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U.S. Congress looks to Canada to enhance successful wetlands conservation program
Oak Hammock Marsh, Man., September 25, 2009 – Proposed U.S. legislation for the expansion of the popular North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) will seek to open the door for Canadian sources to match U.S. funding for waterfowl conservation projects north of the border.
“The U.S. legislation seeks to allow up to 50 per cent of the non-federal portion of wetlands conservation projects in Canada to be funded by Canadian conservation supporters,” said Jeff Nelson, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s CEO and Executive Vice President. “This is great news for Canada. If enacted, this legislation will encourage Canada’s conservation community to add to our role in helping conserve Canada’s key habitats for the benefit of North American waterfowl populations.”
Since 1989, more than 1,600 NAWCA projects have conserved more than 25 million acres of habitat across North America. Each project requires at least a 1:1 match for each dollar from the U.S. federal government – however, the projects often attract 2-3 times that from conservationists, local governments, and others. Over $1 billion in federal grants have been allocated for NAWCA projects – a figure that has leveraged an additional $3 billion from matching and non-matching funds.
“This opens up a whole new funding mechanism for a wetland conservation program that was previously only shouldered by U.S. conservation interests,” said Nelson. “We believe the increased input of Canadian conservation supporters will prove invaluable toward this great program.”
According to Nelson, two-thirds of the Prairie Pothole Region lies in Canada and on average 71 per cent of prairie ducks settled there from 1955-2007. While this year the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region has been very productive, there is simply not enough habitat in the United States to support all the ducks even if conditions there remain good.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. Director of the Governmental Affairs Office Scott Sutherland presented testimony to the House Resources Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, supporting the bill from Congressman Robert Wittman (Va.). Wittman is a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission – the panel that reviews and approves NAWCA projects- and introduced the bill to ensure that the local money that Canadian partners are currently raising can be counted towards the required matching funds.
“NAWCA continues to be one of the great success stories for conservation, and by enhancing the program to allow investment from Canadian sources that success can continue,” said Sutherland before the hearing. “Allowing Canadian funds to match the federal grants will help continue NAWCA projects to be matched by an average of $2 for every dollar from the U.S. government.”
For more information, contact:
Duncan Morrison,
d_morrison@ducks.ca
National Marketing and Communications
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: 204-467-3202
