Contact: John Bradley, North Dakota Wildlife Federation, 701-390-7196, contact.ndwf@gmail.com
Bismarck (July 20, 2021) — New bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate will fund locally-led efforts to help prevent extinctions and help wildlife thrive nationwide. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will send approximately $14.3 million to North Dakota each year, which North Dakota Game & Fish will use to help the species of most concern in North Dakota, such as the Piping Plover, Western Meadowlark, and other non-game species.
“We are facing a looming wildlife crisis. This commonsense, bipartisan bill will allow us to get ahead of the problem by stepping in to help at-risk wildlife early with collaborative, voluntary measures,” said David DeWald. “This will create jobs restoring native grasslands, benefiting numerous at-risk bird species like the Western Meadowlark.” The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was just introduced in the Senate by Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) introduced a similar version of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in the House in April.
“The historic, bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is by far the most important piece of wildlife legislation in the past half century,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “At a time when more than one-third of wildlife species are at heightened risk of extinction, this critical legislation will help recover thousands of at-risk species through proactive, collaborative efforts in every state, territory, and Tribal nation, creating jobs while preventing extinctions. We applaud the incredible bipartisan leadership of Senator Heinrich and Senator Blunt, and their House partners Rep. Dingell and Rep. Fortenberry, who are all demonstrating once again that wildlife conservation can unite all Americans.”
Nationwide, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act dedicates $1.4 billion annually to locally-led wildlife restoration efforts, with most of the money going to wildlife agencies like North Dakota Game & Fish who will use the money to implement existing plans for at-risk wildlife. At least 15 percent of the funds will be used to help species that are already considered endangered or threatened. Tribal Nations, such as the Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes), would share $97.5 million annually to fund wildlife conservation efforts on the tens of millions of acres under Tribal management nationwide.
+++
The North Dakota Wildlife Federation is the state’s oldest conservation group. Advocating for the conservation of wildlife, habitat and access for North Dakota’s hunters, anglers and other outdoor users.
+++
The National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly-changing world.