Izaak Walton League of America

In a report released yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that more than 40 years after Congress approved the Clean Water Act, the majority of our nation’s waters continue to be impaired. The main cause is non-point source pollution – runoff from farms, roadways, and backyards across the country. The Izaak Walton League empowers citizens to respond to this growing threat by monitoring and restoring water quality in their communities.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced a private sector investment of $1 million to put young people to work on our public lands through the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. The Izaak Walton League and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids share the Secretary’s vision to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work outdoors.

A new report released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows that for every $1 appropriated by Congress to run the Refuge System, nearly $5 is generated in local economies. Wildlife refuges generated $2.4 billion in 2011.

Water resources legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday fails to remove counterproductive constraints on Upper Mississippi River restoration projects, increases subsidies for industries, and weakens environmental review of river projects nationwide.

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will guide development of a new rule clarifying the Clean Water Act’s role in safeguarding "waters of the United States," documents the connectivity of wetlands and streams to downstream waters.

More than 1,600 organizations representing tens of millions of birders, hikers, hunters, anglers, boaters and other conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts delivered a collective letter to congressional appropriators today urging them to restore funding to popular and effective fish and wildlife conservation grant programs.

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took two critical steps to begin restoring Clean Water Act protections for streams, wetlands, and other critical waters. The agency announced that it initiated the process of revising regulations on implementing the Clean Water Act and released a report synthesizing the peer-reviewed science documenting the connections between waters.

The Izaak Walton League of America announced today that it has hired Mike Leahy as the organization’s new Conservation Director. Leahy will lead planning and implementation of the League’s national conservation work. He brings to the position more than 18 years of experience at the federal, state, and local levels working on conservation of wildlife, forests, and grasslands; roadless areas; access to public and private lands; and more.