Take Action in Support of Wildlife Professionals!

Use the form to the right to identify and reach out directly to your members of Congress on issues of importance to you as a wildlife professional. 

This easy-to-use email action tool has been pre-filled with funding priorities The Wildlife Society is advocating for in the 117th Congress. We encourage you to make the letter personal, and add information on program areas of relevance to you. You can learn more about program areas of interest to the profession by checking out TWS' policy resources.

Once you provide contact information that allows for targeting of your members of Congress, you will be prompted to read through suggested email content to send to their offices. Suggested email content will look similar to the letter below:

I am writing to you today as a constituent and a wildlife professional to request your support for programs of importance to empowering wildlife professionals and conserving wildlife populations in the 117th Congress.

Wildlife conservation efforts in the U.S. continue to be plagued by inadequate funding. Given the compounding impacts of climate change, habitat degradation, and invasive species, the inability of wildlife biologists to effectively manage species they are tasked with conserving will result in cascading, ecosystem-level effects.

In order to combat this growing challenge, I am requesting your support for dedicated funding to state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies for work on at-risk species conservation efforts. By backing the soon to be reintroduced "Recovering America's Wildlife Act", you will be allowing proactive, cost-effective conservation work to be conducted with the help and support of local stakeholders.

Multi-stakeholder buy-in is essential for effective management of America's natural resources. Cooperative science programming that brings together federal and state agencies, universities, and NGOs has proven effective in targeting research to inform the actions of local decision makers. Programs such as the U.S. Geological Survey's Climate Adaptation Science Centers and the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program allow for local stakeholders to coordinate on what scientific projects are most needed to conserve wildlife populations within their state or region.

As wildlife managers work to ensure federal lands are best serving native wildlife and the American public, the country must also address the resource needs of our federal lands. The National Wildlife Refuge System, the only federal land system in the country with a primary mission of native wildlife conservation, is in dire need of adequate operations and maintenance funds. The NWRS currently suffers from significant staffing shortages of not only professional wildlife biologists and managers, but visitor services, maintenance, and conservation law enforcement staff. As the country approaches the FY 2022 appropriations season, I urge you to consider the needs of our public lands and the native wildlife that rely upon them.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my requests and the needs of our nation's wildlife professionals. If you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Questions? Reach out to policy@wildlife.org