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<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 6/15/2005 9:14:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
SteveYoung@aol.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I work
in the biggest theme park in the world - the Washington, D.C. federal complex.
I think there are great opportunities to demonstrate greater leadership, as
well as comply with the Executive Order on invasive species, by moving to use
only native plants and very carefully selected, non-invasive exotics for the
landscaping of DC's federal buildings. </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Perhaps we can remind agencies funded in the Interior appropriations bill
(NPS, FWS, the Smithsonian, etc) of the language that was included in the report
on the FY 2001 appropriations bill for Interior and Related Agencies:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">“Invasive Species Control and the Use of Native
Plants<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">In several hearings this year, the land management
agencies testified regarding the widespread and very serious problem of invasive
exotic species. Many individuals and non-governmental organizations echoed those
concerns in public witness testimony.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>In addition, numerous members of Congress voiced their support for
increased efforts to control invasive species.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Although a funding allocation lower than
the fiscal year 2000 enacted level precludes the Committee from recommending
expensive new initiatives, the Committee does recognize that controlling
invasive exotics is important for natural resources management throughout the
country.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The Committee is pleased with the efforts of the Bureau of Land
Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the
U.S. Geological Survey, and the Forest Service to address the issues of invasive
non-native plants in their strategic plans and to eradicate or control these
species. The Committee urges the land managing bureaus to be pro-active in
providing their field managers and the public with information on acceptable
native alternatives to non-native plant material, to increase public awareness
of these issues, and to emphasize partnerships in the eradication of invasive
non-native plants.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Successful
efforts to manage lands to protect native fauna should likewise be continued and
expanded where possible.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> <STRONG>
</STRONG></SPAN><STRONG>The Committee also urges all other entities that receive
funding for facilities under this bill to increase their use of native plants in
landscaping.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><STRONG><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT></STRONG> </P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>It's probably a little late for this appropriations process, but similar
report language in other bills would be great.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Mary Ann Lawler</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>