This week, U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., introduced the “Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act.”
The bill “will ensure we continue providing robust conservation for migratory birds in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”
Salazar’s office offered some of the details behind the proposal.
“The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act provides competitive grants for habitat conservation, research and monitoring, and community outreach and education. The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023 reauthorizes this program for the next five years and authorizes increased funding each year. This bill will fund more projects that have a greater positive impact on migratory birds,” Salazar’s office noted. “These birds include many iconic American songbirds and blackbirds, including the Baltimore oriole, peregrine falcon, cerulean warbler, and reddish egret.”
“South Florida’s birds are a vital and necessary part of our ecosystem,” said Salazar. “Neotropical birds that span the Americas are not only unique but are critical to pollinating many plant species in our forests and wetlands, including the Everglades. This legislation ensures those birds are protected.”
U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, are co-sponsoring the bill. The American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society are behind the bill.
Salazar’s bill was sent to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
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