Why It Matters: The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Reauthorization Act has provided approximately $31 million in federal funding to conduct roughly 185 research, restoration, and regional conservation projects, making this program vital for fish and wildlife conservation within the Great Lakes region.
Highlights:
- The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act program provides Federal grants on a competitive basis to States, Tribes and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of fish and wildlife resources and their habitat in Great Lakes basin.
- Last reauthorized in 2016, the CSF-supported Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Reauthorization Act of 2022 (H.R. 5973) successfully passed the United States Senate on December 15, 2022.
On December 14, the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration (GLFWRA) Reauthorization Act of 2022, a CSF-supported bill, cleared the United States Senate under unanimous consent and now heads to the president’s desk.
Led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Debbie Dingell (MI), the bill seeks to reauthorize the GLFWRA program at $6 million annually through Fiscal Year 2028. The GLFWRA program provides federal funding to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work collaboratively with states, tribes, and other agencies to conduct fish and wildlife restoration efforts. Specifically, GLFWRA authorizes funding for projects such as waterfowl monitoring, wetland restoration, stream restoration, fish passage improvements, and other important conservation projects. In addition, the funding is used for research projects to understand the challenges and dynamics of fish and wildlife populations in the Great Lakes ecoregion, providing managers with valuable information to address important conservation needs.
Last authorized in 2016, the GLFWRA is an important component to the overall Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that results in better habitat and more robust fish and wildlife populations for the region’s sportsmen and women to enjoy. In addition to Representative Dingell, CSF thanks CSC Member Representative Darin LaHood (IL), CSC Member Representative David Joyce (Ohio), and Representative Paul Tonka (NY) in the House, as well as CSC Members Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), Senator Rob Portman (OH), Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Senator Todd Young (IN) in the Senate for their leadership on this important bill.
