By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
United States Sen. Roy Blunt proposes federal legislation that could funnel as much as $20 million to conservation efforts in Missouri.
Blunt, a Republican, has sponsored legislation along with New Mexico U.S. Sen., Democrat Martin Heinrich, that would send $1.3 billion generated from environmental penalties to states, territories, and tribes.
“In our state it would be almost totally with private land owners, doing what we can to maintain the kinds of vegetation, the kinds of cover, maybe restore the quail population in Missouri that was still a big part of our hunting when I was growing up,” Blunt tells those gathered for a news conference at the Missouri River French Bottoms in St. Joseph Friday morning.
The legislation is called the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. It would provide funding for wildlife conservation strategies and plans developed by states, territories, and tribes. The projects are to target the restoration of species with the greatest conservation need. Local conservation officials have identified 12,000 species in need of assistance.
Missouri Conservation Department Director Sara Parker Pauley says the federal funding would help the state improve the habitat of more than 600 species in Missouri, species considered in the greatest conservation need.
“Meaning those populations are in decline,” Pauley says during the news conference. “We hear about new extinctions all the time. The Fish and Wildlife Service announced even in the last month another 23 species that they’re declaring officially extinct.”
Pauley says $20 million would be a game-changer for the state.
“So this critically important funding will allow us here in Missouri to implement what we call our comprehensive conservation wildlife strategy,” Pauley says.
Also attending a news conference along the Missouri River was Missouri Western State University biology professor Mark Mills, who says ultimately benefiting the environment benefits people.
“Studies have shown that if you can bring in pollinators to something like a small piece of tallgrass prairie, it benefits surrounding agriculture,” Mills says. “Those same insects that are pollinating those plants on the prairie are also pollinating crops.”
This isn’t just about endangered species or bugs, according to Mills. He sees this as an opportunity to improve the state environment to the benefit of its residents and as a teaching tool.
“So, we’re really excited about this in terms of not just the benefits to our natural habitats, but the benefits to the people and especially, in my case, the benefits to the students here in northwest Missouri.”
Under the legislation, the money would be distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.