The Clean Water Restoration Act is a critical piece of legislation for wetlands and waterfowl. Tens of millions of acres of wetlands have lost their protection from drainage and destruction—wetlands that waterfowl depend on throughout the flyways, from the breeding grounds in the prairies to the wintering grounds in the South. The Clean Water Restoration Act would restore these protections, without burdening America's farmers and ranchers.

Earlier this month, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and federal agency partners - the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service - designated 26 projects to receive $1.5 million in funding through the "Sustain Our Great Lakes" program.

I was just reading the latest release from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), about provisions for sportsmen in President Obama’s 2010 budget. There are some really positive things in there for sportsmen. For example, project Opens Fields, a new hunter access program, has been funded at $50 million. And there is also $38 million directed at programs to help get more young people involved in hunting, fishing, and conservation. The majority of those funds will go directly to states, to fund programs to educate young hunters, fishermen, and wildlife managers.