EDGEFIELD, S.C.—A recently introduced bi-partisan Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act has potential to elevate forest restoration and watershed conservation and support jobs for millions of Americans.
Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) this week introduced the Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act that will help scale up restoration of the nation’s forests and watersheds to make them more resilient, reduce fuels to mitigate wildfire risk and create or sustain over two million jobs in the outdoors.
“One cross-cutting challenge federal and state land management agencies and organizations struggle to overcome to meet the growing need of restoration efforts is access to a skilled workforce and funding that allows expansion of current workforce capacity,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “Millions of acres of forests and grasslands are in poor condition, devastated by wildfires, drought, beetle kill, tree diseases and lack of maintenance. They are at a tipping point, and wildlife, water, people and communities are at risk.”
The Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act is co-sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and companion legislation is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho).
“The National Wild Turkey Federation is proud to support this timely legislation, and we look forward to working with Congress to see it enacted into law,” Humphries said.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. Today, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative. Since 2012, this 10-year initiative has already eclipsed goals of conserving or enhancing more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruiting or retaining more than 1.5 million hunters and opening access to more than 500,000 acres for hunting and other recreation opportunities. This critical work will continue to impact wildlife habitat and our great outdoors in the final years of the initiative.
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Source: Huntinglife
