WASHINGTON – In an effort to protect local habitats in Maryland, Louisiana and nationwide, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have reintroduced legislation (S. 1139) that would reauthorize and fund the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for five years, through 2024. As the Nation’s largest conservation grant-maker, NFWF has been instrumental in completing conservation projects around the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and across all 50 states. NFWF grants fund projects that protect and restore habitats for fish and wildlife, supporting local economies, tourism and ecology.

“The Chesapeake Bay is better off today than it was a decade ago thanks to the support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “We have strong bipartisan support for NFWF because they enable local governments to design and implement cost-effective projects that achieve measurable goals in restoring and sustaining local fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats.”

“The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is critical to our efforts to preserve and restore Louisiana’s waterways and habitats,” said Dr. Cassidy, a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “This legislation ensures continued benefit to Louisiana wildlife and sportsmen.”

In addition to Cardin and Cassidy, Senators Tom Carper, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee; Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee; and Tom Udall, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment; and Sheldon Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, have cosponsored the legislation.

The full text of S. 1179 can be downloaded here.

According to NFWF, since its founding, their more than 17,250 grants “are rigorously evaluated and awarded to some of the nation’s largest environmental organizations, as well as some of the smallest … NFWF focuses on bringing all parties to the table, getting results, and building a better future for our world. Financial commitments to [NFWF] conservation mission since our founding now top $5.3 billion. NFWF uses the best science to identify conservation issues and plan effective action. From the start, we design programs to be outcome-focused.”

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