Evansville Audubon Society

Enlightening Facts and Figures from Indiana Conservation Alliance

· About 50% of Indiana’s citizens hunt, fish, or watch wildlife—10% higher than the national average. (National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Survey, US Fish & Wildlife Service, 2001)

· Less than 4% of Indiana’s land is set aside for conservation and recreational purposes. (According to the Indiana SCORP: Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2000 and The Wilderness Society 1995)

· Indiana ranks 46 in the nation in the amount of state and federal land set aside for recreation. (SCORP)

· Indiana has lost 80% of our forests, 85% of our wetlands, and more than 99% of our prairies. (Natural Heritage of Indiana, Jackson)

· Indiana ranks 48th in the country on environmental indicators—such as air quality, energy consumption, and state spending on the environment. (Gold and Green Report, Institute for Southern Studies, 2000)

The good news is that 87% of Hoosier voters feel that more needs to be done to protect natural resources in Indiana. Two-thirds of Hoosier voters said they were willing to pay as much as ten dollars per year in increased taxes solely to fund a variety of conservation programs. Even more striking, a majority said they would pay $20 or more per year and that includes Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters.

Indiana conservationists, environmentalists hail passage of Interior Appropriations bill with funding for Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge

$1.15 million will go toward land purchase, preservation of habitats for rare animals

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Leaders from Indiana conservation and environmental organizations hailed passage of the 2010 Interior Appropriations bill, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The bill includes $1.15 million in funding for land acquisition at the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Indiana.

“We’re thrilled that this appropriation will allow the Patoka refuge to buy 1,150 acres of land that were at risk of being sold to other buyers if federal funding was not available,” said Sue Vernier of the Evansville Audubon Society. “This is a critically-important wildlife area adjacent to the refuge, containing upland and bottomland habitats where rare animals live.”

“The hard work of many people and groups was rewarded with passage of this bill,” said Jesse Kharbanda, executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. “Completion of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge has been a conservation priority for Indiana for many years.”

Susan Haislip, of the new Friends of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, noted, “The residents of Pike and Gibson counties, as well as Hoosiers throughout Indiana, deeply value the Patoka refuge, and its great opportunities for outdoor recreation and contributions to Indiana’s natural diversity.”

“Congressman Brad Ellsworth and Sen. Richard Lugar deserve our sincere thanks for their determined support for refuge funding. As a result, the Patoka refuge will be able to continue to preserve precious habitats, allowing many generations of families to educate, explore, and appreciate the treasure we have in the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge,” said Rachel Lewis, of Pike Gibson Citizens for Quality Environment and the Patoka Friends group.

The conference report for the 2010 Interior Appropriations bill, which passed both the U.S. House and Senate on October 29, also contains $825,000 in land acquisition funding for the Hoosier National Forest.

About the Patoka River National Refuge:

Established in 1994 to restore bottomland hardwood forest habitats, the refuge’s purchase boundary covers 22,472 acres, including 30 miles of the Patoka River, and at least 7,000 acres of bottomland forested wetlands, the most imperiled wetland type in Indiana and the American Midwest. To date, 6,169 acres have been purchased for the refuge. Over 380 wildlife species inhabit the refuge’s boundaries, including the bald eagle, river otter, bobcat, and endangered animals including the Indiana bat, interior least tern, northern copperbelly watersnake, and cerulean warbler. The National Audubon Society recognizes it as an “important bird area.”

The list of Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge supporters includes:

· Evansville Audubon Society

· Friends of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge

· Hoosier Environmental Council

· Indiana Wildlife Federation

· Izaak Walton League, Indiana Division

· Knox County Quail Unlimited

· Pike-Gibson County Citizens for a Quality Environment

Contacts:

John Goss, IWF, 317-875-9453

Susan Haislip, Friends of Patoka, (812) 479-0771, ext. 100

Rachel Lewis, PGCQE, 812-455-3560

Tim Maloney, HEC, 812-369-8677

Sue Vernier, Evansville Audubon, 812-385-5058