By Bob Marshall

Sportsmen, take a bow.

Fish and wildlife finally had a good week on the conservation front because your hard work resulted in this news Friday afternoon:

The Obama administration has found a way to fund an extra million CRP acres targeted for wetlands and grasslands, and will reshuffle upwards of 70 percent (almost $30 million) of the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) so it goes to work on the prairie pothole region.

Those headlines were rare sweet relief for the conservation community, which has spent most of the last 14 months as the favorite piñata of so-called deficit hawks in congress as well as at the administration. In 2011, the House of Representatives attempted to eviscerate decades-long conservation programs that have proven to be money makers for the economy. And last month President Obama's 2013 budget showed no funding for the Wetlands Reserve or Grasslands Reserve  programs.

But conservationists never stopped working behind the scenes, looking for ways to limit the damage. So when the White House convened its  scheduled "Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy" conference Friday, those announcements were made to the cheers of hunters, anglers and everyone else who values fish, wildlife and a healthier environment.

The CRP moves at once fill the hole in the president's budget on WRP and GRP, and does it in a way that is more efficient for CRP and the taxpayers funding the programs because the acres are targeted for specific, highest-need programs. Here are the highlights:

- 200,000 acres for wetlands restoration.

- 400,000 additional acres for the SAFE  program - State Acres For wildlife Enhancement, which targets specific needs of high value wildlife.

- 150,000 additional acres for duck nesting habitat (currently totals 175,000 acres).

- 150,000 additional acres for upland bird habitat buffer (currently has 244,000 acres).

- 100,000 additional acres for continuous pollinators.

- Landowner incentives increased by raising the sign-up bonus from $100 to $150, a way to compete with the rising value of crops.

These new acres will be enrolled as "continuous" CRP acres, meaning landowners who have lands that qualify will not have to wait for a general sing-up, but can join the program at any time.

All of this news will help mitigate the damage surely to be done in September when an estimated 6.2 million acres of CRP contracts expire, with most of those likely to leave the program. A general enrollment being held this month is hoping to draw 750,000 acres, but there is little hope to meet the program's enrollment cap of 30 million acres.

Praise for the administration's initiatives were rolling from every sportsmen's corner, including Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. And while the White House--and the Department of Agriculture, in particular--deserve applause, sportsmen should give a thumbs-up to the face they see in the mirror for this very important reason: Your phone calls, emails and letters helped get this done. 

"The rank-and-file guy out there should know that his efforts paid off," said George Cooper, a TRCP board member. "A lot of the issues that (Field & Stream) touched on (in the March edition) were addressed here.

"We should point out that this administration--and the people at Agriculture in particular--have been very pro-active and supportive all along when it comes to CRP. But the push we got on this issue helped make a positive difference."

But don' forget that we'll need plenty more of the same in the months ahead to hold on to what we've built with sweat, dollars, and love over the last 70 years.

"What I hope we also take from this is that we shouldn't wait until the Grim Reaper is knocking on the door to get involved," Cooper added. "We need to be pro-active, to prevent these dire situations from developing.

"But, right now, this has been a good day. A very good day."

Comments (14)

from rock rat wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

If these lands were public lands or at least open to the public I'd be more inclined to celebrate. Maybe some are, I don't know.

The only person I've ever known who had CRP lands was a patent attorney for Pharma who would rent out the fields for private hunts to the tune of four figures per person per weekend.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from CamperGuy wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

And we will borrow this money from China?
The United States is Broke, beyond Broke, we are borrowing this money, and the Fed is Printing money.
Making our Dollar worth Less and Less, driving prices higher and higher.
I am not saying these are not worthy causes, I am saying, as we become deeper and deeper in the hole, nobody is willing to let go of their pet projects.
Thus continuing our "more of the same" policy of Spend Spend Spend.

Congress, call 866-654-3505 and get help now, they say they can:

*Develop a workable budget that you can live with
*Help you along the way to becoming debt free

of course, they have never seen that many zeros, so I don't know if they can live up to their claim....

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from PigHunter wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

What praise? We are drastically cutting military spending and not controlling entitlements but funding wetlands? All with borrowed money.

By the way, it's Congress that controls spending. The President's budget is going nowhere, same as last year. This blog article is worthless.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Nixstyx wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

You guys are awfully pessimistic. If you're that worried about the national debt, then don't take Social Security or Medicare benefits. But if you still plan to collect those benefits, which are the biggest contributors to our rising debt, then stop your complaining. You are the problem!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from lloydwus wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

I would agree that we can't continue to spend money we don't have. As for praise for this President or his administration, give me a break. If BO gets re-elected, you can be assured that CRP and public lands will have much less value when our Second Amendment rights are trampled on by this radical and his chronies. Think about "Fast and Furious" and the UN Gun Ban, which BO is already onboard with. Four more years of his guy and you can all start thinking about alternate lifestyles that don't include firearms.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jfox23 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

When this administration completes their goal of taking away our firearms, and buying up land with Chinese money, you can rename your magazine "Stream" 'cause there won't be anymore "Field".

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Erik Jensen wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

You right-wingers know nothing about economics or politics and are anti-hunting and fishing. Bob is right, Obama hasn't been totally immune from attacking important conservation programs, but he listens when we put the pressure on and credit really should go to the rank-and-file conservationist sportsmen and women. However, Obama starts out in a better place than the GOP, that's for sure. These programs are a pittance of the national budget and worth every penny. And as a previous writer pointed out, if you're so obsessed with deficit control (not to mention that if we reduced it a lot right now, it would cause a deeper recession) will you agree to cut your own social security and medicare ? Which taxes do you want to raise ? Which guns has Obama taken away, BTW ?

This fall, Obama is the pro-hunting and angling vote, as least relative to either Romney or Santorum, end of story.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from murdock32 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Well if their spending all of is money on grass land, then I should get paid to mow my lawn? Ya that will work.

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JK444 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Don't be fooled by the Obama Administration suddenly "finding" $30M for conservation. It's an election year, and they're just trying to steal a few votes from conservatives...

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jfox23 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

When I hear liberals wailing "I want, I want, I always wonder if they are in the 50% of Americans who pay no taxes.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from handyman wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Obama finds $30 million? Wow! Isn't he wonderful? The hope and change continues! The liberals, dems and republicans, continue to lead the lemmings toward the abyss. Math has no place in budgeting is seems.

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from defender wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Eric Jensen is right on the money! Sounds like most of you have fallen for the NRA and GPO propaganda.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from defender wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Correction - GOP.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RealGoodMan wrote 1 year 13 weeks ago

Lloyd- Rather than take the NRA's fear mongering as Gospel, I suggest you take a moment and read this article: summitdaily.com/article/20120304/COLUMNS/120309943

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

from CamperGuy wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

And we will borrow this money from China?
The United States is Broke, beyond Broke, we are borrowing this money, and the Fed is Printing money.
Making our Dollar worth Less and Less, driving prices higher and higher.
I am not saying these are not worthy causes, I am saying, as we become deeper and deeper in the hole, nobody is willing to let go of their pet projects.
Thus continuing our "more of the same" policy of Spend Spend Spend.

Congress, call 866-654-3505 and get help now, they say they can:

*Develop a workable budget that you can live with
*Help you along the way to becoming debt free

of course, they have never seen that many zeros, so I don't know if they can live up to their claim....

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from rock rat wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

If these lands were public lands or at least open to the public I'd be more inclined to celebrate. Maybe some are, I don't know.

The only person I've ever known who had CRP lands was a patent attorney for Pharma who would rent out the fields for private hunts to the tune of four figures per person per weekend.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Nixstyx wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

You guys are awfully pessimistic. If you're that worried about the national debt, then don't take Social Security or Medicare benefits. But if you still plan to collect those benefits, which are the biggest contributors to our rising debt, then stop your complaining. You are the problem!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Erik Jensen wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

You right-wingers know nothing about economics or politics and are anti-hunting and fishing. Bob is right, Obama hasn't been totally immune from attacking important conservation programs, but he listens when we put the pressure on and credit really should go to the rank-and-file conservationist sportsmen and women. However, Obama starts out in a better place than the GOP, that's for sure. These programs are a pittance of the national budget and worth every penny. And as a previous writer pointed out, if you're so obsessed with deficit control (not to mention that if we reduced it a lot right now, it would cause a deeper recession) will you agree to cut your own social security and medicare ? Which taxes do you want to raise ? Which guns has Obama taken away, BTW ?

This fall, Obama is the pro-hunting and angling vote, as least relative to either Romney or Santorum, end of story.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RealGoodMan wrote 1 year 13 weeks ago

Lloyd- Rather than take the NRA's fear mongering as Gospel, I suggest you take a moment and read this article: summitdaily.com/article/20120304/COLUMNS/120309943

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from defender wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Eric Jensen is right on the money! Sounds like most of you have fallen for the NRA and GPO propaganda.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from defender wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Correction - GOP.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jfox23 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

When this administration completes their goal of taking away our firearms, and buying up land with Chinese money, you can rename your magazine "Stream" 'cause there won't be anymore "Field".

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from murdock32 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Well if their spending all of is money on grass land, then I should get paid to mow my lawn? Ya that will work.

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JK444 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Don't be fooled by the Obama Administration suddenly "finding" $30M for conservation. It's an election year, and they're just trying to steal a few votes from conservatives...

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from handyman wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

Obama finds $30 million? Wow! Isn't he wonderful? The hope and change continues! The liberals, dems and republicans, continue to lead the lemmings toward the abyss. Math has no place in budgeting is seems.

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from PigHunter wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

What praise? We are drastically cutting military spending and not controlling entitlements but funding wetlands? All with borrowed money.

By the way, it's Congress that controls spending. The President's budget is going nowhere, same as last year. This blog article is worthless.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from lloydwus wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

I would agree that we can't continue to spend money we don't have. As for praise for this President or his administration, give me a break. If BO gets re-elected, you can be assured that CRP and public lands will have much less value when our Second Amendment rights are trampled on by this radical and his chronies. Think about "Fast and Furious" and the UN Gun Ban, which BO is already onboard with. Four more years of his guy and you can all start thinking about alternate lifestyles that don't include firearms.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jfox23 wrote 1 year 14 weeks ago

When I hear liberals wailing "I want, I want, I always wonder if they are in the 50% of Americans who pay no taxes.

-2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.