We need to tell our legislators to hold off on the Young/Murkowski Bill
and co sponsor the Miller/Boxer teaming with wildlife bill, a more
comprehensive bill, supported throughout the conservation community.

       American Oceans Campaign   Defenders of Wildlife
     Friends of the Earth   Izaak Walton League of America
    National Audubon Society   National Environmental Trust
  National Parks & Conservation Association   National Wildlife
Federation Natural Resources Defense Council   Physicians for
Social Responsibility   Scenic America   Sierra Club   Trust
        for Public Land  U.S. Public Interest Research Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               CONTACT: Joan Moody
Tuesday, February 23, 1999                     (202) 682-9400

          CITIZEN GROUPS CALL LAND & WATER PROTECTION
                   A TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY

Washington, D.C. - A broad range of citizen organizations  expressed
support for the principles of the Permanent Protection for America's
Resources 2000 initiative to be introduced today by Rep. George Miller
(D-CA) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

The initiative provides guaranteed annual funding from the Land & Water
Conservation Fund -- at the level envisioned when the fund
was authorized several decades ago -- and other long-sought measures to
protect America's public lands, wildlife, and historical resources.

"Implementation of Permanent Protection for America's Resources  2000
would be a dream come true for conservationists," said Defenders
ofWildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen, speaking at the Capitol Hill
press conference today.  Selected comments submitted by
environmental leaders follow.

 "This far-sighted legislation is Defenders of Wildlife's top
legislative priority because it provides long-needed permanent
protection for the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as funding
for endangered species recovery, restoration of public
lands, ocean fish and wildlife, and native wildlife and plant programs."
-- Rodger Schlickeisen, President, Defenders of Wildlife

"Millions of acres within our national parks are still privately owned
and not protected because the federal government has failed
to acquire the lands America wants preserved. Resources 2000 will
provide the funding, not only this year, but in years to come, to
secure these treasured places for the ages." -- Tom Kiernan, President,
National Parks & Conservation Association

"Citizens in communities all across the country voted last fall for over
a hundred ballot and bond initiatives to protect America's
special places.  Now it's time for our lawmakers to catch up with the
American people.  The Congress should act quickly to pass this
popular bill." -- Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club

"Sen. Boxer and Rep. Miller have outlined an inspired vision for
protecting and restoring the irreplaceable elements of our heritage
for the future. This bill shows that we can find ways to protect all our
resources, including the ocean and its creatures, without the
danger of incentives for unnecessary offshore oil drilling.  We applaud
their effort and look forward to working with them to ensure
the vitality of our ocean and coastal resources for our children. " --
David Younkman, Executive Director, American Oceans
Campaign

"Resources 2000 is a bold, comprehensive approach to  conservation.  The
legislation directs money where it is desperately needed: to
purchase land for bird and wildlife habitat, to help endangered species
recover, and to fight sprawl.  Congressman Miller and
Senator Boxer are to be commended for charting the course of
conservation  for the next century.  By providing permanent protection,
our children will be able to enjoy the splendors of our land and
wildlife." -- Dan Beard,  Vice President for Public Policy, National
Audubon Society

"Working to protect special landscapes in our national parks, forests,
and refuges, and in communities across the country, we
have witnessed firsthand the pressing need for reliable federal
conservation funding -- and the losses that occur without that
federal support.  The Trust for Public Land is gratified by the
well-woven fabric of resource-protecting programs contained in this
bill, and we look forward to enactment of these vital provisions." --
Will Rogers. President. Trust for Public Land

"The National Wildlife Federation's top priority for this Congress is
passage of significant long-term funding for wildlife and wild
places for both federal and state programs.  This proposal helps set the
parameters to achieve a bipartisan victory for conservation
funding this year." -- Mark Van Putten, President & CEO, National
Wildlife Federation

"Now that we have successfully moved past the Cold War and large budget
deficits, it is essential that we Americans invest in the
stewardship of our natural resources and the sustainability of our
environment for the benefit of our children and their children.
Permanent Protection for America's Resources 2000 is a bold initiative
to protect our precious natural and cultural heritage and
the quality of life for all Americans.  As we approach the millennium we
must pass this program as our generation's legacy for
the future." -- John Adams, President, Natural Resources Defense Council

Resources 2000 provides long-overdue funding for bipartisan conservation
initiatives which will help Americans protect natural
beauty, the character of their communities, and their heritage as we
move into the new millennium." --Meg Maguire, Executive
Director/President, Scenic America

"A healthy ecosystem is the bedrock of a healthy society.  The
Miller/Boxer bills will help to preserve the biodiversity we need for
the
development of new medicines and vaccines, and safeguard the parks and
recreation areas so vital to human health and well-being. PSR is pleased
to add its voice to the chorus of support for this important
legislation." -- Robert K. Musil, Ph.D., Executive Director, Physicians
for Social Responsibility

"We applaud Rep. Miller and Sen. Boxer for their effort to reinvigorate
chronically under funded land acquisition programs and
provide much-needed funds to protect urban areas and open spaces and
conserve fish and wildlife. Resources 2000 will provide a substantial
down payment in the effort to preserve and protect our natural heritage
while protecting our coastal areas from increased offshore drilling." --
Gene Karpinski, Executive Director, U.S. PIRG

"America's Resources 2000 would significantly help our lands, oceans,
and creatures in the next millennium.  Rep. Miller and Sen.
Boxer have listened to the demand of the American people and are pushing
for critical, much-needed funding for the environment." --
Brent Blackwelder, President, Friends of the Earth

"It is vital that Congress adequately fund the programs that care for
the public's lands, whether in parks, national forests, wildlife
preserves, or historic sites. Without adequate funding, federal
stewardship of the public's lands will fall further and further
behind, and America's natural heritage will be lost to future
generations.  Congress ought to lay down the law: federal lands must
be kept safe, even added to, instead of treated as a national yard sale
for wealthy corporations to raid for cheap resources. The
Permanent Protection for America's Resources 2000 bill sends that
message loud and clear."  -- Philip E. Clapp, President, National
Environmental Trust

"We welcome Rep. George Miller's proposal that joins with the
Administration's initiative and the previously introduced Senate and
House bills, calling for full funding for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund and much-needed support for fish and wildlife to
state agencies. We are especially encouraged by the expressed commitment
of all parties to work cooperatively on these proposals
with all those who have a stake in the nation's natural resources to
craft a landmark conservation bill in this Congress." -- Paul Hansen,
Executive Director, Izaak Walton League of America


                             # # #