Weekly News Roundup – September 23, 2011

Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s National Wildlife Federation news:

National Wildlife Federation Partnership Wins Prestigious Department of Interior Award

September 22 – A National Wildlife Federation partnership was honored with the Department of Interior’s Partners in Conservation Award for its guidebook, Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment.

The award is the highest distinction granted by the Secretary of Interior and recognizes innovative collaborations on natural resource goals. The U.S. Geological Survey, one of the partners for the guide, nominated the collaborative effort for the award.

“This Isn’t a Partisan Issue”: Sen. Udall, Rep. Kind Make the Case for Healthy Kids Outdoors

September 22 – At a congressional briefing today on the benefits of reconnecting Americans with the outdoors, Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) announced their intention to introduce Senate and House versions of the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act (HKOA) sometime in the near future.

The bill would support state, local and federal strategies to connect America’s youth with the outdoors through natural play; outdoor recreation like camping, hiking, hunting and fishing; public health plans; outdoor learning environments; service learning and other initiatives.

Pointing to a rise in childhood obesity rates and other health problems related to sedentary (and mostly indoor) lifestyles, Sen. Udall, chairman of the Senate’s Subcommittee on National Parks and co-chairman of the bipartisan Senate Outdoor Recreation Caucus, served notice that the work of getting kids out into nature need not be an occasion for factional squabbling.

NWF Partners with New Movie About Amazing Dolphin

September 22 – National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has teamed up with the Warner Bros. Pictures and Alcon Entertainment film Dolphin Tale to inspire kids and families to learn about dolphins and protect ocean habitat. Dolphin Tale opens nationwide on September 23, with NWF serving as the production’s environmental education partner.

The film is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the people who worked together to save her life. After being caught in a crab trap, the bottlenose dolphin, later named Winter, is rescued but loses her tail. A dedicated marine biologist, a brilliant doctor and a devoted young boy bring about a miracle: a prosthetic tail to help Winter swim again.

Gulf Groups Praise Senate Committee for Approving Gulf Restoration Bill

September 21 -A coalition of six groups supporting Gulf restoration praised the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee for approving legislation today, the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, with a strong showing of bipartisan support. The bill passed by voice vote with only three requested no’s recorded.

The legislation would ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year’s Gulf oil disaster are used to restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast; and the economies of communities and the region that were impacted by the spill.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News