WASHINGTON, D.C. June 14, 2022 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA). This landmark legislation will provide $1.39 billion for states, territories and tribes to support proactive habitat restoration of species of greatest conservation concern across the U.S. The bill's spending would be guided by federally approved State Wildlife Action Plans, in which state wildlife agencies have identified 12,000 species in greatest need of conservation to date.

RAWA was introduced in the House by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Similar legislation awaits a vote in the Senate, where it has been introduced by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Roy Blunt (R-MO).

"RAWA follows a tried-and-true formula for proactive habitat conservation," said DU CEO Adam Putnam. "We've seen other programs, like the Pittman-Robertson Act, utilize this very same conservation methodology to great success. The end result will be healthier habitat that greatly benefits waterfowl and other wildlife, as well as generations of sportsmen and women to come. We thank our friends in the House of Representatives for prioritizing this landmark conservation legislation."

DU's Chief Operating Officer, Nick Wiley, previously served as Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). In 2015, AFWA created the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America's Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. The 28-member panel, co-chaired by Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris and former Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, identified the need for a more consistent, dedicated mechanism to fund state fish and wildlife agencies and recommended the creation of RAWA.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to Follow DUs Twitter feed @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Parker Williams
(202) 621-1646
pwilliams@ducks.org