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.