The United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program has been a staple for 40 years in restoring and protecting millions of acres of habitat, providing significant conservation benefits to coastal communities, ecosystems and wildlife. With increasing pressures from sea level rise, extreme storm events, land development, pollution and habitat fragmentation, this program is more important than ever.
Tourism is the economic bedrock for most coastal communities. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program, U.S. coastal habitats generate $44 billion in travel each year as people across the country take more than 900 million trips to coastal areas.
Members of Congress have introduced a bipartisan bill in the House and the Senate: The Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023. Now, let’s come together to get it passed and protect our coastal communities for generations to come.