Mark Hatfield: “the last proposal I will introduce today relates to the ecosystem management and watershed protection. These are the…”

“the last proposal I will introduce today relates to the ecosystem management and watershed protection. These are the ``buzz words'' for a new generation of land management philosophies and techniques. A number of federal land management agencies are now working to implement ecosystem management on a landscape levels, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1992 the BLM released its Resource Management Plans for Western Oregon which developed the first comprehensive strategy for management of forest ecosystems and watersheds in the nation. Since that time, the Forest Service and Interior Department joined in the act with the development of the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team report, better known as Option 9, for the forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. In addition, Interior is continually working on Ecosystem management plans for other areas of the nation, such as the Florida Everglades and the area inhabited by the Southern California gnatcatcher. While this work is admirable and perhaps necessary in the evolution of land management policy, a great deal of apprehension and concern still surrounds this method of managing our water, air, land and fish and wildlife resources on a comprehensive scale. As keepers of the taxpayers' purse strings, Congress is required to provide the funding to allow the agencies to engage in this type of management.”