RALEIGH U.S. House members voted today to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, landmark legislation that will prevent extinctions and change North Carolina’s wildlife for generations to come.

If it becomes law, North Carolina will be eligible for up to $25M annually to help at-risk fish and wildlife. Species include the Carolina northern flying squirrel, Northern bobwhite quail, golden-winged warbler, zigzag salamander, gopher frog and Appalachian cottontail.

“Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is the most important piece of wildlife legislation in the past 50 years. Wildlife in our state and across the country are in crisis, and this bold, bipartisan bill will tackle the problem at scale without new taxes or regulations,” said Tim Gestwicki, CEO of North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

North Carolina’s delegation in favor of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act were Democrats Deborah Ross, David Price, Kathy Manning, G.K. Butterfield and Alma Adams. Republicans Madison Cawthorn, Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, David Rouzer, Patrick McHenry, Richard Hudson, Greg Murphy and Ted Budd voted against RAWA even though many were original co-sponsors.

“We applaud the North Carolina representatives who supported the legislation and are confident of its passage in the Senate, thanks in great part to our two Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, who co-sponsored Recovering America’s Wildlife Act,” Gestwicki said.

He added, “The aye votes from representatives will be a proud part of their legacy. The alarm bell is sounding America’s wildlife crisis, but the good news is Congress is on the brink this summer of pushing this historic legislation over the finish line.”

North Carolina is home to more than 1,500 nongame fish and wildlife species and over 6,000 plant species from the mountains to the coast. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act funding will be used to implement the Congressionally mandated state wildlife action plans, which identify more than 12,000 wildlife and plants that need conservation assistance nationwide.

North Carolina receives approximately $1M yearly through state and tribal wildlife grants. Species such as pollinators, frogs, turtles, songbirds and shorebirds, freshwater mussels and oysters often receive neither the attention nor funding to recover them.

“This is a historic game-changer for our wildlife, state wildlife agency and economy,” Gestwicki said. “The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will allow North Carolina to protect at-risk species, conserve the full diversity of wildlife, and improve our state’s natural resources for generations.”

RAWA would dedicate $1.4 billion annually toward efforts to help fish and wildlife species in decline, including $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts led by Native American tribes.

The nation’s 574 federally recognized tribes manage tens of millions of acres of land nationwide with limited federal funding for conservation efforts. The bill will also assist wildlife conservation efforts led by tribes, such as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee’s collaborative work for the sicklefin redhorse, a rare fish species endemic to the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee River basins.

“Tribes have thousands of years of traditional knowledge and a vested interest in solving the biggest challenges facing our fish and wildlife. The missing piece of the puzzle is adequate, sustained resources to build tribal capacity and support their conservation efforts,” said Gloria Tom, director of the Navajo Nation’s Fish and Wildlife Department. “The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would be an unprecedented step in providing those resources and rectifying historic funding inequity and injustice.”

In North Carolina, RAWA would help prevent the decline of at-risk fish and wildlife species through efforts to restore habitat, remove invasive species, address wildlife diseases, reduce water pollution and mitigate climate change.

“All North Carolinians should be able to hear the song of the meadowlark and to see monarchs in their backyard,” Gestwicki said. “The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would allow us to protect at-risk species, conserve the full diversity of wildlife, and improve our state’s natural resources for generations to come.”