WASHINGTON (April 12, 2024) – A bipartisan bill that reauthorizes and enhances a conservation program for migratory birds throughout the Americas has been introduced in the Senate. The bill, known as the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (S. 4022), is a companion to legislation that was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation was introduced by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.).

“At a time when we are losing billions of birds, the legislation led by Senators Cardin and Boozman is critical to ensuring the survival of migratory birds all along their hemispheric routes, and to help communities conserve their own natural landscapes,” said Felice Stadler, vice president of government affairs at the National Audubon Society. “We thank Senators Cardin and Boozman for their leadership in conserving migratory species, who delight 96 million birdwatching Americans every year.”

The bill will enhance funding accessibility for partners to participate in the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) program, which has funded more than 700 projects in 35 countries, conserving 350 species. For example, the NMBCA funded Arkansas State University and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to study factors in migratory bird collisions with communications towers and to help aid in improved design and tower placement. The program has also helped to conserve key forested landscapes on the Allegheny Front, and adjacent to lands such as the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia to benefit birds such as Cerulean Warblers and Wood Thrush.