Purpose: H.R. 2188 directs the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into Joint Ventures with other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and others to pursue migratory bird conservation projects. It also allocates funds to these joint ventures.
[teaserbreak]
Status: Passed in House of Representatives and referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Action: SUPPORT. Please contact your two U.S. Senators and urge them to support H.R. 2188. Tell your Senators that partnerships between the USFWS and local communities are vital to preserving bird populations.
Talking Points for your letter:
- Bird conservation is some of the most effective wildlife conservation, as the health and size of bird populations is often indicative of the health of the larger ecosystems in which they live.
- H.R. 2188 directs the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into Joint Ventures with other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and others to pursue migratory bird conservation projects. It also allocates funds to these joint ventures.
- H.R. 2188 helps to implement a number of laws that are already in place, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980. It is designed to encourage development of more effective and efficient methods of meeting the goals of these and other federal bills.
- The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has already been extremely successful in joint ventures to preserve bird habitats. This bill gives the USFWS authority to enter into these agreements and allocates funds specifically to joint ventures.
- This bill would have a negligible impact on the federal budget and impose no cost on taxpayers.
- Bird populations have been rapidly declining in the United States during the past 4 decades. However, when attempted, conservation efforts have been effective in restoring bird populations and ecosystem health.
- Joint ventures allow the USFWS to work with organizations and government agencies from other countries to engage in more widespread conservation efforts.