CONSERVATION CORNER
March 13, 2006
Bush's Budget To Benefit Conservation
by James L. Cummins

President Bush has been wrongly criticized more times than not about his lack of knowledge about and support of the environment. I recall that early in his Administration the President gave a tour of his ranch in Crawford, Texas to several reporters. It was not a scripted speech with teleprompters and did not include a team of speech writers hiding behind every rock and tree. It was genuine. It was from the heart. President Bush spoke extensively, knowledgeably and passionately about natural resources and their management.

The President made almost 100 references to natural resources and their management. He mentioned hardwood or a hardwood species 33 times. He indicated that there are at least 18 different hardwood species on his property and he specifically identified 10 of them. He referred to at least 10 specific species of wildlife and at least 3 different plant species. He made at least 12 direct references to actively improving the natural resources of his land. He even talked about how certain species were important "because they become nesting materials for things like the golden cheek warbler..."

Why is this important and why am I bringing this up? Because the President's budget reflects his love of the land and how to America’s private lands better. This is critical to our Nation's quality of life, for both human and natural resources.

For example, some of the items in his budget that I personally like are the increases to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Landowner Incentive Program, Private Stewardship Grants and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. These programs are very cost-effective, target wetlands and declining species and foster public/private partnerships. Mississippi leads the state, and the Southeast, in both accomplishments and cost-efficiency of restoration in the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

I am also pleased with the increases to the National Fish Habitat Initiative and the National Fish Hatchery System. There are great opportunities to reach out to the millions of anglers in our nation.

Regarding the National Park Service, the funding requests to address the maintenance backlog of our National Parks is good. I was also glad to see funding available for grants to preserve Civil War battlefields.

The $153 million and the $12 million increases to the Wetland Reserve and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives programs are excellent. Mississippi typically ranks number two in the Nation in receiving funding from these programs.

I was also pleased to see $10 million being dedicated to a new invasive species control program. Hurricanes spread invasive species, such as the newly found giant salvina in the Pascagoula River, which came ashore from Hurricane Dennis. The removal of the forest canopy from Hurricane Katrina has significantly increased the available sunlight to the highly invasive cogongrass. Furthermore, the movement of heavy equipment is further increasing the spread of this species. Cogongrass burns at approximately 800 degrees (Fahrenheit), significantly increasing the probability of wildfire. Economically, it will significantly impact forest industry and many species of wildlife.