not only keep them off the Endangered Species List, but protect the resources all of us need to thrive.”
In October, Marnie Urso, policy director for Audubon Great Lakes testified in favor of RAWA to the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Birds need conservation action now more than ever. A recent study published in the journal Science paints a grave picture of population declines in the recent past, showing that North America has lost 3 billion birds since 1970. Audubon’s recent report, Survival By Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink, provides us with a stark choice for our future. Audubon scientists found that two-thirds of North American birds are threatened with extinction by climate change.
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About Audubon
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
Media Contact: Matt Smelser, matt.smelser@audubon.org, 202.516.559