More than $100M in grant money to be used to protect migratory birds

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UPI

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The federal government is approving more than $100 million in federal grant money for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wetland conservations efforts in more than a half-million acres of critical migratory bird habitats.

The U.S. Department of Interior said Monday its Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $102.9 million in federal funding for the wildlife service and its partners to "conserve, restore or enhance" some 548,242 acres of key wetlands and its associated upland habitats across North America for migratory birds.

In addition, more than $201 million in matching funds will be granted by Fish and Wildlife partners.

According to the department, the financial infusion for wetland preservation came as part of the 1989 North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that NAWCA has "fostered partnerships and an investment in wetland conservation that yield both ecological and economic returns for local communities and a broad range of industries," which he said includes tourism, commercial fisheries, and the forestry and agriculture industries.

Burgum, who sits as chair of the migratory bird commission, said the federal grants will "increase and maintain healthy bird populations and wetland habitat" while "supporting local economies and improving public access to recreational activities for American traditions" such as hunting, fishing and birdwatching.

Interior said NAWCA is the only federal grant program targeted for the conservation of wetland habitats for migratory bird species.

More than $7.1 billion in federal funding since 1991 has advanced the conservation of wetland habitats in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico, according to DOI.

It added that more than 7,100 partners from private landowners to state, tribal and local governments, conservation groups, sportsmen's clubs, land trusts and corporate entities had taken part in more than 3,400 federal projects.

On Sunday, a noted Marine biologist and conservationist said on social media that U.S. wetlands "are disappearing at a staggering rate" and pointed out that its restoration "can take centuries" to fix.

"This hits your safety, your health, your wallet -- your future," Dr. Tom Montgomery posted on X.

Montgomery noted that among 170 nations represented at the recent global summit on the wetland crisis in Zimbabwe that there were "two empty seats labeled 'USA,'" he wrote.

A 2023 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court significantly curtailed the regulatory power of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate and protect water in wetlands under the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Yet DOI officials say the commission has aided in the conservation of "much of" America's "most important" waterfowl habitats, saying the NAWCA legislation signed by then-President George H.W. Bush is one of the "most effective tools" the federal government has at its disposal for migratory bird conservation.

"NAWCA funding supports projects that enhance or establish areas for hunting and birdwatching, uplifting local economies and improving public access to recreational activities for future generations," stated Justin "J" Shirley, principal deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Similar efforts by the prior Biden administration at wetland preservation included over $46 million last year in September to restore some 91,425 acres of wetland habitat in 17 states for waterfowl, shorebirds and other species. It came with nearly $100 million in partner matching funds.

In 2023 the year before a total of $50.9 million in NAWCA grants was matched by over $73 million in private partner grants.

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