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Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Gains Momentum in Congress

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) is gaining momentum in the current Congressional session with significant bi-partisan support. Without raising taxes, the vital legislation would direct $1.3 billion annually in existing federal revenues to states and tribes for proactive, voluntary efforts to prevent vulnerable wildlife from becoming endangered across the U.S.

For Michigan, that would mean an unprecedented increase in funding from around $1.3 million annually to approximately $27 million to implement Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan and help non-game Species of Greatest Conservation Need through habitat protection, restoration, and other strategies.

RAWA is an extraordinary opportunity and, if passed and signed into law, would represent the largest investment in conservation funding in more than a generation. Given that 1/3 of all wildlife species in the U.S. are at risk of extinction, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and that there are 12,000 identified Species of Greatest Conservation Need (over 300 in Michigan) addressed in states’ Wildlife Action Plans, RAWA could help more species recover, keeping them out of the “emergency room” of the federal Endangered Species Act where 12,000 species of plants and animals are already listed as threatened or endangered.

MNA supports RAWA and extends our sincere appreciation to Congresswoman Dingell for continuing to push this legislation forward. We last reported on this vital federal legislation in the Fall 2019 issue of Michigan Nature magazine. At that time, it was introduced in the House, but never in the Senate.

Fast forward to a new session of Congress and the bill (HR 2773) has been reintroduced in the House by Michigan’s own Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jeff Fortenbury (R-NE) with the bipartisan support of 125 co-sponsors to date, including a majority of our state delegation. This year, a companion bill, S2372, was also introduced in the Senate with 27 co-sponsors at this writing, including Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow.

Species Spotlight: Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis)

Bats are one of Michigan’s most mysterious mammals. Commonly seen dashing through the dusk sky, their silhouettes are well-known. But less well-known are the minute details that distinguish the various species of bat found in the state. The Indiana Bat, for example, is distinguished from other more common bats by an elevated ridge on the structure that supports the back margin of the tail – a detail the regular observer is likely to miss.

And, unlike some other of Michigan’s bats, the Indiana bat hibernates in caves through the winter, rather than migrating south. This makes them vulnerable to the leading cause of population decline among bat species, White-nose syndrome (over a million bats have died from White-nose syndrome since its first detection in 2006).

The Indiana bat has been listed federally as an endangered species since 1967, and although no known populations of them currently reside on MNA Nature Sanctuaries, efforts to conserve habitat suitable for this species continue.

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