“Good news for birds”

(New York – November 7, 2018) “The extraordinary turnout in this election shows how passionate voters are about the country’s direction and that’s good news for birds. We know an overwhelming majority of Americans want what birds need — clean water, resilient coastlines and action to deal with a warming climate. So we’ll work with Republicans or Democrats, anyone who is interested in taking bold steps to protect rivers, prairies and parks that birds need — all of these are important to the quality of life for people across America,” said David Yarnold (@david_yarnold), President and CEO of National Audubon Society. “Whether birds and people win or lose after this election isn’t about which party is in power, it comes down to which policies are championed and how land and water are used. Audubon and its 1.4 million members will work with both political parties for the sake of birds, people and the environment.” 

Audubon prioritizes common sense policy solutions that protect birds and the places they need. When the U.S. Congress returns for its lame duck session this month, Audubon will work to secure:

• Agricultural policy that supports local conservation efforts to improve the health of working landscapes and rivers to benefit birds and people, such as Audubon California’s Tricolored Blackbird partnership with dairy farmers and Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program which helps protect grassland birds like the Henslow's Sparrow (Farm Bill 2018).
   
• Guaranteed funding for land conservation that has historically touched every county in every state and does not cost taxpayers a dime: the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which directs a portion of offshore oil and gas royalties to conserve land. The Fund has protected Golden-winged Warbler habitat in North Carolina, wintering areas for Bald Eagles in Washington and the ecologically diverse Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas with nearly 300 bird species.
   
• Protection for an additional 17,000 coastal acres in storm-prone states, including North and South Carolina, Delaware and Florida. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act does not prohibit development; it removes the American taxpayer from the job of paying for it, saving U.S. taxpayers taxpayer billions (Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2018).
   
• A spending bill that provides robust funding for federal conservation programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Everglades Restoration and Delaware River Basin Restoration Plan that restore habitat for countless wading birds and marsh birds. Specific funding should be allocated to the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART program, which protects Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo habitat across the Colorado River Basin; EPA’s National Estuary Program which restored habitat in Louisiana critical to the Snowy Plover, Wilson’s Plover, American Oystercatcher and Least Tern; and Department of Energy renewables programs to help slow the impacts of climate change that is shrinking and shifting the range of more than 300 bird species.

Contact: Anne Singer, asinger@audubon.org, 202-271-4679

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using, science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more how to help at www.audubon.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @audubonsociety.