Grundy Reporter

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources may see $24 million in federal funding through the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

“The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) passed the U.S. House in June and has bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate,” Rep. Jackie Hass (R-Kankakee) wrote on Facebook. “RAWA funds go towards the conservation of America's wildlife, fisheries and habitats. Under the Wildlife Conservation Restoration Program, monies would be allocated directly to the states to manage our nation's threatened and endangered species and the natural areas they call home.”

The Wildlife Society wrote the legislation will allocate $1.3 billion annually for a state’s fish and wildlife agencies’ plans to better their local environments.

Haas shared a link to a story in The Telegraph as part of her Facebook post.

The article reported that funding from the federal Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022 would go to Illinois rivers and streams, focusing on cleanliness, recovery, development, and enhancement of fish habitats and mussels. 

“This legislation will enable proactive conservation of all fish and wildlife species with a focus on precluding population declines,” Gordon Batcheller, president of The Wildlife Society, said in a release. “Thanks to bipartisan leadership in the House of Representatives, we are one step closer to ensuring that state and tribal natural resource professionals are empowered with the tools needed to conserve the full richness of fish and wildlife diversity.”

The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate on July 15, 2021, and has been sent to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works.

To learn more about the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Illinois Journal’s webpage.

Vox explains that this bill has promise, with 16 cosponsors in the Senate and a broad base of support.

“RAWA would provide close to $1.4 billion a year for restoring wildlife populations across the country. At its core, RAWA addresses a big problem: More than a third of the nation’s plants and animals are threatened with extinction, from the monarch butterfly to the Florida panther, putting outdoor recreation and ecosystems that Americans depend on at risk.”