Chris Hesla: Bipartisan wildlife bill would be boon for South Dakota

The alarm bell is sounding for America’s wildlife.

One example is the monarch butterfly. When I was a kid, they were all over our backyards, prairies and farm fields. But now monarchs have declined to the point where a sighting of them has become a novel thing.

America’s wildlife crisis is real. Throughout the country, studies show that more than one-third of America’s wildlife are edging towards extinction. But the good news is that Congress is in a position to pass a bold, bipartisan solution as big as the problems species face.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which has passed both a Senate and House committee with strong bipartisan support, would dedicate $1.4 billion toward locally led efforts to help fish and wildlife species in decline. It has 32 cosponsors in the Senate — 16 from each party — and more than 170 cosponsors in the House.

The proposal would send more than $16.6 million annually to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, which would use the money to help nearly 104 wildlife species identified as needing conservation assistance, including peregrine falcons, river otters and greater prairie chickens. The bill would also provide funding to South Dakota’s federally recognized American Indian tribes so that they could do more work to bolster at-risk wildlife species on their lands.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Ac should appeal to Sen. John Thune and Sen. Mike Rounds. First and foremost, the bill would do wonders to prevent the decline of at-risk fish and wildlife species. That means more butterflies in our farm fields, more songbirds on our prairies, more otters in our rivers, more peregrine falcons in our skies and so on. That in of itself is a fantastic thing.

But the benefits of this bill wouldn’t end there.

Ranchers and farmers would benefit, too. In order to bolster species in need of conservation assistance, South Dakota GFP would invest in voluntary habitat projects undertaken on private lands by interested farmers and ranchers. This would provide cash in the hand for producers.

In addition, by increasing the populations of at-risk species, the act would prevent some from becoming listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, thereby eliminating the added regulations that sometimes accompany such listing.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Ac would also be a boon to hunters and anglers. Yes, the focus of the bill is towards at-risk wildlife species, not game species. But to benefit the at-risk song birds, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians and the like, projects would be directed to improving the health of South Dakota’s ecological systems. By doing that, deer, pheasants, ducks and walleye would benefit, too. The result would be better hunting and fishing for everyone.

In the end, South Dakota’s economy would benefit, too. A recent study showed that $1.3 billion is spent each year on outdoor recreation in the state. This generates $1.9 billion in economic activity throughout the state and supports 18,000 full- and part-time jobs.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would fuel this economic driver and help keep South Dakota’s outdoor economy humming.

Our congressional delegation has a real opportunity to do right by South Dakota and South Dakotans. Our prairies, badlands, rivers and wetlands and the wildlife on and in them are incredible. Let’s pass this outdoor heritage to the next generation. Let’s keep our outdoor economy strong. The time is now. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act has real momentum. Contact Sen. Thune and Sen. Rounds and ask them to help push the bill across the finish line.

Chris Hesla is the executive director of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would help South Dakota species