House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee Proposes Cuts to Grant Programs

House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee Proposes Cuts to Grant Programs.

Last month the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee proposed eliminating funding for the following popular and highly successful grant programs for next fiscal year:

·         State & Tribal Wildlife Grants Program

·         North American Wetland Conservation Fund

·         Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund

·         Forest Legacy Program

·         Land and Water Conservation Fund

These programs have conserved some of our nation’s rarest and most cherished fish and wildlife, restored vital wetlands and protected priority forests, grasslands, coasts  and other important habitats. Complete elimination of funding for these programs is unprecedented.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Associations (AFWA) has drafted a letter (read below) in support of these programs that calls for funding to be restored for FY2014, which is set to begin on October 1. 

Dear Senators Reed and Murkowski and Congressmen Simpson and Moran:

On behalf of the millions of outdoor recreationists our organizations represent, we wish to express our support for the State & Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, North American Wetland Conservation Fund, Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund, Forest Legacy Program and Land and Water Conservation Fund. We are concerned that the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee proposed to eliminate funding for these successful and important fish and wildlife conservation programs next fiscal year. Elimination of funding will have significant impacts to collaborative on-the-ground conservation in communities nationwide resulting in more federal endangered species listings, fewer restored wetlands, further imperiled migratory birds, less protection for forests and other key habitats and diminished outdoor recreation opportunities.

We appreciate the need to reduce the size of the federal deficit and the difficult choices that you face. However, these programs are priorities and we believe they have done their fair share to help balance the budget after being cut by more than 25% in the last several years. Continued disproportionate cuts in the current budget under consideration will further rollback conservation work that serves the national interests of fish and wildlife conservation, creation of non-exportable jobs and delivery of essential services such as clean water and air and storm protection to current and future generations

Investments in natural resources conservation and outdoor recreation total less than 1% of all discretionary spending, a percentage that has been declining for decades. Grant programs represent an even smaller percentage of this total but are unique in that they leverage hundreds of millions in state, local and private dollars.  According to the US Census Bureau, 90 million US residents participate in fish and wildlife recreation, spending over $150 billion annually. Federal grant programs help ensure these consumers have sustainable fish and wildlife populations to view, hunt and fish.

We strongly encourage you to work in a bipartisan manner to find solutions to the budget problem that do not further harm successful and publicly supported conservation grant programs that help fuel the outdoor recreation economic engine.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,