By Zach Widner, Northwest States Senior Manager
On May 21, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hosted a lunch briefing for legislators on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA).
RAWA (H.R. 4647) would dedicate $1.3 billion annually in existing funding from the royalties and fees collected from offshore and onshore energy and mineral development on federal lands and waters towards state-based fish and wildlife conservation efforts.
Oregon is projected to receive $26 million in its annual RAWA apportionment under the current bill.
CSF Senior Northwest States Manager Zach Widner provided an overview of RAWA and an update on Congressional action thus far. Widner noted the significant benefits that RAWA would provide for fish and wildlife management efforts in Oregon, as well as the work of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources that led to the bill’s introduction. CSF President Jeff Crane serves as a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel.
Davia Palmeri, Conservation Policy Coordinator for the Department, elaborated on how passage of RAWA would aid the Department in managing Oregon’s fish and wildlife. Palmeri highlighted the ways that RAWA would assist the Department with the implementation of the state’s wildlife action plan, also known as the Oregon Conservation Strategy.
“Passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would be a game changer for fish and wildlife conservation in Oregon,” added Palmeri. “The resources provided by the legislation would be invested in implementation of the voluntary, proactive conservation actions recommended by the Oregon Conservation Strategy. The Strategy is a non-regulatory framework to safeguard Oregon’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats for all Oregonians.”
Prior to the RAWA presentation, the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus met with CSF, the Department, and a number of other sportsmen’s partners to discuss the Caucus’ support for the Department’s proposed poaching public awareness campaign. The Caucus announced their official support for the campaign upon a unanimous voice vote, on a motion put forth by Caucus Co-Chair Representative Brad Witt.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
