Hunters and Anglers Applaud House Passage of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

December 4, 2024

The legislation aims to boost funding and provide vital enhancements to conservation programs benefiting fish and wildlife.

The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed the House on Tuesday December 3, 2024, in a 366-21 vote. The ACE Reauthorization act was sponsored by Representatives Wittman (R-Va.), Kiggans (R-Va.), Dingell (D-Mich.), and Thompson (D-Calif.) and would reauthorize multiple programs that benefit hunting and angling including, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It also helps address threats like chronic wasting disease. This reauthorization provides technical improvements, administrative streamlining, and increased authorized funds to improve these programs.

“The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers,” said Joel Pedersen, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “TRCP applauds the House’s passage of this important bipartisan legislation and looks forward to building on the success of these crucial conservation programs that will benefit hunters and anglers for generations to come.”

The original ACE Act was passed in 2020 and portions of it were sponsored by Representatives Wittman, Dingell, and Thompson. Many of its authorizations expire next year, necessitating the passage of the ACE Reauthorization Act to ensure these programs can continue to operate in good legal standing.

The legislation is endorsed by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the National Audubon Society.

The ACE Reauthorization Act of 2024 now heads back to the Senate, which passed a different version of the ACE Reauthorization Act by unanimous consent earlier this year.

TRCP works to maintain and strengthen the future of hunting and fishing by uniting and amplifying our partners’ voices in conserving and restoring wildlife populations and their habitat as challenges continue to evolve. Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water HERE.

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by: Noah Davis

posted in: Press Releases

November 21, 2024

MAPWaters Act Advances Out of House Committee

Bill would modernize and increase transparency around public access to federal waters

This week, the House Natural Resources Committee chaired by Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) with ranking member Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) held a markup on several bills which could ultimately be included in an end-of-Congress package advancing public lands, outdoor recreation, wildlife conservation, forestry, and fisheries conservation legislation.

Among those bills passed by the committee was the MAPWaters Act, led by Representatives Moore (R-Utah) and Dingell (D-Mich.) and Senators Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and King (I-Maine). The MAPWaters Act would direct federal agencies to digitize and make readily available fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways.

“TRCP thanks chairman Westerman and ranking member Grijalva for advancing this bipartisan, common-sense bill that would expand access opportunities for anglers, hunters, and outdoor recreationists nationwide,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The hunting and fishing community stands ready to help advance the MAPWaters Act and countless other bills that could become law through a public lands and waters package this Congress.”

For more than 20 years, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has been at the forefront of conservation, working diligently on behalf of America’s hunters and anglers to ensure America’s legacy of habitat management and access is protected and advanced. Learn more about TRCP’s efforts to enhance access to public lands and waters HERE.

by: Noah Davis

posted in: Press Releases

November 19, 2024

TRCP Legislative Priorities Advance Out of Senate Committee

Included bills would modernize public access to federal waters, address Colorado River water issues, and improve wildlife habitat

Today, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee chaired by Senator Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) with ranking member Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) held a markup on 74 bills which could ultimately be included in an end-of-Congress package advancing public lands, outdoor recreation, wildlife conservation, forestry, and fisheries conservation legislation. Several of the bills marked up today would improve the quality of hunting and fishing in America.

“TRCP joins hunters and anglers across the country in thanking Senators Manchin and Barrasso and other members of the committee for their continued efforts to craft a bipartisan public lands package,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Our community stands ready to work to advance legislation that will enhance wildlife habitat, bolster rural economies, and expand hunting and fishing access.”

Below is a list of bills passed out of committee today that we hope to see become law this Congress:

S. 373: The RISEE Act (Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act) would establish several dedicated streams of funding for coastal infrastructure and resiliency to protect vulnerable communities and businesses most impacted by sea level rise and coastal erosion, in turn conserving coastal habitats.
S. 2169: The Watershed Results Act would ensure a streamline approach for identifying watershed improvement projects for improved water quality and quantity, at the lowest cost to taxpayers.
S. 3123: The MAPWaters Act (Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act) would direct federal agencies to digitize water and fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways and make those resources readily available to the public. 
S. 4576: The Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act would reauthorize the Department of the Interior to fund or participate in pilot projects to increase Colorado River System water in Lake Mead and the Colorado River Storage Project reservoirs through FY2026.

For more than 20 years, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has been at the forefront of conservation, working diligently on behalf of America’s hunters and anglers to ensure America’s legacy of habitat management and access is protected and advanced. Learn more about TRCP’s work supporting the wildlife and fish we love to pursue HERE.

by: Michael O'Casey

posted in: Press Releases

November 15, 2024

TRCP Supports Continued Access to World-Class Opportunities on BLM Lands in Northern Alaska

The Central Yukon Resource Management Plan Record of Decision maintains important habitat and recreation opportunities

This week, the Bureau of Land Management released the Record of Decision for the Central Yukon Resource Management Plan that will manage 13.3 million acres of BLM lands in northern Alaska. This conclusion of the RMP process comes after more than a decade of engagement with local residents, Alaska Native Tribes, hunters and anglers, and conservation and development interests.

The RMP will guide landscape-level management and the various uses allowed on BLM lands in this region for the next 20 or more years. The plan includes management strategies to ensure outstanding hunting and fishing opportunities remain along the Dalton Corridor and outlines steps to prepare for the growing recreational demand that is expected to increase over the next two decades. In addition, the RMP maintains existing conservation safeguards to uphold the quality hunting, fishing, and other recreational opportunities of the region and incorporates specific habitat management areas for caribou and Dall sheep.

The Central Yukon planning area is home to iconic big game species such as Dall sheep, moose, and caribou and 25 species of fish. The area is accessed by most hunters and anglers by the Dalton Highway Corridor. BLM-managed lands along the “Haul Road” provide important habitat connectivity between several conservation units that are prized by hunters and anglers, including five national wildlife refuges.

“TRCP thanks the BLM for including habitat-focused conservation in the ROD, and for balancing conservation and development interests,” said Michael O’Casey, deputy director of Forest Policy & Northwest Programs for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We appreciate the agency’s responsiveness to requests from the hunting and fishing community who has been involved in this plan revision for many years.”

by: Tristan Henry

posted in: Press Releases

November 13, 2024

Hunters and Anglers Support the BLM Lakeview Field Office’s Final Resource Management Plan Amendment

Final plan includes a proposed management approach that would conserve big game habitat, ranching, and outdoor recreation

Today, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership applauds the release of the BLM Lakeview Field Office’s Final Resource Management Plan Amendment, which would establish a blueprint for the conservation and management of nearly 3.2 million acres of southeastern Oregon’s public lands for the next 20 years or more.

“The Lakeview RMPA revision was an important opportunity to improve the management of these public lands, and we appreciate the many hunters and anglers who weighed in on this plan to advocate for the region’s wild and working landscapes,” said Tristan Henry, Oregon field representative for the TRCP. “The plan’s proposed alternative would conserve undeveloped backcountry and wildlife corridors essential for big game and other wildlife across this intact landscape.”

Hunters and anglers have been involved in the Lakeview plan revision since 2014, and the release of the Final RMPA is a significant step in a public process that will determine how wild landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreation, grazing, development, and other uses will be balanced. Tribal governments, wildlife agencies, the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council, and members of the public provided valuable input and feedback during the planning process. The BLM considered approximately 1,300 comments while developing the plan amendment.

“We commend the BLM’s dedication to a balanced plan that upholds sustainable use, working lands, and conservation, all of which ensure quality hunting and fishing opportunities in the Lakeview District will endure for future generations,” said Michael O’Casey, TRCP’s Deputy Director of Forest Policy & Northwest Programs.

The TRCP and its partners are committed to supporting an ultimate Record of Decision and final plan that prioritizes habitat conservation of backcountry landscapes, while also supporting active land stewardship for restoration and sustainable economic activities like ranching, hunting, and recreation.

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.