H.R. 1497, A BILL TO REAU- THORIZE TITLE I OF THE SIKES ACT LEGISLATIVE HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS OF THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION Thursday, April 10, 2003 Serial No. 108-15 Printed for the use of the Committee on Resources ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house or Committee address: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 86-410 PS WASHINGTON : 2003 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:59 Jun 27, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 86410.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: HRESOUR1 COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES RICHARD W. POMBO, California, Chairman NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, Alaska Dale E. Kildee, Michigan W.J. ‘‘Billy’’ Tauzin, Louisiana Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa Jim Saxton, New Jersey Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Elton Gallegly, California Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland Calvin M. Dooley, California Ken Calvert, California Donna M. Christensen, Virgin Islands Scott McInnis, Colorado Ron Kind, Wisconsin Barbara Cubin, Wyoming Jay Inslee, Washington George Radanovich, California Grace F. Napolitano, California Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Carolina Tom Udall, New Mexico Chris Cannon, Utah Mark Udall, Colorado John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania Anı´bal Acevedo-Vila´, Puerto Rico Jim Gibbons, Nevada, Brad Carson, Oklahoma Vice Chairman Rau´ l M. Grijalva, Arizona Mark E. Souder, Indiana Dennis A. Cardoza, California Greg Walden, Oregon Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado George Miller, California J.D. Hayworth, Arizona Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Tom Osborne, Nebraska Rube´n Hinojosa, Texas Jeff Flake, Arizona Ciro D. Rodriguez, Texas Dennis R. Rehberg, Montana Joe Baca, California Rick Renzi, Arizona Betty McCollum, Minnesota Tom Cole, Oklahoma Stevan Pearce, New Mexico Rob Bishop, Utah Devin Nunes, California VACANCY Steven J. Ding, Chief of Staff Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel Michael S. Twinchek, Chief Clerk James H. Zoia, Democrat Staff Director Jeffrey P. Petrich, Democrat Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTE ON FISHERIES CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland, Chairman FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, Alaska Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa W.J. ‘‘Billy’’ Tauzin, Louisiana Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Jim Saxton, New Jersey Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas Mark E. Souder, Indiana Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam Rob Bishop, Utah Nick J. Rahall II, West Virginia, ex officio Richard W. Pombo, California, ex officio (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:59 Jun 27, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 86410.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: HRESOUR1 CONTENTS Page Hearing held on April 10, 2003 .............................................................................. 1 Statement of Members: Bordallo, Hon. Madeleine Z., a Delegate to Congress from Guam ............... 5 Gilchrest, Hon. Wayne T., a Representative in Congress from the State of Maryland ................................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 2 Pallone, Hon. Frank, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey ............................................................................................... 3 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 4 Saxton, Hon. Jim, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey ................................................................................................... 5 Statement of Witnesses: Baughman, John G., Executive Vice President, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies ...................................................................... 18 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 20 Deal, Lt. Col. A. Lewis, USMC (Retired), Director of Outdoor Sports Development, Paralyzed Veterans of America ........................................... 42 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 43 DuBois, Raymond F., Jr., Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, U.S. Department of Defense .................. 6 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 8 Martin, Chester O., President, National Military Fish and Wildlife Association ..................................................................................................... 36 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 38 Meyer, Dan, General Counsel, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility ................................................................................................ 45 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 46 Rurka, Gene, Chairman, Humanitarian Services Committee, Safari Club International ................................................................................................. 40 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 42 Tuggle, Dr. Benjamin N., Chief, Division of Federal Program Activities, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior ..................... 13 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 14 Additional materials supplied: Camacho, Hon. Felix P., Governor, Territory of Guam, Statement submitted for the record ............................................................................... 59 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:59 Jun 27, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 86410.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: HRESOUR1 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:59 Jun 27, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 86410.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: HRESOUR1 LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 1497, A BILL TO REAUTHORIZE TITLE I OF THE SIKES ACT Thursday, April 10, 2003 U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Committee on Resources Washington, DC The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:06 a.m., in room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Wayne T. Gilchrest, Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding. Present: Representatives Gilchrest, Saxton, Pallone and Bordallo. Also Present: Representative Cunningham. Mr. GILCHREST. Good morning. The Subcommittee will come to order. Today we will hear testimony on H.R. 1497, a measure intro- duced by Chairman Richard Pombo to extend the authorization for Title I of the Sikes Act. STATEMENT OF THE HON. WAYNE T. GILCHREST, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND Mr. GILCHREST. I ask unanimous consent that our friend and Colleague, Mr. Duke Cunningham, sit on the dais this morning for the hearing. Without objection, it is OK, Duke. You are welcome. The law, which was first enacted in 1960, is responsible for the conservation of fish, wildlife, and their habitat at some 25 million acres of military land. The Department of Defense has some 400 military installations throughout the United States that contain wildlife resources. In fact, nearly 300 Federally listed, threatened and endangered species reside on those lands under the jurisdiction of DOD. In many ways, those DOD lands are a unique ecosystem. In 1997 this law was reauthorized and a number of significant changes were made to the underlying statute. The most significant modification was a requirement that the Department of Defense prepare a comprehensive integrated natural resource management plan for each of its installations that have plant and animal spe- cies. These plans would include an inventory of fish and wildlife re- sources, efforts to protect wetlands, how natural resource laws will be enforced, whether wildlife-oriented recreation will be permitted, (1) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:59 Jun 27, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 86410.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: HRESOUR1 2 and how our vital fish and wildlife populations will be managed in the future. In addition, the law now requires that the Department submit these plans for public review, and that they may be written in full consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the affected States. Finally, Public Law 105-85 stipulated that the Department must maintain a significant number of professionally trained natural re- source management personnel to prepare and implement the inte- grated natural resource management plans. During the course of this hearing I hope to learn from our wit- nesses how many integrated natural resource management plans have been implemented, whether the consultation process is work- ing, if a sufficient number of professionally trained personnel have been retained as employees and not contractors for the Department of Defense as the law requires, and whether the Disabled Sports- men’s Access Act has been a success. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses this morning on both panels. [The prepared statement of