The wild side, Spring/Summer 2004

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A publication of the Wildlife Diversity Program ♦ Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
.S. Senators and Congressmen Take a Stand For Wildlife
"I am a firm supporter of
preventative care for
wildlife... State Wildlife
Grants is smart environmentally and economically."
- Congressman Carson
Sens. James Inhofe and Don
Nickles, along with Reps. Tom Cole
and Brad Carson, are among 160
senators and congressmen taking a
stand for the nation's wildlife.
These Oklahoma Congressmen support the continuation of the State
Wildlife Grants
program into 2005.
Sens. Inhofe
and Nickles support the President's
budget proposal of $80 million for
State Wildlife Grants. The
President's budget is a $10 million
increase above last year's funding.
"I feel this program is a valuable
investment in prevention," Senator
Inhofe said. "It saves our citizens
money and the frustration of litigation often invoked by regulatory
programs."
One-quarter of the House and
over half of the Senate support a
larger funding increase. Reps. Cole
and Carson were among a bipartisan
group of 52 senators and 111 repre
sentatives that signed letters to key
congressional leaders urging $100
million for the program.
"I am a firm supporter of preventative care for wildlife,"
Congressman Carson said. "We can
save taxpayers millions
of dollars by intervening
when species are in
decline, instead of waiting for situations to
become dire. State
Wildlife Grants is smart
environmentally and economically."
Created by Congress in 2001,
the State Wildlife Grants program is
the nation's core program for preventing wildlife from becoming
endangered in every state. A funding-match requirement leverages
federal funding from state and private sources, often doubling the
impact of every dollar of federal
funding.
In its first few years, the program has already helped restore
degraded habitat, reintroduce native
species, and encouraged the effec-
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tive stewardship of private lands.
Congress decides each year if
the program will continue and the
amount to allocate. Over the past
four years, Oklahoma has received
$3,730,732 through State Wildlife
Grants and has 30 new conservation
projects as a result.
The program is supported by
Teaming With Wildlife, a broad-
based coalition representing more
than 3,000 groups including sportsmen, environmentalists, wildlife
management professionals and outdoor-related businesses. Included in
this coalition are 175 groups from
Oklahoma.
Information on the State
Wildlife Grants program and the
Teaming With Wildlife campaign is
available at www.teaming.com.
Inside
New Biologist, Upcoming
Wildlife Conference
2
Accounts, Art Exhibit
3
Sounds of Spring
4
State Wildlife Grant
5
Projects
Hackberry Flat
8
Red Slough
9
Federation Reactivates
9
New Products, News
10
Supporter Recognition
11