Weekly News Roundup- June 14, 2013

NWF’s Be Out There Movement Announces Partnership with FamilyFun Magazine

FamilyFun Magazine

June 13– National Wildlife Federation, whose mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future, is pleased to announce a new partnership with FamilyFun magazine, a trusted, go-to source for travel recommendations and family activities for more than 20 years.

FamilyFun magazine has released a special “Get Outdoors” themed issue this month to help families spend more time in nature. The “Let’s Get Outdoors!” feature story appears in the June/July issue of the magazine, on newsstands June 5, and includes dozens of ideas ranging from mapping the neighborhood’s natural wonders to going on a photo safari.

Learn more about NWF’s outdoor programs for kids!

 

Tar Balls Cannot Be the ‘New Normal’

Leilani Munter

June 11– BP announced on Monday that the U.S. Coast Guard is ending active cleanup operations in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and that the three states are expected to complete the transition back to the National Response Center (NRC) reporting system by mid-June 2013.

David White, director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf of Mexico Restoration Campaign, said in response:

“As much as one million barrels of oil from the disaster remains unaccounted for, and tar mats and tar balls from the spill continue to wash up on the coast. Regardless of how our shorelines are monitored, BP must be held accountable for the cleanup. We cannot just accept oiled material on our beaches and in our marshes as the ‘new normal.’ In particular, we need be sure that there is a rapid and proactive assessment and cleanup of our shorelines in the aftermath of storms.”

Take action and demand justice for Gulf wildlife.

 

Senate Poised to Pass a Strong Farm Bill

corn field after drought

June 10– National Wildlife Federation applauds the final Farm bill and the leadership of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS), for crafting a bill that maintains adequate funding for conservation, includes a national Sodsaver provision, and re-links conservation compliance provision to crop insurance premium subsidies. The bill also authorizes funding for an innovative regional partnership program which would target conservation funding to as many as eight priority conservation regions.

“We are very pleased with the Senate’s version of the farm bill and congratulate the Senate Agriculture Committee and Senate leadership for all their hard work,” said Julie Sibbing, director of Agriculture and Forestry Programs for National Wildlife Federation. “In the present climate of kicking the can down the road and paralyzing lack of compromise in Congress, it is refreshing to see members on both sides of the aisle roll up their sleeves and pass a balanced farm bill that ensures a robust safety net for farmers and for natural resources. The House should follow the example.”

For more information visit our Farm Bill webpage.

 

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

 

For more visit www.nwf.org/news