America’s Natural Resource Professionals Commend Passage of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

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June 14, 2022 – Today, fisheries and wildlife professionals from across the United States are celebrating the bipartisan House passage of groundbreaking legislation to conserve our nation’s fish and wildlife.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 2773), introduced by Representatives Debbie Dingell and supported by over 230 Representatives, will secure nearly $1.4 billion in funding annually for states and tribes to conserve the nation’s at-risk species. For species that have already reached the point of endangerment, the proposal also provides much-needed funds to guide species successfully through the Endangered Species Act recovery and delisting process.

“This legislation will enable proactive conservation of all fish and wildlife species with a focus on precluding population declines,” said Gordon R. Batcheller, President of The Wildlife Society. “Thanks to bipartisan leadership in the House of Representatives, we are one step closer to ensuring that state and tribal natural resource professionals are empowered with the tools needed to conserve the full richness of fish and wildlife diversity.”

The House’s action follows recent movement in the Senate, where the legislation was passed out of committee earlier this year. The Senate companion bill (S. 2372) enjoys broad bipartisan support from over 35 Senators and is awaiting floor action.

“After almost two decades of working on this legislation with our partners in the science, conservation, and outdoors communities, we are ecstatic to see this historic bill pass in the House of Representatives,” said Leanne Roulson, President of the American Fisheries Society. “I’ve seen firsthand how effective conservation efforts for imperiled species can be, as long as states and tribes have the resources they need to be proactive. This bill promises to be a turning point for fish and wildlife, especially for the 40% of freshwater species already at risk.”

State fish and wildlife agencies have identified 12,000 species at-risk of becoming threatened or endangered through detailed, proactive conservation blueprints known as State Wildlife Action Plans. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will enable states to fully implement these plans, and provide tribes with the funds needed to undertake similar planning efforts. To learn more about TWS’ and AFS’ efforts on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, check out the Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis report, a collaboration between TWS, AFS, and the National Wildlife Federation. 

Contact: Caroline Murphy (cmurphy@wildlife.org), Drue Banta Winters (dwinters@fisheries.org)

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Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science society. The AFS mission is to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals. With its renowned journals, books and conferences, AFS is the leading source of fisheries science and management information in North America and around the world.

Founded in 1937, TWS and its network of affiliated chapters and sections represent more than 15,000 professional wildlife biologists, managers, and educators dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. TWS’ mission is to inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitat through science-based management and conservation.