CAPITOL FLYER

On Tuesday, January 4, the 109th Congress will officially convene. The new Congress will begin with work on reorganization matters, formal proceedings to certify President Bush's second term and Senate hearings to confirm the president's new Cabinet nominees.

Democratic and Republican members of Congress are meeting separately to approve rules packages and address other administrative issues. During this time, House committee assignments will be sorted out, including who will take over as the new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Watch for a complete listing of refuge-related committee and subcommittee rosters for the 109th Congress in the next issue of the Capitol Flyer.

On December 15, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) signed an annual funding agreement (AFA) with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation (CSKT) that transfers approximately half of the refuge staff positions and budget at the National Bison Range in Montana to the tribes.

Unfortunately, the signed agreement failed to reflect concerns from a large number of national, regional and local conservation groups; concerns expressed by members of Congress; and a groundswell of vocal opposition from refuge managers across the country. Specifically, the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) believes the agreement, as signed, will result in added costs to the refuge, make effective management by the FWS difficult and expose refuge volunteers to lawsuits.

The AFA now goes to Capitol Hill, where Congress has 90 days to evaluate it and respond. If Congress fails to act, the agreement will go into effect immediately following the review period.

The NWRA is strongly urging Congress to reject the Bison Rnge agreement if it is not significantly modified from its current form. Along these lines, the Association is urging Congress to hold hearings on the National Bison Range AFA.

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will remain in President Bush's Cabinet. White House press secretary Scott McClellan announced that Bush spoke with Norton and asked her to stay for his second term.

Norton's decision to remain likely means the direction of the Department of the Interior will not change during the next four years. Norton has said she is committed to the policy goals of the administration, including opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.

In an agreement with Swarovski Optik of North America (SONA), Paul J. Baicich, Community Leader for the Swarovski Birding project will begin to work directly with the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) beginning the first week of 2005.

Paul's primary responsibility will be coordination of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), a unique coalition of 21 conservation and sporting organizations with more than 5 million members across the United States that has worked since 1995 to help the National Wildlife Refuge System fight a serious funding crisis. Recently, the NWRA was selected to chair this special conservation initiative.

Besides working on conservation issues for Swarovski Birding since September 2003, Paul is the former director of conservation and public policy for the American Birding Association (ABA), the past editor of "Birding," the ABA's magazine, and a co-author of "A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds" (Princeton University Press, 1997). He has written numerous articles for many publications, has led birding tours and workshops to Alaska, and is active in a number of the bird conservation plans for North America. Paul has experience working with CARE from his past position with ABA.

In addition to CARE, Paul will work with the NWRA on a number of other projects. All of us at the Refuge Association are delighted to have Paul on our team, and we heartily welcome him on board.

Representative Robert Matsui (D-CA) died January 1 of pneumonia, a complication arising from a rare stem cell disorder that left him susceptible to other illnesses.

Matsui, 63, was elected to the House 14 times to represent the Sacramento area. It is now up to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to call a special election to fill the 5th District seat. He is required to set a date within 14 days of the vacancy.

While the FWS continues to work on a land exchange deal with Doyon Regional Corporation, a tribal corporation with land holdings in and around Yukon Flats, that could allow energy development in Alaska's Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported in December the amount of oil and gas beneath the area is far less than other federal lands in the state.

According to the USGS, about 5.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 173 million barrels of oil and 127 million barrels of natural gas liquids lie beneath the 13,500 square miles of the Yukon Flats area.

Under the draft agreement between the FWS and Doyon, the corporation would get 110,000 acres of the current wildlife refuge, including the subsurface rights. Doyon would also take control of about 96,000 acres of subsurface interests around its other land holdings in the refuge that could only be accessed through directional drilling. The Department of the Interior has not appraised the 110,000 acres it would give up, so it is currently unclear how much land Doyon will actually transfer to the FWS in exchange or how much the deal would cost.

According to the FWS, the deal could result in a net increase of nearly 100,000 acres of wetlands to the refuge. However, environmentalists have raised questions whether the wetlands are actually threatened.