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CAPITOL FLYER
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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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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Congress fails to pass an Interior bill before end of Fiscal Year
Fiscal year 2007 ended on September 30th and unfortunately, Congress was unable to pass many funding bills, including an Interior bill. To ensure continued funding for government programs, including the National Wildlife Refuge System, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution or, "CR." The CR will fund the federal government through November 16th at FY07 levels, staving off a government shutdown. The FY07 level for the National Wildlife Refuge System's Operations and Maintenance account is $395 million.
Hill insiders report many appropriations bills, including the Interior bill, may be rolled into a massive spending bill called an Omnibus. As you may recall from previous issues of the Capitol Flyer, the House-passed Interior bill would fund the Refuge System at $451 million for FY08, a much needed $56 million increase over FY07. This is the amount requested by the NWRA and our partners in the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) and would take the Refuge System back to FY04 funding levels, adjusted for inflation. The Senate's version, passed out of the full Appropriations Committee and awaiting a floor vote, included a $19 million increase, for a total of $414 million. NWRA will work with our partners in CARE to ensure the funding levels for FY08 are as close to the House passed bill as possible.
To help, send an instant message to your U.S. Senators by visiting the NWRA homepage and clicking on the Action Alert.
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Wild Horses - Beauty Can Be Destructive - Sheldon NWR, Nevada
The Sheldon NWR in Northwestern Nevada is currently accepting comments on a draft Environmental Assessment regarding non-native wild horses and burros on the refuge. Refuges must be managed in specific ways as outlined in the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act. The Improvement Act, currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary, outlined that one of those guidelines is to protect the biological diversity and integrity of refuges.
While horses are iconic with the American West, they are not native to North America. Spaniards brought horses with them to the New World and they became an integral part of life for many Native American tribes and the American cowboy. At the turn of the century when entities such as the U.S. Cavalry no longer needed a breeding program to replenish their mounts, many horses were turned loose in what is now the Sheldon NWR. They turned feral and as their numbers have increased the destruction to habitat and impacts on native species, such as pronghorn antelope, for which the refuge was established in 1931, have reached a tipping point.
NWRA supports the humane removal of wild horses and burros from the Sheldon NWR in order to protect native species and allow them to flourish. In this desert environment, where water is scarce, horses literally chase native animals away from watering holes. Further, the wild horses trample and remove vegetation in the upland areas where the habitat is important for native bighorn sheep, sage-grouse, waterfowl, mule deer, and songbirds. If you would like to submit your own comments, visit our Take Action page.
(Horses that are removed from the refuge are put up for adoption.)
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Conservation Tax Incentive Bill passes Senate Finance Committee
National wildlife refuges protect biologically diverse habitats but their health and stability are dependent on the quality of the lands and waters surrounding them. To ensure refuges are not "islands of conservation," NWRA's Beyond the Boundaries initiative seeks to protect critical refuge buffers and corridors.
NWRA strongly encourages working with local landowners to assist in the creation and implementation of refuge Beyond the Boundaries strategies. One of the most important ways to protect these lands is through the use of a conservation easement, which can protect private lands from development. A new tax incentive was passed in 2006 that gave landowners a significant tax benefit for making a charitable donation of a conservation easement. However, this incentive is set to expire in 2008.
In an effort to make the tax incentive permanent, Congress has introduced legislation in both the House and Senate that would make it easier for landowners to conserve their land and thereby create larger conservation landscapes for wildlife. On September 21st, the Senate Finance Committee passed the "Habitat and Land Conservation Act of 2007" which included the permanent extension of the tax incentive. Action will now move to a floor vote in the Senate or possibly its addition to another bill. Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), a Co-Chair of the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus, introduced the House version, H.R. 1576, which currently has over 100 co-sponsors.
NWRA supports this effort and will work with our conservation partners to ensure this meaningful legislation is passed.
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Border Fence: Update & Comment Period affecting Lower Rio Grande NWR, Texas
On September 7, 2007, NWRA joined conservation partners in urging members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Committee to adopt language from each bill aimed at helping wildlife along the border that would be significantly impacted by a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. As reported in the June and July 2007 issues of the Capitol Flyer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must build 700 miles of physical fencing, as part of the "Secure Fence Act," along the U.S./Mexico border by the end of 2008. This fence could affect six refuges on the borders of Texas, Arizona and California and harm numerous species that rely on habitat and corridors that will be degraded or lost.
Specifically, the bills require Homeland Security officials to consult and coordinate with federal land managers, such as FWS, and local communities before building walls or other infrastructure. The bills allow DHS and Border Patrol officials the ability to choose the most appropriate form of security at specific locations. In many cases, virtual fencing, comprised of cameras, motion detectors and vehicle barriers, may be the most viable option giving Border Patrol agents more time to react while also having a smaller impact on delicate ecosystems. The bills further require border officials to minimize the impacts of border operations on wildlife, natural resources and communities wherever possible. NWRA believes our nation can have both a secure border while also protecting our valuable natural resources. NWRA and its conservation partners will work to ensure these provisions are included in a final Homeland Security Appropriations bill that could be finalized in the next few weeks.
Comment Period - South Texas
On September 24th, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security and decision-making agency for the Border Patrol, announced they would prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the proposed wall along the South Texas border with Mexico. The EIS will look at alternatives and address the impacts of 70 miles of border infrastructure, which could include walls, roads, vehicle barriers and remote sensors and cameras. This will put the Border Patrol in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will allow the public a chance to comment.
The first opportunity to comment on the proposal, a scoping period when alternatives will be addressed and included in the Draft EIS, ends October 15th. The Draft EIS will then be released for comments prior to the issuance of a Final EIS, which will also include a comment period. For more information, visit the public notice at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2007_register&position=all&page=54276
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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. Just visit refugenet.e-actionmax.com to get started.
Please
visit the NWRA Web site, at www.refugenet.org, and click on "Take Action"
for more information.
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Capitol
Flyer, a monthly e-newsletter from the NWRA, is prepared by Desiree Sorenson-Groves, NWRA's Vice-President of Government Affairs. For additional information, please contact dgroves@refugenet.org. |
