NEW YORK - More than a third of America's fish and wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction, but a bill advancing in Congress this week could help.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act is scheduled for markup Thursday in the House Natural Resources Committee. According to Collin O'Mara, president and chief executive of the National Wildlife Federation, the bipartisan bill would provide more than $1.3 billion a year to implement federally approved wildlife conservation efforts.

"The goal," he said, "is to invest in proactive, collaborative conservation in all 50 states and all the territories to try to save the full diversity of America's wildlife."

New York state has identified 366 "Species of Greatest Conservation Need," 166 of which are designated as high priority. The bill has more than 150 co-sponsors, including six members of the New York congressional delegation.

O'Mara said efforts to conserve wildlife species that are hunted or fished have been very successful, but few resources have been steered toward other species.

"So right now, we have populations of amphibians and reptiles, of songbirds – and grassland birds and forest birds, and shorebirds – that are plummeting," he said, adding that more than 1,600 species are listed under the Endangered Species Act and another 150 are presumed extinct.

More than a decade ago, the federal government began requiring states to formulate wildlife action plans to qualify for small state wildlife grants. O'Mara said states came up with some very good plans.

"The problem is they're [an] unfunded mandate," he said. "There's never really been the resources put behind them to implement them and the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, a primary goal of it, is to fund the implementation of these plans, to make sure that we are saving the full diversity of wildlife."

He said taking action early, before species are on the brink of extinction, is much more cost effective than waiting until they're added to the endangered species list.

Text of the bill is online at congress.gov. The New York Wildlife Action Plan is at dec.ny.gov.

As its 125th anniversary nears, the Connecticut Audubon Society has released a report detailing the effectiveness of conservation efforts in the state.

The 2022 "State of the Birds" report found bald eagles making a strong comeback and nesting in numerous towns across the state. It also detailed how ospreys are nesting, thanks to nesting boxes placed throughout the state.

Tom Andersen, communications director for the Connecticut Audubon Society said there have been some challenges with keeping these species around - and one is simply a matter of habitat.

"Shore birds, like the American Oystercatchers, when they're in Connecticut, they rely exclusively on beaches, and there are not all that many beaches in Connecticut," he said. "The Connecticut shoreline is not that long, not all of it is beach - and most of it is used by people, for recreation."

He said these birds, which are vulnerable to disturbances, must learn how to successfully coexist alongside humans in these landscapes. He said he hopes the few undisturbed places where birds are thriving remain that way.

As the group celebrates this milestone anniversary, there's still plenty of work to be done to keep bird species off endangered-species lists. Andersen said some work can be done locally, but a large part needs to begin at the federal level. He said he thinks passing the Recovering America's Wildlife Act would boost any state's conservation efforts, and described what passage of the bill would mean.

"It would direct about $1.3 billion annually to all of the states in the United States and to Indigenous peoples, so they can implement their Wildlife Action Plans, which are congressionally mandated," he said. "Connecticut alone would receive about $12.5 million each year from the fund."

The bill has bipartisan support, including four U.S. House members from Connecticut and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. The Audubon Society has future plans for land acquisition to preserve bird habitat and wetlands. Andersen said the group is using this anniversary as a showcase for the beginnings of the conservation movement in the United States.

Wildlife biologists are warning Iowa hunters to have their deer tested for a deadly condition known to attack the animal's brain.

Chronic Wasting Disease has been on the rise. It causes spongelike holes to appear in the brain, and is present in up to half of the deer herds in parts of Wisconsin, which does not bode well for other Midwestern states.

Jace Elliott, state deer biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said the disease is 100% fatal and has the potential to alter the density and gender balance of the deer population in Iowa.

"More importantly, perhaps, really alter the deer quality that we have in Iowa," Elliott pointed out. "Iowa is known as a trophy whitetail destination, and there's really a lot of interest in out-of-state hunters coming here to hunt deer just because of our well-managed deer herd."

Elliott said Chronic Wasting Disease is on the rise in Iowa and since there is no known cure, it will continue to grow. He stressed it is important for hunters to get their harvested deer tested by game officials, free of charge.

While there have only been a few cases of the disease confirmed in Iowa so far, Elliott noted officials know it spreads quickly. If part of the herd becomes infected, the disease will grow exponentially among the animals in a specific geographic area.

"The disease is spreading, and we don't expect it to stop spreading," Elliott acknowledged. "What we're really just trying to do is slow the spread as long as we can, until science can catch up and give us some other options for managing the disease."

Chronic Wasting Disease has not been proven to be a threat to humans if people consume infected venison. But out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against eating the meat before it has been proven free of the disease.

After receiving input from stakeholders earlier this year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released a list of priorities guiding its initial draft of a management plan for the controversial practice of feeding wild elk at winter feedgrounds.

Kristin Combs - executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates - agreed with much on the list, but said she worries the emphasis on maintaining unnaturally large big-game populations could compromise herd health.

She said it's important to make space in the plan for elk's natural predators.

"The one thing we don't see in the list," said Combs, "is having a robust suite of predators and large carnivores on the landscape that can really offer free services to provide for healthy elk herds."

She said allowing predators to kill off animals that fall sick to chronic wasting and other communicable diseases will limit the risk of hunters harvesting diseased meat, and strengthen biodiversity and the region's ecosystems.

Some hunters support using feedgrounds to maintain large elk populations, and outfitters see the practice as a proven way to keep doors open for business.

Game and Fish says it expects to publish the proposal after internal review, and will accept public comments in coming weeks.

The powerful ranching lobby has urged the agency to limit conflicts between cattle and elk, in part over fears of disease transmission, and that priority made the list.

Combs noted that other western states including Colorado, Idaho and Montana that do not use feedgrounds place part of the burden of limiting conflict on ranchers.

"Fencing out elk is a requirement, or fencing in your hay stores," said Combs. "Keeping your herd separated from elk is a part of the responsibility of raising cattle, versus having the government do this for you."

Another priority is to modify feedground management to minimize disease transmission. Combs said the very nature of feedgrounds, where animals are packed together in close quarters, practically invites large-scale infections.

But she agreed with the agency's goal of helping elk transition to natural winter ranges.

"There's already a bunch of really good wild foraging areas," said Combs, "especially on the national forests, even on some private lands that are available."