Speech #1140109036

Mr. Chair. in sum. my Amendment promotes partnership strategies in preserving our urban wildlife refuges. Jackson Lee Amendment Number 125 prohibits the utilization of funds to eliminate Urban Wildlife and Refugee Partnerships. According to some estimates. 80 percent of the U.S. population currently resides in urban communities. and the challenge before us is ensuring our natural resources are conserved and valued by the American people and that our youth are beneficiaries of Urban Wildlife and Refugee partnerships. Thus. Jackson Lee Amendment Number 125 works to facilitate the nurturing and education of Americans. especially our youth on the imperative of exposure to urban wildlife and refugee facilities across our nation. Picture this: nature meets skyline near Houstons Buffalo Bayou. one of many sites where Texas works with Houston Wilderness to create shared conservation messages and strategies. Indeed. I commend the work of the Houston Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership. in Texas. Additionally. the Texas MidCoast Refuge Complex will work with Houston Wilderness. an alliance of business. environmental and government interests. to create a coordinated conservation presence in the metro area. Moreover. young people deserve exposure to the educational opportunities and excitement these urban wildlife and refugee parks have to offer. where their minds are developed and enriched. indeed. where they get to interact with and see wildlife they have read about in their school books. Urban wildlife and refugee parks spark creativity in a healthy dose for the imagination of our young people so that they have an appreciation of nature and all the beautiful inhabitants it offers us. From Houston. to Rhode Island to Baltimore. to Chicago and everywhere in between. young people have the opportunity to spearhead replanting projects along various rivers. learn about birding and be partners and stakeholders in their communities parks and zoos while also sharpening their minds. For all these reasons.