PIERRE, S.D. — In a strong, bipartisan show of support for America's wildlife, 128 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 55 Senators (more than half) have signed letters urging a substantial increase in funding for wildlife conservation. The letters, addressed to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Interior Appropriations Committee in both the House and Senate, support a funding level of $85 million for the State Wildlife Grants Program in Fiscal Year 2006. Both Senator Tim Johnson and Senator John Thune signed the letter of support.
Last year, the State Wildlife Grants Program secured just under $70 million in funding. The President’s Fiscal Year 2005 budget proposed increasing the program to $74 million. This letter by Members of Congress recognizes the need is even greater by requesting $85 million.
Created by Congress in 2001, the State Wildlife Grants Program serves to start early, strategic investments to conserve wildlife and habitat. The program helps states recover declining wildlife, saving both wildlife and taxpayer dollars and reducing costs and conflicts over endangered species listings. A matching requirement leverages federal funding from state and private sources, often doubling the impact of every dollar of federal funding.
State Wildlife Grants funding has been a critical funding source for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department. This new funding source has allowed the agency to investigate the status of rare species and habitats and to better plan for nongame species management, all in an effort to help avoid future endangered species listings. For more information about South Dakota’s efforts to conserve rare species, visit the Wildlife Diversity Program’s website at:
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Diversity/index.htm"In a tight budget year, this bipartisan group of leaders is standing up for a program that really works." stated John Baughman, Executive Vice President of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. "These legislative leaders have demonstrated that they are true champions for America’s fish and wildlife."
The campaign for the letters was led by a bipartisan group of congressional leaders from across the nation. In the House of Representatives, the letter was led by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC). Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Senator John Warner (R-VA) led the Senate letter. The letter is also strongly supported by the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress who support hunting, fishing and conservation. This caucus, the largest in Congress, includes Representatives Thompson, Hayes, Kind and Saxton, and Senators Warner and Lincoln, along with many of the other supporters of the State Wildlife Grants letter.
The State Wildlife Grants program is supported by Teaming with Wildlife, a national coalition of more than 3000 groups representing sportsmen, environmentalists, wildlife management professionals and outdoor-related businesses. Teaming with Wildlife is spearheaded by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), the association representing North America’s fish and wildlife agencies. Teaming with Wildlife is driven by a steering committee of 13 organizations. They are:
 | The Nature Conservancy. |
| American Fisheries Society. |
| American Zoo and Aquarium Association. |
| Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. |
| National Wild Turkey Federation. |
| National Wildlife Federation. |
| Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. |
| Wildlife Conservation Society. |
| The Wildlife Society. |
| Wildlife Management Institute. |
Additional information on the State Wildlife Grants program and the Teaming with Wildlife campaign is available at
www.teaming.com.-GFP-
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