Cumulative Assessment of Fish and Wildlife Impacts

April 1, 1979 Resolutions

Number: 1979-31

WHEREAS, several federal agencies are presently involved in water resource planning and projects in all major watersheds of the United States;

WHEREAS, these and other federal agencies are responsible for permitting federal, state, local and private dredge, fill and damming operations in the same watersheds.

WHEREAS, impacts of these projects and permitted activities on fish and wildlife resources have been enormous and in some cases ruinous.

WHEREAS, very little has been done to assess the cumulative effects of these water resources projects within the major watershed and even less has been done to mitigate these effects.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 22-25, 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, requests that:

  1. The effects of present federally funded, federally permitted and federally constructed water projects on renewable fish and wildlife resources within major regional or national watersheds in the United States be assessed on a cumulative basis.
  2. Appropriate planning be done and measures implemented to fully mitigate the cumulative impacts of these projects on the fish and wildlife resources.