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More than 160 Members of Congress Take
a Stand For the Nation's Wildlife
April 20, 2004
For Immediate Release
Contact: Naomi Edelson 202-624-7890
In a strong, bipartisan show of support for America's wildlife, 111
members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 52 Senators -- a
fourth of the House and over half of the Senate -- have signed
letters to key congressional leaders urging a substantial increase
in funding for wildlife conservation through the State Wildlife
Grants Program.
The letters, to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Interior
Appropriations Committee in both the House and Senate, support a
funding level of $100 million for the State Wildlife Grants Program
in Fiscal Year 2005.
Last year the program secured $70 million in funding.
The President's Fiscal Year 2005 budget proposed increasing the
program to $80 million.
This letter by Members of Congress recognizes the need is even
greater by requesting an even greater increase.
Created by Congress in 2001, the State Wildlife Grants program is
the nation's core program for preventing wildlife from
becoming endangered in every state.
By making early, strategic investments to conserve wildlife and
habitat, the program helps states recover declining wildlife, saving
both wildlife and taxpayer dollars and reducing costs and conflicts
over endangered species listings.
A matching requirement leverages federal funding from state
and private sources, often doubling the impact of every dollar of
federal funding.
In its first few years, the program has already helped restore
degraded habitat, reintroduce native species,
and encourage the effective stewardship of private lands.
"We are extremely grateful to our Representatives and Senators
who have joined together in this strong show of support for wildlife
conservation. In a tight budget year, this bipartisan group of
leaders is standing up for a program that really works." stated
John Baughman, Executive Vice President of the International
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
"These legislative leaders have demonstrated that they are true
champions for America's fish and wildlife," he added.
The campaign for the letters was led by a bipartisan group of
Representatives and Senators.
In the House of Representatives, the letter was led by Rep. Mike
Thompson (D-California), Rep. Jim Saxton (R-New Jersey), Rep. Ron
Kind (D-Wisconsin) and Rep. Robin Hayes (R-North Carolina).
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) and Senator John Warner
(R-Virginia) led the Senate letter.
Copies of the letters are available at http://www.teaming.com
A complete list of the signers [is below].
The State Wildlife Grants program is supported by Teaming with
Wildlife, a national coalition of more than 3000 groups representing
sportsmen, environmentalists, wildlife management professionals, and
outdoor-related businesses.
Additional information on the State Wildlife Grants program and the
Teaming with Wildlife campaign is available at http://www.teaming.com
Signers of the Fiscal Year 2005 State Wildlife Grants Letter
(Alphabetical, by state)
Senate Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR)
Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE)
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Senator Zell Miller (D-GA)
Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Senator John Breaux (D-LA)
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI)
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Senator Jim Talent (R-MO)
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
Senator John Edwards (D-NC)
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Senator Thomas Daschle (D-SD)
Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Senator George Allen (R-VA)
Senator John Warner (R-VA)
Senator James Jeffords (I-VT)
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI)
House of Representatives
Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)
Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA)
Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA)
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Peter Deutsch (D-FL)
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
Rep. Max Burns (R-GA)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU)
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
Rep. Ed Case (D-HI)
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA)
Rep. C.L. Otter (R-ID)
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID)
Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL)
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Rep. William Lipinski (D-IL)
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN)
Rep. Ken Lucas (D-KY)
Rep. Rodney Alexander (D-LA)
Rep. Chris John (D-LA)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)
Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)
Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Rep. Thomas Allen (D-ME)
Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN)
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
Rep. Wm. Clay (D-MO)
Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO)
Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO)
Rep. Karen McCarthy (D-MO)
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO)
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS)
Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC)
Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC)
Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC)
Rep. David Price (D-NC)
Rep. Tom Osborne (R-NE)
Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH)
Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH)
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-NJ)
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ)
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ)
Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM)
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY)
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Rep. Major Owens (D-NY)
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (DNY)
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) Rep. James Walsh (R-NY)
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Rep. Brad Carson (D-OK)
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Rep. Philip English (R-PA)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA)
Rep. Anibal Acevedo-Vila (D-PR)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN)
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN)
Rep. William Jenkins (R-TN)
Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX)
Rep. James Moran (D-VA)
Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Rep. Mark Green (R-WI)
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV)
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