[Smithsonian Institution Appropriations Hearings]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1984 HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-EIGHTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES SIDNEY R. YATES, Illinois, Chairman JOHN P. MURTHA, Pennsylvania JOSEPH M. McDADE, Pennsylvania NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington RALPH REGULA, Ohio WILLIAM R. RATCHFORD, Connecticut TOM LOEFFLER, Texas EDWARD P. BOLAND, Massachusetts LES AuCOIN, Oregon Frederick G. Mohrman, D. Neal Sigmon, and Kathleen R. Johnson, Staff Assistants PART 5 TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC WITNESSES Page Tt ti° (Deer 1 "^fiftflifl" Tfjtilt" n Confro ) PriRf^rTV Natural Resource Programs Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1983 Thursday, November 4, 1982. DEER CONTROL PROGRAM WITNESSES PHILLIP S. HUGHES, UNDER SECRETARY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION DAVID CHALLINOR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE THEODORE H. REED, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK CHRISTEN WEMMER, CURATOR IN CHARGE, CONSERVATION AND RE- SEARCH CENTER, NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK Mr. Yates. Mr. Reporter, show the hearing as coming to order. Mr. Hughes, would you introduce yourself and your coterie for the record? Mr. Hughes. I will, indeed. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair- man. I am Phillip S. Hughes, the Under Secretary of the Smithsonian. On my left is, as you know, Ted Reed, the Director of the Zoo. On my immediate right is Dr. Chris Wemmer, who will be further in- troduced by Mr. Challinor, who is on the far right, and whom you also know well. Mr. Chairman, we do welcome this chance to set forth the histo- ry and the facts with regard to this situation, and to set forth the reasoning that has underlain our position with respect to it. We have taken this matter rather seriously, very seriously, from the beginning, because we want first of all to fulfill our statutory re- sponsibilities with respect to the care of the valuable and exotic animals and birds which are in our charge, while at the same time we do want to give all possible consideration to the rather strongly divergent views of a wide range of interested parties and other concerns. The State of Virginia is obviously involved. There are other Fed- eral agencies. We want to be mindful of the white-tailed deer them- selves and of the concerns about them. The residents of the area are frequently overlooked as we in Washington consider these mat- ters. And of course we are mindful of the interest and the concerns of our friends and sometimes supporters, some but not all of whom differ with us in our reasoning on this particular matter. But we do welcome the chance to set forth our position. Dr. Chal- linor will introduce Dr. Wemmer. Mr. Yates. Okay. (l) Mr. Challinor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to introduce today Dr. Christen Wemmer, curator in charge of the Smith- sonian's research center at Front Royal. He received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Maryland, and has specialized in animal behavior, ecology, and physiology. He was originally em- ployed by the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago as curator of small mammals and carnivores, and after he left Brookfield in 1974 he came to Front Royal as head curator. There he has administered the center's research program and continued his own personal research, comparative reproductive physiology of hoofed animals. He has written more than 40 articles and co-edited a major book entitled "The Biology and Captive Management of Pere David's Deer." Dr. Wemmer also has worked extensively overseas on other groups of deer, and has supervised a number of graduate theses in this area. In recognition of his contributions to this field, he has recently been nominated as a member of the prestigious deer spe- cialist group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. And now I would like to present Dr. Wemmer. Mr. Yates. Okay. Dr. Wemmer, we are very glad to have you as the principal witness for the Smithsonian. Your statement and bio- graphical sketch may be made a part of the record. [The prepared statement of Christen Wemmer follows:] STATEMENT BY DR. CHRISTEN M. WEMMER CURATOR IN CHARGE CONSERVATION 5 RESEARCH CENTER NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate very much this opportunity to appear before you and the Subcommittee today and to describe policies and programs for the management of wild white-tailed deer at the Conservation and Research Center, a rural extension of the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park. < The Center occupies 3,150 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge two miles south of Front Royal, Virginia. The property was originally established in 1907 as part of the horse and mule remount depot for the United States Cavalry, and subsequently became the Beef Cattle Research Station of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. It was initially occupied by the Smithsonian in 1974, and transferred to the Institution in 1975 under Federal excess property procedures. The land ranges from 800 feet to 2,000 feet in elevation, and lies 80 miles west of Washington, D. C. Slightly more than half of the Center's acreage embraces steep or inaccessible second growth woodland inhabited by a variety of small game and white-tailed deer. Its pastures lie on relatively thin and often sloping granitic soils that were cultivated by homesteaders in the latter part of the 18th century. The mission of the Center is the conservation, propagation, and study of selected species of birds and mammals, particularly those which are rare, endangered, or threatened. About 500 acres of the land consist of enclosures, barns, and buildings that house 350 mammals and 370 birds. Twenty species of mammals include brow-antlered deer, sable antelope, European bison, lesser pandas, and Golden Lion Tamarins. There are also twenty species of birds which include Darwin's rheas, cranes, small Bali mynahs, giant coots, and argus pheasants. The Center's stock is valued at $1 million. Breeding and research animals at the Center are owned by the National Zoological Park or by other zoos that conduct co-operative breeding programs and related projects there. The Center has become one of the leading breeding centers for exotic animals in the world and is internationally recognized for its zoological research and captive management programs. In addition, it has served as a training center for both U.S. and foreign biologists interested in the management of wild and captive animals and has been host to several international conferences. The most recent of these was in August of this year and its subject was the biology and management of the entire deer genus. The Center's staff consists of 34 permanent and 26 temporary personnel. The budget for the Center totaled $1.7 million in FY 1982. The Center's property is divided by U.S. Route 522. Approximately 2,100 acres of the Center lie between that highway and Virginia route 55. Another 1,000 acres are located south of 522, and are bordered by Virginia route 604 on the west. Bordering other parts of the property are two fruit growers and numerous private landowners living in four growing subdivisions, the Warren County School Board, the U. S. Customs Service Dog Training Center, a 4-H Center, and Shenandoah National Park, as well as the Appalachian Trail which runs along the south boundary for 2 1/2 miles. White-tailed deer are a widespread indigenous species in the Commonwealth of Virginia and were resident on the property when the Smithsonian Institution occupied the land eight years ago. These deer and other game had been hunted by employees of the previous occupying organizations and by other citizens of the area. However, in order to fulfill the mission of the Center and to protect the rare and valuable species entrusted to our care, a decision was made in 1975 to prohibit further hunting on the land. In addition, a perimeter fencing program was undertaken to contain the large exotic mammals in case of escape from their primary enclosures. The perimeter fence also assists in restricting access by trespassers and poachers. Construction of the fourteen miles of fencing that now surrounds the Center's property began in October 1977, and was completed in September 1980, at a cost of $750,000. Ten miles of the fence are 8 feet high, and the remaining 4 miles are 6 feet high. The 6-foot high sections are in areas that have no significant impact on our exotic animals or farming operations at this time and are designed to permit the natural movement of deer in remote, outlying areas. Town officials had expressed concern to us about this matter prior to construction of the fence. White-tailed deer are usually reluctant to jump 8-foot high fences, but 12-foot high fences are required to deer-proof completely an area. Even then, because of rugged terrain, it would be difficult to construct fences that would span xreeks and ravines while preventing deer from crawling beneath them. The deer made no significant impact on native vegetation, alfalfa production, or our exotic species until 1979 when it became apparent that the white-tailed population had grown to a level which endangered the health of our exotic animal collection and impeded our farming activities. Alfalfa is an important forage for many exotic hoofed animals as well as for domestic livestock. In the past we have cultivated approximately 45 acres in alfalfa, enough to yield about 75 tons under optimal conditions.

Load more