Press RoomPress ReleaseFor Immediate Release
October 18, 2005
For more information contact:
George Cooper, (202) 508-3421
Hunting, Fishing, and Conservation Groups Call on Senate Agriculture Committee to Make Equitable Conservation Program CutsWASHINGTON, DC – 29 of the country’s leading hunting, fishing and conservation organizations are urging the Senate Committee on Agriculture not to make disproportionately large, and potentially crippling cuts to Farm Bill conservation programs during Budget Reconciliation. The Committee is schedule to take up the “Agricultural Reconciliation Act of 2005” Wednesday morning. The Act proposes cutting conservation programs, especially the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), by a proportion far exceeding the percentage cuts proposed for other programs contained in the 2002 Farm Bill. In the letter (attached) sent to the committee’s Chairman Senator Saxby Chambliss and the committee’s ranking member Senator Tom Harkin, the groups state “We are writing to urge you to ensure that during the 2005 Budget Reconciliation process Farm Bill conservation program cuts are proportional to their current size relative to other 2002 authorized Farm Bill programs. We are very concerned that proposed cuts to conservation programs may dramatically exceed that criteria and may do lasting harm to them, particularly considering the fact that these programs already have been cut by $3.8 billion compared with their 2002 authorized levels.” The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) facilitates coalition work on Farm Bill conservation programs through the Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group (AWWG). The chairs of this working group today echoed key points made in this letter they developed. Co-Chair Jennifer Mock, the Farm Bill Coordinator for the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies points out "Many state fish and wildlife agency efforts dependent upon programs including CRP and other programs to meet conservation needs such as the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, will suffer if the current Senate reconciliation package passes and U.S. Department of Agriculture is forced to issue a moratorium ceasing authority to sign new contracts. The tremendous support and momentum of the NBCI built through cooperative conservation across the region would halt." Co-Chair David Nomsen, who is Vice President of Governmental Affairs for Pheasants Forever says “CRP is part of the solution, not part of the problem. Farmers and landowners that have a portion of their lands in general CRP receive stabilized, guaranteed income while providing tremendous soil, water, and wildlife benefits for everyone.” “We understand that the current budget situation demands cutbacks,” says TRCP President Matt Connolly, adding “we are only asking that cuts made to the Farm Bill conservation programs are made in equal proportion to cuts in other Farm Bill programs.” The conservation programs of the Farm Bill have created and conserved millions of acres of habitat, making farms and ranches across the country more fish and wildlife friendly. Struggling farmers and ranchers have been able to diversify their operations while reducing soil erosion and producing cleaner air and water. The country’s more than 40 million sportsmen and women have enjoyed greatly improved hunting and fishing thanks to Farm Bill conservation programs. The cuts being contemplated currently by the Senate Agriculture Committee could negatively impact hunting and fishing for years to come. *** The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is a coalition of leading conservation organizations and individual grassroots partners, working together to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitat, increase funding for conservation and management, and expand access to places to hunt and fish. |