Potential federal funding for birds

Promising news from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

The President's $2.2 billion FY 2009 budget request provides significant increases for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for bird conservation and habitat work on private lands across the nation, while sustaining increases in the National Wildlife Refuge System budget and supporting other key Service priorities. The budget request includes $1.3 billion in discretionary funds and $946.9 million in permanent appropriations largely provided to States for fish and wildlife restoration and conservation.

"This budget request recognizes and supports the vital role that the Fish and Wildlife Service plays in bird conservation in this hemisphere, while providing increased funding for other conservation programs that enable us to work in partnership with landowners, local governments and others. Perhaps most important, the request provides crucial funding to offset our increased fixed costs, ensuring that we can support the work of our employees who manage and protect the nation’s fish and wildlife heritage,”said Service Director H. Dale Hall.

The request includes:
* $8 million more for the Birds Forever initiative
* a proposed $10 increase in the price for a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp aka Duck Stamp, bringing the cost to $25
* $900,000 more for the Ocean and Coastal Frontiers initiative
* $1 million more for the Safe Borderlands initiative
* $492,000 more for the Healthy Lands initiative
* $1.9 million more for Cooperative Conservation