
Year: 2022
Latest Scrub Hub in the Indy Star
Have you ever wondered how you can help wildlife through the long cold winter? Check out the Indy Star’s latest Scrub Hub to see an interview with our Executive Director Dan Boritt.
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Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) Indy Star Op-Ed
Read the recent opinion piece published in the Indy Star by our Executive Director and the CEO of NWF!


Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2022
Read the November 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2022
Read the August 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2022
Read the May 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Birders’ Rally (virtual)! 5/24/22
The National Wildlife Federation is hosting a special (and exciting) event with National Audubon Society to mobilize birders to support this legislation: the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Birders’ Rally! This event will be hosted by Corina Newsome and Tykee James, and we will be joined by special guests including Kenn Kaufman, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy, and more. Take a look at the information below, register, and share widely with your networks!

JOIN US for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Birders’ Rally (virtual)!
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
12 – 1 PM ET
Calling all bird lovers! We need everyone who cares about birds to rally together for the passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.2372/HR2773) With historic levels of funding and support from both sides of the aisle, this once-in-a-generation legislation is a rare bird. Join us as we flock together in support of this critical bill, which will help protect birds long into the future and make the enjoyment of birds more accessible for all! Hosted by Tykee James and Corina Newsome, this rally will feature leaders in avian conservation and give you an opportunity to take action to encourage your Members of Congress to vote YES on this bill. Bring your passion and excitement, because we need YOU to push Recovering America’s Wildlife Act over the finish line!
DC Legislative Update: April 4th – 8th, 2022
Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2022 House Calendar
What’s Happening this Week
- Both chambers of Congress are in session this week. Friday, April 8th, should be the last day of this work period for both chambers, with a two-week recess scheduled for the work weeks of April 11th and 18th.
- The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is expected to hold a markup that will include S. 2372, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act this Thursday, April 7th at 10 AM EST. Watch the livestream here.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee voted this afternoon along party lines (11-11) to discharge the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has moved to discharge her nomination from committee and a final vote is expected be held this evening.
- Members of the Senate could also vote on a potential COVID-19 supplemental funding measure – a slimmer version of the one that was removed from the FY22 Omnibus Spending Bill that passed in March. It’s also possible the Senate will vote on the compromise Russia trade relations bill this week.
- The House is expected to consider two pieces of legislation: a bill with contempt charges for two individuals who have refused to testify before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol and a piece of legislation with COVID-19 relief specific to restaurants.
- Among other legislation the House could consider this week is H.R. 5689, the Resilient AMERICA Act.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report today; Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.
- NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.
Upcoming Congressional Hearings
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Monday, April 4, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Business meeting to consider the nomination of several judges to the federal bench and for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Implementation of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act: Stakeholders’ needs and experiences
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed 2023 Budget. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will testify.
- Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Committee Business Meeting to consider pending legislation, including S. 2372, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Ensuring Transparency in Petroleum Markets
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 2:30 PM: Hearing on treaties, including amendments to the Treaty on Fisheries between the US and Certain Pacific Island States and an Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing to examine the scope and scale of critical mineral demand and recycling of critical minerals.
- House Committee on Natural Resources
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Markup on a number of bills pertaining to public lands management and transfer and H.R. 6651, the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act.
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Tuesday, April 5th at 10 AM EST: The Opioid Crisis in Tribal Communities
- Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
- Tuesday, April 5th at 10 AM EST: Investing in Wildfire Management, Ecosystem Restoration, and Resilient Communities: Examining the Biden Administration’s Priorities for Implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife
- Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 1 PM EST: Russian Seafood Ban Implementation and Seafood Traceability
- House Agriculture Committee
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Energy- Renewable Energy Opportunities in Rural America
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: International Trade and Food Assistance Programs
- House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Markup on a few bills including H.R. 3952, the “NOAA Chief Scientist Act.”
- House Committee on Oversight and Reform
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: It’s Electric: Developing the Postal Service Fleet of the Future
- House Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: FY2023 National Tribal Organizations Public Witness Day
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 1 PM EST: FY2023 Regional Tribal Organizations Public Witness Day
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Gouged at the Gas Station: Big Oil and America’s Pain at the Pump.
- House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
- Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 9 AM EST: Cost-Saving Climate Solutions: Investing in Energy Efficiency to Promote Energy Security and Cut Energy Bills
- Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 9 AM EST: Cost-Saving Climate Solutions: Investing in Energy Efficiency to Promote Energy Security and Cut Energy Bills
Congressional News
- Last week, the House and Senate passed its version of the H.R. 4521, America COMPETES Act. The House and Senate will need to appoint a conference committee to reconcile their different versions of the legislation, a process that could take weeks.
- NWF President & CEO Collin O’Mara testified before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on the value of natural infrastructure last Friday. A full recording of the hearing can be found here.
Administrative News
- Last Thursday, March 31st, President Biden announced he will order the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic reserves in an effort to combat rising gasoline prices. He has also called on Congress to add pressure to the oil industry to increase drilling on public lands.
- See here for additional White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.
Spotlight: Bill of the Week
Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines (STREAM) Act
- Introduced by: Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) & Mike Braun (R-IN) in the Senate and Representatives David B. McKinley (R – WV 01) and Matt Cartwright (D – PA 08) in the House.
- Overview: This bill allows states to set aside up to thirty percent of the funding for Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) restoration from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to address long-term acid mine drainage costs. The IIJA set aside $11.3 billion for the AML trust fund for state AML programs.
- A fact sheet about the STREAM Act can be found here.
DC Legislative Update: March 28th – April 1st, 2022
Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2022 House Calendar
Upcoming Congressional Hearings
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Monday, March 28, 2022 at 3 PM EST: Business meeting to consider the nomination of several judges to the federal bench and for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Wednesday, March 31, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing domestic critical mineral mining, processing, refining and reprocessing.
- Senate Committee on the Budget
- Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 11 AM EST: Hearings to review the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2023.
- House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing to examine workforce development and job creation in surface transportation construction.
- House Agriculture Committee
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing to review horticulture and urban agriculture sections of the Farm Bill.
- House Committee on the Budget
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.
- House Committee on Financial Services
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 10 AM EST: Hearing on how home appraisal bias and discrimination are hurting homeowners and communities of color.
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 10:30 AM EST: Hearing on “Trusting the Tap: upgrading America’s drinking water infrastructure.”
- House Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife
- Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 2 PM EST: Hearing to consider the following bills; Red River National Wildlife Refuge Boundary Modification Act, Keep America’s Refuges Operational Act of 2022 and the Advancing Human Rights-Centered International Conservation Act of 2022.
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
- Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 10 AM: Oversight hearing to consider the benefits of the legacy pollution clean-up in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples
- Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 1 PM EST: Legislative hearing to examine; Quapaw Tribal Landowner Settlement Act of 2021, Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act and legislation to reauthorize the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Trust Fund.
- Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife
- House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
- Friday, April 1, 2022 at 9:30 AM EST: Hearing on America’s natural solutions: the climate benefits of investing in healthy ecosystems. Collin O’Mara, NWF President and CEO, will testify.
Congressional News
- Representative Don Young of Alaska, who passed away at age 88 last Friday, will lie in state on Tuesday.
- Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb) will resign on Thursday after being found guilty of lying to federal elections officers about illicit campaign contributions.
- Last week, the Senate confirmed more judges to the federal bench and moved forward with a procedural vote on the America COMPETES Act. It will now move to cloture vote this week.
Administrative News
- Today, President Biden released a summary of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request. This “skinny” budget provides an outline for Congress to begin negotiations on FY 2023 funding and more details are expected to come. The Office of Management and Budget Director, Shalanda Young will be on the Hill to testify about the President’s budget this week before both the House and Senate. Highlights are below;
- Increased funding for the Department of Energy, including $48.2 billion in discretionary funding.
- Calls for funding for ecosystem restoration, including $407 million for the Florida Everglades restoration project.
- A 25% increase in funding for the Department of Interior.
- More funding to increase domestic renewable energy resources and to return to Obama-era levels of funding to help finance clean energy investments internationally.
- After his trip to Germany last week, President Biden in conjunction with the European Commission announced plans to find 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas for imports to Europe.
- Jessica Ennis will join the White House Council on Environmental Quality as its new public engagement director. Ennis previously worked for Earthjustice as the legislative director for climate and energy. She will help carry out the White House’s Environmental Justice priorities through work alongside activists and stakeholders.
- The White House released a final rule on CAFE standards, increasing the penalties for automakers who do not meet fuel economy standards going back to model year 2019.
- See here for additional White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.
What’s Happening This Week
- The Senate and House are in session this week.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a business meeting today to discuss a number of nominees to the federal bench as well as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. It is expected that the committee will postpone the vote on her nomination for about a week in order to leave the Congressional Record open for comments. Her nomination is still expected to come to the Senate floor before April 8th.
- The Senate will hold a cloture vote this evening on the Senate substitute for the America COMPETES Act. This will bring the vote one step closer to a formal conference committee.
- The Senate could take up the House-passed bill suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus later this week. The bill had stalled following objections from Senator Paul.
- The House is expected to vote this week on a bill to end federal prohibitions on marijuana. A full list of bills expected to be voted on by the House is here.
- NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.
Spotlight: Bill of the Week
Lead Safe Housing for Kids Act
- Introduced by: Reps. Jesus “Chuy” García (IL-4), A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) & Ayanna Pressley (MA- 07)
- Overview: This bill aims to reduce lead exposure to children living in federally-assisted housing. The bill will adopt measures such as comprehensive risk assessments, requiring the disclosure of lead paint usage by landlords, and providing a process and assistance for relocating families if lead hazards are found.
- A full press release on the Lead Safe Housing for Kids Act can be found here.

New Report Examines Habitat Loss Impacts on Wildlife, Hunting, Fishing
‘America the Beautiful’ Initiative Recognizes Role of Sporting Community in Restoring Wildlife Habitat
DENVER (March 28, 2022) — Habitat loss is threatening the wildlife, lands, and waters that hunters and anglers rely upon — and sportswomen and sportsmen have a crucial role to play in seeking common-sense solutions, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation Outdoors.
The United States is losing nature at an unprecedented rate. According to this report, species lost, on average, 6.5 million acres of vital habitat over the last two decades. This loss varies by species with some iconic species, such as mule deer, well exceeding the average.
The report examines effective solutions, including the America the Beautiful initiative and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, that will conserve, restore, and reconnect our natural systems and reclaim degraded lands in order to recover wildlife and protect sporting traditions. As the report notes: “By conserving, connecting, and restoring 30% of our lands and water by 2030, we can slow the loss of habitat, provide important game and fish species with the room to stabilize and recover, and meet the needs of the sporting community today and in the future.”
As leaders in Congress consider historic investments in natural infrastructure and wildlife habitat, which includes restoration and resilience projects, the report urges hunters and anglers to take the lead and use their extensive knowledge from the field to speak out for wildlife decline and habitat loss.
“Hunters and anglers are firsthand witnesses to nearly everything that happens in the fields, forests, and on the water,” said Aaron Kindle director of sporting advocacy for the National Wildlife Federation. “We have seen how habitat loss is a very real threat to our sporting future, and that we need to utilize all tools in the toolbox to incentivize the conservation of native landscapes and the restoration of degraded areas. We hope this report shines light on these issues and spurs investment as soon as possible.”
Visit the National Wildlife Federation Media Center at NWF.org/News

DC Legislative Update: Feb 28–Mar 4, 2022
Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2022 House Calendar
Upcoming Congressional Hearings
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: Hearing to consider a series of energy bills. Full list of legislation to be considered is available here.
- Thursday, March 3 at 10am EST: Hearing to Review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s recent guidance on Natural Gas Pipelines.
- Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee
- Wednesday, March 2 at 10am EST: Hearing to consider the nominations of Christy Goldsmith Romero to be a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Kristin Johnson to be a commissioner of the CFTC, Summer Mersinger to be commissioner of the CFTC, and Caroline Pham to be a commissioner of the CFTC.
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Wednesday, March 2 at 10am EST: Hearing on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, will testify.
- House Agriculture Committee
- Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Commodity Group Perspectives on Title 1.
- House Homeland Security Committee
- Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery Subcommittee hearing on the FEMA workforce.
- House Judiciary Committee
- Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee hearing on discrimination against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American communities.
- House Natural Resources Committee
- Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Legislative Hearing. Full list of bills to be considered is available here.
- House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Wednesday, March 2 at 10am EST: Hearing on Advancing the Science of Nature-Based Infrastructure.
Congressional News
- With just under two weeks before government funding runs out on March 11th, details on an appropriations deal for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2022 remain scarce. Last week, President Biden requested an additional $6.4 billion to support Ukraine against the invasion by Russia. Congress could add this funding to a larger appropriations package, or we could see piecemeal funding bills passed up until the 11th. Given the amount of work on the appropriations committees’ plates, there could also be a very short funding extension to keep the government open beyond March 11th. Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico remains absent from the Senate as he recovers from a stroke. His absence impacts Democrats’ ability to command a majority in the chamber. He is expected to recover and return to the Senate within a few weeks.
Administrative News
- President Biden will provide his State of the Union address to Congress at 9pm EST on Tuesday, March 1. Even with the Russian invasion of Ukraine taking center stage, the President is expected to devote part of his speech to the need for climate action. The speech follows just a day after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest installment of the sixth climate assessment, focused on how changes will affect humans and natural ecosystems. You can view NWF’s press release on the report here.
- On Friday, President Biden announced his selection of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson will begin meeting with Senators this week as the chamber prepares for her confirmation proceedings. A confirmation hearing with the Judiciary Committee is expected to come quickly, although the exact timeline has not been announced.
- See here for additional White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.
What’s Happening This Week
- Both chambers of Congress are in session this week.
- The House will begin by considering 8 bills under suspension, and will likely move later in the week to consider legislation related to toxic exposures for military servicemembers under a rule. Action on a Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill or emergency supplemental funding to provide aid to Ukraine is possible.
- The Senate is in session and will open the week by moving to consider a House-passed bill that protects the right of Americans to receive an abortion. A vote on the motion to consider is expected to fail, after which the chamber will take up the Postal Service reform that has been before Congress for a few weeks.
- NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.

www.nwf.org
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2022
Read the February 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
DC Legislative Update: January 10–14, 2022
Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2022 House Calendar
Upcoming Congressional Hearings
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 10am EST: Hearing to examine the opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity, expanding hydropower at non-powered dams, and increasing pumped storage hydropower.
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Wednesday, Jan 12, 2022 at 2:45 PM EST: Business meeting to consider the nominations of David Uhlmann to be assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Henry Christopher Frey to be Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, and Martha Williams to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- The Business Meeting will be followed by a hearing on Water Resources Development Act Oversight: USACE Implementation of Water Infrastructure Projects, Programs, and Priorities. The hearing and business meeting are both accessible at the link provided above.
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10am EST: Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hearing to consider Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2022.
- House Agriculture Committee
- Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM EST: Hearing to consider Implications of Electric Vehicle Investments for Agriculture and Rural America.
Congressional News
- On January 3rd, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Senate Democrats stating his intention to again consider two pieces of voting rights legislation, the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Under Senate rules, these bills need 60 votes to advance – they have both failed to reach that threshold on previous attempts. In the letter, Senator Schumer indicates that the Senate will consider rule changes – likely including changes to the filibuster – if there is no bipartisan cooperation on advancing these bills. He set a deadline of January 17th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, for debate on rules changes.
- Further Senate consideration of the Build Back Better Act is expected to remain on hold while the chamber seeks a breakthrough on voting rights legislation.
- As a reminder, the government is funded through February 18, 2022 by a continuing resolution that Congress passed in December. Congress must pass a new spending bill before midnight on Feb. 18 to avoid a government shutdown.
Administrative News
- On Tuesday, January 11, President Biden will travel to Georgia to highlight his administration’s efforts to pass legislation protecting the right to vote. His remarks may shed further light on the degree of his support for filibuster reform in the Senate.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited President Biden to deliver his 2022 State of the Union address to Congress on March 1st.
- Last week, President Biden re-nominated a batch of nominees whose nominations had expired when the Senate adjourned its 2021 session. The list includes Laura Daniel Davis, formerly of NWF, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior, and Martha Williams to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The full list is available here.
- See here for additional White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.
What’s Happening This Week
- The House and Senate will both be in session this week, with the House returning for the first time in 2022.
- The Senate will consider Commerce Department nominees and continue work on voting rights legislation.
- The House will consider a Veterans Affairs bill and a NASA Other legislation may be added to the schedule.
- NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.

Public hearing on proposed wildlife rule changes set for Jan. 20
Public hearing on proposed wildlife rule changes set for Jan. 20
The Natural Resources Commission’s Division of Hearings has scheduled a virtual public hearing to accept public comments on proposed rule changes governing fishing tournament licenses/permits, trapping wild animals, and registering to be an organ donor through the DNR’s license system. More information about the proposed changes is at wildlife.IN.gov/rule-regulation-changes/
The virtual public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 20, 2022, using WebEx.
Individuals may join the public hearing in two ways:
- To join by phone using only audio, please dial 1-240-454-0887, when prompted enter access code 23034329797##.
- To join using video, use this website address, meeting number and password: https://indiana.webex.com/indiana/j.php?MTID=m4d8c87a1e19a26bd69e8b3e90e563097Meeting number (access code): 2303 432 9797, Meeting password: 5RPf753W4Zp
Those who have never used WebEx should begin the process at least 10 minutes early because they will be prompted to download WebEx before joining the meeting. For technical assistance, contact Scott Allen at 317-232-4699 or sallen@nrc.IN.gov.
Public comments must be submitted to the NRC no later than Jan. 21, 2022, via www.IN.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket. Click on “Comment on this Rule” next to the “Fish & Wildlife and Law Enforcement Miscellaneous Rule Amendments.”
Comments can also be mailed to:
Natural Resources Commission
Indiana Government Center North
100 North Senate Ave., Room N103
Indianapolis, IN 46204
The NRC will review the public comments before voting on final adoption of the changes in March. Rule changes that are given final adoption by the NRC must still be approved by the Attorney General’s office and Governor’s office and filed with the Indiana Register before taking effect.
To view more DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.
Media contact: Linnea Petercheff, Licensing and Permits Supervisor, DNR Fish & Wildlife, 317-233-6527, LPetercheff@dnr.IN.gov
Saturday, January 29th Conference to be Fully Virtual
For the health and safety of our attendees, staff, and conference presenters, the Indiana Wildlife Federation board has decided to host a fully virtual conference due to the rise in Indiana coronavirus cases. As you may recall, the event was originally scheduled to be a hybrid in-person/virtual event at the Garrison located at Fort Harrison State Park.
We have already seen a greater number of registrations for virtual attendance so we felt it best for our friends and partners to attend safely from home (sweatpants encouraged). While we will be sad to miss another year to gather together and enjoy time with other wildlife experts and enthusiasts, we are still very excited to host two incredible keynote speakers and one heck of a silent auction.
In an effort to respect everyone’s Zoom-attention span, we have reduced our full day agenda down to a hot 2.5 hours without losing any punch. We hope you will join us Saturday, January 29th from 9:30am-noon to hear from Dr. Mamie Parker and Jim McCormac.
Dr. Mamie Parker is a professional fish and wildlife biologist and made history serving as the first African American U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Regional Director of the 13 northeastern states after working in the Great Lakes and Big Rivers regions. She has received numerous conservation awards and is widely known for her tireless work on wildlife conservation and invasive species. Dr. Parker is a transformational speaker with incredible conservation experience ready to share a message on Our Pivotal Stretch to Make the Best Better.
Be sure to read the fantastic National Wildlife Federation blog post: Dr. Mamie Parker Leads the Way for Women in Conservation.
Jim McCormac who served
at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He shares his experience in nature through stunning photography and interpretive storytelling that captivates and inspires. Jim has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio, and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage. We are so pleased to host Jim speaking on Flora, Moths, and Birds: A Tangled Ecological Web.
There are at least 2,600 species of moths and approximately 150 butterfly species in Indiana. The conspicuous and often showy winged adults are but the short-lived finale of a four stage life cycle: egg, pupa, caterpillar, and adult. It’s caterpillars that make much of the natural world go around, and countless billions become food for other organisms, birds included. Without vegetation-eating caterpillars and the native plants that they require, most songbirds would vanish, insect diversity would plummet, and our forests would fall silent. This richly illustrated talk delves into the seemingly magical synergy between flora and caterpillars, and its ecosystem ramifications, especially for birds.
We hope to virtually see you there!
Registration is $25 for members/$35 non-members.
(Psst…High school and college students can apply to attend at no cost through our scholar registration fund supported by IWF board members Rick Cockrum, Tina Mahern, and John Goss).








