I. WILDLIFE RALLY GREAT SUCCESS!

II. UPDATE ON HR 701

III. NEW SENATE BILLS INTRODUCED

I. Rally on Capitol Steps Focuses Attention on Need for Wildlife Funding

Last week's rally for wildlife on the steps of the U.S. Capitol was a great success - thanks to everyone who attended! Approximately 1000 people showed up for the rally on March 1, coming from all corners of the country to support funding for wildlife conservation.

Donna de Varona, a former Olympic gold medal winner, acted as MC of the rally and introduced the speakers which included about a dozen members of Congress from across the political spectrum. Primary speakers at the rally were Representatives Don Young (R-AK), George Miller (D-CA) and John Dingell (D-MI), the leading figures on H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) who is a leader in the Senate. Sharon Robinson, the daughter of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, also said a few words in support of conservation funding and H.R. 701. An NWF press release, photos from the Rally and a 4 minute rally video are available at: www.nwf.org/naturefunding.

The rally was the centerpiece of a week full of events designed to help raise awareness for the need for wildlife conservation funding. Preceding the rally was a breakfast in the Dirksen Senate office building at which numerous members of Congress spoke to the 250-plus wildlife activists. An evening reception was also held at which state fish and wildlife agencies displayed information regarding the needs of wildlife in their state.

Despite the successes of the rally and other events of the past week, there remains a great need for grassroots action supporting conservation funding! We'll keep you posted on what you can do to help.

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II. H.R. 701 Sent to Agriculture, Budget Committees

The Conservation and Reinvestment Act has a few more hurdles to make it over before landing on the House floor. After being reported out of the House Resources Committee the bill was sent to the Agriculture and Budget committees for review. While this will temporarily delay the progress of the bill, it also allows more time for co-sponsors to be added!

There are now approximately 310 co-sponsors of CARA, including a majority of both the Republican and Democratic caucuses. More co-sponsors are needed however to ensure that House leadership heeds the majority and brings HR 701 to a vote before the April recess. So keep writing letters, making phone calls, and sending emails to your members of Congress - let's keep the momentum rolling!

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III. Landrieu, Bingaman Introduce New Senate Bills

New bills have been introduced in the Senate supporting conservation funding. S. 2123, introduced by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Frank Murkowski (R-AK) is an identical Senate version of H.R. 701. A bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) - S. 2181 - was introduced on Monday March 6, and is called the Conservation Stewardship Act.

A successful conservation funding bill in the Senate will likely be a variation on these bills. We will be analyzing both bills and providing information on them shortly. We'll let you know how you can help shortly!

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