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CAPITOL FLYER
Monday, May 1, 2006
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Capitol
Flyer is intended to keep you abreast of the latest developments
in Washington affecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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Table of Contents:
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Junior Duck Stamp Winner Announced
On April 21, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the winner of the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest. The winner, Rebekah Nastav of Missouri, painted a redhead duck entitled “Morning Swim.”
The 2006-2007 Federal Junior Duck Stamp, which the FWS makes available for $5 to stamp collectors, conservationists, and the general public, will be released on June 1, 2006. Proceeds from Junior Duck Stamp sales are used to support environmental education efforts and awards for contest winners.
The National Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is the culmination of a yearlong Junior Duck Stamp conservation curriculum used by educators across the nation. Each state hosted competitions from February until mid-April where more than 34,000 entries were judged by people active in the local wildlife art or conservation community. State “Best of Show” winning designs were then sent to Washington, DC, where a panel of five judges chose the top three entries.
The First Day of Sale Ceremony for the 2006-2007 Federal and Junior Duck Stamps will be held on Thursday, June 1, 2006, at 11:00 a.m. at the World Philatelic Exhibition at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
For more information on the Federal Duck Stamp Program, visit http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps.
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FY07 Interior Appropriations Activity
The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) submitted written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies on April 28 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget. In addition to the Association’s request of $415 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Operations and Maintenance account, the NWRA requested: $1 million for volunteer projects on and in connection with refuges, including the Cooperative Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program (VIMP) and competitive grants, which utilize Friends and volunteers to identify and eradicate invasive species; increases in the FWS construction and land acquisition budgets and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife and the Contaminants programs; $9 million for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; and $85 million for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program (otherwise known as State Wildlife Action Plans).
The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), chaired by the NWRA, orchestrated a sign-on letter in the Senate asking the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee to fund the Refuge System at $415 million in FY07. The letter, led by Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), was signed by 27 members of the Senate and was addressed to Interior Appropriations Chairman Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Ranking Member Byron Dorgan (D-ND).
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NWRA Joins Efforts to Save Gulf Coast Wetlands
At the end of April, the NWRA joined scientists from Italy, Egypt, Australia and across the U.S. as well as policy makers and leaders from all over the country to discuss the future of the Gulf Coast and develop a “call to action” for restoring coastal wetlands. The America’s WETLAND Foundation, along with BP, sponsored the symposium in New Orleans, LA.
In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the issue of Louisiana’s coastal land loss was brought to the national stage. Louisiana is home to almost 6,000 square miles of coastal wetlands, but they are being lost at an alarming rate — a football field of land disappears every 30 minutes. This vanishing landscape is home to a number of national wildlife refuges, such as Breton and Sabine, and provides habitat for thousands of species.
The symposium brought together a diverse group of leaders and stakeholders, including petrochemical companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, conservation organizations and leaders from the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. The objectives of the symposium were to cultivate broad public understanding of the importance of these critical environmental, cultural and economic resources to the nation and to marshal a shared vision to take meaningful action to protect them over the long term. A call to action document developed during the symposium is expected to be issued June 1.
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New Round of Volunteer Invasive Species Work Starts this Month
For the third year in a row, the NWRA is working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, FWS and U.S. Geological Survey to combat invasive species on national wildlife refuges with the help of volunteers.
Currently, 14 sites across the country participate in the Cooperative Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program. The first refuge to participate in the Program this year is Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Funding for the program was included in the FY06 Interior Appropriations bill. The NWRA is already working to secure funding for next year in the FY07 Interior Appropriations bill currently before Congress.
Other VIMP sites where training will take place this year will be announced later this spring. For more information on the VIMP, visit http://www.refugenet.org/New-invasives/vimp.html.
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Take
Action!
You can make your voice heard by utilizing the Refuge Action Network (RAN), a free, fast and easy way to respond to important national wildlife refuge alerts. Using the RAN system, you can send an e-mail or fax (even if you don't own a fax machine) to your elected officials with a click or two of your mouse.
Please
visit the NWRA Web site or contact Michael Woodbridge,
Director of Government Affairs, at 202.333.9073 or mwoodbridge@refugenet.org
for more information.
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Capitol
Flyer, a monthly e-newsletter from the NWRA, is prepared by Michael
Woodbridge, NWRA's Director of Government Affairs.
For additional information, please contact mwoodbridge@refugenet.org. |
