As the second session of the 111th Congress dawns, prospects for protecting wetlands through legislation are beginning to dim... While a bill to restore wetland protections that were lost in 2001 and 2006—the
Clean Water Restoration Act—passed a Senate committee in June, there is unlikely to be a floor vote or a companion bill in the House before the end of the term.
Restoring these protections has become a hot-button issue, as opponents of the bill have effectively used scare tactics and fear mongering to put the brakes on what is now seen as a very controversial bill—even though all it would do is restore wetland regulations to their 2001 status. However, after a bitter and divisive vote on health care, even traditional supporters of waterfowl habitat are shying away from further 
controversy as the 2010 elections near.
While the prospects are not promising for this year, there is still a lot you can do to make sure wetland protections stay on Congress's radar:
- Visit your members of Congress while they are home: Congress does not come back into session until later in January, so many members of Congress are in their home state and districts, and are likely available for a meeting. Find contact information at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
- Take action for wetland protections: Visit DU's Clean Water Action Center and find sample letters to the editor to send to your local newspaper and sample e-mails to send to your members of Congress. Tell them you support protecting the wetlands that matter to you as a duck hunter and conservationist.