State Wildlife Grants in Jeopardy:
What would New Hampshire look like without funding for wildlife conservation?
By John Kanter, Nongame and Endangered Species Program Coordinator
Take a Survey, Win a Hat! Win one of 5 “Wild NH” embroidered turtle caps! Just tell us more about you and your ideas for supporting conservation efforts. Complete the survey by February 15 at www.wildnh.com/nongamesurvey. Thank you! |
It’s no secret that serious cuts are being made to government programs on every level. Because of proposed cuts to State Wildlife Grants – federal funds that make up more than half of the N.H. Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program’s budget – the work of our dedicated staff is at risk. In the U.S. House Interior Appropriations bill, the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program is slated for a 64% cut for FY12 – that’s on top of a 31% cut to the program last year. In a sagging economy, cuts are understandable. But the proposed slashing of State Wildlife Grants (SWG) is wildly disproportionate – and would jeopardize a 10-year investment in nongame wildlife conservation.
What would the consequences be of deep funding cuts for New Hampshire’s wildlife? Without funding, Karner blue butterflies, terns and plovers, all of which depend on intense management, would quickly disappear. Little brown bats and New England cottontails would continue to decline. Land conservation projects would no longer have access to maps of the state’s priority habitats. Even if enough funds remain to help the most critically imperiled species, the Wildlife Action Plan’s strategies to halt declines in wildlife populations and habitats – and prevent the need for more listings and expensive recovery efforts – will need to be shelved.
You might have read about the results of the Pine Barrens and Karner blue butterfly restoration effort in the latest issue of the Nongame Program’s Wildlines newsletter. It’s a case study in how reviving a species and bringing back habitats takes time, money and people. It drives home the point that even with a well-funded, ten-year effort supported by hundreds of volunteers, much remains to be done to ensure that the butterflies will persist in the wild.
Too often, people contend that there is a stark choice to be made – between jobs and the environment, for example, or people versus wildlife – but the truth is that wildlife and conservation are a net benefit to the economy. Wildlife-related recreation brings in $520 million annually to New Hampshire and supports 4,000 jobs. Moreover, conservation can only succeed with dedicated and well-trained biologists. The Nongame Program has eight staff members, and several more people working under contract at UNH, N.H. Audubon and the Natural Heritage Bureau, which receive significant funding from SWG.
Our program is successful largely because of 10 years of federal funding through State Wildlife Grants. Despite our amazing volunteers, donors and partners, our ability to maintain and build on that success will be severely compromised if SWG takes major cuts in the new Congressional budget. I’ve written before about the need for long-term, dedicated funding for nongame and endangered wildlife – it’s always been a goal, but with SWG in danger, it’s more important than ever.
To that end, we need to rejuvenate the Teaming With Wildlife coalition here in N.H. This national grassroots effort of organizations and individuals helped bring about State Wildlife Grants 10 years ago. Perhaps together we can create a solution to the volatility that seems to mark wildlife conservation funding; please take our survey at www.wildnh.com/nongamesurvey and share your ideas. Thanks for helping ensure that wildlife and habitat conservation funding stays off the endangered list!
Take a Survey, Win a Hat!
Win one of 5 “Wild NH” embroidered turtle caps! Just tell us more about you and your ideas for supporting conservation efforts. Complete the survey by February 15 at www.wildnh.com/nongamesurvey. Thank you!
