For Immediate Release

November 18, 1999

WASHINGTON STATE SALMON RECOVERY FUNDS
INCLUDED IN FINAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today passed the final version of a multi-agency appropriations bill, including $18 million for the state’s coastal salmon recovery program, a boost in funding for the Elwha River restoration project and four new historic preservation grants for structures in Washington, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks said.

       House and Senate conference committee members agreed to allocate $22 million in this fiscal year for the Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration project to be used for planning, design and engineering work for removal of the dams, Rep. Dicks said. Of that amount, up to $5.5 million will be used to plan and design water supply mitigation measures for the City of Port Angeles.

       He said the bill also funds the state’s effort to develop a response to the listing of several species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A total of $18 million will be provided directly to the state to assist state, local and tribal conservation initiatives as the region develops its response to the listing – the first time the law has been applied so broadly to an urban area.

       "This funding is critically necessary in the next several years for the survival of these threatened salmon species," said Rep. Dicks. "There has been an aggressive effort, particularly in the Puget Sound counties, to develop scientifically-based recovery plans in order to avoid the restrictions that could be triggered by the ESA if there is a further decline in the area’s salmon runs. The $18 million in this bill represents a substantial federal contribution in this initial year," Dicks said. The congressman commended Washington Senators Slade Gorton and Patty Murray, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, for "a successful team effort" in securing the salmon recovery funding.

       Washington state tribes could also qualify for additional funding allocated in the bill for recovery efforts. A tribal account of $8 million was established for the coastal tribes in Washington, Oregon and California, and another $2 million was allocated to Columbia River tribal salmon recovery efforts.

       Another critical piece of the recovery effort is the implementation of the U.S.- Canada Salmon Treaty, Rep. Dicks stated. Following the agreement reached in early June with the Canadian government, Rep. Dicks and Senators Gorton and Murray pushed for the funding necessary to create the two salmon funds pledged by the U.S. in the pact. The bill allocates $20 million to establish a Northern Transboundary Fund and a Southern Transboundary Funds of $10 million each to be held by the Pacific Salmon Commission. The interest-bearing accounts will provide funding for salmon restoration and enhancement, salmon research, the conservation of salmon habitat, and implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty and they will be controlled by both countries.

       The appropriations bill also funds four new grants under the Interior Department’s historic preservation program: $400,000 for the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton, $150,000 for the Mukai Farm and Gardens on Vashon Island; $250,000 for the Nathaniel Orr Pioneer Home Site in Steilacoom and $600,000 for the Tacoma Art Museum. The four grants must be matched by private funds, according to language in the appropriations bill.

       Other salmon-related expenditures in the appropriations bill passed today are as follows:

Bull Trout Research – The bill provides $1.1 million to the Fish & Wildlife Service in Washington State to conduct research on the soon-to-be listed Bull Trout. The research will enable the so called "Timber Fish and Wildlife" agreement to incorporate protections of the trout to satisfy both ESA and Clean Water requirements. Currently, the agreement focuses on protection of the listed chinook.

Timber Fish and Wildlife – The bill contains $4 million for tribal participation in the Timber Fish & Wildlife agreement in Washington State. This is an increase of more than $3 million beyond the amount in the last fiscal year. The money will enable the tribes to conduct research, monitoring, and adaptive management requirements for listed salmon and steelhead populations.

Ecosystem Conservation Project – $1.2 million for a program involving both private landowners and conservation districts to restore wetlands, riparian stream habitat and upland habitat. Projects funded include work on Hood Canal, the Nisqually, and the Puyallup River.

Long Live the Kings/Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group – $221,500 for Long Live the Kings (an increase of $21,500 over last year) and $171,500 to the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (an increase of $71,500 over last year).

Washington state salmon recovery – $3,857,000 for a competitively awarded matching grant program in Washington state coordinated by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Of that amount, $451,000 will go directly to the Puget Sound Drain Guard Campaign for the River CPR program which seeks to reduce road runoff/pollution to aid salmon habitat.

Mass Marking machine – A total of $600,000 will go to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to purchase an additional prototype machine for the marking and tagging of hatchery fish.

Washington state commercial fishery reduction – The final agreement on the Interior appropriations bill also provides $5 million for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife as the federal share of a capacity reduction program to repurchase Washington State Fraser River Sockeye commercial fishery licenses. This program is a component of the implementation of the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty.

Kitsap County Pilot Project – $500,000 will go to the Coastal Geology program to undertake a pilot project using the Light Distance and Ranging (LIDAR) technology to assist compliance with the listing of the Chinook Salmon and Summer Chum Salmon under the ESA. The funds are to be used in cooperation with Kitsap County to map draining systems, stream systems, and to identify potentially unstable slopes.

In addition to these fishery-related programs, the appropriations bill contains funding for various land acquisitions and park improvements in Washington State:

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge – $850,000 to purchase the last 410-acre parcel of Braget farm property in the Nisqually Delta. It is among the finest remaining natural estuary tracts on the west coast. The land will be purchased by combining this federal appropriation with $600,000 in tribal funds and $800,000 in funding approved by the state legislature this year.

Ebey’s Landing – $1 million for additional acquisition of Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve on Whidbey Island.

Mt. Rainier National Park – $1.4 million will be used to design a replacement for the current visitor center; and $170,000 will be used for the rehabilitation of the guide house.

Earthquake Studies – $1.6 million for the purchase of seismographic equipment for pilot projects in Seattle, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City to be divided equally as requested by the administration.

Mount St. Helens – $200,000 to the Pacific Northwest Research Station to collaborate with the Mt. St. Helens’ National Monument staff and non-federal scientist to assemble, summarize and archive long-term data sets on 20 years of biological responses at Mt. St. Helens.

Pacific Northwest Economic Assistance – $8 million for Pacific NW assistance. Of that amount, $600,000 will be directed to the Forks Training School in Forks, WA for capital expenses and $900,000 is directed to the UW and WSU to support a rural technology initiative to be used by rural communities in managing natural resources. The money will be used for engineering support teams, forest management technical support, grant support for development of landscape management systems, and network infrastructure to provide short course broadcasts to rural centers. Another $300,000 is included for the University of Washington’s Landscape Management program.

Northwest Forest Plan/Jobs in the Woods – The bill continues the economic diversification, worker retraining, job creation and community revitalization work in the northwest timber communities begun in 1993. For fiscal year 2000, a total of more the $140 million will be spent by various federal agencies under this program.

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