This bill will provide a wide range of benefits from using the funds to protect our wild places and species to promoting the nexus that wildlife and ecosystem health have on human mental and physical health through access to recreation and nature. At least 15 percent of the funds will be used to help recovery efforts for species already designated as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Up to 15 percent may be used for recreation and education, with the majority of funding used for conservation of priority species and habitats in Nevada.

The legislation comes at a critical time when wildlife in Nevada—and the entire country—needs urgent help and support. Since 1970, nearly 2.9 billion birds (30 percent of the total population) in the U.S. have disappeared, according to research published in the journal “Science.” However, through the implementation of state wildlife actions plans and aggressive wildlife conservation policy, these numbers are trending in a positive direction when we invest in wildlife and habitat. These state actions alone aren’t enough though – durable conservation relies on consistent and sustained funding to turn the tide. RAWA funding also will grow local economies by billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs, while also reversing the alarming trend in the country’s bird populations.

The Department thanks all delegates and congressional representatives for seeing the bill through to this point. This historic legislation provides a myriad of benefits for wildlife and wild spaces in Nevada and across the U.S., while also enhancing the public’s ability to enjoy the outdoors. This package will provide critical resources to the Department to conserve and protect all of Nevada’s wildlife and habitats.