Senator Coons joined ten of his Senate colleagues Tuesday in introducing bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) through 2017. Since 1989, NAWCA has provided critical support for partnership efforts to protect habitat for waterfowl, fish, and wildlife.
NAWCA provides matching grants to organizations and individuals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects that benefit migratory birds and other wildlife. Over the last two decades, NAWCA has been highly successful in generating matching funding to protect millions of acres of habitat across North America.
NAWCA currently funds eight projects in Delaware that have conserved a total of 7,528 acres of wildlife habitat. The program has awarded more than $4 million in funds that stimulated partner contributions of more than $7.5 million. Delaware also benefits from three multi-state NAWCA projects that have conserved 45,500 acres of wildlife habitat on the Chesapeake Bay.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Chris has been a strong advocate for environmental conservation. He supports programs that help protect wildlife and habitat, water quality, and open space, including NAWCA, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Forest Legacy Program, the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, and farm bill conservation programs.