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CAPITOL FLYER
Friday, December 1, 2006
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Capitol
Flyer is intended to keep you abreast of the latest developments
in Washington affecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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Table of Contents:
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New Congress Taking Shape
Following the Democratic sweep on Election Day, members of Congress and their staff are busy jockeying for everything from committee chairmanships to office locations. There are a number of committees in the House and Senate that affect the National Wildlife Refuge System. Here is a status report on how the leadership of those committees and the Congress as a whole are shaping up.
In the House, Democrats elected Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as the Speaker of the House and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) as Majority Leader. Republicans elected John Boehner (R-OH) as Minority Leader and Roy Blunt (R-MO) as Minority Whip. Current Speaker Dennis Hastert did not seek a leadership post.
In the Senate, Democrats elected Harry Reid (D-NV) as Majority Leader and Richard Durbin (D-IL) as Majority Whip. Republicans elected Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Minority Leader and Trent Lott (R-MS) as Minority Whip. Senator Lott was Majority Leader in 2002, until he was pressured out of the job for segregationist comments.
Although many committee positions are still up in the air, including key positions like the Resources Committee chairmanship in the House, some have been announced. In the Senate, the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee will be led by Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The EPW subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection, will be chaired by Joseph Lieberman (I-CT).
Other committee leadership positions have not been announced. However, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is expected to take over the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior.
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Haskett Named Assistant Director of Refuges
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dale Hall has chosen Geoffrey L. Haskett to be the new Assistant Director of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS).
Haskett, who served as the Deputy Regional Director for the Service's Southwest Region from 1997 to 2006, began serving as Acting Assistant Director in early June, when the former Assistant Director, Bill Hartwig, retired.
Haskett has had an extensive career with the Service, beginning in 1979 in the Portland Regional Office. From 1980 to 1984 he was responsible for the Bureau of Land Management's Realty Program for 3.5 million acres of public land in Oregon. From 1988 to 1994 he was the Branch Chief of Operations for the Division of Realty, and later became the Chief of Realty. Prior to his arrival in the Southwest Region, he worked as the Assistant Regional Director for Refuges and Wildlife in the Southeast Region.
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National Bison Range Agreement Woes Continue
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), currently in an annual funding agreement (AFA) with the FWS at the National Bison Range Complex, have asked to take over full management of the refuges within the Complex that fall within CSKT's reservation borders.
The tribes cite the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which allows them to apply to manage certain activities on federal public lands (i.e., refuges, parks, etc.) if they can show a cultural, historical or geographic connection.
However, there have been questions raised by the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA), refuge managers and other conservation groups as to the merits of the agreement for the refuge. A performance report issued by FWS in March concluded that fewer than half of the program activities performed by the CSKT were rated "successful," while nearly as many were rated "unsuccessful" or "needs improvement."
Additionally, in September several Bison Range employees filed a joint grievance claiming that the tribes' involvement has led to "safety and ethical violations, harassment, intimidation, and personal slander."
The National Bison Range agreement could set a precedent for at least 31 other refuges and 34 national parks eligible under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act for similar agreements.
The NWRA continues to oppose the current AFA, citing increased costs to the Refuge System and degradation of the resource, among other things. Further, the Refuge Association believes a national policy is needed to provide guidelines for AFAs at national wildlife refuges.
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Take
Action!
You can make your voice heard by utilizing the Refuge Action Network (RAN), a free, fast and easy way to respond to important national wildlife refuge alerts. Using the RAN system, you can send an e-mail or fax (even if you don't own a fax machine) to your elected officials with a click or two of your mouse.
Please
visit the NWRA Web site or contact Michael Woodbridge,
Director of Government Affairs, at 202.333.9073 or mwoodbridge@refugenet.org
for more information.
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Capitol
Flyer, a monthly e-newsletter from the NWRA, is prepared by Michael
Woodbridge, NWRA's Director of Government Affairs.
For additional information, please contact mwoodbridge@refugenet.org. |
