The sound was unmistakable: high pitched but majestic at the same time, and coming from a tall tree on the edge of the lake I was fishing. As I watched the Bald Eagle take flight, I marveled at its impressive size and pondered the fact that it had become a common member of the local lake community. Bald Eagles are lucky: they were once endangered, but with the help of wildlife and conservation biologists they have come back to such an extent that we are beginning to take them for granted again. You could say that eagles have had very good Christmases lately, with lots of presents under the tree.
Not all species are so lucky, however. Many aren’t as beautiful as eagles, and there can only be one national symbol. Others aren’t game or fish species that humans enjoy hunting or catching. Some species are undervalued and ignored, yet many of them play important roles in our ecosystems, often by helping the charismatic and sport species in one way or another. In the past, there haven’t been many conservation presents for species like frogs, insects, plants, or even songbirds. Historically, we don’t give presents to species that aren’t endangered or that aren’t economically valuable to us.
This is a huge issue, as more than a third of the nation’s plants and animals are threatened with extinction, which has cascading effects on our ecosystems as well as outdoor recreation. Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, but that legislation has always been reactive rather than proactive. That is, the ESA helps species that are already endangered, as it did for Bald Eagles, American Alligators, and numerous other species, but does nothing to keep future species from becoming endangered in the first place. With your help, however, we can save these forgotten species, by putting a big present under the tree for wildlife this winter.
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would provide almost $1.4 billion a year for restoring wildlife populations across the country. RAWA passed the House in June on a bipartisan vote, and has numerous Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in the Senate. RAWA has a broad base of support in part because it appeals to hunters and anglers, many of which understand that all plants and animals are important to maintain healthy ecosystems. Additionally, wildlife-related recreation is a $140 billion industry, which creates a strong economic incentive to get the legislation passed. It is also cheaper to help animals and plant species before they become endangered, rather than after, which in the end could save taxpayer dollars.
RAWA helps solve two problems. Most wildlife conservation occurs at the state level, yet there is less money for those efforts than there used to be. About 80% of funding for state-led conservation comes from hunting and fishing license sales, in addition to federal taxes on the sales of guns, ammunition, and fishing equipment. Thus, most conservation in the United States has for too long rested almost completely on the backs of hunters and anglers. Backpackers, campers, and bird watchers do not have to buy licenses or pay extra taxes on their equipment. Hunters and anglers do, and all of that money goes to conservation. However, the number of hunters and anglers has unfortunately decreased over time, and with that decline, so have these critical financial resources. As those resources have declined, state agencies have had to cut conservation programs.
RAWA would help address this problem, and help states fully fund their conservation efforts. RAWA shifts some of the financial burden of conservation from hunters and anglers to all US citizens, which makes sense given we all benefit from a healthy environment.
Second, much of the money that states use for conservation goes to species that people like to hunt and fish, like deer, ducks, turkey, bass, and trout. When budget cuts occur, it is the non-game species programs that take the biggest hit. That means countless other species are left fending for themselves, many of which are threatened with extinction. RAWA would help this as well, by focusing funds on the species that are most endangered within each state, and which the states themselves have identified through their Wildlife Action Plans.
What can you do to help wrap up this present for wildlife? Write, call, or email your senators, and tell them to pass RAWA as soon as possible. The House has already put the bill in the box, all the Senate has to do is finish wrapping it up, and then the president can sign the gift tag. With bipartisan support, we can give wildlife a gift that will keep on giving, and make sure all species have presents under their tree this Christmas.
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