Bills for conservation pass as 2024 comes to a close
By: Ariel Wiegard, vice president of government affairs
This week, Congress passed several wildlife habitat conservation and outdoor recreation bills important to upland birds and upland hunters. The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act, Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experience (EXPLORE) Act and the Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver (WILD) Act have all been passed on to President Biden to be signed into law.
What do these bills mean for conservation?
An ACE up our sleeve: Originally signed into law in 2020, the ACE Reauthorization Act most notably reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (or NAWCA) which has helped to conserve over 32 million acres of wetlands and association uplands habitat across the country. The bill also renews authorization for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which for decades has been an essential conservation partner for PF & QF.
Ready to EXPLORE the great outdoors: The EXPLORE Act is a comprehensive legislative package that will expand recreational access for all kinds of public land users, streamline permitting for businesses that provide recreation opportunities, and modernize outdoor recreation infrastructure. Upland hunters might be especially interested in provisions expanding recreational target shooting ranges on Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System lands.
Going WILD for fish and wildlife: The Wild Act reauthorizes the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which works with landowners and conservation organizations like PF & QF to voluntarily improve wildlife habitat on private land—often working lands like farms, ranches, and private forests.
Passage of these bills is a positive year-end reminder that conservation is bipartisan—and popular! Your PF & QF government affairs team is ready carry forward the momentum from these bills and hit the ground running at the start of the 119th Congress in January 2025, and to partner with the incoming Trump administration on strategies to benefit pheasants, quail, and other upland wildlife.
Advocating for Conservation
It takes good habitat to produce abundant wildlife and opportunities to hunt—but it also takes robust public funding and sound conservation policy. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s dedicated Government Affairs team works in Washington D.C. and state capitols across America to create and secure funding for programs that benefit the uplands, from the rugged backcountry to the neighboring farm’s “back 40.” Thank you to our chapters, volunteers and members for the generous grassroots and Legislative Action Fund (LAF) support that makes this work possible.
To learn more about PF & QF’s policy priorities and ways you can help advocate for conservation, visit this page or email advocacy@pheasantsforever.org.