Insights

By Don Young, Executive Vice President
The Chance We've Been Waiting For

If you believe what you read in the newspapers, conservation opportunities abound in Washington, D.C., right now. In this final year of the president's second term, requests have gone to congress to increase spending on a range of programs that would be beneficial to wetlands and wildlife. Additional funding has been requested and bills are pending in congress that call for expanding the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetland Reserve Program.

There is also support for portions of a new conservation initiative to assist state wildlife agencies and acquire conservation/recreation lands.

The funding request has also increased significantly for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). You may recall that NAWCA is the enabling legislation providing federal funding that Ducks Unlimited matches to deliver conservation initiatives in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is a program that DU has supported since its inception. NAWCA has been enormously successful and is long overdue for a requested funding increase. But these opportunities aren't reason to celebrate, at least not yet. In fact, they create a serious challenge to us as conservationists.

Many government programs are worthy, but there's never enough money to fund them all, at least not completely. So here's where we as conservationists can help guide our elected officials in Washington; in fact, we must help them deliberate their funding decisions. When we've sought increases for priorities to benefit wetlands and wildlife, successes have always been achieved through hard work.

Both DU members like you and DU staff have contacted congress to say that funding waterfowl conservation is a priority for us, our families, and friends. Given the administration's support for an increase, never have we had a better chance to reap the benefits of supporting NAWCA funding. I would urge every DU member to write their congressmen at U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515.

Tell them you support a funding increase for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and that you would also like them to support that increase. Click Here to find draft letters that you can use to send to your elected officials. Remember, this is a great opportunity to ensure long-term wetland habitat protection. Let's not waste it.

"Given the administration's support for an increase, never have we had a better chance to reap the benefits of supporting NAWCA funding."