Action Alerts
ACTION ALERTS…your attention is needed ASAP
Two bills of critical interest have been introduced in the US House of Representatives…
First – The Federal Safe Building Act of 2023 (HR 3781) was introduced in June months prior to the mass killing of migratory birds in Chicago. This Act would permanently reduce bird deaths for a minimal cost. The only member of the Tennessee delegation to sign on is Representative Steve Cohen. Please write, email or call YOUR US House Representative and ask them to sign-on to the Bill.
Second – The Migratory Birds of The America’s Conservation Enhancement Act of 2023 (HR 4389). This Act would fund and extend the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act for 5 years. NO member of the Tennessee delegation has yet signed to co-sponsor this Bill
All details about both can be found at: The American Bird Conservancy – www.abcbirds.org
PLEASE ACT TODAY…it’ll only take a few minutes but could potentially save thousands of birds.
Thank you.
ACTION ALERT: Strengthen our most important bird law
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is not only reinstating bird protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) but is also considering strengthening the rules going forward.
A new permitting program would expand common-sense and inexpensive practices – such as covering oil pits or marking power lines to avoid collisions – saving millions of birds from preventable harm.
Please consider sending a public comment to support strengthening protections for birds under the MBTA. The deadline to comment is Friday, December 3rd.
If you use the Audubon portal below, your comments will be submitted through regulations.gov, where it will become part of the public record:
https://act.audubon.org/a/mbta-comment-period?ms=share.
You may submit comments directly through www.regulations.gov. However, using the Audubon portal, you will find prepared comments, that you may submit as is, or amend as you deem appropriate.
Conservation Policy Committee, November 12, 2021.
UPDATED ACTION ALERT….Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act!
ACTION ALERT NOVEMBER 7, 2021
“A bill to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make supplemental funds available for management of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need as determined by State fish and wildlife agencies, and for other purposes” has been introduced in both the U. S. House of Representatives (HR – 2773) and the U. S. Senate (S.2372). The bill is known by its short title “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021.” The Senate version currently has 32 co-sponsors (16 Republicans, 15 Democrats and 1 Independent), while the House version currently has 132 co-sponsors (101 Democrats and 31 Republicans). Co-sponsor lists are current as of 6 November.
The Act would provide 1.3 billion dollars annually to state fish and wildlife agencies and an additional 97.5 million dollars annually to Indian Tribal fish and wildlife agencies. Under the Act, The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will receive substantial funding.
Representatives Charles Fleischmann (R-TN 3), Jim Cooper (D-TN-5), David Kustoff (R-TN 8) and Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) are co-sponsors. If not already a co-sponsor, please consider contacting your representative and urge him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor. Representatives Fleischmann, Cooper, Kustoff and Cohen deserve our thanks.
Senator Bill Hagerty has signed on as a co-sponsor. He deserves our thanks. Please consider contacting our other Senator, Marsha Blackburn, and urge her to sign on as a co-sponsor.
www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2773.
www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2372.
Conservation Policy Committee – October 11, 2021
Laura Cook, Ashley Heeney, Dev Joslin (special advisor), Dick Preston (co-chair), Cyndi Routledge and Melinda Welton (co-chair).
Find a Chapter Near You
The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is an excellent source of information about things members can do to help birds. ABC builds on sound science, and works in partnership to achieve conservation results for birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
Members can go here for information on:
- Threats. For instance, window collisions, feral cats, pesticides, wind turbines
- Habitat protection, be they wetlands, forests, grasslands, or coastal
- Endangered and threatened species
- Living a “bird-friendly” life
- Unifying conservation and bird-watching groups through the Bird Conservation Alliance