Championing the Migratory Bird Protection Act

Snow Egret - photo by Steve Kaye

As a chapter, Red Rock Audubon has joined over 500 organizations supporting the Migratory Bird Protection Act. Chapter members have individually written to or called their Congressional Representatives and Senators urging their support of the MBPA. To date, Representative Titus and Representative Horsford are co-sponsoring HR 5552 in the House of Representatives.

On February 18, five RRAS members met with Senator Rosen’s staff to encourage Senator Rosen to support this bill when it reaches the Senate or cosponsor a complimentary Senate bill. 
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As background, In 2017 the Trump Administration announced that they were issuing a re-interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. (MBTA)

The re-interpretation changes the rules such that activities which harm birds but are not done with the intention of harming birds are exempt from the provisions of the MBTA. 

Under this interpretation actions such as oil spills, habitat destruction, draining of wetlands, etc. unless done specifically for the purpose of harming birds are not prosecutable under the terms of the MBTA. 

Incidents like the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska or BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or numerous coal ash pond spills or oil pipeline spills and leakages will no longer be prosecutable.

The Administration is now proposing to make this re-interpretation of the MBTA permanent.
The Migratory Bird Protection Act (HR 5552) would nullify the Trump administration’s re-interpretation and add additional protections for birds. 

We encourage all Red Rock members and all bird lovers to contact your Senators and Representatives to let them know that our birds must be protected.