For Immediate Release: March 29, 2006

Contact: Perry Plumart, 202 234-7181 x 202
Darin Schroeder, 202 234-7181 x 209

Strong Federal Funding Bill for America's Migratory Songbirds Passes Crucial Committee Vote

(Washington, D.C.) The House Resources Committee today passed unanimously the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Improvement Act (HR 518) . This is a vital step forward in the reauthorization of a bill that provides the only significant federal funding source for neotropical migratory birds.

"If we want birds to come back in the spring we have to address the problems they face on both their breeding and wintering grounds," said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy (ABC). "This legislation begins to allow us to deal with the threats to birds using a comprehensive approach."

The original Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 expired in 2005, prompting the new legislation. The new bill would increase funding from the previous $5 million level by $1 million each year, to reach a maximum of $8 million by 2010. Further improvements are a reduction in the ratio of matching money that recipients must raise from three to one down to one to one, making the funds that much more accessible. The new bill also makes Canadian projects eligible for funding.

"This is an important victory along the road to securing this funding source for America's songbirds," said Fenwick. "This bill represents funding for real on-the-ground conservation efforts for migratory birds, and we will continue to dedicate resources to advance this important bill until it is signed into law."

ABC has been a major proponent of this legislation, helping to galvanize support for the bill and testifying at a recent committee hearing. The next step for the legislation is the House floor. Companion legislation in the Senate (S.1410) is also awaiting floor action.

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American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It is the only U.S.-based, group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats facing birds in the Western Hemisphere. ABC believes adequate resources exist to overcome these threats, and that unifying people, organizations, and agencies around common approaches to priority issues is the key to success.