Blog: Landmark Wildlife Conservation Legislation Reaches Essential Milestone

On Thursday, December 5, 2019, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) was voted out of the House Natural Resources Committee and referred to the full House by a strong, bipartisan vote of 26-6! This is an important milestone for this crucial bill that would dedicate $1.3 billion annually to state-led wildlife conservation efforts and $97.5 million for tribal nations. We are proud to share in the success of a bill that, if made into law, would be the most significant investment in wildlife conservation in over 30 years. The bill now heads to the full House.

We’re thankful for our community, who came together to reach out to members of this committee in Arizona, California, and Utah. In particular, thank you to everyone who responded to the action alert we posted on the HECHO Facebook page to reach out to House Natural Committee Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva and Representative Ruben Gallego, thanking them for their co-sponsorship of and leadership on the bill, and, importantly, urging them to vote yes. Our action alert also encouraged the HECHO advocates to call and ask Representative Paul Gosar, who is also on the committee but not yet a cosponsor, to vote yes on the bill.

Thank you to our network in California, where HECHO partnered with a local leader in the HECHO network to reach out to Representative Cook, who was one of seven Republicans who voted YES!

Finally, thank you to HECHO’s own Advisory Board Members, Rebecca Chavez-Houck and Utah State Representative Mark Archuleta Wheatley, who on HECHO’s behalf, sent letters to House Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member Bishop and Representative Curtis, urging them to vote YES on the bill to get it out of committee.

sonoran pronghorn

If you would like to help advocate for RAWA, there is still much to do. We are still seeking Congressional co-sponsors on the bill in all states. HECHO is focusing in the southwestern states, so please contact us and let us know what Congressional district you are in and we will let you know how you can help!

About RAWA: Here in the United States, one-third of all wildlife species are at risk-- species like the Apache trout, the Sonoran Pronghorn, and the Pinyon jay.  Through State Wildlife Action Plans, each state wildlife agency has identified species that are imperiled, and with proactive conservation actions these agencies could help recover these species. In the United States, more than 12,000 species have been identified for conservation efforts, and the list includes species of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, bumblebees, bats, and freshwater mussels-- all at risk. 

To help solve this issue, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would dedicate $1.3 billion annually to state led wildlife conservation efforts and $97.5 million for tribal nations. RAWA will help wildlife before their circumstances become more dire, while also seeking to recover species that are already listed as threatened or endangered. If passed by Congress, RAWA would empower states to take the necessary precautions to protect and preserve species that are vulnerable to extinction.

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