Copyright 1999 P.G. Publishing Co.
Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
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July 11, 1999, Sunday, TWO STAR EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS, Pg. D-16, OUTDOORS
LENGTH: 1394 words
HEADLINE:
WINDFALL PROFIT;
HOUSE BILL 701 WOULD PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED LONG-TERM FUNDING
FOR FISH AND;
WILDLIFE AGENCIES
BYLINE: MIKE SAJNA
BODY:
House Bill 701, designed to provide
stable, long-term funding for the wildlife conservation project
Teaming With Wildlife, is expected to be voted on by the U.S. House of
Representatives Resources Committee and Appropriations Committee by mid-August.
If passed by the full House in September or October, and then joined
with a similar Senate bill and signed into law by President Clinton, the
Conservation and Reinvestment Act would provide about $ 350
million annually to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Pennsylvania's
natural resource agencies could receive $ 30 million annually from the fund, of
which more than $ 14 million would be dedicated for fish and wildlife
conservation, environmental education and outdoor recreation.
Funding for the program would come from redirected offshore oil and gas
exploration revenues paid to the federal government.
According to Lisa
Williams, non-game program specialists for Pennsylvania, the
Conservation and Reinvestment Act enjoys bipartisan support,
with almost 100 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. To date, five Pennsylvania
Congressmen have jumped on the band wagon, only one of whom, however, Rep. Phil
English, R-Erie, is from Western Pennsylvania.
Williams would like to
see all Pennsylvanians who support wildlife to contact their Congressman or
Congresswoman and urge them to review House Bill 701. "Let them know that there
are critical fish and wildlife conservation needs in
Pennsylvania that will not be met without stable, long-term funding," she said.
"Ask them to consider co-sponsoring House Bill 701 or at least support it with
their vote when it comes to the floor.
"This is the best shot we have at
solving the critical fish and wildlife funding crisis in Pennsylvania," Williams
added. "The 10 minutes you take to contact your representatives may be the most
important 10 minutes you can contribute to fish and wildlife
conservation this decade. This legislation has a real shot at
success if we can rally our legislators."
House Bill 701 has the support
of both the Fish and Boat Commission and the Game Commission. Officials from
those agencies which point out that Pennsylvania has many critical
conservation needs that require funding, particularly among
species that are not fished or hunted.
For instance, more than 500
species, comprising 85 percent of Pennsylvania's fish and wildlife, currently
have no secure funding for their conservation. As a result, the
number of forest and grass land songbirds is decreasing in most parts of the
state, amphibians and baitfish are disappearing from waters where they
previously occurred, and the diversity of butterflies is declining.
Since the Fish and Boat Commission and the Game Commission obtain most
of their revenues from the sale of licenses to sportsmen, the bulk of their
funds are spent on programs mainly benefiting game species. They have very
little funds available to monitor non-game species. Consequently, almost nothing
is known about the status of most fish and wildlife species in the state.
"These funds will help us prevent species from becoming threatened or
endangered by protecting important habitats and monitoring populations to
identify species at risk before it is too late," noted Fish and Boat Commission
Executive Director Peter Colangelo. "In addition, these funds will enable us to
provide innovative fish and wildlife-based recreational and education programs
for children and adults. Pennsylvanians consistently express strong support for
these goals, but funding to support such efforts has always been extremely
limited."
Dedicated funding sources to conserve fish and wildlife have
been highly successful in the past. Many sport fish and game populations,
including the wild turkey, the white-tailed deer and trout have come back from
near extinction in the state due in large part to dedicated funds provided by
hunters and anglers through license sales and user fees.
At the same
time demands for wildlife-based recreational opportunities on public lands and
wildlife-related education programs are skyrocketing, however, there is little
money available to support non-game species. Even though Pennsylvania boasts
more outdoor recreation days per resident per year than any other state,
facilities such as wildlife observation areas, educational trails and nature
trails are not as widely available as in many other states.
Investing in
outdoor recreation and education also would have a significantly positive impact
on Pennsylvania's economy. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that
outdoor recreation contributes over $ 4 billion annually to the state's economy.
Of that total, non-consumptive wildlife recreation, such as viewing, feeding and
photographing wildlife, contributes more than $ 1.2 billion and supports more
than 24,000 jobs.
To help insure passage of House Bill 701 all
Pennsylvanians with an interest in wildlife, outdoor recreation and
environmental education need to contact their Congressman or Congresswoman to
urge them to support the bill.
Because they are members of the House
Appropriations Committee, the support of Western Pennsylvania's John Murtha,
D-Johnstown, and John Peterson, R-Titusville, is particularly important,
according to Williams. Peterson also is a member of the House Resources
Committee.
"We expect a little bit of resistance from the Appropriations
Committee," Williams said, "because they are in charge of annually appropriating
the budget and this legislation would take money off budget. So, it takes a
little bit of power away from the committee."
Williams said she has not
heard anything from Rep. Murtha as far as where he stands on House Bill 701.
Peterson, however, has voiced some concerns about property rights and how they
might be affected by the legislation.
"The big thing that we would like
right now are additional co-sponsors," she added. "Once the bill is reported out
of committee in mid-August, we can't get any more of those. So, this is the time
for people to contact their representatives."
Rep. Murtha can be reached
by writing him to the attention of Carmen Scialabba, 2423 Rayburn House Office
Building, Washington, DC 20515. His telephone number is 202-225-2065; fax,
202-225-5709; and e-mail, murtha@@mail.house.gov.
Rep. Peterson can be
reached by writing him to the attention of Troy Tidwell, 307 Canon House Office
Building, Washington, DC 20515. His telephone number is 202-225-5121; fax,
202-225-5796; and e-mail, john.peterson@@mail.house.gov.
As a member of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, the support of Senator Arlen Specter also
is important for Senate legislation involving Teaming With Wildlife. "He has
said that he has no problem with the legislation," Williams noted, "but he is
not in the habit of co-sponsoring legislation."
Sen. Specter can be
reached by writing him to the attention of Pam Muha, 711 Senate Hart Building,
Washington, DC 20510. His telephone number is 202-224-4254; fax, 202-228-1229;
and e-mail, senator_specter@@specter.senate.gov.<
FUNNELING FUNDS
With money generated by the Conservation and Reinvestment
Act Pennsylvania could:
Protect migratory songbirds by
developing partnerships with landowners along migration routes in order to
provide adequate food and cover during the migration season.
Provide
plant stock and/or planting instructions for landowners who wish to establish
native grasses, shrubs and trees in riparian areas to create wildlife habitat
Promote the recovery of grassland songbirds, mammals and insects by
providing cost-share incentives or discounted seed for farmers who plant fields
with warm-season grasses. Hunters should note that more warm-season grasses also
could mean more pheasants.
Initiate reptile and amphibian
conservation projects and explore management options for
important breeding areas, such as vernal pools, and mortality sources, such as
road crossings.
Develop a grant program to support local,
community-based conservation, recreation and education
projects.
Recover and stabilize declining fish and wildlife species
through habitat improvement and the implementation of species recovery plans.
Coordinate and cooperate with state and private foresters to develop and
encourage forestry practices that enhance wildlife habitat on public and private
lands.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO, PHOTO: Vaughn
Gurganian/Associated Press: Dedicating funds to; conserve fish and wildlife,
like the doe and her babies, has been highly; successful. House Bill 701 will
help non-game species.
LOAD-DATE: August 14, 1999
