RSS
˜ Ben Nelson
Nebraska’s Senator Supports Program Conserving 19,000 Nebraska Acres
Last month Congress passed the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to benefit Nebraska’s sportsmen by supporting local habitat conservation programs, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson said today.
NAWCA (S. 3617), co-sponsored by Senator Nelson, is an important piece of legislation that authorizes federal money to match donations from sportsmen, state wildlife agencies, conservationists and landowners which provide grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the benefit of wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wildlife.
“By working directly with the sportsmen’s community, we were able to target a highly cost-effective program that directly benefits wildlife and, ultimately, the quality of hunting,” said Nelson.
The recently passed version of the legislation authorizes $75 million a year for programs through 2012. Every $1 of federal money allotted to NAWCA must be matched by $1 or more from non-federal sources or state fish and wildlife agencies. Because this program is so effective, funds are often tripled or quadrupled at the local level.
Since 1990, more than $720 million in federal grants have helped to encourage $2.1 billion in contributions from others and more than 1,500 conservation projects have been funded involving more than 3,200 partners. The programs supported through NAWCA have led to the restoration and protection of more than 23 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat.
In Nebraska, 10 NAWCA projects have been approved since 1990. The projects have conserved more than 19,000 acres of wetlands. NAWCA has enjoyed similar success throughout the country.
Senator Nelson is co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, a bi-partisan group of more than 300 members of Congress standing up for wildlife, conservation and the nation’s 38 million hunters, anglers and trappers.
###
Search: Environment, Sportsmens Caucus, Press