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TRENTON, MI - On Saturday, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) joined House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva on a tour of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge to discuss ongoing efforts to enhance our nation’s conservation efforts, including Congresswoman Dingell's Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). 

"We are in the midst of an unprecedented biodiversity crisis and we need action now," said Dingell. "The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is landmark legislation that addresses this crisis by using innovative, on-the-ground collaboration, which will protect our nation’s environmental heritage for years to come. This bill needs to come to the House floor, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to push for similar action. I'm grateful to Chairman Grijalva for taking the time to join me at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, for his commitment to our nation's wildlife, and for his continued support in getting RAWA across the finish line. 

"As we come to understand more every day, the wellbeing of the planet and ourselves is inextricably linked to the health of our wildlife and wild spaces," said Chair Grijalva. "The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will be critical to navigating the challenges of the climate crisis and it needs to move through Congress and to the president’s desk quickly. I want to thank Representative Dingell for showing me a prime example of the many benefits of conservation at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge this weekend. I’m grateful to her for carrying and building upon the immense conservation legacy of her husband and my dear friend, the late Representative John Dingell."

RAWA is the largest, most significant investment in wildlife and habitat conservation in a generation, and it has the broad support of conservation and sportsmen’s leaders. The bill would dedicate nearly $1.4 billion in support to the Wildlife Conservation Restoration Program for proactive efforts led by the states, territories, and Tribal nations to prevent vulnerable wildlife from becoming endangered. The legislation was advanced to the House floor by the Natural Resources Committee in January. 

Photos from the tour are available here. 

Last week, Congresswoman Dingell joined Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the re-opening of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Visitor Center at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The visitor center was named after John Dingell as a tribute to his decades of service in establishing and expanding the refuge.