Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Study Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4957) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville division of the Lamar National Fish Hatchery and Fish Technology Center to the State of Pennsylvania, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 4957 contains several important conservation titles. It would first convey the Tylersville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Pennsylvania, a provision authored by Congressman John Peterson and Senator Rick Santorum.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been operating this facility under a long-term lease agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service. By all accounts they have operated this hatchery in a highly effective manner, producing adult trout for thousands of recreational fishermen and investing nearly $4 million in improvements. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has testified that this facility is not considered an active component of the Federal Fish Hatchery System.

Title II of this bill is based on the text of H.R. 1428, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act, as passed by the House. It will simply extend the existing authorization levels for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation has funded more than 6,500 conservation projects and involved more than 1,800 conservation organizations.

The goal of those projects has been to increase resources for fish and wildlife conservation and develop innovative conservation solutions while respecting private property rights and sustaining healthy ecosystems.

Title III of the legislation will extend the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000, legislation which has already been passed by the House. This will allow the Secretary of the Interior to continue to approve grants for the conservation of the more than 800 species of neotropical birds that migrate and reside throughout North America.

Title IV incorporates the text of the Ed Fountain Park Expansion Act, approved by the other body on July 11. Under this provision, about 8 acres of Federal land would be conveyed from the Fish and Wildlife Service to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. There, land was once used as the headquarters for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, but the only remaining structure on the property is an abandoned storage building.

The city of Las Vegas would pay administrative transfer costs and the property would revert back to the Federal Government if not used for a park.

Title V incorporates the House-passed language of H.R. 4947, the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act. The Cahaba River is the longest free-flowing river in the State of Alabama, and it may have the greatest fish biodiversity per mile of any river in the United States. This measure will modestly expand the boundaries of the existing refuge.

Title VI incorporates the House-passed text of H.R. 5232, the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Study Act. This legislation requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate the potential of creating a new national wildlife refuge in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Finally, there is an extension of existing authorization of appropriation levels for the Great Ape Conservation Act taken from S. 1250 which passed the Senate earlier this month.

For the past 6 years, about $1 million per year has been spent to stop great ape species from sliding toward extinction. The Fish and Wildlife Service has assisted endangered chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans through 155 projects in dozens of range States and leveraged an additional $7.7 million in private matching funds.

Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in very strong support of the bill I introduced, H.R. 5232, the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Study Act.

Located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, Cherry Valley provides habitat to more than 75 species of national or regional concern, including several plants and animals listed as either endangered or threatened. These species include the bog turtle and the bald eagle. Monroe County, however, is also the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania, and this development now threatens and will soon encroach upon the habitat of these rare species.

As a result, grass-roots efforts to protect these sensitive habitats have gained momentum and now have widespread support within the local community. Rarely in my career in Congress have I experienced such overwhelming local support for a legislative endeavor as I have encountered for the designation of a national wildlife refuge in Cherry Valley.

Designation of a national wildlife refuge has bipartisan support from elected officials, including all three county commissioners, two State representatives, and a State senator. It also has the support of supervisors from all of the townships included and located in the Cherry Valley area. Moreover, my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) has joined me in sponsoring this legislation because he once represented parts of Cherry Valley when he served as a State senator.

Area business owners have also voiced their support for this effort. For example, the Pocono Builders Association, a building industry trade association in Monroe County, passed a resolution in support of designating Cherry Valley a national wildlife refuge.

Moreover, a number of local landowners have already put their land into easements and other conservation arrangements to facilitate the creation of a national wildlife refuge. Voters have also approved initiatives designed to provide the revenue needed for conservation purposes. Designation of a national wildlife refuge would, therefore, help to coordinate these efforts and provide Federal support for conservation of this important habitat.

In order to determine the appropriate land for inclusion in a potential refuge, I introduced H.R. 5232, the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Study Act, after consulting with my colleagues and determining the best course of action. The bill authorizes a study to be completed by the Fish and Wildlife Service to determine what specific lands are suitable for inclusion in a potential refuge.

The legislation does not authorize the creation of a national wildlife refuge at this time. The bill is intended merely to study areas for their potential for inclusion in a refuge, not to authorize the creation of another refuge. In addition, the study is designed to provide Congress with the information needed to determine if the designation of a wildlife refuge in Cherry Valley is appropriate.

Before closing, I would like to thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and my colleague from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) for holding a hearing on this legislation. I also would like to thank my colleague from California (Mr. Pombo) and my colleague from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for moving this legislation through the House Resources Committee. Their work on this bill is much appreciated.

In summation, I urge passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 4957, an omnibus package of fish, wildlife and conservation legislation. I thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall of the Committee on Resources for bringing this legislation to the House floor.

Title I of H.R. 4957 is noncontroversial legislation sponsored by Representative John Peterson. It will direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, also included in the omnibus legislation before us today are a number of other important conservation measures, all of which have previously passed either the House or the Senate.

Title II contains the text of H.R. 1428, legislation sponsored by Chairman Pombo. It will reauthorize the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation which has been a valuable resource in fostering private- public conservation partnerships.

Title III includes H.R. 158, legislation sponsored by Congressman Ron Kind, that would reauthorize and enhance the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Since 2000, $17.2 million of Federal funding under this act has supported 186 conservation projects in 42 U.S. States and 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

This investment has leveraged an additional $89.1 million in total partner contributions to conserve some 3.2 million acres of bird habitat. I applaud Congressman Kind for his dedication and leadership on this critical conservation issue.

Title IV includes H.R. 4345, legislation sponsored by our colleague from Nevada, Representative Shelley Berkley, which would transfer abandoned Federal property to the city of Las Vegas to enhance popular park and recreational programs. Both Representative Berkley and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada deserve credit for this initiative.

Title V includes H.R. 4947, a bill sponsored by Representative Bachus which would expand the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama.

Title VI includes H.R. 5232, a bill sponsored by Representative Kanjorski, which directs the Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its study for a new refuge in the Cherry Valley region of northeast Pennsylvania.

Representative Kanjorski has worked throughout the process to address the concerns of all stakeholders, and this study would be the catalyst towards achieving the long-term protection of this area.

Mr. Speaker, last but certainly not least, Title VII contains S. 1250, legislation sponsored by Senator Jeffords, that would reauthorize funding for the Great Ape Conservation Act.

I commend the sponsor of the House companion bill, H.R. 2693, and the author of the original act, Representative George Miller of California, for his continued leadership in international wildlife conservation, for raising awareness of the dire plight of great apes in Africa.

In closing, the fish and wildlife and conservation titles in this legislation are all worthy of our support. I urge adoption of H.R. 4957.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislative package, which will reauthorize important international fish and wildlife conservation programs and will expand national parks and wildlife refuges.

In particular, I want to draw special attention to the Great Ape Conservation Act. The reauthorization that's before us today was introduced by Senator Jeffords last June, following a bill that I introduced in May 2005 with Rep. Baird.

It has now been more than 5 years since the Great Ape Conservation Act was signed into law. In that time, this program has helped protect threatened primates, including chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons. I'm very pleased that the House is now poised to pass this reauthorization, which is needed to continue progress in this important field.

As the Fish and Wildlife Service testified in the Resources Committee last June, ``Much of the success of the Great Ape Conservation Act has been a direct result of the unique small project focus on on-the-ground conservation projects in Africa and Asia.'' The funds provided by the Great Ape Conservation Act have gone to such diverse projects as: protecting chimpanzee habitat from logging operations; establishing anti-poaching enforcement units; starting conservation education programs; coordinating gibbon population surveys and threat assessments; and implementing ape health monitoring programs.

Like the other Multinational Species programs, Federal funds under the Great Ape Conservation Act are distributed as matching grants, meaning that the expense for these projects is shared between the Federal government and project partners. This match requirement has leveraged over $7.7 million in non-federal contributions over the period of 2001-2005 and has more than doubled the actual funding for conservation projects.

But despite the ongoing successes of the Act, the threats to these noble primates continue, and time is not on our side. Press accounts and reports from the field indicate that these species continue to be placed in jeopardy by habitat loss, poaching, logging, and the bush meat trade. The bill before us today specifically authorizes funding to address these root causes of threats to great apes.

The contributions of the Great Ape Conservation Act have been very important in the international efforts to protect and conserve the great apes of Africa and Asia, but there is much work yet to be done. Accordingly, today's bill extends the program's authorization through the year 2010.

As I said when I introduced the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000, the task ahead is daunting. But the ecological consequences of not acting are far more tragic if it means that great apes will cease to exist in the wild.

I want to thank the Resources Committee staff, especially Dave Jansen, for their work in shepherding this bill through the House, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5232) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to initiate and complete an evaluation of lands and waters located in Northeastern Pennsylvania for their potential acquisition and inclusion in a future Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation proposed by Congressmen Paul Kanjorski, Charles Dent, Jim Gerlach, and Tim Holden, that will direct the Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate the potential for creating a new Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Pennsylvania.

What this measure proposes is a unique approach. While the National Park Service has been following this ``study first'' model for many years, this may be the first time Congress has ever studied the possibility of creating a new national wildlife refuge. This is a sound conservation approach.

Cherry Valley is a beautiful region, and it provides critical habitat for at least six federally listed species and 80 species of national and regional concern. In addition, it is a prime bird migration corridor for bald and golden eagles and broad-winged hawks. The idea of a Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge has been endorsed by a number of locally effective bodies, citizen groups, and conservation organizations.

Under the terms of the bill, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to conduct a 12-month study to evaluate the fish and wildlife habitat and aquatic and terrestrial communities to determine whether their value merits the establishment of a national wildlife refuge. This report will identify priority lands, assess their conservation value, determine the Federal acquisition costs and create a potential acquisition boundary.

I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 5232.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.