Sportsmen, Forest Industry, Agriculture Groups, Conservationists, Business Groups and Others Ask Budget Negotiators Not to Balance the Budget on the Back of America’s Natural Resources

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Sportsmen, Forest Industry, Agriculture Groups, Conservationists, Business Groups and Others Ask Budget Negotiators Not to Balance the Budget on the Back of America’s Natural Resources

Groups sending letters to budget negotiators held a press conference on June 21, 2011, to discuss how proposed cuts to conservation funding would harm American communities, economies and livelihoods. Read more about and listen to the press conference below.

June 21, 2011

More than 400 agricultural, sportsmen, business and conservation groups sent letters to budget negotiators today calling for the protection of America’s natural resource funding.

America’s lands and waters protect people and generate jobs and billions of dollars each year to the national economy in fishing, hunting, other outdoor recreation, agriculture and other industries.

But federal spending on land, water, ocean and wildlife programs comprises only 1.26 percent of the total federal budget in 2010. As a miniscule share of the overall budget, conservation spending is not the cause of the nation’s budget instability, nor will making further cuts to these programs solve the deficit crisis. The groups signing the letters called on budget negotiators -- led by Vice President Joe Biden -- to avoid disproportionate cuts to natural resource programs.

“The diversity of the groups signing this letter shows how broad the support is for healthy lands and waters across America,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “Smart investments in natural resources will produce strong returns in agriculture output, recreational activity and associated jobs. Investments in our natural resources will keep America strong.”

Letter signed by more than 30 sportsmen organizations
Letter signed by more than 350 conservation, agriculture and business groups.

Several of the groups who signed the letter joined a press conference on June 21, 2011, to discuss how proposed cuts to conservation funding would impact American communities, economies and livelihoods. Listen to the press conference. (6.9 MB)

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.