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CAPITOL FLYER
Saturday, July 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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Appropriations Update
On June 29, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup on fiscal year (FY) 2007 funding for the Department of the Interior, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) National Wildlife Refuge System. The overall bill provides a little more than $100,000 over the House-passed Interior bill, while funding for “Refuges and Wildlife” (which includes the Refuge System, migratory birds and other programs) was $8.7 million more than the president’s budget request.
At press time, preliminary information shows the operations and maintenance account for the Refuge System was approved at $391,232,000. This funding level is approximately $9.5 million more than the Administration’s FY2007 request, and $2.5 million more than the House-passed level. However, the FY2007 funding level is approximately $2.7 million less than what the Senate approved last year.
The $391,232,000 for Refuge System operations and maintenance is broken down by the Committee as: $154,725,000 for wildlife and habitat management; $64,098,000 for visitor services; $26,509,000 for law enforcement; $10,446,000 for conservation planning; and $135,454,000 for maintenance.
Some specific allocations for national wildlife refuges (NWR) are as follows:
- $150,000 for invasive weed control at Lee Metcalf NWR;
- $1.2 million for Spartina control at Willapa NWR;
- $2.2 million for high priority projects identified in the Refuge Operational Needs System (RONS);
- $125,000 for the partnership with The Nature Conservancy at Palmyra Atoll NWR; and
- $2.167 million for hunting shack removal at the Canaan Valley NWR.
Also of interest, the committee report recommends $45,658,000 for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, an increase of a little over $1 million. $67,492,000 is recommended for State and Tribal Wildlife grants (to implement State Wildlife Action Plans), which is equal to the FY2006 enacted level, $7,174,000 below the administration’s request, and $17.5 million above the House recommendation. Environmental contaminants programs are funded at $11,203,000, a slight increase of $126,000. The Committee recommends a decrease of $448,000 for existing joint ventures and $528,000 for new joint ventures below the administration’s request.
The Committee recommended $28,824,000 for construction, a decrease of $16,392,000 below the FY2006 enacted level, but an increase of $9,102,000 above the president’s budget request. Specific construction projects include:
- Baca NWR, CO (Irrigation and Signage) - $324,000
- Cache River NWR, AR (Visitor Center) - $150,000
- Clark’s River NWR, KY (Environmental Education Shelters) - $200,000
- Don Edwards SF Bay NWR, CA (Levee work) - $1 million
- Hakalau NWR, HI (Bird Propagation Facility) - $950,000
- Kanuti NWR, AK (Bunkhouse Replacement) - $160,000
- Klamath Basin NWR, CA (Water Mgmt) - $1.235 million
- National Elk Refuge, WY (Dam Rehabilitation) - $545,000
- Ohio River Islands NWR, WV (Erosion Control) - $1.2 million
- Patuxent Research Refuge, MD (Water/Sewer Infrastructure) - $1.9 million
- Wichita Mountains NWR, OK (Dam Rehabilitation) - $375,000
The Committee recommends $42,264,000 for land acquisition, an increase of $14,274,000 over FY2006, an increase of $15,185,000 above the administration’s request, and $22,513,000 over the House recommendation. The following land acquisition earmarks were recommended by the Committee:
- Arapaho NWR, CO - $1 million
- Blackwater NWR, MD - $400,000
- Cache River NWR, AR - $495,000
- Canaan Valley NWR, WV - $2.5 million
- Clark’s River NWR, KY - $250,000
- Dakota Tallgrass Prairie NWR, ND/SD - $250,000
- Driftless Area NWR, IA - $250,000
- Eastern Shore NWR, VA - $2.277 million
- James Campbell NWR, HI - $8 million
- Lake Umbagog NWR, NH - $1 million
- Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, TX - $150,000
- Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, MN/IA - $495,000
- Rhode Island NWR Complex, RI - $1 million
- Rocky Mountain Front, MT - $2.5 million
- Silvio O. Conte NWR, CT/MA/NH/VT - $4 million
- St. Marks NWR, FL - $1.7 million
- Upper Klamath Lake NWR, OR - $2.475 million
- Yukon Flats NWR, AK (Doyon Land Exchange EIS) - $500,000
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NWRA-Endorsed Bills Advance
The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) works to actively engage Congress and the Administration on refuge-related issues. As reported in the June issue of Capitol Flyer, the NWRA testified earlier this year at two hearings before the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans in support of legislation for existing refuge expansion and new refuge establishment. We are pleased to report that these bills have advanced.
On December 6, 2005, NWRA President Evan Hirsche testified in support of expanding the James Campbell NWR in Hawaii. On May 25, 2006, President Bush signed the James Campbell expansion bill into law. For the James Campbell NWR, this means the successful conclusion of more than 15 years of devoted advocacy for the acquisition of over 1,000 acres of prime wetland, sand dune and oceanfront property. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) has pushed for acquisition dollars in the Senate budget, which is expected to provide the James Campbell NWR with the funding they need to begin acquisition.
On May 10, 2006, NWRA Director of Government Affairs Michael Woodbridge testified in support of three refuge bills, one of which authorized a study to establish the Cherry Valley NWR in Pennsylvania. Recently this bill won approval from the House Resources Committee. The bill must now move to the House floor and will eventually need to be approved by the Senate before the yearlong study can become a reality. The proposed refuge, spanning roughly 30,000 acres, sits along an important flyway for birds of prey on the East Coast and encompasses rare limestone fen wetlands.
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New Acting Chief for Refuges
Bill Hartwig, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System, retired June 3 after many years of government service. Hartwig began his career in natural resources at the Department of the Interior, where he worked with the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as additional land acquisition on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. Hartwig took his first job with the Fish and Wildlife Service as the Chief of Realty.
Currently, Geoff Haskett has filled the position of acting director for 90 days. Geoff comes to Washington, DC, from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Region 2 office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he served as Deputy Director. The NWRA wishes Bill good luck and we extend our appreciation for his advocacy on behalf of the Refuge System. We welcome Geoff to his new position and look forward to working with him on refuge issues.
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Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus Announced
Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ) with vice-co-chairs Michael Castle (R-DE) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) have announced the formation of a Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus aimed at building support within the House and Senate for refuges. An official event to launch the Caucus is planned for September and the NWRA, along with members of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), is currently working to recruit additional members. The Caucus seeks to raise awareness of refuges and secure adequate funding for the Refuge System by creating a voice for refuges in Congress, among other things.
Our goal is to have a large number of Congressional members join the Caucus and your help is needed to make that goal a reality. Please visit the Refuge Action Network (RAN) for more information and a sample letter. Or, you can simply pick up the phone and call your Representative’s Washington, DC, office and ask them to join the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus.
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Sea-Level Rise Affects Coastal Refuges
Out of concern that rising sea levels as a result of global warming threaten coastal refuges, Rep. Donna Christensen (D-VI) introduced a resolution in May to the House Committee on Resources calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to incorporate consideration of global warming and sea-level rise into coastal refuge conservation plans. The resolution asks that coastal refuges include in their conservation plans information about how global warming and sea-level rise will affect the refuge’s ecological integrity; migration patterns and abundance of fish, wildlife and plants; archaeological and cultural values; administration and visitor facilities; and wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities. The resolution also asked for an overall assessment of the potential impact of global warming and sea-level rise on coastal refuges.
The resolution notes that the sea-level rise as a result of global warming threatens to submerge or degrade 22 percent of the world’s coastal wetlands by 2080, adding that the Fish and Wildlife Service oversees 1,100,000 acres of wetlands on 159 coastal refuges.
According to the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997—organic legislation for the Refuge System—all refuges must complete a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) that sets management priorities and policies each 15 years.
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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. |
