1. Sportsmen's Collaborative Efforts Shape New Farm Bill
2. The House and Senate Conference Committee on the Farm Bill announced their completion of a finalized bill on May 8, 2008 wrapping up months of extended negotiations delayed by competing priorities, limited resources for funding and threats of a presidential veto. The House and Senate are expected to pass their final bill sometime this week and send it to the president’s desk.
3. While the details of the new bill are still being analyzed, we do know that the existing elements of the Conservation Title were kept intact and approximately $4 billion in new money was dedicated to these programs. While there are some pluses and minuses in the new legislation, the fact that the TRCP and its Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group stayed unified throughout the two-year process and pushed a set consensus priorities is a major reason why conservation programs did not receive the brunt of cuts in a tight budget process. In fact, the Open Fields program, a signature issue of the TRCP, is now included in the Farm Bill for the very first time.
4. An overview of the new elements of the Conservation Title includes:
5. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – Total acreage authorization was reduced from 39.2 million acres to 32 million acres.
6. Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) – This program was renewed with $1.3 billion in new money (slightly smaller amount than previous Farm Bill).
7. Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) – This program was renewed with $300 million in new money (slightly smaller amount than previous Farm Bill).
8. Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – These programs focused on working lands conservation received an increase of at least $3.4 billion.
9. Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) – This program was funded at $562 million – an increase from previous levels.
10. Chesapeake Bay Program – Funding for a brand new program targeting conservation for the Chesapeake Bay was authorized at $372 million.
11. Open Fields – A new access program to help states enroll private land in programs that will open that land to sportsmen is authorized at $50 million.
TRCP Launches “We Are Wetlands” Campaign
Our nation loses an average of 80,000 acres of wetlands each year. To help fight this trend the TRCP launched “We Are Wetlands,” a major new grassroots educational campaign calling for the restoration of federal wetlands protections, at this year's Wetlands and Waterfowl Weekend, on April 11-12, in Minnesota. In addition to educating the public on the critical role wetlands play for fish and wildlife, We Are Wetlands will attempt to collect 80,000 signatures - one for each of those 80,000 acres of wetlands lost each year - on a petition to be presented to the new president.
Organized jointly by the TRCP, the Izaak Walton League of America and the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, the Wetlands and Waterfowl Weekend drew more than 200 participants. The event kicked off with a workshop on the details of the “We Are Wetlands” campaign. The enthusiastic participants had no shortage of questions and ideas despite the presence of an April snowstorm.
TRCP Policy Initiative Manager Geoff Mullins was interviewed Saturday morning by Outdoor News Editor Rob Drieslein on KFAN in Minneapolis. The TRCP began Saturday’s program by announcing the campaign to the full summit, including a video message from Rep. Jim Oberstar about the importance of wetlands. Representatives from the National Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited, two of the partners on the TRCP’s Wetlands Working group, were on hand to provide a specific overview of the Clean Water Restoration Act.

Visit the We Are Wetlands Web site to learn more about why wetlands matter. Sign the petition to let the president know how important wetlands are to us.
Sportsman Release Climate Change Report
A group of the nation’s leading hunting and fishing organizations released a new report on April 10 examining climate change. Seasons’ End: Global Warming’s Threat to Hunting and Fishing details the predicted impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife habitat and the future of hunting and fishing in the United States. The group, which includes eight of the TRCP's partner organizations, also announced a new Web site, www.seasonsend.org, providing updated information on the science of climate change and what we can do to address this challenge.

Seasons' End was compiled and edited by the Wildlife Management Institute and based on analysis by Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, BASS/ESPN, the Izaak Walton League of America, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Coastal Conservation Association, the American Sportfishing Association, and Pheasants Forever. These groups were joined by Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, at a press conference in Washington, D.C., releasing the report. Seasons' End is funded by the Bipartisan Policy Center, whose projects include the National Commission on Energy Policy.

“Sportsmen were among the first conservationists in our history,” said Rep. Dingell. “They have been leaders in creating national forests and parks and have been instrumental in protecting our fish, wildlife and habitat. I encourage America’s sportsmen to continue on this course. Their involvement and contributions to this debate are a critical part of any solution to the problem of climate change.”

Seasons' End discloses that climate change is expected to have profound impacts on a broad range of fish and wildlife species and could dramatically affect hunting and fishing in the future.

“Hunters and anglers have a unique bond with our lands and waters and the seasons and weather that define and shape their outdoor pursuits,” said George Cooper, TRCP president and CEO. “Sportsmen are seeing the effects of climate change and know full well that foresight and proactive management will be necessary to help fish and wildlife adapt. Sportsmen and policymakers need to read Seasons' End and incorporate its findings into the policy and funding decisions being made to deal with changes in our climate.”
TRCP Honors Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Announces Additions to Board and Policy Council
Founded in 1962 by sportsmen and ardent conservationist Max McGraw, the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation is a leader in natural resource research and education with a special emphasis in the fields of wildlife and fisheries management. At the April meeting of the TRCP's board of directors, the TRCP honored the foundation's contributions to conservation and the TRCP. TRCP President and CEO George Cooper presented a plaque to Charlie Potter, president and CEO of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and TRCP board member, who accepted it on behalf of the foundation.
The TRCP is pleased to announce an addition to the partnership's board of directors. Sid Evans is the editor-in-chief of Garden & Gun, a Southern lifestyle magazine with a strong conservation focus. Evans was formerly the editor-in-chief of Field & Stream ,a position he held from 2002-2007. Under his tenure Field & Stream set the standard for excellence in outdoor journalism, earning an unprecedented nine National Magazine Award nominations in three years and raising the bar for conservation reporting in the outdoor industry. Evans also founded the successful Heroes of Conservation program, which brings together a broad range of conservation groups and corporate partners to recognize the conservation efforts of hunters and anglers.
The TRCP policy council welcomes new members Wayne East, executive director of the International Hunter Education Association; Dr. Scott Kovarovics, conservation director for the Izaak Walton League of America; and Ralph Rogers, executive director of the North American Grouse Partnership. (For more about Ralph and the North American Grouse Partnership, please see the Featured Conservation Leader Section of this Square Dealer.) When the board approves an initiative, members of the policy council form a working group assigned to provide strategic recommendations and general management for that specific issue. The TRCP policy council is comprised of members experienced in natural resource policy, fish and wildlife management and fish- and wildlife-related recreation.