U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, lauded the passage of H.R.4389, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancement Act. The legislation will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere.
“I am glad to see the Senate take swift action to pass Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancement Act. This bill makes thoughtful improvements to a critical bird habitat conservation program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The unique program helps to ensure that in the backyard birds we know and love in Maryland like the Baltimore Oriole have places to nest and winter along their full migratory journey,” said Senator Cardin. “Support for this important conservation program has been a cornerstone of my environmental work in the Senate, but I am not done yet. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the program’s funding levels continue to keep pace with its important work.”
“I applaud Senate passage of legislation to protect migratory birds. This will allow us to build on the success we’ve seen from this program and provide certainty for vulnerable bird populations for generations to come,” said Senator Boozman, a Migratory Bird Conservation Co-Chair.
The H.R. 4389, Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Act, formerly the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, has a proven track record of reversing habitat loss and advancing conservation strategies for the hundreds of species of birds considered neotropical migrants—birds that spend summers in the North America and winter in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since 2002, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act program has provided more than $89 million in grants to support 717 projects across 5 million acres of bird habitat in 43 countries. The federal dollars invested in this program are leveraged to spur significant private partner funding.
