In this issue: 2023 appropriations bill includes big wins for climate and conservation |
| AUDUBON ADVISORY January 2023 | | | | |
| Passed in the final days of 2022, the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bill includes big wins for climate and conservation, although it did not include other important legislation that would greatly benefit wildlife. Audubon is ready to continue pushing for greater investments and protections in priority legislation for birds, people, and the places we need. Read more | | | | |
| Included in the appropriations bill, the Growing Climate Solutions Act—a multi-year, bipartisan effort to recognize the critical role that the agriculture and forestry sectors play in conservation and naturally storing carbon—will not only help to create a cleaner future for both people and wildlife, but will also preserve bird habitats, and help rural economies. Read more | | | | | | |
| The recently passed Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act will establish a scientific monitoring and assessment program to help protect the Great Salt Lake and other saline lakes in the West. This bill is the U.S. government's first coordinated regional assessment of Great Basin saline lakes. Read more | | | | | | |
| Also passed by Congress last month was the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 to help restore ecosystems like the Everglades, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River. This year's WRDA included key provisions directing the Army Corps to incorporate climate change into project planning and design. Read more | | | | | | |
| As the world contends with dual biodiversity and climate crises, a new assessment of land-based biodiversity in North America has identified areas considered to be climate refugia—those places that are likely to provide viable habitat for their current species—under several warming scenarios. The study looked not only at how refugia for birds were affected, but also refugia for amphibians, fungi, invertebrates, mammals, plants, and reptiles. The findings show that areas most critical for sustaining species lack current protections or conservation management. Read more | | | | Huge victory! After decades of work, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion has been approved. This project, the largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history, will address Louisiana's land loss crisis by reconnecting the Mississippi River to its wetlands. The Mississippi River Delta provides habitat for more than 400 species of birds. More than 25,000 Audubon members submitted public comments in support of this critical restoration project, which marks a pivotal moment for the state's fight against coastal erosion and will help offset decades of land loss. Read more | | | | | |
| Photos from top: Max Wang/Audubon Photography Awards; Luke Franke/Audubon; Elizabeth Yicheng Shen/Audubon Photography Awards; Bill Dix/Audubon Photography Awards (left); James Robellard/Audubon Photography Awards (right) | | | | |
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