Conservation News

House of Representatives Passes H.R. 925, Reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act Through 2024

St. Paul, Minn. – Nov. 21, 2019 – On Wednesday afternoon, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever praised the efforts of the House of Representatives for passing bipartisan bill, H.R. 925, to reauthorize funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) at $60 million per year until 2024. NAWCA, arguably the most important legislation for wetlands that extends across international lines, provides a strategy and funding for the long-term protection of wetlands and associated upland habitat of North America.

“Representatives Thompson and Wittman should be commended for sponsoring such a vital piece of legislation for the health of wetlands and associated wildlife species throughout North America,” stated Dave Nomsen, vice president of Governmental Affairs for Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. “We’d also like to extend our gratitude to the countless members throughout the nation who called their Representatives in support of H.R 925. We look forward to staying engaged with this legislation as it makes its way to the Senate for final deliberations.”

At the heart of the program, NAWCA provides matching grants to wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Featuring both a Standard and Small Grants Program, each grant requires matching partner contributions at no less than a 1-to-1 ratio. Through years of effective implementation and a strong backing, NAWCA funds are usually doubled or tripled on the local level, including habitat projects and acquisitions implemented by partnerships between NAWCA and Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever in the states of Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever & NAWCA Partnership Accomplishments to Date

  • Acres Acquired: 78,710
  • Acres Restored: 34,652
  • Acres Enhanced: 217,081
  • Grant Funds: $44,008,001
  • Matching Funds: $140,314,071

In the past two decades, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act has funded over 2,950 projects totaling $1.73 billion in grants. More than 6,200 partners have contributed another $3.57 billion in matching funds to impact 30 million acres of habitat.

For more information and updates about NAWCA legislation, visit www.PheasantsForever.Org or www.QuailForever.Org as H.R. 925 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

About Pheasants Forever

Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 130,000 members and 740 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $867 million on 540,000 habitat projects benefiting 18 million acres nationwide.

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