New Hampshire’s entire Congressional delegation is backing a bill called the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, now that Senator Maggie Hassan has signed on the effort. The bill will dedicate $1.4 billion annually to state-led wildlife conservation efforts. 

“We are so proud that the entire Granite State delegation has signed onto the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act,” said Doug Bechtel, president of New Hampshire Audubon. “This bipartisan legislation will allow our partners and agencies to implement our wildlife priorities in ways that benefit all our residents and visitors. We’re looking forward to when this is scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.” 

The bill would send more than $11 million annually to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, which the agency will use to implement its wildlife action plan, which identifies 170 priority species, including the New England cottontail, Blanding's turtle and roseate terns. 

Thirty-five Senators, nearly half of them Republicans, are cosponsoring the Senate bill. Representatives Kuster and Pappas are among the nearly 180 bipartisan supporters of the House version. 

“There's no such thing as a Republican bear or a Democratic moose and this bill shows that wildlife conservation can still bring Congress together, even in these divided times,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "The New Hampshire stamp of approval from Senators Hassan and Shaheen will be a key reason why this bill makes it to the president’s desk.”