by Tim Manns
At least 390 bird species breed in North America and winter in Latin America or the Caribbean. Stemming decline in the populations of these migratory species requires protecting their habitat and addressing other problems they face at both ends of their annual journey and at stopover sites along their migratory paths. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 created a matching fund to spur projects to protect these migratory species with most of the funds to be spent south of the United States. Last June, with this act about to expire, our Second Congressional District Representative Rick Larsen joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle in a bipartisan bid to renew and improve this program. On April 9th of this year the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (H.R.4389) passed the House. The bill then moved to the Senate where on April 17th it passed on a voice vote. With the Senate very closely divided, passing on a voice vote implies ample support for the bill from both parties. This bill reauthorizes an annual appropriation of $6.5 million and increases the federal cost share for grants from 25 percent to 33.3 percent. As with the earlier bill, at least 75% of the funded projects must be in Latin America, the Caribbean, or Canada. Find the bill report at CRPT-118hrpt439.pdf (congress.gov).