Leading Nonprofits and Associations Call on Congress to Pass Legislation that Puts Americans Back to Work Through Conservation
Conservation Works for America campaign calls for policies that build resilient communities, combat climate change, and create jobs
Today a coalition of ten organizations collectively called on Congress to consider conservation priorities as policymakers draft economic recovery legislation.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, National Marine Manufacturers Association, American Sportfishing Association, Pheasants Forever, and others joined forces in identifying a list of shared legislative priorities with House and Senate leadership. The goals of the coalition include building resilient communities that can withstand the impacts of a changing climate, restoring and preserving outdoor spaces, investing in nature-based solutions, and sustainably managing water resources.
“The value of investing in our most common goods—our land and water—cannot be overstated.”
“Beyond the clear ecological value, investment in the outdoors provides jobs, energizes local economies, improves the resilience of our communities, and holds a lasting public benefit for generations.”
The groups highlighted nine main areas of focus:
- Invest in our nation’s private lands.
- Improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure.
- Invest in the value of clean water.
- Support multi-benefit watershed management in the West.
- Support effective watershed management.
- Strengthen America’s coasts and restore iconic ecosystems.
- Invest in pre-disaster mitigation.
- Prioritize wetland restoration.
- Invest in Army Corps ecosystem restoration projects.
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Dr. Andy Danylchuk was the recipient of BTT’s 2020 Flats Stewardship Award. Andy Danylchuk – photo
Bonefish and Tarpon Trust Announces 2020 Circle of Honor Awards
By Brian Irwin / The Fly Fisherman / February 23, 2021
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) has announced its 2020 Circle of Honor Awards. The induction ceremony was to take place at BTT’s 7th Annual Professional Science Symposium & Flats Expo, but the November event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Flats Stewardship Award goes annually to “a scientist or conservationist who has significantly contributed to the stewardship of flats species and habitats.”
The 2020 award went to Dr. Andy Danylchuk, Ph.D., a fish biologist from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Danylchuk has been integral in identifying where bonefish spawn. His research has led to protection of important nurseries, and education about proper fish-handling skills to prolong the lives of both freshwater and saltwater gamefish.
Tarpon [Megalops atlanticus]. Occurs in warm temperate tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This coastal fish can be found both inshore and offshore. Because of its ability to gulp air directly into the air bladder by “rolling” at the surface, the tarpon is able to enter brackish and fresh waters that are stagnant and virtually depleted of oxygen. Such areas are relatively free of predators, thus offering a convenient refuge for the young. IGFA World Record All Tackle – 286 lbs 9oz ( 129.98 kg); Tippet Class – 202 lbs, 8 oz. Photo Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
BTT Works With Partners to Determine Effects of Pollution on Fish Populations in Corozal-Chetumal Bay
February 23, 2021
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s Belize-Mexico Initiative seeks to identify and address threats to the region’s flats fishery. To this end, Belize-Mexico Initiative Coordinator Dr. Addiel Perez, began collaborating in 2021 with colleagues from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Mexico, and the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) in Belize, to determine how pollution has impacted the fish populations in the Corozal-Chetumal Bay, shared by both countries. The scientific information that the coalition gathers will be shared with the bay’s resource managers.
The question of how urban and rural activities along the rivers and bay is affecting fish is critically important to artisanal and recreational sport fisheries of both countries.
