Cuts to Wetlands Reserve Program hurts fish, birds and wildlife

How long before federal lawmakers truly appreciate the many ecological functions associated with wetlands and their significance to society at large?

That's the $10,000 question that many in the conservation circles continue to ask, particularly in light of the recent actions by the U.S. House of Representatives to cut a bipartisan-supported conservation program yet again.

Despite President Bush's request for full funding, the House has cut the hugely popular and vitally important Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) from 250,000 acres (full annual enrollment) to 144,776 acres — a cut that has many seething, and deservedly so."Decreasing funding to the Wetlands Reserve Program is simply unacceptable to the hunting, fishing and conservation community," said Dave Nomsen, vice president of governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever and a co-chair of the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) working group. "We hope that the Senate hears our concerns."

Truth is, wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Some biologists liken them to rain forests or coral reefs. They also support numerous species from all of the major groups of organisms — from microbes to mammals.

Thanks to the educational efforts of many of our conservation groups, we now realize that wetlands provide many societal benefits. Indeed, wetlands provide fish and wildlife habitat (up to one half of all bird species nest or feed in wetlands), improve water quality by filtering out chemicals, lessen shoreline erosion, store flood water (an acre of wetlands can store 1 to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater) and provide numerous recreational opportunities (hunting, fishing, bird watching and more) at minimal cost.

To echo Dave Nomsen of Pheasants Forever, it is simply unacceptable to the hunting, fishing and conservation community to cut the WRP.

...this program needs funding...

The Pilot-Independent - Walker, Minnesota

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