Number: 1978-05
WHEREAS, military reservations occupy approximately 26 million acres of public lands, much of it in the eastern part of the U.S. where other types of federal land are relatively scarce and not readily accessible to the public; and
WHEREAS, much of the land area encompassed by military installations contains valuable natural resources and excellent outdoor recreational potential as evidenced by the fact that the Department of Defense (DOD) has negotiated 237 cooperative resource management plans with the Secretary of the Interior and appropriate state agencies covering approximately 19 million acres; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Branch of the federal government never has requested appropriations against the annual funding authorization of $1.5 million for DOD or $2 million for the Department of the Interior provided in Title I of the Sikes Act (P.L. 93-452), enacted in 1974, nor against an earlier $500,000 DOD authorization in the initial 1968 Sikes Act (P.L. 90-465); and
WHEREAS, the funding authorization in Title I of P.L. 93-452 expires in 1978 unless extended by congressional action; and
WHEREAS, the principal existing funding source in DOD for fish and wildlife habitat enhancement is receipts from hunting and fishing fees, estimated at $840,000 in fiscal 1978, which severely limits DOD natural resource managers in their attempts to fulfill their responsibilities adequately, especially when the military services have identified about $2 million in specific fish and wildlife-related project needs which should be undertaken; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. General Accounting Office recently completed a study of the land and natural resource planning activities of the military departments and, in a letter to the Secretary of Defense dated August 3, 1977, recommend that he: 1. require the military services to update and upgrade existing fish and wildlife plans; 2. identify other installations with potential for fish and wildlife programs and public outdoor recreational opportunities, and initiate suitable programs following the development of adequate plans; 3. request an extension of the funding authorization in the Sikes Act for fish and wildlife programs and public outdoor recreational activities beyond fiscal 1978; and 4. request appropriations of authorized funds;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1978, in Phoenix, Ariz., hereby calls upon the Secretaries of Defense and the Interior to accept and aggressively implement the recommendations contained in the GAO letter to the Secretary of Defense dated August 3, 1977 (file B-146771), to ensure that the public gains the fullest possible benefits from natural resources potentially available on federal lands in military reservations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization calls upon appropriate committees of the Congress to extend the funding authorizations under Title I of the Sikes Act for at least five years, and to appropriate funds in adequate amounts to carry out purposes of the Act in manners beneficial to the public.