EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation applauds the introduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S. 3223) in the U.S. Senate today. A note of thanks to Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho, Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND, and  Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., for introducing this innovative legislation that is paramount to the future of natural resource conservation.

“Today, 33 percent of all U.S. species are at risk of becoming endangered if we do not intervene,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “For more than 75 years, outdoorsmen and women have shouldered the burden in paying for conservation efforts. Unfortunately, those funds are no longer adequate to meet the growing needs of our wildlife and wild places. With Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, all American’s become vested in conservation without being burdened with additional taxes.”

This legislation does not place additional tax burdens on individuals or businesses; it will redirect $1.3 billion annually from existing royalties from the development of energy and mineral resources on federal lands and waters to the Wildlife Conservation Restoration Program. This will allow states and conservation groups to put into action plans to restore those species that are endangered or threatened.

It has been the hope of the NWTF to see conservation funding solutions on this scale, and we encourage senators to adopt this legislation.

About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to raise $1.2 billion to conserve and enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org.

Contact: Pete Muller at (803) 637-7698