Following the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approving the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), ASA member Eric Cosby sent a Letter to the Editor of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal thanking Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for supporting the bill. To view the original letter, please click here.
As an avid angler and the vice president of Top Brass Tackle, proudly located in Starkville, I want to thank U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker for supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Sen. Wicker is a co-sponsor of the legislation, which was approved by the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works.
As a tackle manufacturer, I’m encouraged by the record number of Americans who took to the outdoors in 2020 and 2021. According to recent a report by Southwick Associates, in 2020, 54.7 million Americans went fishing at least once, which was a net increase of 4.6 million anglers from 2019 to 2020. More Americans participate in some form of outdoor recreation every year than those that attend all NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL games combined.
At the same time, it’s crucial that we ensure that fish and their habitat are sustained and that access to public lands and waters is expanded. RAWA will do just that. If enacted, the bill will dedicate $1.4 billion to state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to implement science-based recovery plans to prevent at-risk fish and wildlife from becoming endangered. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources are tremendous partners in conservation but need additional revenue streams to address the growing number of challenges to our natural resources. By providing sustained funding for state wildlife action plans, RAWA will support cleaner waters and more abundant fisheries.
This important environmental restoration work is also good for the economy. Every $1 million invested in species conservation and restoration creates 17 to 33 jobs, which translates to 23,800 to 33,600 conservation-based jobs annually across the country.
I am hopeful that the full Senate will vote in favor of the bill, eventually becoming law. Thanks, once again, to Sen. Wicker for continuing his longstanding support of the outdoor recreation community by championing the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
Eric Cosby is the Vice President of Top Brass Tackle, located in Starkville, Mississippi.
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