The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) is landmark proposed legislation that will change the trajectory of fish, wildlife, and habitat conservation in the United States. Gaining extraordinary momentum since its introduction, the legislation has over 105 bipartisan cosigners and thousands of official supporters. As momentum for upcoming hearings and votes builds, it is essential that Representatives hear from professional biologists, natural resource managers, professors, and researchers that this effort is strongly supported by “boots on the ground.” You can go on record as supporting RAWA by signing the Scientist Sign-on Letter in Support of Dedicated Conservation Funding hosted by The Wildlife Society. This letter documents the unprecedented level of support for this historic proposed legislation and will be distributed to U.S. Congressional offices. If you’re not sure if your University or employer would endorse this advocacy, the form allows you to enter your affiliation with a professional society (ex: Society for Range Management, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, American Fisheries Society). Going on record as supporting RAWA is an important action, but it is just the first step in a long journey for the Act. If RAWA is to become law, representatives must hear a choir of support: support from constituents interested in how the act will positively impact their businesses, support from special interests in their districts, and support from people the Representatives personally know and respect. You can be a part of that important sphere of influence by engaging directly with your specific congressional Representatives and by activating your own personal and professional network. Need tools? Check out the Texas Alliance Toolkit and find your Representative, get FAQ sheets, and download advocacy fliers for the business or industry in which you might have contacts. You can also send emails to your peer networks and the organizations to which you belong, asking them to do the same. In some cases, it took only a few messages to convince a Member of Congress to cosponsor the bill! RAWA has a long way to go, but with each of us preparing the way, it’s possible for this proposed bill to become law and change the way we take care of our natural resources for the next 100 years! Questions? Contact: Kelly Conrad Simon, Kelly.simon@tpwd.texas.gov
Guadalupe bass release, Photo by Chase Fountain