This testimony was based on cooperation between an
amazing number(38!) of conservation organizations.
While
Sierrans may not agree with all of the
recommendations,
the coalition is an excellent example of the kind of
brigde-building Carl Pope called for in a
post-election editorial. The point is that
enviornmental groups need to be talking more with
hunters and anglers in order to strenthen our
political base. The Leopold Group now reforming in
Fairfield hopes to start such a dialogue--
a sort of hunter-gatherer coalition if you will. Any
other Iowa groups with experience in this regard are
asked to reply.
Thanks, Jim Fleming
--- Ericka <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Farm Bill News ([log in to unmask]) Posted:
> 06/11/2001
> ==============================================
>
> TESTIMONY OF JEFF NELSON
> DUCKS UNLIMITED, Inc.
>
> REPRESENTING THE VIEWS OF THE
>
> American Fisheries Society
> Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization
> Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society
> Boone and Crockett Club
> Buckmasters American Deer Foundation
> California Waterfowl Association
> Campfire Club of America
> Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation
> Conservation Force
> Dallas Safari Club
> Delta Waterfowl Foundation
> Ducks Unlimited
> Foundation for North American Wild Sheep
> International Association of Fish and Wildlife
> Agencies
> Izaak Walton League of America
> Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation
> The Mule Deer Foundation
> National Rifle Association
> National Shooting Sports Foundation
> National Trappers Association
> National Wild Turkey Federation
> The Nature Conservancy
> North American Waterfowl Federation
> Orion - The Hunter's Institute
> Pheasants Forever
> Pope and Young Club
> Quail Unlimited
> Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
> Safari Club International
> Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute
> The Ruffed Grouse Society
> Trout Unlimited
> Whitetails Unlimited
> Wildlife Forever
> Wildlife Habitat Council
> The Wildlife Society
> Wildlife Legislative Fund of America
> Wildlife Management Institute
>
>
> BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
> SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION, CREDIT, RURAL
> DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH
> U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
>
> CONCERNING:
> THE CONSERVATION TITLE OF THE 2002 FARM BILL
>
> June 6, 2001
> WASHINGTON, DC
> Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, my name is
> Jeff Nelson. I am the
> Director of Operations for Ducks Unlimited, Inc.'s
> (DU) Great Plains
> Regional Office in Bismarck, North Dakota. I am a
> professional biologist
> with training in wetland and waterfowl ecology. I
> have worked for DU since
> 1982 in both Canada and the U.S., initially as a
> research biologist and
> eventually as Chief Biologist for our U.S.
> organization. I currently lead
> a regional staff of about 70 professionals working
> in eight north-central
> states including Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North
> and South Dakota,
> Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota.
>
> Ducks Unlimited was founded in 1937 by concerned and
> farsighted sportsmen
> and conservationists. It has grown from a handful
> of people to an
> organization of over 1,000,000 supporters who now
> make up the largest
> wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization in
> the world. DU has
> conserved more than 9.9 million acres of wildlife
> habitat in the U.S.,
> Canada, and Mexico. DU prides itself on its work
> with private landowners
> and our ability to assist and advise farmers,
> ranchers, and foresters on
> how they can meet their economic goals with their
> lands while providing
> high quality habitat for the wildlife that depend on
> their land for
> survival.
>
> I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today
> on behalf of Ducks
> Unlimited, but to also present the views of a broad
> coalition of
> conservation organizations regarding provisions of
> U.S. agriculture policy.
> This coalition consists of 37 groups with a
> combined membership of nearly
> 10 million. These organizations represent a diverse
> spectrum of interests
> that have come together in support of continuing a
> strong conservation
> tradition in U.S. agriculture policy. Some of the
> groups I represent today
> include The Nature Conservancy, The Congressional
> Sportsmen's Foundation,
> Pheasants Forever, The National Rifle Association,
> and The Wildlife
> Management Institute. The International Association
> of Fish and Wildlife
> Agencies, which represents all 50 state agencies
> responsible for management
> of fish and wildlife resources in this country,
> supports the testimony of
> the coalition and will be providing their own
> perspective on agriculture
> conservation programs in separate testimony.
> Collectively, our members and
> supporters represent a sizable cross-section of our
> nation's citizenry.
> You will find a list of these supporting
> organizations on the title page of
> this testimony.
>
> AGRICULTURE IS THE KEY TO THE STATE OF OUR NATURAL
> RESOURCES
> The future of wildlife in this country is
> inseparably tied to actions
> undertaken on private lands. Agriculture is by far
> the dominant use on
> these lands with about 50% of the United States or
> 900 million acres
> managed as cropland, pastureland, or rangeland.
> Federal agricultural
> programs and policies have an enormous influence on
> the condition of the
> nation's air, soil, water, plant, wildlife, and
> other natural resources.
> In recognition of this fact, the U.S. Congress
> incorporated strong
> conservation titles in the 1985 Farm Bill and has
> continued this approach
> in each of the two successive Farm Bills.
>
> Over the past two decades, conservation programs
> have played an integral
> role in the economic vitality and general well being
> of this nation's
> farmers, ranchers, and foresters. In addition, they
> have improved
> conservation on private lands by enhancing and
> protecting wildlife and
> their habitat. The increased role and importance of
> conservation in
> agriculture and its role in private lands
> stewardship has given way to
> dialogue that while contentious at times, has led to
> consensus and
> partnerships among government and private interests
> including commodity
> groups, individual producers, livestock
> organizations, and the conservation
> community. Voluntary, incentive-based conservation
> provisions included in
> national agriculture policy have provided the
> framework for "win-win"
> solutions on the farm and across the rural and urban
> landscape. Our
> organizations are united in their belief that this
> Congress will strongly
> support continued commitment of our federal
> resources to Farm Bill
> conservation provisions.
>
> I would like to provide you with our areas of focus
> followed by brief
> descriptions of the specific Farm Bill conservation
> programs and why our
> coalition considers them absolutely critical to the
> conservation of our
> nation's natural resources.
>
> · Expand enrollment of the Wetlands Reserve Program
> to accommodate
> enrollment of 250,000 acres per year through the
> duration of the Farm Bill.
> · Expand the enrollment caps of the Conservation
> Reserve Program to its
> original 1985 level of 45 million acres.
> · Expand the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program to
> authorize the
> expenditures of $100 million annually.
> · Establish a Grasslands Reserve Program to
> authorize
=== message truncated ===
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