WASHINGTON – Members of Congress and American labor leaders joined with the sportsmen’s community this afternoon on Capitol Hill to review recent scientific findings on global climate change and discuss the need for dedicated funding to enable adaptive management strategies for fish and wildlife, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Bipartisan Policy Council announced today. Also profiled at the event was “Beyond Seasons’ End,” a new report about game species’ adaptation to climate change and climate change’s effects on hunting and fishing.

The Tuesday Hill briefing coincided with legislation to be introduced this week by Sens. John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman that could support federal and state-based management approaches to help fish and wildlife better adapt to and withstand the effects of a changing and more variable climate.

Congressman Raul Grijalva spoke at the sportsmen’s gathering. “Science-based management strategies are going to be essential in addressing the effects of climate change on fish and wildlife populations,” he said. “As chair of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, I will work to ensure adequate funding for such forward-thinking approaches in the climate change legislation currently being considered by Congress.”

“The science is compelling: Climate change has become the single-greatest threat to fish and wildlife and our sporting traditions,” said William Geer, director of the TRCP Center for Western Lands, who also spoke at the briefing. “Dedicated funding for state and federal management agencies is critical in our ability to implement field-tested adaptive management strategies to address these threats, and so sportsmen speak together in urging the Senate to support such programs in its soon-to-be-introduced climate change legislation – while we still have time to act.”

For the full story, please go to trcp.org -- Jay Cassell