Teaming With Wildlife: Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program

Climate Change and Wildlife Funding

Several pending bills to address global climate change include funding for the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program in order to help fish and wildlife agencies protect fish and wildlife and their habitats as they are affected by global warming. These bills would provide funding from the auction of "credits" for allowable emissions of global warming pollution. Because this funding is based on new revenues, it would not increase the federal deficit and would not come at the expense of other federal funding. Depending on how the program would be structured, it would generate from $500 million to more than $1 billion for wildlife conservation.

Wildlife Imperiled by Our Warming Climate

A growing body of research is sounding alarm bells as already-diminished wildlife populations are further imperiled by our changing climate. While specific impacts remain uncertain, the state wildlife action plans can help us mitigate existing stresses on wildlife populations so they're healthy and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

• Materials from the Climate Change Plenary at the Association's 2007 Meeting (weblink)
• Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America, The Wildlife Society, Technical Report 04-2, 2004 (.pdf, 623 KB)
• Global Warming and Wildlife Fact Sheet (.pdf, 77 KB, from NWF)
• State-by-state fact sheets on climate change & wildlife (via National Wildlife Federation)
• State fact sheets from the Birdwatcher's Guide to Global Warming (American Bird Conservancy)
• United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (weblink)

Growing Momentum in Congress

Seven climate change bills (listed at right) already include funding for the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program and another four mention wildlife funding needs in some way. Through a coalition sign-on letter and organization testimony, we're working to ensure funding for the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program is included in any climate legislation passed by Congress. Please urge your Members of Congress to support wildlife funding in any climate change legislation they consider!

• Letter from America's state fish and wildlife agencies to the Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector & Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection (.pdf, 58 KB)
• Letter from 375 conservation groups asking that wildlife funding be included in any global warming legislation, September 26, 2006 (.pdf, 63 KB)

Act Now!

Support Wildlife Funding in Lieberman-Warner Legislation!

On December 5, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the  Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S.2191), including provisions that would provide substantial dedicated funding to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program. Thanks to hard work by many members of the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, including a letter signed by 214 organizations, as much as $3 billion/year could go to state fish and wildlife agencies, via the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program, for activities to assist fish and wildlife species impacted by climate change. We'll need your help again to ensure these provisions survive on the Senate floor.

• Coalition Letter Signed by 214 Organizations Supporting the Wildlife Funding Provisions in Lieberman-Warner (.pdf, 167 KB)
• Press Release from Several Teaming with Wildlife Groups Praising Lieberman-Warner Wildlife Provisions
• Teaming with Wildlife Letter Thanking Senators Lieberman & Warner (.pdf, 81 KB)
• Letter of Support from 29 Sportsmen's Organizations (.pdf, 52 KB)
• National Wildlife Federation Analysis of the Lieberman Warner Bill (.pdf, 76 KB)
• Sign on to National Wildlife Federation's related letters for:
  • Sportsmen's organizations (weblink)
  • Individual scientists (weblink)

In Action

Senator Feinstein Awarded for Wildlife Funding in Climate Bill

On June 25th, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was presented with an award from the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition for her leadership in championing federal funding for fish and wildlife in the Electric Utility Cap and Trade Act of 2007 (S. 317) . This bill recognizes that fish and wildlife face a mounting threat from climate change and provides state fish and wildlife agencies with funding to create healthier, more robust wildlife populations and habitats that will be better able to adapt to climate change as an additional stress. (more…)