# Emergency Wetland Loan Act, H. R. 4315



## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

*For immediate release from Delta Waterfowl&#8230;.*

February 9, 2006

*Kennedy Urges Sportsmen
To Support Wetland Loan Act*

Please take action!

Instructions: Go to http://www.house.gov/, *look on the left side for "Write Your Representative" and follow the instructions. You'll need to know your nine-digit zip code (If you don't know the last four digits - Just plug in 1111).*
In your message, tell your representative you would very much appreciate his support for the *Emergency Wetland Loan Act, H. R. 4315.*

Press Release:

Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minnesota, is asking sportsmen to generate support for the Emergency Wetland Loan Act, a bill that would provide the US Fish and Wildlife Service with $400 million in emergency funding to protect critical waterfowl habitat.

Rep. Kennedy and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, are co-sponsors of the bill, which would authorize Congress to advance $400 million against future duck stamp revenues to conserve wetland and upland habitats. 
In a phone call to Delta Waterfowl, Rep. Kennedy said, "We have strong bipartisan support for this bill, but we need the help of conservation groups like Delta Waterfowl, Pheasants Forever and others. We need their members to create the momentum to push it through."

In response to Rep. Kennedy's request, Delta President Rob Olson committed his organization's full support. "We consider this one of the most important and far-reaching pieces of legislation facing ducks and duck hunters today," says Olson. "On behalf of our members, we thank Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Thompson for introducing this bill, and promise them we'll do everything we can to generate support for it." Olson encouraged hunters across the country to visit www.deltawaterfowl.org and follow the instructions for contacting their members of the House of Representatives. "There's nothing more important to a lawmaker than hearing from a constituent," says Rep. Kennedy. * "The best way to get this bill passed is if hunters contact their representatives and tell them this is a priority for them."
H. R. 4315, coupled with existing revenues from by the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF), would provide $800 million to secure critical waterfowl habitat over the next 10 years. The bill is patterned after the Wetlands Loan Act of 1961.* "There are no tax dollars involved," Olson says. "The loan will be repaid out of future duck stamp revenues. Ducks hunters have been paying their own way since the duck stamp program was launched by Ding Darling in 1934."

The duck stamp has raised nearly $700 million and conserved some 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat across the country, including 2.7 million acres in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), where most of the continent's ducks originate.

"The duck stamp has secured 90 percent of the permanently protected waterfowl habitat on the US side of the breeding grounds," Olson says. "That's an incredible record, and duck hunters can be proud of their accomplishments. But today, some of the best nesting habitat on the continent is in jeopardy and there aren't enough duck stamp dollars to protect it.

"Land values have skyrocketed in recent years, but stamp revenues have not," Olson says. "That's why it's so important that the Wetland Loan Act is passed in this session of Congress. And it's critically important that the breeding grounds get high priority when those dollars are being allocated."
Olson singled out Joe Duggan of Pheasants Forever for his efforts in behalf of the Wetland Loan Act. "If there's one person responsible for making this happen, it's Joe," Olson says. "Here's a guy who works for a pheasant organization and he's been leading the fight for a bill aimed at protecting waterfowl habitat." "Everyone at PF thinks beyond pheasants," says Duggan. "When it comes to protecting habitat, we're all in this together. The habitat that benefits ducks is also good for pheasants, it benefits non-game species and it benefits society as a whole."
Duggan says the idea to revive the 1960s loan act came up in conversations with Delta and waterfowl managers across the breeding grounds in 2004. "There was a lot of concern about the ongoing loss of habitat on the breeding grounds, and the Wetland Loan Act looked like our best bet for stemming those losses," he says. "We presented the idea to Rep. Kennedy, and he jumped all over it."

A long-time vice president for the Minnesota-based organization, Duggan also had praise for Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, both of whom endorsed the loan act concept a year ago; Rep. Thompson, who co-sponsored the bill, and Larry Nelson of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who supported the concept and helped solicit the support of the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The bill stipulates that the funds be used for "preserving and increasing waterfowl populations in accordance with the goals and objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan."
Olson says the language dictates that the prairie breeding grounds get a high priority. "The only place we can achieve the waterfowl population goals set forth by the North American Plan is the prairie breeding grounds," says Olson. "If this bill is approved, it's critical that we let the science dictate where the dollars are spent."

*Says Ron Reynolds of Fish and Wildlife's Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET), "For prairie-nesting ducks, all of the births and half of the deaths occur on the breeding grounds. If we fail on this critical battleground, then we have lost the war."*Duggan agreed, saying, "There's no question the most pressing need for these dollars is the Prairie Pothole Region."

To date, 71 members of the House of Representatives have signed on in support of the bill. Rep. Kennedy says he's hopeful a companion bill will be introduced in the Senate shortly.

For more information, contact John Devney at 888-987-3695, or Rob Olson at 877-667-5656, or visit www.deltawaterfowl.org.


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## waterwolf (Oct 15, 2003)

Message sent to my congressman.


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

Keep it going... :wink:

Contact your hunting buddy or anyone else you know...


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## fishless (Aug 2, 2005)

Done


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## Vandy (Mar 29, 2005)

Call your congressmen and urge them to support House Bill H.R.4315. Let them know their constituency wants it to pass.

Here is a list of Reps and Senators from MN and the Dakotas. 
If you are from another state you can look up contact info for your Congressional represntation at www.congress.org Shoot them an email or call them This is an important Bill lets get it passed!!!!!!

North Dakota
-Senators: 
Byron Dorgan 
[email protected]
DC office (202) 224-2551
ND office (701) 250-4618

Kent Conrad
DC office (202) 224-2043
ND office (701) 258-4648

-US Representative:
Earl Pomeroy
DC office (202) 225-2611 
ND office (701) 224-0355

South Dakota
-Senators: 
John Thune
DC (202) 224-2321
SD (605) 334-9596

Tim Johnson
DC (202) 224-5842
SD (605) 332-8896

-US Representative:
Stephanie Herseth
[email protected]
DC (202) 225-2801
SD (605) 367-8371

Minnesota
-Senators: 
Norm Coleman
DC (202) 224-5641
MN (651) 645-0323

Mark Dayton
DC (202) 224-3244
MN(612) 727-5220

-US Representative:
Gil Gutknecht Dist #1
DC (202) 225-2472
MN (507) 252-9841

John Kline Dist#2 
DC (202) 225-2271
MN (952) 808-1213

Jim Ramstad Dist#3
[email protected]
DC (202) 225-2871
MN (952) 738-8200

Betty McCollum Dist#4
DC (202) 225-6631
MN (651) 224-9191

Martin Olav Sabo Dist#5 
DC (202) 225-4755
MN (612) 664-8000

Mark Kennedy Dist#6
[email protected]
DC (202) 225-2331
MN (763) 684-1600

Collin Peterson Dist#7
DC (202) 225-2165
MN (218) 847-5056

Jim Oberstar Dist#8
DC (202) 225-6211
MN (218) 727-7474


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

This is important guys/gals...


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

TTT - Sticky?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Those of you that want to get involved this is your chance. Make the contact and make a difference.

Mallard numbers in the late 1990's were at 9 million today they are at 5.8 million. the difference was an over abundance of water and habitat. Ducks need habitat and this will help to secure the habitat for reproduction and nesting for 10 years. If you are 20 now will it be the same or worse when you are 30? don't regret that you didn't act when you could. It is time to act it is just a phone call or and email you do not have to give them any body parts!!! :lol:

Bob


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

dont you mean his or her reperastive lol

Mines stephanie!

BUT i think we need to post this in open forum also!


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## bowhunter04 (Nov 7, 2003)

Emails sent out tonight.


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