NPCA shared the following position ahead of a legislative hearing held by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife scheduled for July 29 th, 2021.
H.R. 2773 - Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021: NPCA supports this legislation, which would commit $1.3 billion annually to implement state and territorial wildlife action plans, and $97.5 million annually to tribal wildlife programs. From the Everglades to Denali, investments that states, territories, and tribes make specific to plant and wildlife management on park adjacent lands are fundamentally linked to the future of species within park boundaries. In a changing climate, increased investment in habitat and species protection is critical to park plant and wildlife resiliency and adaptation. Additionally, RAWA ensures at least 15% of funding will go toward recovering species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Over 600 threatened and endangered species depend on habitat in national parks and adjacent landscapes.
H.R. 2872 – Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment Act: NPCA supports this legislation, which would establish a science-based, integrated approach to the impacts of the climate crisis on America’s wildlife and natural resources. National park fish, wildlife, and plants are particularly susceptible to the worst impacts of climate change. Climate change impacts threaten native brook trout populations at Great Smoky Mountains, whitebark pine populations at Yellowstone, the Western Arctic Caribou herd at Gates of the Arctic, and much more. The SAFE Act would build upon the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, an interagency plan to help safeguard America’s natural resources and wildlife. H.R. 2872 would establish an interagency working group—composed of natural resource agencies— to develop a national climate change adaptation strategy and require increased agency coordination to respond to the impacts of climate change. It would also empower experts by creating the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center to develop and compile scientific information.
H.R. 3396 – Extinction Prevention Act of 2021: NPCA supports this legislation which would create grant programs to help states, tribes and local communities protect vulnerable species that don’t always get the protection and funding they need to recover. National park species that could benefit from this bill include the Karner blue butterfly at Indiana Dunes National Park, freshwater mussels at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and the ‘Ahinahina at Haleakala National Park.
