Representative Saxton Awarded for Efforts to Help Conserve Wildlife
March 9, 2007
During
a three-day (February 27 and March 1) "Fly-In" event in Washington,
DC, more than 150 Teaming
with Wildlife conservation leaders from 42 states met with
their lawmakers to inform them about the State Wildlife Grants
Program. It is the only program that provides funding to each
state to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. Teaming with
Wildlife includes representatives from state fish and wildlife
agencies and dozens of other conservation organizations, ranging
from environmental and hunting and fishing groups to wildlife-based
businesses
The immediate goal was to seek support from Congressional delegations
to increase State Wildlife Grant Program funding in the President's
proposed budget from $69.5 million to $85 million and to stress
how important it is to invest in the state Wildlife
Action Plans now, before wildlife and natural areas become
more rare and more costly to protect.
A key supporter of the grants program has been Representative
Jim Saxton (3rd Dist.). During the event, Rep. Saxton, along
with other members of Congress, were recognized for their efforts
by the Association
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA).
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Representative
Jim Saxton (R-NJ) with award for exceptional leadership in championing
federal funding for the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Pictured: Front Row: Paulette Nelson, DFW; Representative Jim
Saxton; Pola Golie, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ; and Dave
Chanda, Director, DFW. Back Row: Rob Winkel, NJ State Federation
of Sportsmen's Clubs; Ed Parker, President, Association of Fish
& Wildlife Agencies and Chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources
for the Connecticut DEP; Jeff Crane, President, Congressional
Sportsmen's Foundation; and Eric Stiles, NJ Audubon. Click
for larger image |
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Below is the text of a news release issued by the AFWA.
REP. SAXTON AWARDED FOR EFFORTS TO HELP CONSERVE
WILDLIFE
Congressional leaders presented with awards during event to highlight
State Wildlife Grants
WASHINGTON,
DC (March 2, 2007) - This week, Representative Jim Saxton
(R - NJ) was presented an award for his leadership in championing
federal funding for state-based wildlife conservation under the
State Wildlife Grants Program. The award recognizes his role in
leading an effort to secure greater funding for the State Wildlife
Grants Program, which remains our nation's core program for preventing
wildlife from becoming endangered in every state. The award was
presented at a breakfast this morning sponsored by Teaming with
Wildlife Coalition and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.
"Wildlife habitat up and down the coasts have been disappearing
at an alarming rate over the last 10 years," said Saxton, whose
New Jersey district includes nearly 30 miles of barrier islands,
three large bays, a National Wildlife Refuge and a half-million
acres of federally-protected Pinelands. "Overdevelopment is
a problem everywhere along the Jersey Shore. State and federal
cooperative efforts to preserve wildlife habitat areas are a
good way to stabilize or increase species populations. It's
easier and effective and far less expensive to prevent a species
from declining than to attempt a last-ditch effort to bring
them back from the brink of extinction. Land preservation not
only helps wildlife, it helps curb development and creates open
space for people, too."
Representative Saxton and other members of Congress were honored
during the Teaming with Wildlife Fly-In Days, an annual event
held by the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition to educate Congress
about the State Wildlife Grants Program. Each was honored for
their "exceptional leadership in advocating state wildlife conservation
funding" and "commitment to America's wildlife (that) will leave
a lasting legacy for generations to come."
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During the three-day "Fly-In" event, more than 150 conservation leaders
from 42 states, including representatives from state fish and wildlife
agencies and dozens of other conservation organizations, ranging from
environmental and hunting and fishing groups to wildlife-based businesses
met with their lawmakers to inform them about the State Wildlife Grants
Program. Teaming with Wildlife, a national coalition of 5,000 conservation-minded
organizations and businesses, works to prevent wildlife from becoming
endangered by supporting increased state and federal funding for wildlife
conservation.
"State agencies leverage State Wildlife Grants funding to help restore
habitat, reintroduce wildlife, and work with private landowners to
help keep wildlife from declining,´ said Ed Parker, president of the
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Bureau Chief of the
Bureau of Natural Resources for the Connecticut Dept. of Environmental
Protection. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is the
perfect adage for this program. This is a wise use of taxpayer dollars
that delivers on-the-ground results for wildlife."
The State Wildlife Grants Program provides federal money to every
state and territory for cost-effective conservation aimed at preventing
wildlife from becoming endangered. This program continues the long
history of cooperation between the federal government and the states
for managing and conserving wildlife. Funds appropriated under the
State Wildlife Grants Program are allocated to every state according
to a formula based on each state's size and population.
The President's Budget is calling for $69.5 million in 2008 for
State Wildlife Grants, an increase from last year's final appropriation
of $67.5 million, but the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition feels this
number remains well below the amount it will take to conserve the
nation's wildlife and their habitats. The coalition has called for
$85 million, recognizing that this also is too low. Already, the coalition
is working to help wildlife agencies secure additional funding through
several recently-introduced climate change bills. These bills would,
in part, fund the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program of
the Pittman-Robertson Act.
"Sportsmen have always been leaders in conserving wildlife in America,"
says Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation President, Jeff Crane. "Working
with our allies in the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, we are proud
of the funding that the State Wildlife Grants Program has received,
and I hope that this year, the program expands to do even more good
for wildlife conservation."
Despite historical successes in bringing many wildlife species back
from the brink of extinction, other species have continued to decline
as evidenced by the staggering numbers listed under the federal Endangered
Species Act. State hunting and fishing license dollars, federal excise
taxes on hunting and fishing gear, and motorboat fuel taxes have provided
the backbone for funding the nation's state wildlife conservation
programs over the past century. However, there has always been a gap
in funding for species that are not hunted or fished. State Wildlife
Grants has provided state fish and wildlife agencies with the resources
they critically need to fill that gap.
To lean more about the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, visit www.teaming.com
and www.wildlifeactionplans.org.
# # #
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies-the organization that
represents all of North America's fish and wildlife agencies-promotes
sound management and conservation, and speaks with a unified voice on
important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org.
PDF
version of above news release (pdf, 35kb)
AFWA
awards ceremony news release
New Jersey's
Wildlife Action Plan
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