Number: 1995-04
WHEREAS, the Interior Columbia River Basin (the watershed of the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam, east of the Cascade Mountains, comprising portions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada), as well as portions of the Klamath River Basin and Great Basin in the state of Oregon, encompass lands and waters of remarkable diversity, important natural resources and spectacular beauty; and
WHEREAS, soil, water, air and biological diversity of these lands have been degraded and diminished by activities such as mining, logging, road-building, livestock grazing, fire suppression, urbanization and agricultural development; and
WHEREAS, many stocks and populations of salmon, bull trout and other aquatic species have been driven to extinction and others are at risk of extinction; and
WHEREAS, some species and populations of terrestrial wildlife have been driven to extinction within portions of the region and others are at risk, particularly those associated with late successional forests and wildlands; and
WHEREAS, the federal government is responsible for management of more than half of the nearly 150 million acres of land in the Interior Columbia River Basin; and
WHEREAS, the federal land management agencies have legal and moral responsibilities to conserve species and to maintain the productive capacity of lands and waters for present and future generations; and
WHEREAS, the federal land management agencies have the responsibility to provide leadership and assistance in the transition to sustainable human communities in the region; and
WHEREAS, the federal land-management agencies have undertaken an inter-agency, comprehensive planning process for this region;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in its Annual Meeting assembled March 18-20, 1995 in Washington, D.C., hereby supports the development of coordinated, comprehensive, ecosystem-based plans for federal lands in the Columbia Region that comply with existing laws and are based on the best available scientific information and sound principles of conservation biology and sustainable economic activity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED such plans must conserve biological diversity and long-term productivity of soils and waters and must ensure that current human uses of these lands do not diminish their capacity to provide resources, enjoyment and wonder for future generations.