Protect wildlife

Saving species will create jobs

Since the pandemic began, Arkansans have turned to the outdoors for solace, giving us a firsthand look at the Natural State’s approximately 1,500 species of wildlife and 3,000 different types of plants. But what is harder to see is the wildlife crisis quietly unfolding all around us.

Scientists estimate that roughly one-third of America’s wildlife species are at an elevated risk of extinction. Here in Arkansas, the Game and Fish Commission has identified 380 wildlife species in need of conservation action. The species at risk are found in every habitat and among all major groups of wildlife—from eastern collared lizards to northern bobwhite quail.

The good news is that two members of the Arkansas delegation, Sen. John Boozman and Rep. French Hill, have signed on to a bold, bipartisan bill that will address the wildlife crisis while creating jobs and bridging the political divide. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will direct $1.4 billion of existing federal revenue toward state and tribal efforts to help fish and wildlife species in decline.

If passed, the bill would send about $15 million annually to Arkansas, which would use the money to help the 380 at-risk species by restoring habitat, removing invasive species, addressing wildlife diseases, reducing water pollution, and mitigating climate change. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act also provides additional funding for federally listed endangered species, like the Ozark hellbender and the leopard darter. But the main thrust of the bill is intended to prevent wildlife from needing the Endangered Species Act’s federal protections in the first place.

We know that this type of proactive wildlife restoration pays off.

For example, restoration efforts at the Warren Prairie Natural Area increased the nesting success of the federally threatened red-cockaded woodpecker. But it wasn’t the only species to benefit; the restoration also helped many other birds including Henslow’s sparrows, brown-headed nuthatches, and red-headed woodpeckers—as well as bobwhite quail and wild turkey. The restoration work should attract more birders and hunters to Warren Prairie, benefiting the economy and the environment.

This is just one example of how proactive conservation is good for wildlife, good for taxpayers and good for business. The work funded by the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will be guided by the state’s wildlife action plan, which outlines the actions the state’s at-risk species need, and describes the science behind these recommendations. Some of the labor could be supplied by the Biden administration’s new Civilian Climate Corps.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would create good jobs for Arkansans today while protecting our state’s wildlife heritage for tomorrow. This session, we hope every member of Arkansas’ congressional delegation will champion this groundbreaking bill and help it become the law of the land.