Oregon Legislature Passes Landmark “1.25 Percent for Wildlife” Act

March 5, 2026

After three legislative sessions and more than a decade of advocacy, a bipartisan coalition secures Oregon’s most significant conservation funding victory in a generation

Yesterday, the Oregon legislature passed HB 4134, the “1.25 Percent for Wildlife” act, which will generate approximately $38 million annually for fish, wildlife, and habitat conservation across the state. The bill now heads to Governor Kotek’s desk to be signed into law. The measure passed the Senate with bipartisan support after clearing the House on a 36–22 vote, marking the culmination of more than a decade of work by hunters, anglers, landowners, conservation organizations, and community leaders.

The legislation was championed by Representatives Ken Helm (D–Beaverton), Mark Owens (R–Crane), and Senator Todd Nash (R-Joseph) among others, who built bipartisan support across both chambers to advance the proposal.

“This is what happens when sportsmen and sportswomen, ranchers, conservation organizations, and community leaders refuse to give up,” said Tristan Henry, Oregon field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has worked to advance this funding in some form for three sessions now. Today, Oregonians reaffirmed our commitment to the fish, wildlife, and landscapes that define this state. Hunters and anglers have shouldered the financial load of conservation for over a century. This bill asks the broader public, and the visitors who come here to enjoy what we’ve helped build, to share in that investment.”

HB 4134 ensures that visitors contribute to sustaining the resources they come to Oregon to experience. (James Wicks)

Where the Money Comes From

HB 4134 increases Oregon’s statewide transient lodging tax by 1.25 percentage points, from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent, beginning January 1, 2027. Oregon will remain among the lowest lodging tax states in the nation after the increase. Roughly two-thirds of the tax is paid by out-of-state visitors. For Oregonians, the cost amount rises to roughly $1.25 to $2.50 on an average overnight stay.

The new revenue is dedicated to nine clearly defined conservation and natural resource programs through predictable funding that does not depend on biennial budget negotiations or one-time General Fund deposits.

Where the Money Goes

The scale of this investment is best understood in context. ODFW’s entire biennial budget is approximately $562 million, funded primarily through a combination of hunting and fishing license revenue, federal grants, and limited General Fund support. Before this bill passed, the agency had zero dedicated funding for implementing Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan, the science-based blueprint that identifies 321 species of greatest conservation need and 11 habitat types requiring proactive restoration. One-time General Fund deposits of $10 million per biennium had been used in prior budget cycles, but those are phased out entirely in the current 2025–27 budget.

HB 4134 changes that picture. The largest allocation, approximately $27.4 million per year, flows to the newly renamed Recovering Oregon’s Wildlife Fund Subaccount to implement the State Wildlife Action Plan and Oregon Nearshore Strategy. allocating 0.9% of Oregon’s transient lodging revenue for habitat restoration, species recovery, and conservation strategy implementation. For an agency that has been forced to cut $1.3 million from anti-poaching campaigns, $1.9 million from fish research and monitoring, and $1.5 million from hatchery operations in recent budgets, this is not incremental. It is transformative. The remaining [approximate] $10.6 million per year is allocated across eight additional programs.

Oregon Conservation Corps (0.10% [of transient lodging revenue]): Stable funding for wildfire risk reduction, community resilience, and natural resources workforce development. This investment supports young Oregonians working in land management careers while building fire-adapted communities across the state.

ODFW Wildlife Connectivity Program (0.050%): Funding for wildlife crossing structures, passage improvements, and research to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect fragmented habitats. Oregon’s highway system intersects critical migration corridors for elk, mule deer, and other species, and connectivity work is among the highest-return conservation investments available.

Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division (0.050%): New resources for the troopers on the front lines against poaching, a persistent threat to Oregon’s fish and wildlife that directly undermines the work of hunters and anglers. ODFW’s most recent budget included a $600,000 cut to OSP enforcement funded by the agency. This allocation more than reverses that reduction and provides a durable funding base.

Wolf Management Compensation and Proactive Trust Fund (0.050%): Dedicated funding for livestock loss compensation, nonlethal deterrence tools, and conflict reduction programs. For ranching families in Eastern Oregon who have borne the costs of wolf recovery with limited and uncertain state support, this delivers on a long-standing commitment.

Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (0.050%): Community-based conservation and recreation grants that engage Oregonians in hands-on outdoor stewardship. This fund, established by the legislature in 2019 but chronically underfunded, will finally have a sustainable revenue source.

Wildlife Stewardship Program (0.020%): Support for wildlife rehabilitation facilities and stewardship priorities statewide.

Invasive Species Response (0.005%): Resources for detection, prevention, and removal of harmful invasive species that threaten native fish, wildlife, and habitat.

Department of Justice Anti-Poaching (0.010%): Stabilized capacity within DOJ to support prosecution of wildlife crimes.

The new revenue is dedicated to nine clearly defined conservation and natural resource programs through predictable funding that does not depend on biennial budget negotiations or one-time General Fund deposits. (Jim Davis)

A Decade in the Making

The passage of HB 4134 is the product of persistent, bipartisan advocacy that stretches back more than a decade. Representative Ken Helm (D-Beaverton) and Representative Mark Owens (R-Crane) have served as the bill’s chief sponsors, building support across party lines in both chambers. The concept was first introduced as a legislative concept and advanced in varying forms through prior sessions. The TRCP has worked to advance this funding mechanism for three consecutive legislative sessions, helping to build the hunting and fishing coalition that gave the bill credibility with lawmakers in both parties and from every corner of the state.

The broader coalition behind HB 4134 spans more than 60 organizations, from the Oregon Hunters Association and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to Oregon Wild and the Nature Conservancy, from the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association to the League of Women Voters of Oregon. More than 2,000 pieces of public testimony were submitted during the legislative process, with over 84 percent in support. That breadth of support reflects a simple truth: Oregonians across the political spectrum understand that healthy fish, wildlife, and habitat are the foundation of the state’s identity, economy, and quality of life.

What This Means for Oregon

Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy generates $16 billion in consumer spending, supports 192,000 jobs, and accounts for 2.6 percent of the state’s GDP. Ninety percent of visitors come to Oregon to enjoy the state’s natural landscapes and wildlife. HB 4134 ensures that those visitors contribute to sustaining the resources they come here to experience.

For ODFW, this bill represents the most significant new funding stream in the agency’s modern history. The TRCP thanks the representatives and senators who supported this bill, the conservation organizations that engaged their members and provided testimony, and the thousands of Oregon hunters and anglers who sent emails, made phone calls, and championed this measure. For all this work, a brighter future for our hunting, fishing, ranching, and outdoor heritage has been secured.

Feature Image: James Wicks

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by: Aaron Field

posted in: Conservation Funding

New Farm Bill Advances in House Committee: Key Impacts for Hunters and Anglers

The House Agriculture Committee has advanced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, launching the next phase of negotiations over conservation programs that will impact wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing access.

It’s been nearly two years since we had a Farm Bill proposal to evaluate, but that changed on February 13, when House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. A lot has happened in agricultural conservation policy since the 2018 Farm Bill. Key programs have been extended and received major funding boosts, first through the Inflation Reduction Act and then made permanent in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But without a Farm Bill, there has been no opportunity to improve the underlaying structure that makes these programs work.

On March 4, the House Ag Committee debated this bill, proposed amendments, and ultimately advanced it to the House floor on a 34-17 vote. Given the importance of the Farm Bill to hunters and anglers—and the difficulty of moving legislation of this scale—we are encouraged to have a bill to review and formal committee action toward passing it.

Before we summarize the key provisions of this bill, there are a few important dynamics to keep in mind.

With tight margins in both the House and Senate, bipartisanship will be essential. Although this bill could have advanced through Committee on a party-line vote, passing a fully partisan on the House floor would be highly unlikely. Nearly 30% of Ag Committee Democrats voted to advance this bill, indicating substantive bipartisan support. However, major sticking points remain, including earlier changes within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, policy around pesticide labeling, and state authority to regulate swine production. These issues fall outside of TRCP’s primary focus, but they will influence whether conservation priorities ultimately advance.

Work on this Farm Bill began as soon as, or even before, the 2018 bill was signed. Although six or seven years seems like ample time to resolve differences, significant negotiations remain. This markup, and advancing the bill out of committee, is an important step, but further debate will occur as the bill moves to the House floor. In the Senate, Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are working on their own proposal. As a result, this means that any individual provision in Chairman Thompson’s bill has additional hurdles to clear, and elements are likely to change.

Extended Farm Bill negotiations are not new, but after more than seven years without a comprehensive bill—and with bipartisan legislation increasingly difficult to move—Congress is fast approaching uncharted waters. At the same time, the Conservation Title is in better shape than usual. Investments in Title II programs through budget reconciliation packages in 2022 and 2025 extended most USDA conservation programs through 2031 and strengthened their long-term funding, providing some stability as Congress debates program changes. However, reconciliation rules allow funding adjustments but not policy reforms, meaning updates to conservation programs are still needed. Additionally, because the Conservation Reserve Program is limited by acreage rather than funding, CRP did not receive a funding increase or long-term reauthorization through reconciliation.

Policy and funding changes in this Farm Bill will impact fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing access for the next five years and beyond. You can find explanations about how Farm Bill programs support hunters and anglers here.

Keeping these dynamics in mind, what exactly is in this bill? Farm Bills cover a wide range of issues—from nutrition assistance and agricultural research to trade, risk management, and livestock disease—so a comprehensive analysis of the entire 800-page bill is beyond the scope of this blog. Instead, we focus on several provisions most likely to affect habitat and access for hunters and anglers. Let’s dig in.

Key Conservation Provisions in The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 would:

Shift Funding Among Title II Programs

This bill has been informally called “Farm Bill 2.0”, in recognition that many priorities were accomplished through the budget reconciliation process last summer. As part of that package, Congress made the remaining conservation funding from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act permanent. This represented a major investment in Title II programs and shifted the balance among several programs, particularly the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). However, Chairman Thompson’s team has consistently stated their intention to reallocate those resources to support policy improvements and new programs in this Farm Bill. Priority programs differ among members of the hunting and fishing community—and even more among the broader ag conservation community— but TRCP’s priority throughout this process has been ensuring that conservation funding remains conservation funding, and this bill meets that criterion.

Reauthorize the Conservation Reserve Program

Chairman Thompson’s 2024 bill included major changes to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), some of which were clearly beneficial to habitat and others potentially problematic. This time CRP is simply reauthorized for five years. This puts the program back on the same reauthorization schedule as the rest of Title II and avoids complications associated with repeated expirations and extensions. However, it is also a missed opportunity to make needed improvements to the program. Ideally, the bill would increase payment limitations, restore cost share for mid-contract management, and remove rental rate limitations, among other improvements. Still, leaving CRP largely unchanged gives the Senate significant latitude to pursue these updates, many of which have already been proposed in the bipartisan CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act. Congressman Jim Costa (D-Calif.) offered an amendment reflecting this legislation with support from Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), and Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), but it was withdrawn after the Chairman committed to continuing work toward solutions.

Support Voluntary Conservation Easement Programs

This bill would have substantial impacts on conservation easement programs. One of the most significant is the creation of a new Forest Conservation Easement Program with mandatory funding filling a gap in current easement opportunities and supporting working forest conservation. The bill also makes several adjustments that expand management opportunities on new and existing wetland easements, helping ensure these wetlands continue to provide quality habitat for generations.

Simplify the Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) has tremendous potential to deliver conservation in innovative, partnership-driven ways, but the program has long been hampered by barriers that frustrated partners and limited its impact. Chairman Thompson’s bill returns the RCPP to an earlier structure, that more closely connects projects to “covered programs” like EQIP. It also aims to shorten approval timelines and reimburse partner administrative expenses. While the covered program model has both advantages and drawbacks, efforts to streamline the RCPP are welcome, as is the addition of wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity to the program’s purposes.

Encourage Habitat Connectivity Across Programs

In addition to the language within RCPP, the bill encourages the Secretary of Agriculture to “encourage the use of conservation practices that support the development, restoration, and maintenance of habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors” in all conservation programs. The impact of this provision will vary depending on the priorities of any given Secretary but given the importance of corridors for species like Western big game, the direction is encouraging.

During the markup itself, Congressman Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), offered an amendment based on the Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act he is leading with Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). The amendment includes several provisions supporting migration corridors and habitat connectivity. One of the most significant aims to codify the USDA’s ability to use EQIP or the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on the same acres, but for different purposes, as Grassland CRP. This approach – often referred to as a “program stack,” where multiple conservation programs can be used together on the same acreage – is a key component of the Migratory Big Game Initiative, which has proven successful in Wyoming and elsewhere. The amendment was adopted by voice vote and generated positive comments from members of both parties including Chairman Thompson and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK). It was also great to hear Ranking Member Craig comment on the importance of “developing conservation programs with an eye toward restoring wildlife habitat and habitat connectivity.”

Leave Access Funding Unchanged

Chairman Thompson has long been an advocate for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). In 2024, the committee tried to include $150 million for the program, a funding level called for by the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act and dozens of conservation organizations. However, this current bill does not include funding for VPA-HIP. Fortunately, thanks in large part to Chairman Thompson’s efforts, VPA-HIP received $70 million over seven years in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. While important, that funding level is unlikely to expand the program’s impact.

Strengthen Tools for Enhancing Forest and Watershed Health

The bill provides several new tools aimed at improving forest health and watershed function, with benefits for water quality, fish and wildlife, and resilience to wildfire and drought. Notable provisions include reauthorization of the U.S. Forest Service’s Water Source Protection Program, expanded use of good neighbor agreements, and additional improvements to watershed health and drinking water sources within the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program.

Include Potentially Problematic Fire Management Restrictions

While proactively addressing wildfire risk is important, the bill also includes provisions that could limit the U.S. Forest Service’s ability to manage wildfire effectively. These include requirements to suppress certain fires within 24 hours of detection and additional limitations on prescribed fire. Although these provisions apply only in certain areas and conditions, relying primarily on suppression has not historically been an effective wildfire strategy, and experienced land management professionals are better equipped than Congress to make these decisions.

There are many other provisions in this bill that we will continue to follow, and there is still a long road before its impacts are felt on the ground. The TRCP thanks both House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership for their work toward a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports habitat and access.

The Hunter & Angler’s Guide to the Farm Bill

We know it can be challenging to break through the alphabet soup of program acronyms to understand why the reauthorization and improvement of Farm Bill conservation programs is a top priority. In The Hunter & Anglers Guide to the Farm Bill, we demystify the Farm Bill and the crucial conservations programs that sportsmen and women should care about.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Conservation Funding

February 20, 2026

Why TRCP Works to Conserve America’s Special Places

TRCP works to conserve special places like the Boundary Waters and landscapes that define hunting and fishing. Here’s why.

“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value.” – Theodore Roosevelt

At the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, that idea is not a slogan. It is a responsibility.

Hunters and anglers know conservation is not abstract. It is a duck blind at sunrise, a bull elk crossing a high ridge, a trout rising in clean, cold water. It is also the rare chance to hunt, fish, and travel through landscapes where solitude is still possible—where distance, quiet, and undeveloped character shape the experience itself.

We believe in the wise use of natural resources. Responsible development strengthens communities and supports our economy and quality of life. But we also recognize that some landscapes are so ecologically intact, and so vital to fish, wildlife, and outdoor experiences, that their highest and best use is long-term stewardship.

Not every place meets that threshold and TRCP is judicious in where we engage. But where intact watersheds, big game habitat, resilient fisheries, and recreation depend on stability at scale—and where there is broad agreement among hunters and anglers—conservation is not symbolic. It is practical. It is how opportunity endures.

This is why TRCP works to conserve America’s special places. This principle guides our work from Alaska to Florida and in places like the Boundary Waters and the Brooks Range.

Following in Roosevelt’s Footsteps

Photo: Theodore Roosevelt Collection Harvard College Library

President Theodore Roosevelt believed conservation and prosperity belonged together. He hunted, he ranched, he fished, and he understood that wildlife abundance depends on intact habitat and clean water.

As T.R. wrote, “Conservation means development as much as it does protection.” Stewardship meant ensuring natural resources endure, productive and accessible, for generations to come. Yet Roosevelt also believed that some special places, by their very character, warranted enduring stewardship. That dual commitment of wise use and careful restraint where necessary, continues to guide TRCP’s work today.

Recently, Theodore Roosevelt’s direct descendants sent a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to uphold that legacy by protecting the Boundary Waters. They reminded lawmakers that Roosevelt worked “exceedingly hard to protect Minnesota’s forests and water,” emphasizing that safeguarding extraordinary landscapes reflects foresight, responsibility, and bipartisan leadership.

Their appeal was not nostalgic. It was a call to carry forward a distinctly American tradition of stewardship—recognizing that when certain waters, wildlife habitats, and public lands are placed at risk, leaders have a duty to act with the long view in mind.

For hunters and anglers, that long view is simple: intact habitat today means opportunity tomorrow.

Speak Up for the Boundary Waters

Why Special Places Matter to Hunters and Anglers

For hunters and anglers, special places are not abstract. They are the source of opportunity.

They are the cold headwaters that sustain trout. The migratory habitats that carry elk and mule deer across vast landscapes. The intact watersheds that support wild salmon and thriving waterfowl. They are also landscapes where Americans can escape the noise of everyday life and immerse themselves in nature – experiences afield that are increasingly rare and important in a busy world.

When systems are altered in ways that cannot be easily reversed, the impacts are not theoretical – they show up directly in fewer fish, displaced herds, and diminished experiences. When habitat fragments or water quality declines, opportunity declines with it.

This is why TRCP engages selectively and strategically in conserving nationally significant landscapes where habitat is irreplaceable and long-term sporting opportunity depends on stewardship.

When we step into the arena, we intend to make it count.

A Record of Stewardship – and a Responsibility to Continue

For more than two decades, TRCP has worked alongside hunters, anglers, landowners, and elected leaders from both parties to conserve landscapes that define American sporting opportunities.

In Wyoming’s Wyoming Range, we helped secure the withdrawal of 1.2 million acres of the Bridger-Teton National Forest from mineral entry, safeguarding critical habitat for one of North America’s most important mule deer herds. In Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, we supported efforts to maintain the integrity of a landscape long valued for elk, native trout, and backcountry access. In Alaska’s Bristol Bay, we mobilized sportsmen and women to help sustain one of the world’s most productive wild salmon fisheries.

These efforts were not about opposing development everywhere. TRCP supports responsible development projects needed to benefit our economy, protect national security, and advance the interests of the United States, and we will work with decisionmakers and businesses to advance sensible projects. But certain landscapes—because of their ecological integrity, sporting value, and national significance, including the significant economic contributions they make through outdoor recreation and conservation investments —warrant durable safeguards.

That same principle guides our engagement in Alaska’s Brooks Range, one of North America’s last largely intact hunting and fishing landscapes. The very qualities that hunters and anglers value the most about the Brooks Range—the unbroken expansiveness, the lack of human activity, the unmatched solitude—are simply incompatible with a major industrial access corridor.

Across administrations and political shifts, TRCP has approached this work steadily and pragmatically, grounded in science and focused on lasting outcomes for fish, wildlife, and the sporting community.

The Boundary Waters: Stewardship in Practice

Photo: Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the surrounding Rainy River watershed form one of the most intact freshwater systems in the country. These cold, connected waters sustain lake trout, walleye, and smallmouth bass, while the broader landscape supports moose, deer, and waterfowl—and it is all linked by more than 1,100 lakes and historic portage trails that allow people to experience this wildlife-rich landscape by canoe.

TRCP has engaged in this region with that responsibility in mind. In 2023, we joined several of our partners in celebrating the 20-year mineral withdrawal in the Rainy River watershed because of its national significance to hunting and fishing and the long-term risks sulfide-ore copper mining poses in such an interconnected system.

Our position has remained consistent: where development presents a high likelihood of irreversible harm to fisheries, recreation, and wildlife habitat—and where sporting interests broadly agree that conservation is needed – long-term stewardship is the prudent course.

The recent letter from Roosevelt’s descendants reinforces that tradition of foresight and bipartisan responsibility. Safeguarding places like the Boundary Waters reflects a continuation of America’s conservation ethic.

For hunters and anglers who believe stewardship requires participation, speaking up is part of that responsibility.

Take action through the Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters alert: Senate Resolution : Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters

Click here to sign up today.

by: Jamelle Ellis

posted in: Conservation Funding

February 18, 2026

TRCP’s Lead Scientist on Why Everglades Restoration Matters

Hunters and anglers benefit from long-term Everglades restoration efforts; TRCP’s Senior Scientist Jamelle Ellis summarizes the current state of the system, how restoration efforts will improve it, and details on an upcoming presentation where you can learn more

For hunters and anglers, the Everglades is more than a map feature in South Florida. It’s a living system that supports world-class fishing, migratory birds, healthy wetlands, and the flow of clean water, which sustains habitat and wildlife from north of Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. Restoring the Everglades isn’t just a conservation ambition; it’s a science-driven effort to rebuild the ecological processes that fish and wildlife depend on.

At its core, Everglades restoration is all about water: How much? When does it move? Where does it go? What’s in it (what forms of pollution)? Historically, the Everglades functioned as a slow-moving “river of grass,” with seasonal flows that shaped habitats for wading birds, waterfowl, deer, turkeys, and fisheries. Decades of drainage and flood-control infrastructure disrupted those patterns, altering salinity in estuaries, fragmenting habitat, and changing nutrient dynamics across the system. Today, restoration scientists are working to reverse those impacts through large-scale projects that reconnect flow paths and restore timing closer to natural conditions. Larger projects like the Central Everglades Planning Project and component projects like the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir are designed to move more water south toward Florida Bay during the dry season. They are critical for maintaining wetland habitats and supporting prey species that sportfish and game birds rely on.

On March 3 at 1 p.m. EST, TRCP will host the chief science officer for the Everglades Foundation and a past president of the Florida Wildlife Federation for our Conservation Science Speaker Series, with a focus on the science behind Everglades restoration and how it benefits hunters and anglers. Click here to learn more or sign up for this online presentation.

But quantity alone isn’t enough. Everglades ecology evolved under extremely low phosphorus conditions, meaning that the environment and water supply held far less than other North American wetland environments. So even small increases can shift plant communities, reduce habitat quality, and ripple through the food web. That’s why Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are a foundational piece of restoration. STAs are constructed wetlands that use vegetation to remove excess nutrients like phosphorus. Ongoing scientific monitoring and adaptive management are essential to ensure these systems are functioning as intended and that restored flows don’t unintentionally harm downstream habitats.

Importantly, Everglades restoration has always acknowledged uncertainty. Scientists and managers are learning in real time how water quality, flow restoration, and climate variability interact. Rather than slowing progress, this adaptive, science-first approach allows projects to move forward while continually improving outcomes based on the best available data.

For the hunt-fish community, this work matters because healthy hydrology underpins healthy wildlife populations. Strong wading bird numbers signal productive wetlands. Balanced salinity supports fisheries in Florida Bay and inshore waters downstream of the Saint Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. Resilient habitats mean better opportunities in the field and on the water.

To dig deeper into the science behind Everglades restoration, TRCP is proud to host a presentation on March 3 at 1 p.m. ET. You can learn more or sign up here. Experts will help connect cutting-edge science to the real-world outcomes hunters and anglers care about most… more fish, healthier wildlife populations, and viable outdoor recreation opportunities in South Florida.

All images courtesy Pat Ford Photography

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Conservation Funding

TRCP Urges Renewed Collaboration on Colorado River Management

Missed deadline highlights continued need for durable agreement that sustains water, fish, and wildlife – and the outdoor traditions central to the Basin’s identity and economy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership urges renewed collaboration among Colorado River Basin states, Tribal Nations, and federal partners after a February 14 deadline passed without agreement on a long-term management framework.

“There remains a narrow opportunity for the Basin states, Tribal Nations, and the federal government to reach a negotiated solution that strengthens long-term reliability for water users while sustaining the fish and wildlife resources that hunters and anglers depend on,” said Alex Funk, director of water resources at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation play an important role in guiding this process, and we appreciate their continued engagement and leadership as discussions continue.”

After more than two years of negotiations and multiple deadlines, time is limited. With current guidelines set to expire this year, the Basin faces a compressed timeline to secure a durable path forward for the river and the communities, economies, fish, and wildlife that depend on it.

Recent projections of the Colorado River Basin’s water supply highlight the urgency of a negotiated approach. Current conditions reinforce the challenges facing the Colorado River system, including a record low snowpack, constrained storage at Lakes Powell and Mead, and the continued influence of hotter and drier conditions as well as extreme weather events.

A negotiated solution would provide greater predictability while strengthening stewardship and long-term system reliability for the Colorado River Basin.

“For hunters and anglers, the stakes are clear. A healthy Colorado River sustains fisheries, wildlife habitat, and the outdoor traditions central to the Basin’s identity and economy,” continued Funk. “The Colorado River Basin is strongest when partners work together, and TRCP stands ready to support collaborative solutions that secure a resilient future for the river.”

Top photo: Russ Schnitzer

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