At a time when as many as one-third of America’s plant and animal species are in decline and vulnerable, a bipartisan bill in Congress offers a chance to ramp up protection without attracting the usual opposition.
H.R. 3742, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, aims to provide “upstream solutions”: preserving habitat for vulnerable species before they are listed officially as endangered. That way, not only do the plants and animals have a better shot at survival, but businesses in the affected areas are better off because the restrictions that otherwise would be triggered by an Endangered Species designation never become necessary.
When excessive hunting was driving the passenger pigeon to extinction in the late 1800s, few understood what was happening until it was too late. Today, the monarch butterfly has shrunk to barely 10% of its population of 20 years ago. Focused efforts, such as widespread planting of milkweed, are making a difference. The resources provided by the wildlife bill could improve the odds for many more iconic species.
Six Ohio Congress members — three Republican and three Democrat, including Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington and Joyce Beatty of Columbus — already are sponsors of H.R. 3742. The others, including Republican Troy Balderson of Zanesville, should join.
Gov. Mike DeWine also has expressed support for the bill, along with five other Great Lakes governors.
The bill would create, for the first time, permanent funding for wildlife conservation work.
Ohio’s share — about $28 million annually — could spark a quantum leap in wildlife conservation. Currently only about $2 million of the Division of Wildlife’s $65 million annual budget goes to protect threatened and endangered species. That’s because the division is funded almost entirely by fees and taxes paid by hunters, anglers and trappers and the funds support the game species prized by those groups.
The bill would require states to put up matching funds, project by project — in Ohio’s case, $9 million in all. But with more than 1,000 conservation groups, local governments and businesses across the country supporting the act, fundraising partners shouldn’t be too difficult to find.
Money could go toward buying land and managing it for wildlife — controlled burns to maintain prairies, removal of invasive species, restoring wetlands — as well as support for private groups that do such work.
The time is especially right for the bill because the mainstay of wildlife protection for nearly 40 years, the 1973 Endangered Species Act, is under attack by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.
We believe the Endangered Species Act, which limits destruction of habitat that harbors species in imminent danger, should itself be protected and retained.
But the forward-looking design of the new bill is an important addition to the fight against extinction. The additional money for habitat protection is an obvious benefit. But the approach — doing more habitat protection up front before a species becomes threatened and before a developer’s plans are affected — could take a lot of the rancor out of this critical area of environmental conservation.
We’re betting most Americans would be delighted to see Congress accomplish something good for the whole country. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is a prime opportunity to do so, and we urge Ohio representatives to join the 151 co-sponsors who already are on board.