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Canada’s wetland conservation efforts receive great news from U.S. Senate
Passing of wetlands enhancement measure opens door for Canadian project funding
Oak Hammock Marsh, Man., March 10, 2010 — The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a bill to allow for funds raised in Canada to become eligible match for North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) projects funded for Canada. Previously, Canadian contributions did not count toward the required match for these projects.
“This is great news for Canada and is a major step toward expanding wetland conservation efforts across the country,” says Jeff Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). “This legislation will allow up to 50 per cent of the non-federal match for wetland conservation projects in Canada to be funded by Canadian conservation supporters.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in October. Now, with the passing of this bill by the Senate, the measure will go to President Obama in the coming days to be signed into law.
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 two to three times that from conservationists, local governments and other sources. 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.
Nelson says the increased support and engagement of our Canadian partners will prove invaluable toward assembling the funding necessary to conserve many more of Canada’s wetlands. Nelson also applauded the leadership of U.S. partners who supported this amendment, including Congressman Robert Wittman from Virginia who introduced the bill and all those who guided it through the process toward approval. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (NAWCC), which is the panel that administers the NAWCA program, deserve special credit for their support.
“The North American Wetlands Conservation Act continues to be one of the great success stories of conservation,” says Alan Wentz, Ducks Unlimited Senior Group Manager for Conservation who sits as a member on the NAWCC. “Enacting this bill will help foster future success.”
For more information, contact:
Duncan Morrison, d_morrison@ducks.ca
National Marketing and Communications
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: 204-467-3202
