Your Actions at Work: New Protections for the Tongass National Forest

In this issue: Senate passes landmark infrastructure bill, protections restored for the Tongass National Forest Trouble viewing this e-mail? Try our [web version](. [National Audubon Society]( ADVISORY August 2021 [Snowy Egret.]( [Congress Reintroduces the Migratory Bird Protection Act]( In an effort to restore and strengthen the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a bipartisan group of members of Congress have introduced the Migratory Bird Protection Act. The new bill will reinforce long-standing bird protections that have been under attack while creating more certainty for business and greater incentives for innovation to protect birds. [Read more and take action]( Snowy Egret. [Male and female Bobolinks perched on branch.]( [Infrastructure Bill Represents Important Step Towards Cleaner Future]( The Senate passed a landmark bipartisan infrastructure bill on Tuesday, which includes significant investments for Audubon priorities including climate, clean energy, and environmental programs. We will continue to work with Congress to strive for environmental justice and a zero-carbon future, filling in the gaps left by this important first step. [Read more]( Bobolinks. [Caspian Tern with fish in beak.]( [New Legislation Would Boost Protections for Seabirds]( Seabirds like Caspian Terns rely on small, schooling fish known as forage fish, which are vulnerable to overfishing and climate change. A new bill will help save the seabirds by updating the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary fisheries law in the U.S., to factor in the importance of forage fish in the ocean ecosystem. [Read more and take action]( Caspian Tern. [Lesser Prairie-Chicken.]( [Endangered Species Listing Needed to Protect Lesser Prairie-Chicken]( Lesser Prairie-Chicken populations have declined by approximately 90 percent, making them one of the bird species most vulnerable to extinction in North America. In a long-overdue decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to add this species to the Endangered Species List. [Read more and take action]( Lesser Prairie-Chicken. News from the Flyways - [Colorado: Two Wins for Rivers in a Dry Year]( - [Connecticut: Volunteer Teen Shorebird Stewards Advocate for Birds]( - [Florida: Kissimmee River Restoration Complete After Nearly 30 Years]( - [Illinois: New Law Will Protect Birds From Deadly Building Collisions]( - [Indiana: Residents Come Together to Tap into the Biggest Issues Facing Birds]( - [Louisiana: Residents Look to City Council Candidates to Address Entergy Regulations (Op-ed in The Lens)]( - [New Mexico: Momentary Reprieve of Rain on the Rio Grande]( - [North Carolina: Senate Budget Gives Major Boost to Conservation Funding]( - [South Carolina: Funding Secured for Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust]( - [Western Water: Climate Action Needed for Colorado River Drought Management]( Impact Updates [Hooded Warbler.]( [Climate Corner]( Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report finding that the climate is warming at alarming levels, with some effects too extensive to be reversible. However, the report also stated that some of the worst effects can be mitigated, and warming held to 1.5 degrees Celsius, if immediate steps are taken to drastically cut emissions globally. In 2019, Audubon’s own science found that two-thirds of North American bird species are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise. Holding that rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius will lower that risk. [Read more]( Hooded Warbler. [Red-breasted Sapsucker.]( [Your Actions at Work]( Good news! Last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to fully restore environmental protections for the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. In October 2020, the USDA had lifted protections from logging in roadless areas on more than 9 million acres in the Tongass. More than 45,000 Audubon members like you have sent letters to decision makers in support of upholding roadless protections since this misguided decision was first proposed in 2018. We will need your help again: stay tuned for an action alert to submit public comments in support of restoring these protections. [Read more]( Red-breasted Sapsucker. Photos from top: Melissa James; Jocelyn Anderson; Xianwei Zeng; Brittany Meagher; Gary Robinette (left); Sam Weissman (right). All Audubon Photography Awards [Join the Audubon Action Network]( Join our Action Network to receive periodic action alerts that connect you with decision makers when your voice matters the most. CONNECT WITH US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [DONATE]( [ADVOCATE]( [GET TEXT UPDATES]( National Audubon Society 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014 USA [(844) 428-3826](#) | [audubon.org]( © 2021 National Audubon Society, Inc. [Update your email address or unsubscribe](