Photo by Jerald Reb
NABCI’s Government Affairs and Partner Engagement Committee (formerly the Legislative and Policy Subcommittee) was reactivated in 2017 to help NABCI inform and support effective policy to advance bird conservation. In particular, this Subcommittee works to facilitate coordinated communication with government leadership about highest-priority programs, initiatives, and needs of bird conservation. In 2017 and 2018, the Government Affairs and Partner Engagement Subcommittee will focus on compiling or developing messaging demonstrating the importance of key bird conservation programs, such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), State Wildlife Grants, the Farm Bill, and Joint Ventures. With the Farm Bill up for reauthorization in 2018, this Subcommittee also collaborated on the development and release of NABCI’s 2017 State of the Birds report, which focuses on Farm Bill conservation programs.
In April 2016, NABCI released national-level messaging for five priority programs: for each program, we provide an overview of its importance for bird conservation, and our “5 Programs Overview Messaging” document demonstrates how these five programs combined support national-level, all-bird conservation. These fact sheets will be updated annually.
The Government Affairs and Partner Engagement Subcommittee is guided by its 2022-2023 Work Plan which was approved by the NABCI Committee in February 2022. You can access the 2017-2019 Work Plan, which was approved by the NABCI Committee in August 2017.
Projects, Products, and Resources
- State of the Birds 2019: This report highlights the critical role of state wildlife agencies can play in recovering America’s bird populations, while the supplement provides communication tools related to the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
- Legislative and Policy Subcommittee 2017-2019 Work Plan
- 5 Programs Overview Messaging
- State Wildlife Grant Messaging
- Farm Bill Messaging
- North American Wetlands Conservation Act Messaging
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Messaging
- Joint Venture Messaging
- State of the Birds 2017: Farm Bill conservation programs
Membership
Vacant, Chair
Jesse Walls, Co-Chair
National Audubon Society
Additional Members: Greg Butcher, US Forest Service; Keith Norris, The Wildlife Society; Judith Scarl, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies/NABCI; David Whitehurst, VA Fish and Game/Partners in Flight; EJ Williams, American Bird Conservancy