January 12, 2021
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President-Elect of the United States
Dear President-Elect Biden:
As your team works to address the current public health crisis and develop an economic recovery plan, you have an opportunity to create a large number of green, long-term jobs performing vital conservation and restoration work. Similar to the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the recovery from the Great Depression, your administration can jump-start the United States economy by investing $25 billion in new and existing conservation programs that will create hundreds of thousands of direct jobs and provide benefits to people, communities and the environment.1Economic activity generated by restoration activities is well documented, producing between 13 and 30 jobs for every $1 million invested. Restoration of coastal wetlands can create as many as 29 jobs for every $1 million invested. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/09/pdf/public_lands.pdf; see also Nielsen-Pincus, Max and Cassandra Moseley. Economic and Employment Impacts of Forest and Watershed Restoration in Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program. Working Paper Number 24, Spring 2010. https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/10776/WP24.pdf?sequence=1
On the ground conservation and restoration work has myriad benefits. Most importantly, this work is needed in virtually every corner of the United States, creates quality jobs impossible to outsource, and can provide employment opportunities for low-wealth communities, Black, Brown, Indigenous and other people of color, and younger people, all of whom are suffering disproportionately from this current economic downturn and the pandemic. Conservation work can—and should—be conducted in an equitable manner, guaranteeing fair wages and utilizing project labor agreements, community benefit agreements, local hire, and other provisions and practices that ensure the rights of workers and promote environmental justice.
The United States can overcome this economic hardship while protecting and restoring our unique natural resources, which include a diverse array of fish and wildlife and our national wildlife refuges, forests, parks, monuments and other public lands. Restoring wildlife, wild lands and waterways contributes to significant public health benefits for all people. As you begin to plan for the post-pandemic recovery, we urge you to direct funding to federal agencies and federal grant programs to support the work of state and local governments and agencies, Tribes, public universities, and small businesses to immediately implement the following conservation and restoration projects for the benefit of all.
RESTORING WILDLIFE AND PUBLIC LANDS 2The Endangered Species Act is a popular law that enjoys the support of 90 percent of American voters. “Poll Finds Overwhelming, Broad-Based Support for the Endangered Species Act Among Voters Nationwide,” Tulchin Research. 2015. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/PollingMemoNationalESASurvey.pdf
Prioritizing Endangered Species Recovery
Threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants are found across the United States, and every imperiled species would benefit from additional conservation work to further their recovery. Despite their importance, recovery programs have been consistently and significantly underfunded, with recent estimates indicating species receive less than one-quarter of the funding scientists indicate is required.3See for example https://defenders-cci.org/files/ESA_recovery_costs_2019.pdf; and https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/pdfs/Shortchanged.pdf
Habitat restoration, the removal of invasive plants, the humane management of invasive animal species, and translocating and restoring species to their historic range all are contingent upon having sufficient funding and capacity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) work in close partnership with other federal, state, local agencies, Tribal governments and private landowners, and these collaborations helped to save the California condor, gray whale, black-footed ferret, and the bald eagle from extinction. Similar work on other species could put thousands of people to work on environmentally beneficial projects in a COVID-19 stimulus bill.4https://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/about/what-we-do.html, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/habitat-restoration-supports-jobs-stewardship Recovery projects should be prioritized whenever possible as a primary component of the other conservation initiatives discussed below.
Restoring Public Lands
Public lands – including national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges and lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management – are crucial to the conservation of our nation’s fish and wildlife and the well-being of its people. Unfortunately, landscapes and habitats on public lands nationwide have suffered significant harm and are in need of environmental and cultural resource restoration. Similarly, much of the infrastructure associated with the use of public lands has been abandoned, left in disrepair, is no longer needed, and/or creates hazards for public land users and wildlife. We urge you to prioritize and significantly increase reclamation and restoration work on public lands to create significant job opportunities and improve the beauty, function, and safety of public lands. Examples of projects and funding recommendations include:
- Removal of unauthorized and unneeded roads and trails that negatively impact fish and wildlife habitat, movement, and security;5The Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program (LRT) is an example of a very successful program created by Congress to address problems with the USFS’s massive roads and trails system. LRT has created many thousands of good jobs while restoring watersheds and habitat, improving access and recreation, and providing drinking water protection. See: https://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/Legacy_Roads_and_Trails/
- Reclamation of orphaned well pads, abandoned mines,6https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/04/29/484158/congress-can-help-energy-states-weather-oil-bust-coronavirus-pandemic/ and degraded rangelands;
- Removal of degraded and abandoned rangeland infrastructure, debris, and waste;
- Conversion and repair of existing or damaged rangeland infrastructure to mitigate impacts to fish and wildlife and safeguard sensitive habitats; and
- Support efforts to fully fund and expand the U.S. Youth Conservation Corps.7https://www.nps.gov/subjects/youthprograms/ycc.htm
Restoring Watersheds and Coastal Areas
Watershed and coastal restoration projects have immediate positive impacts for local communities, wildlife and water quality, including long-term benefits for advancing biodiversity and building resilience. For example, numerous national wildlife refuges are located along coasts and waterways and serve a crucial role buffering coastal areas and communities from climate change-induced sea-level rise, hurricanes and other storms; protecting shorelines; decreasing erosion; and sequestering carbon. Federal, state, local and Tribal agencies have already identified countless conservation projects that could be immediately implemented with additional funding.8For example: https://www.epa.gov/hwp/what-epa-doing-healthy-watersheds, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/habitat-conservation#how-we-restore
Project funding should be prioritized to improve water quality, fish habitat, aquatic connectivity and stream flows; serve disadvantaged and frontline Environmental Justice communities; and recover endangered species. Below are examples of watershed protection and restoration projects, many of which are supported by existing programs and could be immediately implemented with additional funding:
- Decommissioning, repair and/or relocation of roads that negatively impact waterways and water quality, including removal or replacement of culverts to reconnect stream segments and re-establish passage of native aquatic species;9See LRT program above and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/reopening-rivers-migratory-fish
- Restoration of natural stream channels and hydrologic flows, including removing dams and water diversion infrastructure and stabilizing gullies;10https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/current-and-past-community-based-restoration-projects
- Restoration of coral reefs, coastal dunes, and estuaries;11https://www.epa.gov/nep and https://www.noaa.gov/topic-tags/coastal-restoration
- Creation of wetlands and other natural alternatives to gray infrastructure;12A single acre of wetlands can hold up to 1.5 million gallons of rain or melting snow. Wetlands, once constructed or restored, also require little to no maintenance investment, a savings over conventional water treatment options. See: Function and Value of Wetlands. EPA 843-f-01-002c. Sep. 2001. Available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/functionsvaluesofwetlands.pdf, https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=30004TBD.TXT, and https://www.wateronline.com/doc/constructed-wetlands-a-low-cost-alternative-0002 and
- Humane management of invasive animal species, removal of invasive plant species and restoration of native vegetation for wildlife habitat and stream bank stability.13See for example: http://escalanteriverwatershedpartnership.org/success-stories/healthy-rivers-and-healthy-communities-story/ and https://www.troutheadwaters.com/services-restoration-mitigation-climate-more/, and https://www.beaverinstitute.org/management/stream-restoration/
Safeguarding Key Wildlife Corridors and Reducing the Impacts of Infrastructure on Wildlife 14The Administration should consider endorsing and incorporating the bipartisan Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019, H.R. 2795 and (S. 1499) and the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019, H.R. 5179 (S. 2891) passed by the House Natural Resources Committee in 2020, and the bipartisan wildlife crossing pilot program (Section 1125) and related provisions expanding wildlife infrastructure funding eligibility found in S.2302 unanimously passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in July 2019 and in H.R. 2 passed by the House in June 2020.
Connecting fish and wildlife habitats is critical to conserving biodiversity in the face of habitat fragmentation, climate change, and other individual and cumulative stressors, which will increasingly trigger geographical shifts for wildlife populations and plant communities. Many benefits accrue from facilitating the safe and unimpeded movement of fish and wildlife — from saving lives by reducing collisions between vehicles and wildlife, to restoring functional wildlife corridors.15To learn more about this issue, this publication on highway crossings for wildlife discusses benefits that could be expected to accrue from a national commitment to increase driver and animal safety: https://arc-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ARC-Special-Pub-White-Paper.pdf. The Federal Highway Administration’s 2008 Report to Congress containing a wildlife-vehicle collision reduction study contains additional useful information: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/08034.pdf The activities listed below would create smart infrastructure with significant economic returns, support state efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of roads, and help create more climate resilient landscapes that protect people and wildlife.
- Identification and management of wildlife corridors by increasing agency capacity, funding improvements, and directing grants to landowners, states, and Tribes;
- Construction of wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and bounding fences across busy roads and highways;16For a list of potential projects, see https://wildlandsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Wildlife-Crossing-List-for-Infrastructure-Funding.pdf. For a list of wildlife crossing success stories, see https://arc-solutions.org/success-stories/
- Removal, re-siting, or modifying infrastructure that is a barrier to fish and wildlife migrations and movements;
- Burial of transmission lines to reduce bird strikes and other impacts to wildlife; and
- Developing and employing technology to reduce impacts to wildlife from energy production and other infrastructure.
Addressing Invasive Species and Restoring Native Plants
Invasive species undermine critical infrastructure, placing entire communities at risk, overwhelming some of the most treasured and biologically significant landscapes in the United States, and leading to degraded habitat for fish and wildlife.17https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/invasive_species_impacts_on_infrastructure.pdf, and https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/invasive_species_impacts_on_federal_infrastructure.pdf For example, over two million acres in the National Refuge System are infested with invasive plants, and more than 1,700 invasive animal populations are found on refuge lands. Yet current funding and capacity only allows treatment of a small fraction of the impacted acres.18Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement: Testimony submitted to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies FY 2021 Appropriations Request for National Wildlife Refuge System Addressing the proliferation of invasive species, restoring degraded landscapes, and protecting vital infrastructure is urgently needed and will provide many new jobs while generating substantial returns on investment.19https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/isac_green_economy_white_paper.pdf Timely examples of potential actions include, but are not limited to:
- Substantial increases in federal and state agency staffing in the areas of import/border inspection for agriculture and wildlife;20Reaser and Waugh 2007; https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2007-058.pdf
- Creation of additional invasive species strike teams on national wildlife refuges and other public lands to remove invasive plants and humanely manage invasive animals;
- Direction to the Bureau of Land Management Plant Conservation and Restoration Program to implement the National Seed Strategy,21https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_natural-resources_native-plant-communities_national-seed-strategy_pca_Framework.pdf including the construction, operation and maintenance of up to five native seed storage facilities across the country;
- Expansion of existing contracts for seed collection and research, and support native plants material development on Tribal lands, including culturally significant plants; and
- Establishment of a comprehensive national survey of invasive plants and animals.
Promoting Wildlife Coexistence
Wildlife and humans are increasingly coming into contact due to expansion of the development footprint into wildlife habitat. The need to increase coexistence efforts where wildlife conflicts are already occurring (or are likely to occur) is clear and demonstrable. Additionally, efforts must be made to safeguard wildlife from negative impacts associated with human development by implementing non-lethal programs and projects in communities that are in need of adaptation for coexistence with native wildlife. This may include but is not limited to:
- Substantial increases in federal and state agency staffing in the areas of import/border inspection for agriculture and wildlife;22Reaser and Waugh 2007; https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2007-058.pdf
- Creation of additional invasive species strike teams on national wildlife refuges and other public lands to remove invasive plants and humanely manage invasive animals;
- Direction to the Bureau of Land Management Plant Conservation and Restoration Program to implement the National Seed Strategy,23https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_natural-resources_native-plant-communities_national-seed-strategy_pca_Framework.pdf including the construction, operation and maintenance of up to five native seed storage facilities across the country;
- Expansion of existing contracts for seed collection and research, and support native plants material development on Tribal lands, including culturally significant plants; and
- Establishment of a comprehensive national survey of invasive plants and animals.
Promoting Wildlife Coexistence
- Wildlife and humans are increasingly coming into contact due to expansion of the development footprint into wildlife habitat. The need to increase coexistence efforts where wildlife conflicts are already occurring (or are likely to occur) is clear and demonstrable. Additionally, efforts must be made to safeguard wildlife from negative impacts associated with human development by implementing non-lethal programs and projects in communities that are in need of adaptation for coexistence with native wildlife. This may include but is not limited to:
- Development and implementation of wildlife-friendly waste management strategies;24http://www.bearsmart.com/managing-communities/waste-management/
- Installation of electric fencing and application of other non-lethal wildlife deterrents;
- Creation and maintenance of livestock composting facilities and carcass removal programs;
- Expansion of on-the-ground community outreach and education programs;25For example: hiring additional wildlife rangers, conducting bear identification and bear spray deployment clinics, printing and distribution of education materials, conducting livestock husbandry workshops, purchase of equipment for removal of attractants, etc. See also: http://fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=95623
- Increases in funding for federal, state and Tribal non-lethal wildlife conflict specialists; and
- Creation of pilot programs geared towards creative, non-lethal solutions to conflicts in the wildland-urban interface.
Conclusion
Bold investments and initiatives to stimulate the economy through the restoration of public lands, waters, and fish and wildlife habitat not only have the potential to put hundreds of thousands of people to work, but also to ensure more resilient ecosystems and communities throughout the United States. The result would be enduring public health benefits and quality of life improvements.26Additional resources and information on many of the programs and benefits of restoration and recovery projects can be found at: https://www.endangered.org/protect-our-ecology/ Accordingly, programs that focus on restoration rather than resource extraction and consumption, promote coordination and cooperation with local communities, and embody the principles of environmental justice should be prioritized. Recovery programs should fully comply with all laws designed to safeguard the environment, workers and the public. Scientists warn that relaxing environmental standards will only lead to future pandemics.27Settele, Josef, Sandra Díaz Eduardo Brondizio, and Dr. Peter Daszak. COVID-19 Stimulus Measures Must Save Lives, Protect Livelihoods, and Safeguard Nature to Reduce the Risk of Future Pandemics. April 27, 2020. Available at https://ipbes.net/covid19stimulus For that reason, we urge you to fully enforce and strengthen our bedrock environmental laws including the restoration of critical protections under the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
We must also ensure that our programs and policies are designed to protect against future pandemics. Decades of scientific studies have warned that—in addition to live wildlife markets—habitat destruction and biodiversity loss create significant risk of zoonotic disease spillover into the human population.28See, e.g.: Ostfeld RS, Biodiversity loss and the rise of zoonotic pathogens. Ja. 2009. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19220353; Wilkinson, David A., Jonathan C. Marshall, Nigel P. French, and David T. S. Hayman. Habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and the risk of novel infectious disease emergence. Dec. 2018. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6303791/ The projects and programs we have outlined above, which focus on changing our relationship with the natural world by restoring lost and degraded fish and wildlife habitat, promoting coexistence, and increasing biodiversity, are key steps toward protecting against future pandemics.
Thank you for your attention to these important issues and proposals. We look forward to working with you on a stimulus package that provides relief and recovery from the crisis triggered by COVID-19, and safeguards the health and resilience of people, public lands and wildlife for generations to come.
Sincerely,
| Advocates for Snake Preservation Advocates for the West All-Creatures.org Alliance for the Wild Rockies Animal Defenders International Animal Legal Defense Fund Animal Welfare Institute Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc Bayou City Waterkeeper Berkeley Partners for Parks Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest Bird City Wisconsin Bird Conservation Network Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project Born Free USA Brighter Green Californians for Western Wilderness Cascades Raptor Center Center for Biological Diversity Center for Large Landscape Conservation Champaign County Forest Preserve District Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge Clark Fork Coalition Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Conservation Congress Conservation Council For Hawaii Cool Planet Defenders of Wildlife Earth Ethics, Inc. Earthjustice Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands Endangered Habitats League Endangered small animal Conservation fund Endangered Species Coalition Environmental Protection Information Center Florida Wildlife Federation Franciscan Action Network Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Friends of Blackwater, Inc. Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks Friends of Nevada Wilderness Friends of the Bitterroot Friends of the Inyo Friends of the Sonoran Desert Friends of the Wild Swan Fund for Wild Nature Gallatin Wildlife Association Gaviota Coast Conservancy Grand Canyon Trust Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Great Old Broads for Wilderness Great Salt Lake Audubon Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Public Lands Project R2H Action [Right to Health] Rachel Carson Council Raptors Are The Solution Resource Renewal Institute RESTORE: The North Woods Rocky Mountain Wild Sacramento River Watershed Program Salem Audubon Society San Jose Peace and Justice Center/Collins Foundation San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council SanDiego350 Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Save Animals Facing Extinction Save The Colorado SAVE THE FROGS! Sequoia ForestKeeper® Seven Circles Foundation Shagbark Sierra Club Sky Island Alliance Social Compassion in Legislation Soda Mountain Wilderness Council South Florida Wildlands Association South Yuba River Citizens League Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance Southern Environmental Law Center Southwest Environmental Center Tennessee Riverkeeper The Carl Safina Center The Grazing Reform Project The Lands Council The Rewilding Institute Turtle Island Restoration Network Utah Audubon Council Utah Native Plant Society Ventana Wilderness Alliance Western Environmental Law Center Western Slope Conservation Center Western Watersheds Project Western Wildlife Conservancy Western Wildlife Outreach, WA WILD HORSE EDUCATION | Animas Valley Institute Appalachian Trail Conservancy Association of Zoos and Aquariums Atlanta Botanical Garden Audubon Society of Central Arkansas Bark Battle Creek Alliance & Defiance Canyon Raptor Rescue Greater Hells Canyon Council Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History Hoosier Environmental Council Howling For Wolves Illinois Environmental Council In Defense of Animals Inland Ocean Coalition Institute for Applied Ecology International Fund for Animal Welfare International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful Kentucky Heartwood Kettle Range Conservation Group Klamath Forest Alliance Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center Libby Creek Watershed Association Life of the Land Los Padres ForestWatch Maine Audubon Maryland Ornithological Society Maryland United for Peace and Justice Mass Audubon Michigan Audubon Mighty Earth Milwaukee Riverkeeper Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter Mountain Lion Foundation National Wolfwatcher Coalition Natural Resources Defense Council NC WARN Northeast Oregon Ecosystems Northern California Council, Fly Fishers International Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides Ocean Conservation Research Oceanic Preservation Society Oregon Natural Desert Association Oregon Wild Organized Uplifting Resources and Strategies Patagonia Pathways: Wildlife Corridors of NM Predator Defense Project Eleven Hundred Wild Nature Institute WildEarth Guardians Wildlands Network Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Wyoming Wilderness Association Wyoming Wildlife Advocates Yellowstone to Uintas Connection |