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90,000 Americans Call for Wetlands Conservation 
Approximately 50 to 70 percent of North America's duck population depends on wetlands in the prairie pothole region. Photo courtesy of USFWS.
In a resounding vote for conservation, more than 90,000 Americans have signed a petition supporting restoration of federal protections for wetlands and clean water - affirming the crucial role wetland ecosystems play in our lives. The TRCP's We Are Wetlands petition far exceeded its goal of 80,000 names - one for each acre of natural wetlands that our country loses each year. The petition calls for a legislative fix that restores the integrity of the Clean Water Act.
"American sportsmen have a keen appreciation of the importance of wetlands to our outdoor traditions, our fish and wildlife populations and our lives," said Tom Franklin, TRCP director of policy and government relations, "and so hunters and anglers gladly lead the charge in urging our government to act promptly and decisively in ensuring that these invaluable ecosystems receive sufficient protection under federal law."
Two recent Supreme Court decisions have dramatically weakened the Clean Water Act, the federal law that protects our nation's water quality. The TRCP Working Group on Wetlands has spoken loudly in support of legislation that restores the law's original scope.
In 2009, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed an amended version of the Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 787). This legislation would restore federal clean water and wetlands protections to levels originally intended in the Clean Water Act, clarify agency jurisdiction on wetlands protections and slow the trend of wetland loss. The TRCP and members of the Working Group on Wetlands currently are pressing the House of Representatives to advance legislation and work with the Senate to pass a bill for the president's approval.
"Sportsmen urge Congressman Oberstar to take the lead in ensuring speedy passage of this crucial legislation in 2010," said Jan Goldman-Carter, wetlands and water resources counsel with the National Wildlife Federation, a member of the TRCP working group.
More than half of the estimated 221 million acres of wetlands originally existent in the United States have been lost. In 1972, the passage of the Clean Water Act played an important role in stemming the rate of loss. Even with the law's protection, however, wetlands most important to fish and wildlife continue to decrease by 80,000 acres per year.
"America's wetlands control floods and erosion, hold and cleanse water, and give us places to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors," concluded Franklin. "Furthermore, many plant, fish and wildlife species depend on wetlands for survival. More than 90,000 Americans have spoken: Wetlands rank among the most productive and threatened habitats in the world. We are standing up for wetlands."
Learn more about We Are Wetlands.
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership | 555 11th St. NW, 6th Floor | Washington, DC 20004 | 202-654-4600
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