LANSING, Mich. — Senator Peters has joined Senator Stabenow in cosponsoring the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a bipartisan bill that will dedicate nearly $1.4 billion annually to locally-led wildlife conservation.

The bipartisan bill would send $27 million to Michigan annually to fund the Department of Natural Resources’ efforts on behalf of the 301 species of concern, including the northern flying squirrel, monarch butterfly, marbled salamander and lake sturgeon.

“Residents of Michigan can be proud that both our senators support this bold, bipartisan proposal to prevent extinctions from backyards to the backcountry,” said Amy Trotter, Executive Director, Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “Supporting local conservation efforts is a commonsense, cost-effective way to protect wildlife and our way of life.”

The House version of the bill was originally introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor). It passed on a bipartisan vote in June with nine Michigan representatives voting in favor. The Senate bill has more than 40 cosponsors overall, including 16 Republicans. 

"The Michigan stamp of approval from both Senator Peters and Senator Stabenow will be a key reason why this bill makes it to the president’s desk,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “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.”

The bill also provides $97.5 million in dedicated conservation funding for federally-recognized tribes, which would benefit Michigan’s twelve Tribal Nations.

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