Much of the western part of America is in the middle of a multi-year drought. Rivers are drying out and birds are losing the places they need to survive.
Birds like the American Dipper build their nests along streams and rivers, where they also forage for tasty aquatic insects. Programs that conserve water help to save water that American Dippers and other birds need to survive.
Please ask your members of Congress to support vital water conservation programs for the birds and communities of the West.
To whom it may concern:
I urge you to provide strong funding for programs in FY18 that help our farmers and ranchers, save water, and restore ecosystems for people, birds, and other wildlife in the West.
In the arid West, every drop of water counts. In places like the Colorado River Basin, sixteen years of drought have stressed all who depend on rivers, threatening the sustainability of rural agriculture, decreasing the resilience of western cities, and diminishing wildlife habitat. At risk are values all Americans hold dear, including the drinking water for tens of millions of people, a river-based economy with $1 trillion in economic impacts, and an outdoor recreation paradise that supports hundreds of species of birds, fish, and more that depend on healthy river flows.
Many programs run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Bureau of Reclamation help reduce these risks by helping farmers and ranchers. I urge you to fund Reclamation’s WaterSMART Grants program with at least $30M to support local projects that save water, and the System Conservation Pilot Program at $50M to conserve water on behalf of all Colorado River users. And under NRCS, fully fund the Farm Bill conservation programs, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, to increase efficient water use on farms, while restoring habitat for birds and other wildlife.
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Sincerely,
[Your name here]
