[House Hearing, 109 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE IMPACT OF HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA ON THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE
REFUGE SYSTEM
=======================================================================
OVERSIGHT HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
of the
COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
Thursday, March 16, 2006
__________
Serial No. 109-45
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Resources
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/
index.html
or
Committee address: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
26-654 WASHINGTON : 2006
_____________________________________________________________________________
For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; (202) 512�091800
Fax: (202) 512�092250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402�090001
COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
RICHARD W. POMBO, California, Chairman
NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member
Don Young, Alaska Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Jim Saxton, New Jersey Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American
Elton Gallegly, California Samoa
John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii
Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas
Ken Calvert, California Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming Donna M. Christensen, Virgin
Vice Chair Islands
George P. Radanovich, California Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Grace F. Napolitano, California
Carolina Tom Udall, New Mexico
Chris Cannon, Utah Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam
Jim Gibbons, Nevada Jim Costa, California
Greg Walden, Oregon Charlie Melancon, Louisiana
Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado Dan Boren, Oklahoma
J.D. Hayworth, Arizona George Miller, California
Jeff Flake, Arizona Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts
Rick Renzi, Arizona Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon
Stevan Pearce, New Mexico Jay Inslee, Washington
Henry Brown, Jr., South Carolina Mark Udall, Colorado
Thelma Drake, Virginia Dennis Cardoza, California
Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico Stephanie Herseth, South Dakota
Cathy McMorris, Washington
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana
Louie Gohmert, Texas
Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado
Vacancy
Steven J. Ding, Chief of Staff
Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
James H. Zoia, Democrat Staff Director
Jeffrey P. Petrich, Democrat Chief Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland, Chairman
FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey, Ranking Democrat Member
Don Young, Alaska Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American
Jim Saxton, New Jersey Samoa
Vice Chair Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii
Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas
Carolina Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Thelma Drake, Virginia Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam
Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico Nick J. Rahall II, West Virginia,
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana ex officio
Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado
Richard W. Pombo, California, ex
officio
------
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on Thursday, March 16, 2006......................... 1
Statement of Members:
Gilchrest, Hon. Wayne T., a Representative in Congress from
the State of Maryland...................................... 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 2
Pallone, Hon. Frank, Jr., a Representative in Congress from
the State of New Jersey.................................... 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Statement of Witnesses:
Daulton, Michael, Director of Conservation Policy, National
Audubon Society............................................ 42
Prepared statement of.................................... 43
Hall, H. Dale, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior................................. 4
Prepared statement of.................................... 6
Hirsche, Evan, President, National Wildlife Refuge
Association................................................ 37
Prepared statement of.................................... 39
Moore, W. Parke, III, Assistant Secretary, Office of
Wildlife, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries... 27
Prepared statement of.................................... 31
Richard, David M., Executive Vice-President, Stream Property
Management................................................. 48
Prepared statement of.................................... 50
Young, Don A., Executive Vice President, Ducks Unlimited..... 18
Prepared statement of.................................... 21
OVERSIGHT HEARING ON THE IMPACT OF HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA ON THE
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM.
----------
Thursday, March 16, 2006
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans
Committee on Resources
Washington, D.C.
----------
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 9:58 a.m. in
Room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Wayne T.
Gilchrest [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Gilchrest, Kind, Pallone.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. WAYNE T. GILCHREST, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND
Mr. Gilchrest. The hearing will come to order. I want to
thank Mr. Hall, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the other
witnesses for coming here today to testify to the massive
destruction, albeit a lot of it is nature's way of randomly
deciding the configuration of the planet I would guess, but in
human terms quite an extraordinary catastrophe where many of
the refuges down there, homes to just a myriad of splendid and
wonderful species, a number of which are endangered, have been
for the most part utterly and completely displaced.
We know it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to
repair not only the refuge areas, but the infrastructure that
is part of those refuge areas. Many of the people who have
lived and worked down there, many of them were in Fish and
Wildlife, have lost their homes.
I want to compliment the Fish and Wildlife Service. Having
visited the region in I guess it was October and November, all
the Federal people down in that area, especially the Fish and
Wildlife folks, responded in an extraordinary fashion, and they
responded in the way that you would expect people to respond.
They didn't wait for an order. They didn't wait for a memo.
They didn't wait for anybody to make a phone call. They just
got the boats out of their backyard, drove down that highway
and actually rescued thousands of people, so it was an
extraordinary display of a community where the integrity was
intact.
I want to compliment you, Mr. Hall, for all the people in
your Service that have done that and then collaborated as well
with people in NOAA and USGS, state folks, local folks. It
didn't matter what the identification was in your wallet, just
that people joined hands and did an extraordinary amount of
work.
What we would like to do today during this hearing is to
understand in a more specific way the items that we need to
address with a sense of urgency and the kind of money that
needs to do that and maybe even perhaps change some of the
regulatory or Federal statutes so this kind of thing can be--I
don't know if it could be any smoother given the initiative and
ingenuity that people displayed, but we will see what we can do
to complement your actions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Gilchrest follows:]
Statement of The Honorable Wayne T. Gilchrest, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans
Good morning. Today, the Subcommittee will conduct an oversight
hearing on the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on units of the
National Wildlife Refuge System in the Gulf Coast region.
While it did not receive a great deal of media attention, 33
National Wildlife Refuges in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi
suffered varying degrees of damage because of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. When these two massive category 5 hurricanes slammed into the
Gulf Coast they left behind some 1,400 victims, $85 billion in property
damages and the destruction of thousands of acres of critical wildlife
habitat. From my own observations, I would describe the devastation as
catastrophic, unbelievable and eerily similar to what I saw in Banda
Aceh, Indonesia, after the tsunami.
Over large areas, every tree was brown and every leaf was blown
off. Nearly 50 percent of the vegetation at the Breton National
Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, which was established in 1904, is gone.
Prior to these storms, Breton provided nesting habitat to 15 percent of
the world's brown pelicans and 30 percent of its sandwich terns. At the
Bayou Sauvage Refuge, which is located within the New Orleans levee
system, its 22,000 acres were inundated with brackish salt water.
Furthermore, these hurricanes destroyed critical habitat for a
number of Federally listed species including the endangered Alabama
beach mouse, red-cockaded woodpeckers and loggerhead sea turtles. The
hurricanes obliterated refuge visitor's centers, environmental and
interpretive buildings, administrative offices, refuge roads and
bridges, wildlife trails, hundreds of acres of timber and miles of
coastal barriers. These storms were the worst to ever strike the
National Wildlife Refuge System and the cumulative cost of Katrina,
Rita and Hurricane Wilma now exceeds $200 million dollars.
On February 16th the President submitted a new supplemental
appropriation request that would provide $132.4 million to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. Specifically, these emergency funds would be
designated for clean-up and facility repair. While I strongly support
this request, it is critical that this money also be available for
resource restoration. In my view, it is short sighted to simply repair
the physical structures without revitalizing the habitat for which
these refuges were created for in the first place. We must fix the
coastal barriers, wetlands and timber habitats which are vital to the
survival of thousands of species.
The purpose of this hearing is to try to quantify the amount and
type of damage done to National Wildlife Refuges in the Gulf; to
examine the Federal strategy for repairing, restoring and replacing
resources within the units; and to identify how much additional Federal
funds beyond the $132 million may be needed to be appropriated in the
future to rebuild this unique system of public lands.
Finally, I would like to compliment the leadership of the Fish and
Wildlife Service and its outstanding employees for their heroic efforts
in saving lives, clearing roads and improving the lives of those
citizens who continue to endure the hardships of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. The Fish and Wildlife Service was there to ease their pain and
suffering.
I now recognize the Ranking Minority Member, Congressman Frank
Pallone of New Jersey.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. I will now yield to the gentleman from New
Jersey.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Mr. Pallone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to submit
my full statement for the record because I know that we want to
get moving here this morning.
I am not going to repeat the things that you have said
about the devastation of lives and the communities and the
environment along the Gulf Coast as a result of the hurricane
and the fact that there were so many cases where people really
valiantly did what they had to do to try to help people and
save people's lives and property.
I wanted to commend you for convening the hearing. Many of
these affected refuges, after all, helped define the very
fabric of the region and contributed to the characterization of
the State of Louisiana particularly as a sportsmen's paradise.
Because of the scale of devastation and because Federal and
state resources are limited, recovery of the environment in
general and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats
specifically are likely to slip from the list of priorities. I
think the most important thing that we could state today is
that we can't let that happen.
It is unimaginable that we should leave to chance a matter
of such national importance and vital significance to the
future recovery of the Gulf Coast, and I think greater
attention should be directed to the impact of the hurricanes on
Gulf refuges, and that is why I think this hearing is an
important first step.
The scale of destruction at these refuges may be immense.
Moreover, the costs for recovery may be daunting, but we can't
shrink from our responsibility to restore these priceless
refuge lands, and hopefully we will learn more today about how
we can help.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Pallone follows:]
Statement of The Honorable Frank Pallone, Ranking Democrat,
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The vivid images broadcast by both network
and cable news channels that conveyed the total devastation of lives,
communities and the environment along the Gulf Coast as a result of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made an indelible impression in the minds
of millions of Americans. And that stark impression was that this
region will never be the same again.
Few people might realize it, but that impression might just as
easily apply to the several National Wildlife Refuges that line the
Gulf Coast from the Texas/Louisiana border across to the Florida
panhandle.
For example, it is my understanding that the Breton National
Wildlife Refuge--formerly an offshore, low-lying chain of coastal
islands valued as nesting habitat for endangered migratory birds and
sea turtles--was virtually wiped off the charts by Hurricane Katrina.
Not to be outdone, Hurricane Rita left debris piles--one six miles long
and wider than the Washington Mall--littered across the Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge.
For this reason, Mr. Chairman, and because of the fact that our
National Wildlife Refuges remain our preeminent system of Federal lands
devoted to the protection and conservation of wildlife, I commend you
for convening this morning's hearing. Many of these affected refuges,
after all, helped define the very fabric of the region and contributed
to the characterization of Louisiana as a ``Sportsman's Paradise.''
Because of the scale of the devastation, and because Federal and
State resources are limited, recovery of the environment in general,
and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat specifically, are likely
to slip from the list of priorities. Yet we cannot let that happen. It
is unimaginable that we should leave to chance a matter of such
national importance and vital significance to the future recovery of
the Gulf Coast.
Greater attention should be directed to the impact of these
hurricanes on Gulf refuges, and Mr. Chairman, this hearing is an
important first step. The scale of destruction at these refuges may be
immense. Moreover, the costs for recovery may be daunting. Yet we
cannot shrink from our responsibility to restore these priceless refuge
lands. Thank you.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Pallone.
I would also ask unanimous consent that my full statement
be entered into the record.
Mr. Hall, and I guess you have one of your staff along with
you today, Mr. Hamilton. Welcome.
Mr. Hall, you may begin.
STATEMENT OF H. DALE HALL, DIRECTOR, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE
SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; ACCOMPANIED BY SAM D.
HAMILTON, SOUTHEAST REGIONAL DIRECTOR, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE
SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Mr. Hall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Pallone. I would
like to introduce Sam Hamilton, who is our Regional Director
out of the Southeast. They really orchestrated the response for
the whole Fish and Wildlife Service. If there are specific
details that are needed, I have asked him to be here to help
out.
I ask that my written testimony be entered into the record
in its entirety.
Mr. Gilchrest. Without objection.
Mr. Hall. In order to make use of the best time that we
have here, I would like to focus on just three areas, the first
one being our people, the second one being the impacts that
were felt on the national wildlife refuges, and the third being
what we hope is a future course to move forward.
I could not be prouder of the people in the Fish and
Wildlife Service. You know, I described this once before as
being we led, followed or got out of the way, whatever was
needed. When it came time to rescue people, our folks got in
boats and assisted in rescuing 4,500 people.
When it came time to follow, we picked up chainsaws, and we
cleared roads and driveways and found people literally where
their respirators, the generators running the respirators, were
about to run out of gas and helped people get the help that
they desperately needed and also helped clear the pathway to
the Heart Hospital so that patients and the medical centers
could work.
When it came time to get out of the way, we opened our Big
Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge as a headquarters for all
the other workers to come in, take a shower and rest and have
laundry. We served 35,000 meals.
In the midst of all this, we had 50 employees that were
significantly impacted. Some of them lost everything, just like
everyone else down there did or a lot of people did, and yet
the very next morning they showed up to work and said what can
we do to help.
The second area is in the impacts that occurred. We have
130 national wildlife refuges in the southeast, and about 66 of
those were impacted. We also had three national fish hatcheries
and about 12 other offices down there that were impacted.
On the refuges we lost things from administrative buildings
to water control structures and everything in between, damage
to levees. We had significant impacts from toxic materials, oil
drums, et cetera, debris from refrigerators to things that you
just wouldn't expect to see on a national wildlife refuge.
If you will allow, I will quickly show some slides when I
am finished if that is appropriate.
Mr. Gilchrest. I think that is fine. We will get the
pictures back up there.
Adrian, if you can turn the lights off? The timing lights.
Leave the lights on the camera. There you go. Thanks.
[Slide.]
Mr. Hall. We had in some cases we estimated 115,000 to
350,000 gallons of unknown toxic gases and substances in drums,
et cetera, we were finding on the refuge in addition to all of
the refuse that was blown in.
Just basically every aspect of the national wildlife
refuges from levees to roads to trails to the buildings were
impacted, equipment, and then at the same time we have had the
aftermath to deal with.
Now, Congress appropriated $30 million in a supplemental
for us to get going, and we have been working diligently to
implement those dollars on pretty important projects. They will
all be obligated and spent by Labor Day.
The President has requested a $132 million additional
supplemental that could help us get after a lot of this
aftermath, and we have earmarked about $20 million of that,
should it be appropriated, for toxic cleanup to begin the
effort. It is very difficult to say how much it will exactly
cost because of getting contractors and getting out on the
ground.
The third thing though, and we can give you more details on
all of these if you would like. The third thing is where should
we be going? The future of the coast of Louisiana, Texas,
Alabama, Mississippi and Florida is almost certain to
experience additional hurricanes. The question is how do we
deal with them?
One of the things that is not recognized that the national
wildlife refuges provided in Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma
were buffer strips for the communities. As devastating as the
damage was, how much worse would it have been had those
marshes, wetlands and structures not been there to help slow
the storm down?
The U.S. Geological Survey has published literature that
says for every 2.7 miles that a hurricane travels across
marshes, estuaries and structures like oyster reefs, the
stormwater surge is reduced by one foot. Louisiana used to have
about 100 miles of solid meandering bayous and oyster reefs and
marshes that went down south of New Orleans. At that rate, the
storm surge would have been close to nothing had all those
marshes been there in their healthy condition.
We tend to think of wetlands and marshes as being wonderful
places for birds and fish and amphibians and reptiles and the
kinds of wildlife that we need there and production of
shellfish and the economy. That is only a portion of what they
do. They provide significant storm protection.
As Oliver Houck, a professor at Tulane University, has
said, those marshes are equitable to horizontal levees. In my
words, I have said that these marshes, they are the protection
for the levees, and the levees are the protection for the
people.
Any structure that is built for flood protection as we move
forward and for damage abatement we believe must have
additional restoration and creation of marshes and wetlands to
help slow the storms down so that America's investment in those
structures is protected.
In my own personal opinion, I don't believe that it is
possible to provide hurricane Level 5 protection to the City of
New Orleans or anyone along the Gulf Coast without the
protective buffers of the marshes and the wetlands to slow the
storms down. We simply can't do it with just manmade structures
alone. We need to let nature help us provide the buffer that
she always provided.
Those antebellum homes that were destroyed in Gulfport and
Biloxi that have lasted 200 years, we need to ask ourselves why
did this Category 5 storm cause the damage when those other
Category 5 storms like Camille didn't. Those homes lived
through that, and at least my observation is the loss of 48
square miles of marsh in Louisiana in the 1970s and the 1980s
and our efforts to reduce that to only 24 square miles per year
loss is the reason.
We need to figure out how to open up that river sediment
that is not flowing off the edge of the Continental Shelf that
used to build the marshes and let them go back there and start
rebuilding the marshes again. Anything that we can do to help
you there, we want to do it.
Mr. Chairman, I won't go on because I could easily get on a
soapbox here, and I don't want to do that. It is very important
for us to remember that no structure along the Gulf Coast in
our opinion can survive unless it has its protection in the
marshes and the wetlands.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hall follows:]
Statement of H. Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
U.S. Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, my name is H. Dale Hall and
I am the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Thank you for
the opportunity to discuss the devastating effect Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita have had on our national wildlife refuges and other valuable
natural resources across the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle
through Louisiana and the East Texas coast.
On behalf of all of our employees, I think it's important to say
here that we recognize we've got many challenges ahead. We know there
are still significant needs across the Gulf Coast that our employees
and many others are working hard to try to meet. Thousands of citizens
are still reeling from the emotional trauma of losing loved ones,
homes, and other personal belongings. Our own employees are among them.
We are under no illusions about the breadth of need out there.
The first priority should always be the well being of citizens
affected by these storms. And as the people of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, and Texas pick up the pieces and begin putting their lives
back together, we want to be ready when they once again have the time
to enjoy national wildlife refuges and other natural places to hunt,
fish, hike, canoe, and watch the amazing wildlife we are working with
partners to conserve and restore.
But I also want to emphasize that Refuges played another
significant role during the storms: the natural resource hit they
absorbed helped lessen the danger to people and structures. While the
damage remained significant, how much worse would it have been without
the storm buffering effects of the remaining coastal wetlands and
Refuges?
When Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, our people responded in large
numbers. They worked with others through the Incident Command Team and
our National Interagency Fire Center to rescue more than 4,500 people,
cleared more than 14 miles of roads, opened emergency corridors, and
provided access to the Louisiana Heart Hospital for starters. Indeed,
even as nearly 50 Service employees and their families lost much, if
not everything, as thousands of other citizens did, our employees were
out there almost immediately working to help others in need. Service
employees continue to make outstanding contributions to the recovery
effort across the Gulf Coast.
Damage to Service-Owned Facilities
The Service has over 130 national wildlife refuges in the
southeast, of which 66 were affected. Additionally, 3 national fish
hatcheries and 12 other Service facilities were impacted. The majority
of these Service-owned facilities were, at one time, closed due to the
impact of the hurricanes. Most have since been reopened, albeit at a
much reduced capacity to provide services. The exception is Sabine
National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Louisiana, which remains
closed because of the presence of large piles of potentially hazardous
debris that pose a risk to human safety. Examples of damages to refuge
facilities include:
Destruction of administrative buildings;
Destruction of public facilities such as restrooms,
boardwalks, and boat ramps;
Destruction of roads and bridges;
Breaching of levees and dikes;
Loss of motor vehicles and vessels;
Damage to water control structures; and
Loss of office and maintenance equipment.
Damage to Natural Resources
In addition to damaging and destroying Service facilities, the
hurricanes wrought extensive damage on important natural resources
throughout the region. Our National Wildlife Refuges were no exception.
Beach dunes and coastal marshes that provide essential wildlife habitat
and protect vital coastal infrastructure were washed away or severely
eroded. Freshwater marshes that serve as nurseries for migratory
waterfowl and important commercial fish species were inundated with
salt water, exposed to ocean tides, or converted to open water. Severe
winds leveled large tracts of forest that serve as important habitat
for cavity nesting birds and other species. Specific examples sustained
to natural resources on refuge lands include:
Transformation of approximately 118 square miles of
coastal wetlands and marshes to open water across Southeastern
Louisiana. These wetlands once served as buffers that diminished the
power and devastation of hurricanes and other storms;
Breton NWR, one of the islands comprising the hard-hit
Chandeleur barrier island chain, lost approximately 50 percent of its
land mass;
An estimated 234 square miles of coastal wetlands and
bottomland forests have been damaged on national wildlife refuges. This
represents expanses of coastal marshlands along the Louisiana/
Mississippi coast and important inland systems like the Atchefalaya
basin;
Primary and secondary dunes that protect inland areas and
provide habitat for the Alabama beach mouse were destroyed, and beaches
along the Alabama coast that normally host nesting sea turtles were
washed away;
More than 70 percent of cavity trees used by Red-cockaded
Woodpeckers in Big Branch Marsh NWR were destroyed; and
Thousands of acres of coastal and freshwater marshes were
ripped, torn, or washed away impacting hundreds of acres of wintering
habitat for a wide variety of migratory birds, waterfowl and aquatic
organisms. For example, 70 percent of the continent's mottled ducks are
found in coastal Louisiana and the Texas.
Katrina and Rita have also impacted ecosystems that support many
threatened and endangered species in ways that may not be readily
apparent. The impact to highly imperiled freshwater mussels and gulf
sturgeon in the rivers of Lake Pontchartrain and in the Pearl,
Pascagoula, and Escambia River Systems has yet to be assessed. Rare
natural dune systems that support endangered beach mice populations
along the Gulf Coast have been heavily damaged by hurricanes two years
in a row. Hurricane Katrina caused significant changes in some of the
coastal habitats that support the recovering Gulf Coast population of
listed brown pelicans. Though the full extent of this type of damage to
our natural resources is not immediately measurable, we are working
with colleagues at the United States Geological Survey, state fish and
wildlife agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental
Protection Agency, and conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited
and The Nature Conservancy to determine the full extent of impacts from
the most devastating hurricane season in several decades.
The loss of these valuable habitats and ecosystem functions is akin
to losing functional levees. Tulane law professor Oliver Houck is
attributed with calling the vast wetlands that once occurred between
New Orleans and Grand Isle, Louisiana, as ``horizontal levees,'' as
important, or more so, than the vertical levees built by man. It has
long been recognized that oyster reefs, coral reefs, marshes, barrier
islands and bottomland hardwood wetlands serve to dull the teeth of
storms and their potential damage. Research has shown that for every
2.7 miles a hurricane travels over these natural structures, the
resulting storm surge is reduced by one foot. See U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, 1961 Interim Survey Report: Mississippi River Delta at and
Below New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans District, December 29, 1961.
Historically, a solid mass of wetlands, oyster reefs and slowly
meandering bayous wove their way for nearly 100 miles from New Orleans
south to the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past half century, that has
changed.
In the 1970's and 1980's, Louisiana coastal wetlands were being
lost at a rate of up to 48 square miles per year. That loss has now
been ``reduced'' to 24 square miles per year, a rate that simply cannot
be sustained. Indeed, the trend needs to be reversed. As we move
forward in addressing the significant challenges that face us in
rebuilding the Gulf Coast, we must keep in mind that while levees
protect people, wetlands protect both people and levees. Wetland
restoration must be a part of any rebuilding plan if we are to address
future risks to human safety.
In the subsiding environment of coastal Louisiana, conversion of
wetlands to open water has resulted in large areas of a system that no
longer maintain their vertical elevation and vegetative cover.
Unfortunately, those subsiding and ``deeper'' large areas of the
Louisiana coastal ecosystem more efficiently transmit storm surges than
would shallower, healthy vegetated areas that have maintained their
elevation. Louisiana coastal marshes are geologically among the
youngest lands in the United States. Historically fed by sediment laden
waters from the Mississippi River, these marshes were in a continual
building process. Since construction of the mainline Mississippi and
Atchefalaya River levee system, however, the rich soils from over 30
percent of the U.S. drainage are now being deposited off the edge of
the continental shelf at a rate exceeding 10 tons per second.
How to restore a semblance of the depositional functions of the
river to the marshes will pose significant challenges, but challenges
that must be met nonetheless. These challenges should be faced head on
with the welfare of the American people as the constant goal. The
effort, however, must be collaboratively orchestrated between the
federal, state and local governments, and must include academia and
professional organizations and societies. No long-term solution can be
expected from any single entity, but must occur through cooperation and
collaboration from a myriad of sources.
Debris Cleanup
As previously mentioned, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge remains
closed due to the vast amount of debris, including potentially
hazardous debris that is piled throughout the marsh. It has been
estimated that over nine million cubic yards of debris, including
between 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of hazardous liquids and gases, are
spread over 1,770 acres of marsh. While the problem is most severe at
Sabine, other refuges, including Bayou Sauvage, Cameron Prairie,
Lacassine, Bon Secour, and Delta are strewn with tons of debris
including tractor trailer containers, household appliances, propane
tanks, chemical drums, and organic material. Exact costs for removing
this debris have yet to be determined, but the preliminary cost
estimate for debris clean-up and recovery of subsurface tanks could
range from $10 to $50 million at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge alone.
Supplemental Funding
On September 21, the Service received the authority to transfer $10
million in emergency funds for emergency operations. These funds were
used to cover the cost of emergency management, including the cost of
emergency teams that conducted Service recovery and relief efforts.
In December, the Service received $30 million in supplemental
funding for the repair and reconstruction of facilities necessary to
restore operational capabilities. By Memorial Day, these funds will be
obligated. The majority of these funds have been expended on projects
such as:
Over $4.7 million to repair the Maxent Levee at Bayou
Sauvage NWR;
Over $3 million per refuge to repair facilities at
Loxahatchee NWR, Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR and National Key Deer
NWR;
Over $700,000 to replace damaged vehicles and equipment
at refuges throughout the region;
Over $600,000 to repair roads and bridges at Big Branch
Marsh NWR; and
Over $300,000 per refuge to repair trails, boardwalks,
campgrounds, fences, signs, docks and parking areas at Bayou Sauvage
NWR, Big Branch Marsh NWR, and Bon Secour NWR
In addition, the Administration has requested additional
supplemental funding of $132.4 million for Service-related clean-up and
facility repair needs. Projects that would be completed under this
request include items such as:
$30 million to repair levees, dikes and water control
structures at Sabine NWR and Cameron Prairie NWR, and at Bayou Sauvage
NWR, where the Maxent Levee not only provides wildlife habitat but also
supports flood control for East New Orleans;
Over $13 million to repair facilities, roads, and bridges
at Mississippi Refuges;
Over $24 million to remove hazardous and other debris at
Sabine NWR and other refuges throughout the region;
Over $9 million to repair facilities at Sabine NWR and
over $11 million to repair facilities at other refuges throughout the
region; and
Over $3 million to repair public infrastructure at Sabine
NWR and $2 million for beach renourishment at Breton NWR.
A complete table of prioritized damages to be addressed with
supplemental funding, both that which we have already received and that
which has been requested, is included in the attached table.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, our employees are working hard each day to aid in the
recovery from last year's devastating storms. The supplemental funds we
have received helped the Service conduct emergency operations and begin
to restore operational capabilities to facilities throughout the Gulf
Coast. The additional funds we have requested will help us address our
most critical needs at the 81 Service-owned facilities impacted by
hurricanes during the 2005 season, including 66 national wildlife
refuges, three national fish hatcheries, and 12 other Service-owned
facilities. In the coming years, we hope to restore our refuges to
places Americans can come to hunt, fish, hike, canoe, and watch amazing
wildlife, and we are ready to assist the States and private landowners
in restoring the habitats that support healthy people, healthy
wildlife, and a healthy economy.
But as we make progress in all these areas, it must be understood
that short term restoration efforts can only heal the present wounds.
The long-term stability of the Gulf Coast, its people and its economy
will depend on our willingness to face difficult problems that are long
term in nature, recognize that no long-term solution will be effective
without natural buffer restoration, and that legitimate risk analyses
should drive economic and human safety decisions.
Thank you again for the opportunity to be here. I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Hall. Washington is a
soapbox. There are thousands of soapboxes around here with the
staff and the Members.
The members of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and there are
numerous other Federal and state agency people down there that
I am sure lost homes and vehicles and all kinds of things. Are
you aware of any of the Fish and Wildlife Service people in
that region, the Gulf region that was affected by the last
couple of hurricanes, that are still finding it difficult to
find a place to live?
Mr. Hall. We know of about 16 that lost everything. I will
ask Regional Director Hamilton if he knows what the status is
of their assistance.
Mr. Hamilton. We still have several folks that are living
in trailers, FEMA trailers, and going through the insurance
woes that so many other folks on the Gulf Coast are going
through.
We have folks primarily in the southeast Louisiana area,
and we do have a few in southwest Louisiana, that are still
displaced and in temporary accommodations.
Mr. Gilchrest. Since they work for the Federal government,
is there any advantage to working for the Federal government,
knowing how to work the system? My wife always said I had
better health insurance when I was a school teacher.
Is the system, in your mind, for your employees, and then
we will take the system that you are aware of with your
employees as far as accommodations, insurance, response by FEMA
and so on. That will be a reflection on the system as a whole
for the most part I would guess.
How is it working for your employees to get through the
bureaucracy?
Mr. Hall. Go ahead.
Mr. Hamilton. That is a good question. I don't think there
is much difference at all, quite honestly. These folks I think
suffered just like everyone else down there. They are in
various stages of trying to find housing.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, we did our best. People
rolled up their sleeves, collected donations and tried to
accommodate as best we could as an organization to try to take
care of our folks, but they stood in line like everybody else.
It was kind of interesting, I think. Director Hall
mentioned that the first thing they did was to try to secure
their places, but really went out into the community and
started helping other folks. I think they are treated just like
everyone else.
Mr. Gilchrest. All of you are to be commended.
As far as the debris is concerned and the toxic materials,
could you give us some idea how much can be buried onsite, how
much has to be hauled away and how much is likely to be
incinerated and then some ballpark estimate?
Mr. Hall, you mentioned $20 million. Is that a good
starting point? I don't think that would cover the problem.
Mr. Hall. I think a lot of the non-toxic materials we will
try and find places to haul them off or bury them, et cetera,
where they won't have lingering environmental consequences.
Mr. Gilchrest. Is the EPA helping with that, the Corps of
Engineers helping with that? How does that work?
Mr. Hall. Well, EPA and the Corps are working with us to
try and help us determine toxicity and other things. We have
some people on staff. You know, our Environmental Contaminants
folks are with that.
On the ground, they are working with us. We are working
with everyone out there, but anything that is toxic will have
to be carried off and properly disposed of. Incineration is a
method being considered, but there is so much of that. We
aren't sure how we can even find proper places to incinerate it
all.
The $20 million that is, in our view, sort of designated to
begin that is a beginning. This is going to be a long-term
process.
Mr. Gilchrest. We are going down next week to look at some
of the fisheries issues and some of the wetland issues. Maybe a
followup trip just to look at the problem of debris would be in
order.
I think my time has probably expired. Before I yield to Mr.
Pallone, the folks in the back can sit in the lower dais if you
would like.
Mr. Pallone?
Mr. Pallone. Don't hesitate to come on up. You seem like
you are hesitating. Really, it is fine.
I just wanted to ask Mr. Hall. The Administration has
requested $132 million in additional emergency appropriations
for the refuges affected by the hurricanes, and along with the
$30 million I guess supplemental appropriation Congress passed
in December that is a total of $162 million. This figure is
consistent with the earlier estimates made by Fish and Wildlife
Service of damages to facilities, vehicles and public use
facilities.
My question is, is this number enough to fully restore the
damaged refuges, because the Fish and Wildlife Service has also
estimated there are almost $100 million in natural resource
related costs from clearing down trees, monitoring of wildlife
and habitat, so why has the Administration been reluctant to
request monies for these important costs?
Mr. Hall. First, you are correct that the $162 million was
in the proximity of what our original estimates were.
As I just mentioned earlier, I am not sure that anyone can
tell you what the total costs are going to end up being. We are
going with estimates that we have. We are doing the best we can
on the structural type aspects, and then we frankly will come
back and let people know how much it has taken care of and
where we are.
Contracting is a real issue on the Gulf Coast. Not only is
it hard to get a contractor They are pretty proud of their work
price. Things are costing us a little more money. It is a bid
process, and we are trying to work on it. We will have to come
back to you.
The second part of your question, why hasn't the
Administration supported the $100 million we think is therefore
at least a first estimate on resource damages. I am not sure of
the total answer for that, but I do know that the
Administration, in looking at the natural resource issues, is
trying to look at the myriad of natural resource issues along
the Gulf Coast in the context of what I just mentioned earlier
about finding ways to restore the marshes, finding ways to
rebuild, findings ways to harvest blown down timber and get new
trees growing because we had 150,000 acres impacted just on our
national wildlife refuges.
What I am getting back in the conversations is that they
are trying to get their arms around all of the different
possibilities. FEMA, for example, cannot use funding on Federal
lands, but my understanding is that seven percent of the monies
allocated to FEMA could be used to acquire habitat, to acquire
lands, to reduce risk.
We don't know whether or not that plays in and the Corps of
Engineers' activities for the structures and how much wetland
restoration recovery will come from there. I think that they
are still trying to get their arms around just how large this
question is.
Mr. Pallone. Now, the cost for cleaning up the hazardous
materials at the Sabine. I guess I am pronouncing it right.
Mr. Hall. Sabine.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and others
are obviously potentially astronomical. Secretary Norton
testified last week that $50 million of the Administration's
$132 million request was going to hazardous materials cleanup.
Obviously they need to be a priority to ensure that the
refuges are safe for employees and visitors, but if the $50
million is earmarked from the $132 million what will happen to
damaged refuge infrastructure, and what won't be repaired if we
don't provide enough funds to cover all of your storm-related
costs?
I guess I am concerned that we may be simply borrowing
against the growing operations and maintenance budget without
having any intention of providing the funding to cover those
expenses.
Mr. Hall. If I may, I would like to give you an answer and
then follow up for the record to make sure my answer is
correct.
Mr. Pallone. Sure.
Mr. Hall. My understanding is the $50 million estimate is
what we expected to place on Sabine Refuge alone, the single
refuge for the work to be done there, and $20 million of that
would be at the beginning point for the toxic materials.
Possibly two $50 million figures are getting crossed over
here. The estimate for toxic cleanup ranges from $20 million to
$50 million. Then the numbers that we are trying to say we
believe it will probably take to restore the infrastructure and
clean it up at Sabine is in the $50 million figure.
I will double check that for the record and get back to
you, but I think that might be the confusing point.
Mr. Pallone. So you are not concerned that we are borrowing
against operations and maintenance?
Mr. Hall. No. We are talking about $30 million, at least to
my understanding, and I will verify this for the record for
you. My understanding is that $50 million would be going to
Sabine. $20 million of that would be for toxic cleanup, $30
million for other infrastructures.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Thanks.
Mr. Hall. Is that correct? OK.
Mr. Pallone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Mr. Kind?
Mr. Kind. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you and
the Ranking Member for holding this very important hearing. It
is one of the great really untold stories of the impact of
Katrina and Rita that we are experiencing in those southern
Gulf states.
Again, I, along with the others, are very appreciative of
the work that Fish and Wildlife Service has done with regard to
the emergency response that had to be dealt with immediately,
but also this short- and long-term planning that you are
undergoing right now. The scope of the work is quite mind-
boggling.
We are dealing with the supplemental right now to try to
address a lot of the short-term projects, but obviously it is
really the tip of an iceberg, the impression I am getting with
the more information that I am privy to.
One of the questions I have, and we know how incredibly
valuable the refuge and the wetlands and the marshes are in
regard to storm protection for a lot of these communities in
the southern states, but in regards to the priorities, the
levee reconstruction versus wetlands rehabilitation. Is that
something that we have to do simultaneously, or does one have a
higher priority than another?
I mean, what is the real long-term vision in regards to
what do we have to accomplish now to try to restore a lot of
the natural habitat and also access storm protection versus the
man-made construction that needs to be repaired at the same
time?
Mr. Hall. I will answer that and then also let Regional
Director Hamilton add to it.
Those structures are down there. The levees, the water
control structures, these other physical structures are there
to help us manage and create the wetlands and do things with
them.
As long as the levees are breached, as long as water
control structures are out, it is going to be difficult for us
to do the management necessary to make sure that the outcome in
wetlands on the refuge are there, so we place the structures
first so that we can move into management. We do want to
quickly move into management as soon as the structures are
there.
Is that correct?
Mr. Hamilton. That is correct. I mean, we have our own set
of levees. There are flood protection levees that you hear
about in New Orleans, and folks are talking about Category 5
storms, and then we have our own management levees and water
control structures that we use for wildlife management. We are
trying to get those back in place because those are critical to
be able to manage freshwater in-flows and for wildlife.
In terms of the other levees and what Director Hall
mentioned a minute ago was that the wetlands are a critical
part of the overall flood attenuation, everything that goes on
down there. That is a critical part of what has been lost over
the years at a huge rate.
We have a golden opportunity right now to really do it
right. There will be structural alternatives proposed, but if
wetlands are not part of that we have really missed it in our
minds.
Mr. Kind. Is Fish and Wildlife taking the lead or
prioritizing a calculation of the habitat destruction that
occurred there, the impact it is going to have on like
waterfowl species, or are outside organizations like DU--I see
Mr. Young is here--doing a lot of that calculation right now?
Mr. Hall. It is truly a team effort. Inside the Federal
government from a scientific standpoint our folks are certainly
out there working, and so is the U.S. Geological Survey on
trying to help us understand what is left of the marshes.
D.U., Nature Conservancy, all these partners, the state,
have been critical in this. Frankly, I wish the public could
truly see the partnership and the cooperation that is going on.
We could not do it without them. No entity can do this alone.
We are doing it together, and I am really proud of that.
Mr. Kind. Well, personally that is going to be one of the
keys to how successful we are as we move forward is this
crucial public/private partnership and how we can meld things
together to try to accomplish similar goals. That is going to
be absolutely vital.
In regards to the scope of the hazardous waste cleanup, it
is my understanding it is the biggest challenge we have ever
faced within the refuge system in the history of our country.
How much of this is going to be naturally flushed out or
taken care of by nature alone? How much is going to have to be
dealt with by us in getting in there and cleaning it up
ourselves?
Mr. Hall. Well, the materials that we are really concerned
about, we hope none of them get flushed out. We hope we get all
of them out, and they are not exposed and released into the
environment.
Other debris-type materials frankly, like I said--
refrigerators and cars and boats. I mean, everything is there.
We will hopefully just try and deal with that by burying it,
but I don't believe that this is the kind of challenge that we
want nature assimilating it. This is the kind of thing that we
want to remove it from nature.
Mr. Kind. So if we have sunken tanks or things of that
nature we have to literally just go in and pull that out? We
just cannot let that be subterranean?
Mr. Hall. Well, no. The subterranean things are if you
noticed in some of these slides there was one there in the
marshes in the open area, the open water area, that showed like
little chevrons. That was a NAWCA project. They survived.
You know, anything that the water got up above--I mean, the
damage was from wind and surface action, and so even those
levees inside open water areas survived to do what we wanted
them to do in removing sediment and allowing grasses to come
into the bay, et cetera, so things underground certainly we are
concerned about possible ruptures if they occurred, but we are
really concerned about what is laying on the surface right now.
Mr. Kind. OK. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you wanting to go
down and have a field hearing next week. Unfortunately, due to
prior commitments I am not going to be able to make that, but
if you are planning a second trip down there I would certainly
be interested in coming along for that.
I guess I am happy to report today that myself and
Representative Jim Saxton, Mike Castle and Mike Thompson are
moving forward on the formation of a national refuge caucus
here in the House of Representatives, and we would like to
delve into this particular issue as one of our first working
projects out of the block, so we will look forward to some
follow-up contact and communications with all of you as we get
this caucus up and going.
Mr. Hall. We are really pleased to hear that.
Mr. Kind. Yes. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Kind.
I have just a couple of follow-up questions and wonder if
Adrian can put those pictures back up there on the screen.
While we are waiting for those, I guess, Mr. Hall, the
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act talks
about things that FEMA can do and FEMA cannot do. I guess one
of the things that FEMA cannot do is it has no authority to
clean up debris on Federal land.
Mr. Hall. That is correct.
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes. Leave it right there, Adrian. Thanks.
[Slide.]
Mr. Gilchrest. Given the situation, in this circumstance is
FEMA too overwhelmed with everything else they are doing to
assist in this cleanup, or can the Corps of Engineers?
You say it is a big team effort down there. Is there any
statute that we could change or modify that would expedite some
of this cleanup?
Mr. Hall. Well, there are a couple of obstacles. I can't
suggest law changes, but I can tell you that the obstacle for
using FEMA funds on Federal lands, especially when those
Federal lands are providing protective buffers to the people,
is something that certainly should be evaluated.
The other one is, and this was a pretty significant concern
to us. All of our people were out there working. We sent them,
no questions asked. We didn't say where is the money coming
from. FEMA was not able to in most, the vast majority, of cases
reimburse us for helping them with FEMA activities because we
were not on their list. That is troublesome.
Mr. Gilchrest. You were not on their list because?
Mr. Hall. You know, I don't know the answer to that. I
don't know who establishes the list.
Mr. Gilchrest. You were never specifically tasked?
Mr. Hall. The Fish and Wildlife Service.
Mr. Gilchrest. I see.
Mr. Hall. If we got a task order, it usually was through
the Corps of Engineers or through someone else.
Mr. Gilchrest. I see.
Mr. Hall. They had the list of agencies that is a task
workforce type list, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is not
on there.
Mr. Gilchrest. And yet you were the first responders.
Mr. Hall. We ended up, frankly, absorbing all of our costs
out of operations.
Mr. Gilchrest. Right.
Mr. Hall. We would do it again because of the need.
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes.
Mr. Hall. But that is something we couldn't do very many
times.
Mr. Gilchrest. We are going to try to make sure that you
get your due compensation one way or the other.
The other quick comment about the restoration of the
wetlands and the marshes. This may not be the best adequate
picture, but given the fact that you went from 48 square miles
a year losing fastland to 20 some square miles, can you tell us
about how many square miles was lost between Rita and Katrina
in lower Louisiana and how do you rebuild that land under the
present circumstances? Is it likely?
This is a good example I guess of some of the structures
you are putting up.
Mr. Hall. That is the NAWCA grant----
Mr. Gilchrest. It is the NAWCA grant.
Mr. Hall.--that survived it because it went underwater.
Mr. Gilchrest. Can you tell me how many square miles was
lost in Rita and Katrina? Did that exacerbate that 20 some
square miles so it is back up to 40 square miles?
Is there any prediction about the amount of dollars or how
you are going to put the sediment back in those marsh areas to
keep them from washing away?
Mr. Hall. Well, I will give two quick responses.
Mr. Gilchrest. OK.
Mr. Hall. And then I will ask Sam to follow up. The first
quick response is that we calculate that on national wildlife
refuges alone we lost in the neighborhood of 220 square miles
or were impacted. A lot of that turned to open water.
We are not exactly sure how much of that will respond. Some
of that is timber because we haven't broken it down the way you
have asked for it, but we can try and get that. Some of it was
timber blown over.
Those are impacted acres, but a large portion of that was
this kind of open marshland turned to open water, which of
course----
Mr. Gilchrest. Is that a marshland turned to open water?
Mr. Hall. No. This is marshland. The marsh starts up there
at the edge.
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes.
Mr. Hall. This is an example of what we could do to try and
improve the conditions down there. We use NAWCA to do that.
This was an example that we do know ways to try and do this.
Another way though is the marshes have just simply been
starved. When the mainline Mississippi levees were
constructed--the floodplain of the Mississippi River was
historically 100 miles wide when you get down into the Lower
Mississippi.
Now it is constrained by the mainline Mississippi levees
and the mainline Atchefalaya levees and so all of that
sediment, 10 to 20 tons per second, is just being shot straight
off the edge of the Continental Shelf, which is also
contributing to the hypoxia zone that you also hear about.
That sediment was the food to build the marshes, and we
need to figure out long-term how to get some of that sediment
back over into doing the job that it was doing to build the
marshes when the levees were built.
Now, as far as the overall, I will ask Sam to respond to
that.
Mr. Hamilton. Well, there have been a number of figures. We
have seen as high as 118 square miles of productive marsh
converted to open water in a period of eight hours. That is a
staggering amount when you look at the nation's wetland loss
rate, what happened in eight hours on the coast.
These fragile marshes, as Director Hall had mentioned, have
been starved for really a century in terms of sediment, so they
are very fragile, and certain parts of the Louisiana coast are
suffering more than others.
I sit on the Louisiana Wetlands Task Force and representing
Secretary Norton, often referred to as the Breaux Act, the
CWPPRA Program. It is not a question of how you do it or the
know-how how to do it. There are structures that are in place
that can work--Caernarvon, the Davis structures. There are
diversion structures that are designed and engineered to pour
sediment and water out into the marshes, so they can work.
The wave action structures that you saw are designed to
stop the fetch that comes across open water and allows
sediments to build behind it so that marshes can be created.
There are probably, I am going to guess, 100 to 200
projects that are on the books today that are through the
Breaux Act that funding has not been available through that
program in order to construct them. We are taking them one at a
time, taking the highest priorities one at a time. We have been
doing that for years. We know how to do it.
Mr. Gilchrest. Will we see you down there next week? Could
you give us a dollar figure for those projects that come under
the Breaux Act that you have to do one at a time if it is
possible that those projects are ready to go and that money
could come down and you could expedite this process?
Mr. Hamilton. We can get you the figures, and then the LCA,
which is really the bigger, longer term view, the Louisiana
Coastal Authority, the bigger projects have some cost figures
with those.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you.
We have the votes underway, and I am not sure if either Mr.
Pallone or Mr. Kind had one follow-up question before we head
down.
Mr. Pallone. I don't know if we have time, but I just
wanted to ask in terms of the amounts requested in this recent
supplemental funding request is there any funding to establish
a network of observation and monitoring systems or stations, I
should say, to assess ecological change and recovery over time?
I mean, obviously so much money is going to be spent, and I
am just wondering if we are going to have some kind of
observation or monitoring stations so we can see whether it is
well spent.
Mr. Hall. In our portion of the supplemental, we are
putting every dollar we can to restoration. I don't know if
there are portions of this request for U.S. Geological Survey,
for example, to do monitoring on change.
Mr. Pallone. How would you assess then whether the money is
being well spent? What kind of assessment would there be?
Mr. Hall. Well, we would hope to get there. I mean, we
certainly will want to do that. I am just saying our first
priority is to restore.
Mr. Pallone. Sure.
Mr. Hall. We do need to get though, once we are able to go
out and start restoring, we do want to monitor. We were doing
that before with the help of USGS, and we will continue to do
that, but that is a little further down the road.
Do you want to add?
Mr. Hamilton. Let me just add one thing. Yesterday, for
example, we had a helicopter in the air at Sabine Refuge and at
Cameron Prairie Refuge, and we were flying USGS scientists who
were collecting water quality data looking at the effect of
salinity.
They have actually got money in their budget to do some of
the research and monitoring. We used our helicopter to get them
up to do that.
Mr. Pallone. Maybe with the Chairman's permission you could
maybe get back to us in writing about how you would assess it
and whether there would be some monitoring station or whatever
envisioned down the road.
Mr. Hall. Absolutely, Mr. Pallone.
Mr. Pallone. Thank you.
Mr. Hall. We can do that.
Mr. Pallone. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Pallone.
Mr. Kind, any follow-up?
Mr. Kind. No, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Gentlemen, thank you very much. We apologize
for the vote.
Mr. Hall?
Mr. Hall. I just want to make one final comment if I may,
and that is you will be hearing from another panel when you
come back. I just can't say enough about the partnership and
what these panelists will be telling you.
None of this could happen unless we were doing this
together, so I want to enter for the record our appreciation
and compliments to the people that have been helping us out.
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Hall, Mr. Hamilton.
We will recess until noon.
[Whereupon, at 10:40 a.m. the Committee recessed, to
reconvene at 12:00 p.m. the same day.]
Mr. Gilchrest. The hearing will come to order. Thank you,
all of you, for coming this afternoon and for bearing with the
vote schedule.
I don't know if we will be interrupted between now and the
end of the hearing, but I understand there is another hearing
in this room at 1:30, and I have another meeting at 1:30. This
is Washington scheduling. Thank you for coming. We look forward
to your testimony.
This afternoon we have Mr. Don Young, Executive Vice
President, Ducks Unlimited. Thank you. Mr. W. Parke Moore, III,
Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries. Welcome, sir. Mr. Evan Hirsche, President, National
Wildlife Refuge Association. Welcome. Mr. Michael Daulton,
Director of Conservation Policy, National Audubon Society.
Thank you. And Mr. David Richard, Executive Vice President,
Stream Property Management, Inc., Stream Company. Welcome.
Thank you very much for coming, and I think we will start
with Mr. Don Young.
STATEMENT OF DON A. YOUNG, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,
DUCKS UNLIMITED
Mr. Young. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is indeed a pleasure
and honor to be before you and your committee again this week.
As you mentioned, I am Don Young, the Executive Vice
President of Ducks Unlimited, and we represent a conservation
organization that has been in business since 1937. Its mission
is to focus on wetlands and waterfowl conservation, and we do
that effectively across the entire North American continent.
I would like for the record to enter my written testimony
if you will, sir, and we will proceed from there.
Mr. Gilchrest. Without objection.
Mr. Young. Thank you, sir.
As I have mentioned, the subject of today is entirely
consistent with Ducks Unlimited's conservation mission. We are
very concerned about wetland issues across North America and
particularly with respect to what has been transpiring on the
Gulf Coast of this great nation.
We are obviously well aware organizationally, as are people
around this room and across this nation, regarding the
significant damage that occurred there last fall. I would like
to bring to your attention the fact that the DU organization as
a whole has been stepping forward in our typical fashion to
help out not only with the wetland restoration issues there,
but the DU community if you will--we have presence in virtually
every community in the nation--has stepped forward to provide
relief efforts for hurricane victims down there led by our past
Chairman of the Board, Dr. L.J. Mayeaux, a physician from the
area around Alexandria.
Over the course of about a week's time, the Ducks Unlimited
constituency from across this nation mobilized dollars, as well
as finite resources, to the tune of about 40 tons of relief
supplies were provided by our Ducks Unlimited membership to aid
the relief efforts in that part of the world. We are proud of
that activity not just with respect to our wetlands and
wildlife issues, but, most importantly, with regard to the
people there.
In response, Mr. Chairman, to the concerns regarding the
wetlands issues in that part of the world that I will speak to
in more detail, we made, if you will, a preemptive commitment
of an additional $15 million as an organization to nudge along
the wetland restoration efforts in that part of the world, and
that is incremental resources applied to this particular
effort.
We believe, given that our mission relates to wetland
conservation, that the issue before this committee today is
entirely consistent with concerns for the Fish and Wildlife
Service--we heard from Mr. Hall this morning--and the national
wildlife refuge system as a whole.
Diverse parties have come to the table, many of whom are
represented at the table here today, coupled with the Fish and
Wildlife Service and others, to put their attention to this
vital issue for the nation. We are well aware that the Chairman
of the House Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, has provided a
letter with respect to his support for funding allocations to
deal with this particular issue.
I would like to bring to the Committee's attention an
excerpt from that letter which Ducks Unlimited wholeheartedly
supports. I will read, if I may, in quotes:
``Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this request for
additional funding and believe it will go a long way toward
reducing the preliminary damage estimates to the refuge system
of $208 million. However, I would urge that you broaden the
availability of these funds to include resource restoration. It
is absolutely critical that these coastal wetlands be restored
because they are the lifeblood of these wildlife resources and
are absolutely necessary for the stability of the coastal
region.''
We believe the Chairman was right in terms of his
conclusions about the issue, and we would like to provide
additional support this afternoon for this particular topic.
I would like to begin by talking briefly about the
importance of the Gulf Coast to migratory birds, which are
fundamental to our work. Louisiana and Texas represent crucial
areas with regard to our mission. In fact, they represent one
of the top five conservation priorities for our organization
across North America.
From a waterfowl specific perspective, these areas are
vitally important with a number of species, including the
gadwall and gray duck from that part of the world.
Approximately 70 percent of that entire population of gadwalls
winter in that Gulf Coast area, and significant numbers of also
green-winged teal and scaup, to name a few, find this area to
be incredibly important for their wintering needs.
The saline, the brackish and the freshwater wetlands of the
Gulf Coast are vitally important to support these birds, and we
believe that needs to be brought to a lot of people's
attention. It is not only waterfowl, Mr. Chairman, that depend
upon these wetlands. Hundreds of other species, including
shorebirds such as sandpipers and also endangered species such
as the piping plover are very much dependent upon that
particular part of the world.
I would also bring to your attention that importantly a
wide variety of fish species depend upon these both freshwater
and saltwater habitats, and that in turn provides significant
issues with respect to one other important species, and that is
people. From a recreational and commercial fisheries
perspective, that is fairly intuitively obvious, but also the
oil and gas industry is vitally dependent upon these areas.
Wetlands in general, beyond their value from a flood
attenuation perspective and erosion reduction perspective, also
are vitally important for the provision of clean and abundant
fresh water for people as well.
The overarching problem we are facing in this part of the
world relates to an ongoing degradation of wetlands. Mr. Hall
spoke earlier today about how this is occurring on an ongoing
basis. Approximately 25 square miles of wetland are lost each
year by ongoing activities, including coastal subsidence, but
the hurricanes of last fall, Rita and Katrina in particular,
put an accelerated pressure in terms of wetland loss in that
part of the world.
Perhaps to briefly put it in perspective, if the scope of
the wetland loss that occurred during last summer and fall was
to transpire here in the nation's capital, within a period of
less than two years the only dry area in the District of
Columbia would be the nation's Capitol Hill building itself.
Looking forward two years from now, had we seen that rate
of loss continuing the flooding would result in the respected
Members of this committee having to canoe to work, which is a
pretty sad commentary on what is happening in Louisiana right
now. We are, as an organization, very engaged in trying to
ensure that the work down there will provide protection for not
only wildlife, but also for people, as I mentioned.
Mr. Hall again mentioned this morning the buffering effect
or if you want to call it a speed bump for hurricanes occurs in
the form of these wetlands that protect these areas. It is
considered that for every mile of wetland lost in that part of
the world, we lose the protection of one foot of storm surge,
so we very much believe it is an important issue.
Turning my attention now to post-hurricane conditions and
impacts on migratory birds, that is yet to be fully quantified.
Some of our colleagues here at the table may speak to this
issue a little bit more, but suffice it to say when we are
losing tens and even hundreds of square miles of wetlands it is
clearly going to have both short-term and long-term impacts
upon the wildlife and the people who depend upon these areas.
We heard today that----
Mr. Gilchrest. Mr. Young, we will have some time for
questioning, but we have a number of witnesses.
Mr. Young. Right.
Mr. Gilchrest. We have time limited in this room.
Mr. Young. Right.
Mr. Gilchrest. If you could bring your statement to a
conclusion?
Mr. Young. Sure. I would be happy to do that. Thank you.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you.
Mr. Young. We heard today how important national wildlife
refuges are, and we are very supportive of those concerns and
act as a very close partner with the Fish and Wildlife Service
in terms of delivering protection and enhancement of those
areas.
Let me close by indicating that Ducks Unlimited has both
the energy, the commitment and the passion for working with a
diverse array of partners, some of whom are at the table here
today. We believe that this is an issue that merits this
nation's attention.
We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S.
Corps of Engineers, and as recently as about a month ago I met
with General Riley, and interestingly out of that meeting where
we spoke at length about the need for concerns in terms of
restoring that Gulf Coast, General Riley spoke to the fact that
the flood protection measures that the Corps of Engineers is
charged with providing that include structural issues, he
indicated that that kind of structural flood protection
measures by the Corps of Engineers would not happen, could not
happen, without going hand-in-hand with the need for wetland
restoration in that part of the world.
We are very delighted to hear that vote of confidence for
wetland restoration from the Corps of Engineers to supplement
other comments here today, and we stand ready to work with
these partners to make sure this kind of work is done. It needs
to be done quickly, and we stand ready to help with that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Young follows:]
Statement of D.A. (Don) Young, Executive Vice President,
Ducks Unlimited
Introduction
Mr. Chairman, and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Don
Young. I am the Executive Vice President of Ducks Unlimited (DU). Ducks
Unlimited is a non-profit wetlands conservation organization, with
affiliates in Canada and Mexico. In my role as the staff leader for
Ducks Unlimited, I manage our employees and provide leadership to our
volunteers and members in all 50 states.
Ducks Unlimited was founded in 1937 by concerned and farsighted
sportsmen-conservationists. It has grown from a handful of people to an
organization of over 1,000,000 supporters who now make up the largest
wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization in the world.
Since our inception, DU has conserved more than 11.5 million acres
of wildlife habitat in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. DU prides itself
on our work with private landowners and our ability to assist and
advise farmers, ranchers, and foresters in order to meet their economic
goals while still providing high quality habitat for the wildlife.
Ducks Unlimited has a simple and focused mission: ``Ducks Unlimited
conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for
North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife
and people.'' Given this mission, it is understandable that DU has a
strong connection to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and
the National Wildlife Refuge System. There is much in common between
DU's mission and that of the Service and the National Wildlife Refuge
System.
Ducks Unlimited has an extensive science and technical staff with
over 30 PhD biologists in North America and over 100 Master's level
scientists. In the late 1980s, DU developed an International
Conservation Plan to help guide the location and focus of our
conservation work, and it is updated routinely to keep it current with
changing habitat and duck population data. Our International
Conservation Plan identifies five highest priority areas critical for
the life cycle of North American waterfowl, with a focus on either
breeding, migration or wintering habitats. The coast of Louisiana is
the major portion of one of these top five priority areas!
As an indication of how important Louisiana's wetlands are to DU,
shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Ducks Unlimited pledged to direct $15
million toward the restoration of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. We
intend to partner with federal, state, private, and nonprofit entities
in fulfilling this pledge and leveraging the money.
Ducks Unlimited is proud to have been involved with the first post-
hurricane wetlands restoration project, which was completed last
October. In this North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA)
project, DU partnered with a host of local, state, federal, private and
nonprofit organizations to restore and enhance 4,736 acres of coastal
marsh in the Point-aux-Chenes State Wildlife Management Area. Point-au-
Chenes and the surrounding marshes provide habitat to tens of thousands
of waterfowl, representing many species, especially Gadwalls, Green-
Winged and Blue-Winged Teal, and Lesser Scaup. It also benefits many
other birds like shore birds, wading birds, songbirds and other
wildlife like alligators. We hope to continue our partnership efforts
through NAWCA to restore and protect the critical coastal marshes in
Louisiana.
Ducks Unlimited's response to the hurricanes did not end with our
commitment to help mitigate wetland damage. On a more personal level,
the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Ducks Unlimited, Dr. L.J.
Mayeaux from Marksville, LA, coordinated Ducks Unlimited members and
supporters from around the country in a hurricane relief effort. To
date, this humanitarian relief effort has shipped well over 40 tons of
food, water and supplies to the hurricane victims along the Gulf coast
and, although retired, Dr. Mayeaux re-opened his medical clinic to
serve hurricane evacuees.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are terrible tragedies that must not
fade from our country's consciousness. The nation's first priority must
continue to be to help those in need and to get our devastated
communities back on their feet. We must respond in a way that does
justice to those whose lives have been lost and whose homes have been
destroyed, so that we can prevent disasters like this from happening in
the future.
In a letter dated March 2, 2006 from Chairman Pombo, of the House
Resources Committee, to Congressman Jerry Lewis, Chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee, Chairman Pombo takes a very strong position
in support of wetland restoration in Louisiana. The letter deals with
President Bush's most recent supplemental appropriations request. In
this letter, when speaking about the $132.4 million request slated for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Congressman Pombo says:
``Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this request and believe it
will go a long way towards reducing the preliminary damage
estimates to the refuge system of $208 million dollars.--
However, I would urge that you broaden the availability of
these funds to include resource restoration. It is absolutely
critical that these coastal wetlands be restored because they
are the lifeblood of these wildlife resources and are
absolutely necessary for the stability of the coastal region.''
Chairman Pombo is correct. Ducks Unlimited would like to take this
opportunity to provide scientific support and empirical evidence to
support Mr. Pombo's statements. DU's testimony will stress the
importance of wetland restoration as the Service repairs its refuges
and other federal agencies work to help Gulf Coast communities recover
from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The loss of coastal wetlands,
especially along the Louisiana Gulf coast, was a problem long before
last year's terrible hurricane season. This devastating land loss
continues at an alarming rate. The dramatic loss of wetlands needs to
be factored into recovery plans, not only to address current natural
resource restoration needs but, even more importantly, to provide a
wetland buffer to reduce the impact of future hurricanes. This recovery
approach is also financially responsible since the restoration of
coastal wetlands will help to protect the huge capital investments the
American taxpayer will be making as we rebuild coastal communities,
levees, and refuges.
In this testimony Ducks Unlimited will first explain and discuss
the unique importance of the Louisiana Gulf Coast to migratory
waterfowl and other wildlife. Next the challenging issue of coastal
loss in Louisiana (flooding, subsidence, and erosion) will be outlined
and described. There will then be a report of how these terrible
hurricanes have impacted migratory birds. This will overlay a
discussion of which National Wildlife Refuges along the Louisiana Gulf
Coast were most damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a
description of which of the damaged refuges are most important to
waterfowl. The testimony will conclude with a discussion of what
actions should be taken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and how
Ducks Unlimited can be of assistance.
Importance of Gulf Coast to Migratory Birds
The Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts are very important to the
mission of Ducks Unlimited, and to this nation. The coastal wetlands of
Louisiana and Texas provide critical habitat for North American
waterfowl populations as well as a tremendous diversity of other birds,
fish, and other wildlife. This unique coastal wetland ecosystem
annually provides a winter home for between 6 and 10 million ducks and
geese, and millions of wading birds, shorebirds, and other species of
wetland-dependent species of migratory birds, as well as many other
wildlife species.
Specifically, over 70% of the Gadwall and Green-Winged Teal
populations in North America rely on this unique wetland habitat along
the Louisiana coast. Additionally, at least 40% of all Lesser Scaup and
25% of Northern Pintail and American Widgeon populations in North
America depend upon habitat provided by Louisiana's coastal wetlands.
Coastal Louisiana also provides wintering habitat to about 20% of North
American populations of Snow Geese and White-fronted geese using the
Mississippi flyway. That is about a half a million geese each year. It
is also important to note that the Louisiana coast is home to the
Mottled Duck, which is a non-migratory species. These ducks spend their
entire life cycle in this coastal habitat, and over 90% of the North
American population of Mottled Ducks lives along the Gulf Coast of
Louisiana and Texas, 60% in Louisiana alone. In short, the Louisiana
and Texas Gulf coasts, with their unique mix of saline, brackish, and
freshwater marsh habitats, are critical to the life cycle of North
American ducks.
Coastal Louisiana is also considered one of the continent's premier
stop-over spots for shore birds to use during their migration,
providing critical migration and winter habitat for millions of
American Avocets, Marbled Godwits, Whimbrel, Semi-palmated Sandpipers,
and at least 35 other species of shorebirds in North America.
Similarly, it supports substantial breeding populations of colonial
water birds such as Roseate Spoonbills, Snowy Egrets, and Royal, Least
and Sandwich Terns. While bird watching along the Louisiana coast,
famed ornithologist and artist Roger Tory Petersen was once reported to
say that he saw the largest colony of Sandwich Tern in the world, with
over 40,000 breeding pairs.
Coastal Louisiana also provides critical habitat to several birds
on the endangered species list, including the Brown Pelican, the Piping
Plover, and the Bald Eagle. If the Louisiana coast continues to erode
these species may never make it off the endangered species list, or
they could even become extinct.
Over-Arching Problem of Coastal Loss in Louisiana
The Hurricane Katrina and Rita events of 2005 are estimated by U.S.
Geological Survey to have devastated 181 square miles of coastal
wetlands. Even a normal year's coastal wetlands loss shrinks
Louisiana's wetlands by 25 square miles because river sediments that
once spread out and replenished the Mississippi River's coastal delta
are now funneled into the Gulf of Mexico. These wetlands once served as
a natural hurricane buffer, reducing storm surge and absorbing wind and
wave energy. More than 1 million acres of these coastal wetlands--or
1,900 square miles--have been lost since 1930. If this land loss is not
reversed, nothing can be done to secure Louisiana from future storm
damage
Here is a scenario that puts this issue of the disappearing coast
into terms closer to home for the people in attendance at today's
hearing. Let's assume that Capitol Hill is the highest point of land in
the 61 square mile District of Columbia, and let's further assume that
the Potomac River is eroding and flooding the District of Columbia at
the exact same rate that coastal wetlands are being lost in Louisiana.
If this scenario were to begin here today, the only land that would be
left above water 2 years and 3 months from now would be Capitol Hill;
so you folks would be commuting to work by boat. This rate of land loss
is not an exaggeration, it is happening at this very moment on the
coast of Louisiana. We're losing towns, we're losing roads, we're
losing marshes, and we're losing refuges.
The fundamental problem along the Louisiana coast is an induced
collapse resulting from hydrologic changes and wetland conversions on a
landscape scale.--To be sure, there are factors other than human
activities that contribute to this situation, but it is beyond dispute
that the principled drivers are related to efforts to confine the
Mississippi River, facilitate navigation, and promote the exploration
and production of oil, gas, and other subsurface minerals.--This
statement is not meant to be critical, but rather to make the simple
point that for much of the last 150 years it was the aim of our
society--and often federal policy--to channelize our waterways, convert
our wetlands, support the exploration, production and transportation of
oil and gas, and facilitate deep-draft and coastal navigation.--There
were often good reasons for those actions and policies, but they came
with a cost that was not adequately appreciated or understood at the
time.--Now we know the price of all that progress--over one million
acres of land lost to subsidence and erosion since 1900 and an ongoing
loss of nearly 25 square miles each year in Louisiana alone.
The response to this calamitous land loss must be both systematic
and long-term.--To approach it too narrowly or with short-term fixes is
to court certain disaster and sustain loss of what is among the most
important wetland systems in North America, perhaps in the world.----
The restoration effort that DU seeks will not replace the million-plus
acres of land that have been lost.--Rather, it will restore a
functional balance to this coastal ecosystem, so that it becomes
ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable.--The key to
sustainability is to work with the same natural forces that built and
nurtured these lands over thousands of years principally the
Mississippi River and its tributaries. For those who live along the
river or in its coastal plain, it has always been necessary to balance
and rebalance our relationship with the river and our waters.--Many of
the decisions that are now driving our coastal collapse made it
possible at one time to live and prosper there, but unless a new
balance is struck, and struck soon, this place will cease to exist.--It
is no exaggeration to say that the continued collapse of this area
could claim tens of thousands of lives in increasingly flood-prone
areas, wipe out one of the greatest biological and estuarine treasures
in the world, and severely disrupt our nation's energy and
transportation system. This is a global environmental problem as well
as a national security issue for the U.S.
Another critical point is that these lost wetlands once served as a
natural hurricane buffer, reducing storm surge and absorbing wind and
wave energy. It is estimated that a hurricane's storm surge is reduced
by 1 foot for every square mile of coastal wetlands that it travels
over. Therefore, coastal wetlands act as a ``speed bump'' for hurricane
damage, a very important line of defense in a comprehensive flood
protection system. This valuable coastal storm surge buffer will be
lost forever if the wetland loss is not reversed.
Post-Hurricane Conditions and Impacts on Migratory Birds
It may come as a surprise to some, but historically hurricanes have
played an important ecological role in maintaining the health and
productivity of the Louisiana coastal wetlands. Saltwater storm surge
and extreme winds combined to ``shock'' the marsh, and in ways
analogous to prairie wildfires of pre-settlement North America, often
reinvigorated coastal marshes. The storms changed plant communities and
kept them productive and vigorous. Typically, negative short-term
effects of less than a year were offset by long-term gains in habitat
quality in subsequent years.
Today, any beneficial effects of hurricanes on marsh productivity
are reduced and limited. Because of the vast scale of alterations to
marsh hydrology, the storms now can cause significantly more permanent
wetland loss and damage than in historical times. The U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) estimates that nearly 100 square miles of marsh were lost
in southeastern Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Katrina alone.
Historically, these losses would have been repaired naturally over a
relatively short period of time as the Mississippi River delivered new
sediment to rebuild affected areas. Today, levees prevent the river
from repairing this marsh, and losses from storms like Katrina are
essentially permanent.
Some areas of coastal wetlands impacted by Katrina and Rita will
recover and perhaps provide short-term benefits in terms of their
productivity and value as wildlife habitat. Unfortunately however, in
most impacted areas, natural processes are so interrupted that the
long-term net outcome will be accelerated rates of loss for these
important coastal wetlands. As mentioned previously, this system is in
dire need of large-scale restoration. Until restoration needs are met,
wetland losses will continue, and rates of loss very likely will be
exacerbated by future storm events. The impact on populations of
migratory birds is predictable--it is very clearly established that
wildlife populations go the way of the habitat they depend upon. In
this case, loss of wetlands along Louisiana's coast will negatively
impact populations of waterfowl and other migratory birds over the long
term.
While it is too early to give a complete assessment of the results
of the two storms, we do know that the coastal marshes of Louisiana
need to maintain the capacity to recover. Louisiana's coastal marshes
have experienced numerous changes that have reduced their ability to
respond and recover from natural events that include hurricanes. To
rebuild the capacity of the coastal marshes to recover, various
restoration features have been proposed and some have been implemented
throughout Louisiana.
In the Chenier Plain portion of southwestern Louisiana, the primary
features include levees and water control structures. Those features
are needed as a result of man-made channels that have altered the
hydrology of those natural systems. Those channels allow increased
tidal fluctuation and provide avenues for higher-salinity water to
enter the fragile marshes. The levees and structures are an effort to
reduce tidal amplitude and reduce the intensity of saltwater that
enters those systems. Those features need refurbishment and replacement
to ensure that the marshes of the Chenier Plain maintain their ability
to recover from future hurricanes like Katrina.
In the Mississippi River Coastal Wetlands area of southeastern
Louisiana, the primary feature is the ability to use fresh, sediment-
laden water beneficially. This is achieved by restoration techniques
like freshwater diversions, siphons, and delta splays. Initial
assessments have indicated that, across Southeastern Louisiana, these
features themselves appear to have fared well in the storms. Southeast
coastal marshes containing these features can continue to use the
sediment laden river water and provide the right conditions for these
marshes to recover. Unfortunately there are other places that need
these types of restoration features, and the impacts of the recent
storms have increased that need.
At this time it is difficult to give a comprehensive assessment of
the storm's impact on migratory birds. Currently it is important to
focus efforts on assessing the damage to habitat restoration features
and begin repairing what has been compromised, so that the marsh has
the capacity to recover from the recent events in a natural manner.
Without these restoration efforts, coastal wetland loss can be expected
to increase on refuge lands and other lands.
Status of Hurricane-Impacted National Wildlife Refuges
The 2005 hurricane season caused damage on 66 National Wildlife
Refuges in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Alabama, and Florida. The storms caused major destruction to buildings,
roads and other Refuge infrastructure. Less obvious, but even more
important from the standpoint of the Refuge System's mission, is the
damage suffered by wildlife and natural resources on Refuge lands and
adjacent areas. Measurable impacts to natural resources include
significant loss of bottomland forests; reduction in water management
capability of levees and dikes; transformation of wetlands due to
saltwater intrusion; infiltration of aquatic invasive species, and
significant erosion due to ocean tides. DU is working with the Service
and other partners to determine the full extent of the damage on
coastal wetlands in the region and long-term impacts on waterfowl
populations.
Approximately 1/3 of the refuges affected are in the State of
Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina caused severe damage to refuges in
southeastern Louisiana, while Hurricane Rita devastated the refuges of
southwestern Louisiana. As previously mentioned in this testimony,
preliminary assessment of Southeast Louisiana suggests that more than
100 square miles of wetlands have been transformed from productive
marsh to unproductive open water as a result of the hurricanes.
Habitat restoration within the impacted Refuges and adjacent areas
is critical to local communities and to their efforts to rebuild their
economies in the wake of two devastating hurricanes. According to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visitation at hurricane-affected
refuges exceeded 4.5 million visitors in 2005, including 250,000
visitors at Sabine Refuge, located in southwestern Louisiana. Hunters,
anglers, birdwatchers, photographers and other outdoor enthusiasts who
visited Sabine Refuge contributed $9 million to the local economy and
generated $1 million in tax revenue. This type of economic return is
evident at other refuges in the region and throughout the entire Refuge
System. As we move forward with repair, a critical first step is for
habitat damage to be addressed in a timely manner to enable visitors to
observe and enjoy the wildlife and natural resources that flourished on
these refuges prior to the hurricanes.
Hurricane Rita caused significant damage to Sabine Refuge in
another way. Reports indicate that over 1,700 acres of the Refuge are
covered with debris, and at least 1,400 items of potentially hazardous
materials have been identified. Bayou Sauvage, Cameron Prairie,
Lacassine, Bon Secour and Delta Refuges have also been impacted by
heavy debris. As the Service and partners continue the assessment of
resource damage, it is important to be aware that in some cases
removing debris (biodegradable and non-hazardous) may cause more harm
to sensitive marshlands than leaving it in place. If human safety is
not a risk, the Service should let nature repair itself and invest
their limited professional and financial resources on habitat
restoration efforts. Cleaning up some material will harm more than help
the marsh.
National Wildlife Refuges Critical to Migratory Birds
Several of the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) that are located
along the coast of Louisiana are extremely important to migratory
waterfowl. They include, from west to east, Sabine NWR, Cameron Prairie
NWR, Lacassine NWR, Mandalay NWR, Bayou Sauvage NWR, Big Branch NWR,
Delta NWR, and Breton NWR. All of these refuges provide essential and
significant habitat to waterfowl, other migratory birds, and a host of
other wildlife species. Some NWRs, such as Sabine, Cameron Prairie,
Lacassine and Delta, are more important for waterfowl, whereas others
like Breton are more important for colonial nesting water birds like
Brown Pelicans and Royal Terns. We also note that, farther east, the
Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR provides key habitat for this unique
subspecies of wetland-dependent bird.
The coastal Louisiana refuges (federal and state) provide important
natural as well as managed habitat for waterfowl. Over recent decades,
managed habitat has become increasingly valuable given the large-scale
alterations and loss of natural habitats related to causes previously
discussed. Hence, DU recommends that adequate funds are used for, and
that the Service places priority upon, the repair of habitat management
infrastructure. In highly altered wetland systems, management is
important to meet the needs of migratory birds, and proper habitat
management depends on the refuges having operable levees, water control
structures and pumping systems.
Responsibility of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the role of
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited stands ready to assist the federal government, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in particular, with the national
effort to repair the massive hurricane damage along the Gulf Coast. DU
has extensive experience in wetland restoration, including the design
of wet soil management systems, wetland stabilization techniques, and
topographic mapping. DU's professional staff includes some of the
nation's most talented waterfowl biologists and wetland engineers along
with a sophisticated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping team.
Our role will likely be one of a partner and professional service
provider. We look forward to contributing to this national challenge.
As the Service gears up to address the many landscape and
infrastructure challenges that it faces on the various national
wildlife refuges damaged by Katrina and Rita, we believe it appropriate
to reflect on the ``public trust doctrine'' that defines the Service's
roles and responsibilities. The concept of public trust, which evolved
from English common law, addresses the issue of how our country manages
its natural resources for the general public good. The principle is
that the government (mostly federal) has an affirmative duty and
responsibility to administer, protect, manage, and conserve fish and
wildlife resources for the benefit of current and future generations of
Americans.
The public trust doctrine has evolved from a series of Supreme
Court rulings dating back to the mid-1800s and various federal laws.
The most notable federal laws that provide the basis of the public
trust doctrine have been the Lacy Act, the Weeks-Mclean Law, the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and various Migratory Bird
Conventions and Treaties. All these court rulings and federal laws
combine to outline the public trust responsibilities of the federal
government. Most of the management responsibility falls under the
purview of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As this massive hurricane recovery effort continues, DU hopes that
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will pay particular attention to
restoring capacity to manage for its trust species.--Those of us who
enjoy the great outdoors fully appreciate the wonderful job that the
Service does while executing their duties and fostering the trust
resources for which they are responsible. As priorities for repair and
future management are established, the underlying natural resource
should be given a very high priority.--The natural resources that are
being protected as habitat for wildlife on our NWRS should be repaired,
restored, stabilized and conserved while other repair and operational
issues--are being addressed.
Conclusion
As substantiated in the testimony above, the Louisiana coast is
vitally important to North American migratory birds, especially ducks.
Continued loss of this unique wetland habitat will have a significant
negative effect on North American duck populations and other migratory
birds. Our nation is expected to spend well over $100 billion to
recover from the disaster caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It is
imperative that a portion of these funds be directed to projects
necessary to assure that Louisiana's population does not remain at risk
in the future. This means restoring coastal wetlands and working to
reduce future wetland loss.
We recognize that the response to this hurricane will involve
several federal agencies and span many years. On behalf of over 1
million members and supporters of Ducks Unlimited, many of whom were
directly impacted by these catastrophic storms, we join with the
Chairman of the Resources Committee in recommending that the some of
the funds made available through the President's February 16, 2006
supplemental appropriations request be directed to natural resource
restoration. Special priority should be given to funding repairs of
damaged habitat management infrastructure at Gulf Coast NWRs of
greatest importance to migratory waterfowl.
The restoration of coastal wetlands in Louisiana has multiple
benefits. These wetlands not only provide great wildlife and fish
habitat but, even more importantly will serve as a natural hurricane
and flood protection system to protect the huge taxpayer investment
that will be made in the rebuilding of New Orleans, other Louisiana
coastal communities, and the National Wildlife Refuges.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you very much, Mr. Young. We couldn't
agree with your statement and your sentiment more.
Mr. Moore? Welcome.
STATEMENT OF W. PARKE MOORE, III, ASSISTANT SECRETARY,
LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to show a
brief PowerPoint if that is OK.
Mr. Gilchrest. Sure. We would like to see it.
Mr. Moore. I have also submitted written testimony.
As Mr. Richard and I are residents of the State of
Louisiana, we are going to look at this a little differently
and a little more specific to our habitats in Louisiana. That
is going to be the focus of my PowerPoint. We will run quickly
through it. It will give you a flavor of what we are dealing
with as our state's resource agency in the Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries.
[Slide.]
Mr. Moore. First of all we will look at the storm path, and
what I would like to do is refocus on the breadth of these
storms and then the depth that we incurred damage. Katrina, a
very quick storm. It was identified as a hurricane on August
25. It hit us on August 29.
Katrina impacted our coastal areas and our forested areas.
We were impacted to the tune of about 300,000 acres and a
number of wildlife management areas and facilities in the
southeastern part of the state, and then our forested areas
were hit especially hard, to the tune of about 50,000 acres in
which we sustained 60 to 70 percent losses of our hardwoods and
pine timbers.
Katrina's storm was broad. I think that one good
illustration of the impact that we incurred was just simply the
diameter of the storm and the low barometric pressures.
Then we move to Rita, which is about a month away. We
didn't expect that. However, after Katrina we prepared as best
we could in a couple of days. We started preparing Wednesday
for Rita. It hit Saturday, and it hit the southwest part of our
state.
Now, Rita had impacts across the entire coastal area of
Louisiana. Rita impacted a number of our wildlife refuges and
wildlife management areas, about 350,000 acres, and also our
forested areas in the location that is right along the Texas-
Louisiana border, about an 8,000 acre facility. It was one of
the strongest hurricanes on record.
Again, you can visualize with this picture that doesn't
tell you the damage that it is going to do, but gives you an
indication of the breadth of Rita and then the strength which
imparted tremendous energy to our habitats and our properties
in Louisiana.
I will go now through the impacts of each storm briefly. We
sustained severe browning of the marshes and flooded upland
areas. Scalding and wind damage were the mechanisms by which
this impact was incurred, primarily in our southeastern part of
the state.
You can see here that these are areas that are normally
marsh areas that you wouldn't see as much water, but in
Plaquemines and St. Bernard and down to Delacroix it was just
entirely flooded. Water remained for a long time. We had oil
spills all over the countryside, and this is some of the
cleanup that was occurring.
Our Pass a Loutre facility is at the mouth of the
Mississippi River. As you can imagine, that was the first place
that Katrina hit. Here is a very nice facility on a 115,000
acre wildlife management area, a very productive area. Water
was up about four feet inside the camp. The camp is elevated.
You can see the debris and the damage that was incurred.
Here are some historic photographs of some of the
activities which the department engaged early in the 1950s in
which we captured deer stocked areas, and the Pass a Loutre
area was one of the sources for a lot of the deer that was used
to restock the areas within the mainland Louisiana.
Impacts. We have had impacts directly to various species.
It was not as great as what you might think. However, we did
have animal species that were killed.
Now, when we talk about survival, the Pass a Loutre at the
mouth of the Mississippi River with eight feet of water over
all the land body. We assume that we lost our deer herd. We set
cameras up at night to take different indices of what is our
deer herd doing, and to our surprise we counted about as many
deer as we have ever counted on Pass a Loutre in years earlier,
which was a wonderful thing. How did those deer survive? We
don't know. Were they on rafts of debris or in trees? They did
it.
During the day we set out corn stations to try to attract
animals. This tells you the difficulty these animals had after
the water receded in finding something to eat. Deer were not
accustomed to feeding on corn or bait. They are looking for
browse. You will see a little bit of recovery here in February
in the middle of winter in south Louisiana.
Again, here is a buck that is saying I don't know what this
stuff on the ground is. I am looking for green.
Rabbits are a species of high reproductive capability. We
feel as though we sustained heavy damage to the rabbit
population. However, those remnants will quickly respond to
green-ups, and I think that we will be in good shape with the
rabbit population.
The upland impacts. Our timber loss was tremendous in our
hardwoods with the trees blown over. In the softwoods or pines
they were snapped about 20 feet above the ground. We are going
to get into a very difficult dynamic, which is going to provide
challenges to us as well as biologists and foresters in the
field to manage those habitats that have been so massively
destructed, and we are going to have to put hands on the ground
to the extent that we can and minds on paper to try and figure
out how to manage this property not only for the fauna that are
produced, but also the people that enjoyed our properties.
Here is one dynamic I think that is worth mentioning. This
is an area of pine timber in Washington Parish, which is in
that toe part of Louisiana above Slidell in which we had a
young pine stand that was recently harvested and was not real
dense. It was almost mowed down as though you got in there and
rolled it over with a big roller.
You will see that area, and then in the distance and off to
the right you will see an area that has not been thinned. This
may have implications to our forest practices in the future,
but it gives you an idea about the impact on the various cover
types that we had and then the silvicultural or forest
practices that were employed prior to the storm.
Here are some areas on the left. You will see a nice little
what used to be a path with a number of cypress knees coming up
and then the same area after Katrina on our Pearl River
Wildlife Management Area. You will see the devastation that
occurred. This is not in a path that a tornado would take. This
is in very large areas.
The same again on the Pearl River area due to Katrina. You
will see the swept tree there and what is left around it. Not
much after the storm.
Turkeys are a real important resource that in Louisiana we
try to manage. It is our other big game species. They are going
to respond in various ways. Particularly with all the downed
timber, we are going to have to curtail our seasons and
actively manage for open areas and try to recover our turkeys.
Rita. You will see the flooding soon after the storm. We
got in the air, and we took pictures and made assessments. You
will see the land area was just completely inundated. This
would have been three days after the storm. The difficulty was
that the Gulf stayed high. The water did not recede. We had
water on our marshlands, forestlands and agricultural lands.
Our Rockefeller Refuge is 70,000 acres plus in the
southwest corner in Cameron Parish. You can't really get a good
idea, but you will see that down in the lower right corner this
is our west end camp. Storms ripped the roof off, and water
poured in from rain. It was at 12 feet above mean sea level. We
had damage from wave action and water coming into the floor and
also from the roof.
Our main complex to the left there is at 12 feet above mean
sea level. We sustained minor damage to structures from the
wind, but the wave action put a lot of water inside of our
structures. Off to the left of the top picture you will see one
of our at-grade facilities. That is our maintenance facility.
That was just gutted. It was like a big washing machine with
the wave actions.
A couple of weeks after that we came back and landed with
an amphibious airplane, and we were walking around that
building. The refuge manager, Guthrie Perry, said look at that.
In the back of the building there was a gap between the siding,
and he said there is a truck in there. Well, we had not seen
the truck for weeks of having been there, but it was amazing to
see the dynamics.
Again, another picture of the damage. You can see the storm
had passed through the facilities in the upper left and just
mixed things up in our workshops just like a washing machine
action.
A major, major problem that we are dealing with now is the
salinity that was deposited on our ag lands and our forestlands
and our marshland. This is a sugar cane field that had just
come up and was salt damaged. We don't know what is going to
happen to our ag properties.
Fish inland. We had amberjack in fence lines.
Farmers, ourselves and other agencies trying to get the
water out had to break levees to let it out after it had surged
over.
Here is a big tractor-trailer rig over in the corner of
this sugar cane field, debris throughout the field. You will
see the line of the debris at the tree line. That is just an
indicator of what we experienced.
Here is a Cameron graveyard. Some of the graves fortunately
did not open up. A lot of the graves were in cement tombs. They
were opened up and caskets floating all over the countryside.
Plant species. Well, most of our understory was impacted
negatively due to the storm surge. Saltwater is going to burn a
lot of these plants. Wind action/wave action physical damage
was prominent.
Here is an indication of what saltwater did to our fresh
areas.
These are just going to be some real quick pictures of
scalds due to inundation by high saline waters.
Again, more pictures. You will see a little new growth
starting to sprout out. Louisiana is a very dynamic
environment. We get quick recovery.
This is a raft of debris. This is mostly vegetative debris.
This is an area for comparison of what that area would look
like without the saltwater.
What do we do? We had to close seasons. We had to make
adjustments. We base those on habitat surveys and collections.
We went out, and not soon after the storms we started
seeing hog tracks--not a good sign, may I add--deer tracks.
That is a good sign. There was evidence of animals out and
about. We collected animals to try to determine what their
physical condition was. What did we need to do as wildlife
biologists to come in and protect our herds?
This is the stomach contents on the right of a deer that we
killed in Plaquemines Parish. They were eating citrus. Citrus
is not a good deer browse species.
In Orleans Parish where there is no hunting by parish
ordinance the habitat was severely damaged. We had a two and a
half year old buck that was 82 pounds. That buck should be 150
to 170 pounds. We had a six and a half year old doe that was 75
pounds and a five and a half year old doe that was 65 pounds.
This is not good. Deer were just totally consumed with
looking for something to eat. They were not concerned about
human activity and were oblivious to that. All they wanted was
something to eat.
Pen-raised animals, exotic deer and elk, were released into
our environments, which is a major concern for disease
transmission. We still have elk, and Louisiana is some of the
historic range for the elk but no longer is. You know us
Cajuns. We like to utilize big animals, and the elk didn't
survive too well when we moved in.
We also have a number of our exotic animals that are
running loose. We are encouraging those farmers to bring their
animals in one way or another.
The success story here. What I told my staff in the Office
of Wildlife, our wildlife biologists--we manage 1.5 million
acres--is let us get back to business. Let us make sure the
recreational opportunities for our citizens and those who
recreate in Louisiana are afforded. We got back out taking care
of business.
We only had about an eight percent reduction in our license
sales--you will see the various groups--which was amazing. At
first we thought we might have a 50 percent reduction. Of
course, we are not a general fund agency. We generate our own
revenues, so this is a major concern for us.
That is the end of my presentation on PowerPoint. If the
Chairman has time, I have an annotated written.
Mr. Gilchrest. I think at this point we will submit that
for the record, Mr. Moore.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, sir.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Moore. follows:]
Statement of W. Parke Moore, III, Assistant Secretary,
Office of Wildlife, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Mr. Chairman and distinguished committee members, thank you for the
invitation to appear today and provide answers to your questions on
issues important to my state, the Gulf Coast region and the nation. I
am Parke Moore, III, Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries, Office of Wildlife.
In prior testimony, news stories, and perhaps even through personal
inspection of Louisiana and other states impacted by Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita, you have heard of and seen the widespread human tragedy and
damage associated with these storms. Hurricane Katrina had a storm
surge ranging from 4-32 feet while Hurricane Rita's surge was between 4
and 16 feet. The sheer magnitude of the area impacted is among the more
striking facts of these two storms. For example, in 1980 when Mount St.
Helens erupted, the impact zone was estimated to be about 230 square
miles. In contrast, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted about 200,000
square miles in six southern states, or in the neighborhood of 850
times the area impacted by the Mount St. Helens' eruption. In other
words, we are talking about an area that's larger than the entire State
of California.
Louisiana is known as the Sportsman's Paradise. Collectively our
marshes, coastal wetlands and bottomland hardwood forests are the most
important waterfowl wintering area in North America. They also have
some of the largest alligator, river otter, and waterbird populations
in the country. They are enormously important to a multitude of other
wetland species. Even though our forests are not always aerially the
most expansive relative to many other states, they provide critical
habit for hundreds of species of neotropical migrant songbirds, not
only because of their strategic location, but also because of their
high quality and diversity.
I would like to describe the habitat impacts in Louisiana and needs
in two broad categories: coastal marshes and forest as well as
potential impacts on wildlife.
Marsh
In Louisiana, we have approximately 3.5 million acres of coastal
wetlands (marshes and forested wetlands). Although estimates vary
somewhat, approximately 20 square miles of land is lost each year
through coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, and other
factors. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in the loss of
approximately 100 square miles of coastal wetlands in Louisiana. These
losses have serious ramifications for the long-term health of our
marshlands, particularly when landmass is limited. Barrier islands, our
first line of protection from storm surge, and sand beaches and
shorelines were dissected and often times washed away. Marshland was
literally moved, rippled like an accordion, ripped apart due to winds
and wave action, and acted as a depository for all types of vegetative
and other debris. Within the marsh complex, considerable marsh
management infrastructure in the form of major levees for water
management basins, major impoundment levees, smaller interior levees,
terraces, and water control structures were extensively damaged in a
number of locations. Federal funding and permit expeditions to complete
repairs to these types of structures are important for remediation of
damaged marsh habitat as well as protection of freshwater resources
used for agricultural purposes such as rice farming.
The Parishes of Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Orleans, and St. Tammany
were impacted significantly by Hurricane Katrina (Jefferson Parish to a
lesser extent). Marshes throughout these Parishes were inundated by a
tidal surge of high salinity water. Although the direct physical damage
to the wetlands have not yet been quantified, initial over-flights
indicated extensive damage to wetland areas, in particular the
Delacroix marshes in Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes. An estimated
600,000 acres of primarily intermediate and brackish coastal marsh
habitat were impacted.
Hurricane Rita's storm surge flooded the entire coastal wetlands,
with the parishes in southwest Louisiana being most affected. The
tremendous tidal surges associated with Rita flooded millions of acres
of coastal wetland habitat with high salinity flood waters. Extensive
inland fresh marshes in southeast Louisiana were likewise flooded with
high salinity water.
The overall impact of the storms on coastal marsh habitats will
take some time to assess. Direct physical damage to wetlands through
scour, scrapes, erosion and rolling will be best assessed through
digitizing land/water ratios before and after the storm events. The
excessive salinities measured immediately following the storm surge in
southwest Louisiana are cause for concern. Salinity levels from 8-20
ppt in fresh water marshes and 15-24 ppt in the intermediate and
brackish marshes of Cameron and Vermilion Parishes will likely have
significant impacts on vegetative composition in both the short and
long term. Even the moderate salinities of 3-5 ppt in the fresh marshes
of Terrebonne and other eastern parishes are reason for concern. The
critical factor will be how long these high salinities persist before
drainage and moderation of salinities occurs. Many of the marshes in
southwest Louisiana drain through limited outlet points, thus
increasing the flood period and further impact on vegetation.
Forest
The forest resources in the southeastern Louisiana parishes were
the heaviest impacted from Hurricane Katrina. The forest resources in
southwest and west-central Louisiana were the heaviest impacted from
Hurricane Rita. Calcasieu Parish (50%) was damaged proportionally the
most, followed by other parishes in southwest Louisiana.
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry loss estimates
were based on post Hurricanes Katrina and Rita flights and analysis of
forest resource data available for these parishes. In total, these
storms damaged the equivalent of over 1,000 years worth of timber
harvest for the reported parishes. This is based on last year's harvest
by softwood and hardwood components within a parish. Mature bottomland
hardwood areas within the affected areas generally received more
damage. Recovery efforts will likely continue for the next 24 months,
with most salvage operations winding down after 18 months. The recovery
is and should be a real concern for us as stewards of the wildlife
resources of the state.
Private landowners took a serious loss in timber revenue as much of
the salvage value is only half or less of the standing timber value.
The Louisiana State University Cooperative Extension Service estimated
the cumulative timber losses of the two storms to be in excess of $800
million, about 65% of which was contributed to Hurricane Katrina.
However, recovering any of this revenue is going to be difficult for
many landowners as such tremendous losses at one time make it nearly
impossible to accomplish a total salvage of most tracts. During the
initial Forest Recovery meetings held by Louisiana Department of
Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) and the Louisiana Forestry Association,
some participants active in disaster recovery efforts in the southeast
U.S. noted that salvage of approximately 35% of most large scale
disaster areas is an average attainable goal. Various constraints with
such operations, including weather conditions, insufficient logging
resources in the area and mill demands due to resource availability
make it difficult to accomplish more.
The private landowner must make some hard decisions on what to do
with their damaged property, a critical decision that will impact
wildlife resources in these areas for years to come. Inability to
obtain salvage of their timber may result in insufficient funds
available to the landowner to accomplish reforestation operations,
possibly leading to natural stand reestablishment or offering of the
land for alternative uses, such as residential or commercial
development. Though the former may favor naturally regenerated forests,
habitat fragmentation and habitat quality degradation for many species
dependent on larger forested blocks of habitat will continue if the
latter option is implemented. St. Tammany Parish was the most rapidly
developing parish in the state prior to Hurricane Katrina and should
continue to be with the resettlement of over 150,000 people from the
south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The adjacent parishes, Washington
and Tangipahoa, also received a large influx of displaced citizens,
which will place additional land use conversion pressure on the forest
resources of those parishes as well. Population data from the 1990 and
2000 censuses indicate rapid growth in Allen Parish with moderate
growth in Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes. With the loss of these
natural resources, aesthetic qualities that attracted people into these
rural areas will decline as well.
As the forest resources are also important to forest industry for
long-term productivity, some industry officials are equally concerned
that landowners will now find new uses for their land because of the
high cost of recovery and reforestation. As a way to address this
serious concern, regional forestry officials requested changes to
federal aid regulations to provide timberland owners assistance
following natural disasters. To this end, we would like to thank
Congress for its support of the Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP) to assist in restoring the damaged resources, thereby
perpetuating quality forested habitat. This is critical support for
many private landowners who, without such help, would likely be unable
to reforest their seriously damaged woodlands. We do encourage Congress
to adequately fund the technical assistance aspect of this
reforestation effort. Without sound technical assistance, landowner and
wildlife benefits from reforestation efforts can be seriously
compromised. If accomplished successfully, Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita's devastation of yesterday's forest resources could turn out to be
improved habitat conditions for tomorrow's wildlife resources in the
long term.
Public lands within the impacted areas of these parishes,
specifically LDWF's Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) were also
proportionately damaged relative to their position in the storms' path.
Pearl River WMA incurred the greatest damage (60-90% canopy opening
within the non-cypress/tupelo sites) from Katrina, being located on the
eye path of the storm, while Sandy Hollow WMA received light damage
overall and the other noted areas in the east basically experienced a
light brushing. Sabine Island, a state-owned area on the Texas border,
received heavy damage from Rita, similar to that which occurred on
Pearl River WMA from Katrina. Salvage of the LDWF public properties was
put on hold to allow as much salvage as possible to occur first on the
private lands within the region. However, as site evaluations
progressed on the WMAs, especially Pearl River WMA and Sandy Hollow
WMA, it became apparent that a real need for some limited salvage
existed and would benefit the wildlife resources as well as the human
resources utilizing these areas in the short and long term. Thus, after
two months, the LDWF began aggressively pursuing contracts to
accomplish a limited salvage on these two areas. Additional work in
this area may require the need for federal assistance.
LDWF's wildlife/forest managers remain concerned about the impact
of the tidal surge waters on the lower forest resources on Pearl River
WMA. A serious lack of rainfall post Katrina and Rita appears to have
limited the flushing of salt deposited during the tidal surge. Field
surveys generally found a lack of vegetative response in these areas
compared to the vegetative response witnessed on the forest area not
covered by the tidal surge. This suggests a definite impact, possibly
long term. Another major concern is the potential spread of Chinese
tallow tree (an aggressive non-native invasive species) in the tidal
impacted forests. Native canopy species were noted as the major
regeneration component in the non-tidal influence damaged forest, yet
Chinese tallow was the primary regeneration component in the tidal
influenced damaged forest on the WMA. In southwestern Louisiana,
Chinese tallow is already a common forest component at the fringes and
it is likely that encroachment toward the forest interior is
inevitable. This has a potentially negative long-term impact on the
native forest. Wildlife habitat values associated with the native
forest composition will be diminished greatly if Chinese tallow becomes
the dominant canopy tree in these newly regenerating forests. Federal
funding would be required to control invasive species such as Chinese
tallow in the event of increased spread as a result of hurricane
damage.
The damage to the forest resources on Sandy Hollow WMA was not as
extensive, but more concentrated toward the older longleaf pine
component on the WMA. The loss of this component will hurt the seed
production on the area, but the greatest loss is to wildlife species
that require the older age class forests. Older longleaf pine forest is
limited in the Florida Parishes. Management actions, especially the
extensive amount of prescribed burning accomplished annually on this
area, also will be hampered because of the downed trees. If LDWF is
unable to salvage on this area (and to date none has been salvaged),
increased management costs, especially in the prescribed burning
program, will be incurred. Extra measures will have to be taken to
insure safety to those employees carrying out these practices as well
as to prevent fire escaping to adjacent lands.
Wildlife
Assessing impacts on wildlife is extremely difficult because
species have different requirements. After the eruption of Mt. St.
Helens, scientists believed that everything in the path of rocks,
volcanic gas and steam that were released had been decimated. However,
upon field inspection, signs of life were found, so it was with
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. However, a number of animals did perish in
the storms, including shorebirds, waterfowl, wading birds, deer,
squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, alligators, nutria, and muskrat
and other species. So, as with Mount St. Helens, our and other agencies
begin the long process of documenting the wildlife impacts of the
Hurricanes.
Wild Alligator Harvest Impacts
The opening of the 2005 wild alligator season was delayed due to
the impact of Hurricane Katrina on alligator hunters, alligator
processors and dealers, and on the entire infrastructure needed to
conduct the statewide harvest season. Hunters in numerous southeastern
parishes were displaced and dealers and processors were unable to
obtain refrigerated trucks, truck drivers, ice, fuel and other required
supplies. The damage to the banking infrastructure hindered the
dealers' capability of obtaining sufficient capital to buy alligators.
Additionally some dealers could not access their computer data bases
and others were without electrical service.
Hurricane Katrina impacted alligator hunters primarily in
Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Orleans, and St. Tammany Parishes.
Many of the alligator hunters lost their homes and simply were unable
to harvest alligators in 2005. Of the allotted harvest in these
parishes, an estimated 1,800 alligators (valued at nearly $435,000)
were not harvested. Under normal circumstances these animals would move
through buyers and processors, creating jobs for workers processing,
sorting, grading and shipping these skins to tanners. Other lost income
includes businesses selling supplies (gas, food, bait, etc.) to
hunters. Future harvest in these areas may be reduced due to loss of
quality alligator habitat. Additionally, at least one processing plant
in Venice was destroyed.
Hurricane Rita's storm surge flooded marshes throughout coastal
Louisiana, delaying efforts of alligator hunters to complete their 2005
harvest allotments. Hunters in Cameron, Vermilion, and Calcasieu
Parishes faced a catastrophic situation with severely flooded marshes,
loss of homes and displacement for months. Only a portion of the
alligator hunters in southwest Louisiana who had not completed their
harvest prior to Rita were able to resume their hunting activity. An
estimated 1500 alligators valued at $362,000 were not harvested.
Additional economic impact includes loss of jobs in the processing
industry and loss of sales of supplies to hunters. Harvest quotas in
the affected areas will likely be reduced in future years due to the
impact of high salinity flood waters on fresh, intermediate and
brackish marshes. Processing facilities in Cameron and Vermilion were
damaged and at least one facility in Cameron Parish was destroyed.
Wild Alligator Populations/Nest Production
Hurricane Katrina may impact wild nest production and future egg
collections in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Orleans and St. Tammany
Parishes. In these parishes an estimated 3,700 nests are produced on
privately owned wetlands while an estimated 750 nests are produced on
public lands. While all permitted 2005 egg collection activities were
completed prior to Hurricane Katrina, it is anticipated that the 2006
nest production and subsequent egg collections will be impacted. The
marshes in Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes in the area of the
Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion were damaged by storm surge and
saltwater intrusion. Initial aerial observations indicated significant
physical marsh damage to large areas of vegetated wetlands. This area
has been particularly productive in recent years and nest production
may be impacted significantly in selected areas in 2006 and in future
years.
Virtually all of coastal Louisiana was flooded from the storm surge
associated with Hurricane Rita. An estimated 37,700 alligator nests are
produced annually on nearly three million acres of coastal alligator
habitat. The marshes in Cameron, Vermilion and Calcasieu will be most
affected by the high salinity flood waters. Privately owned alligator
habitat in these parishes totals over 800,000 acres and annually
produces nearly 10,000 alligator nests. Storm impacts to these wetlands
include direct physical damage to selected areas and high salinity
flood waters has scalded and caused damage to thousands of acres of
fresh marsh and intermediate marsh vegetation. Further habitat analysis
to assess vegetative recovery in spring 2006 will be necessary before
we can realistically assess impacts to future alligator populations and
subsequent nest production.
We are concerned that the high salinity flood waters that inundated
large expanses of brackish, intermediate and fresh marshes in southwest
Louisiana for an extended period of time following Hurricane Rita may
have caused some additional mortality to alligators. Particularly
vulnerable would have been immature alligators that were unable to
disperse to areas of lower water salinity. It is fortunate that through
the Department's wild alligator egg collection program, alligator
farmers had collected over 500,000 alligator eggs during the summer of
2005. Alligators hatched from these eggs were nearly all saved from
storm impacts, as they are being raised in environmental controlled
buildings on alligator farms throughout the state. As per the
Department's regulations, 14% of these hatchling alligators will be
released in 2007 as juvenile/subadults to maintain the state's wild
alligator population.
Long term impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to wild alligator
populations are a concern for the Department. Specific concerns
include: 1) impact of water and soil salinity on marsh vegetation, 2)
impact of water salinity on alligator dispersal, survival and nest
production, and 3) impact of physical marsh damage to alligator habitat
quality.
Alligator Farming Industry Impact
Numerous alligator farms in several southeastern Louisiana parishes
were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Some 18 farms with a collective
December 2004 inventory of over 285,000 alligators were impacted.
Hurricane Rita affected 13 alligator farms with collective inventories
of about 150,000 alligators as of December 2004. As per communications
with most affected farmers, direct mortality from either hurricane was
not excessive; farmers were proactive and when possible moved
alligators to other locations. However structural damage to numerous
farms was significant and extensive losses in terms of equipment were
noted (tractors, storage sheds, pumps, generators, hot water heaters,
walk-in freezers, refrigerators, incubators, barns, etc.). Farmers
estimated these physical plant losses at nearly $2.0 million. Some
alligators escaped due to rising flood waters. An estimated 8,400
alligators escaped as farm facilities were inundated; exact counts of
these losses can only be done once the entire year's crop has reached
market size. Three small farms were completely destroyed.
The long-term effects of these stresses on alligator hide quality
could appear over the next one to two years. Alligator growth could be
adversely affected by the recent stressors and possible loss of heating
capabilities on farms.
Some alligator farmers are also dealers, and hurricane damages were
incurred to dealers' warehouses, check stations and processing
facilities. These processing facilities are used year round to process
farm, wild, and nuisance alligators. Reports from various dealers
indicated that wild hide inventories were secured immediately after the
storms and moved to safe locations.
Impacts to Birds
Coastal Louisiana is composed of many types of critical bird
habitat including the barrier islands, coastal marshes and forested
wetlands. Some of these bird species include colonial nesting
waterbirds (terns, herons, egrets, brown pelicans, etc.), neotropical
migrants, shorebirds and waterfowl. The hurricanes had a major impact
on many of the habitats utilized by these species due to direct loss or
degradation and/or saltwater inundation.
Of utmost concern are the hurricane's effects on nesting habitat of
colonial waterbirds. Especially hard hit were the islands of the
Chandeleur chain, where most of the sandy beaches were lost. It is
anticipated that some of this beach area may recover somewhat after the
sand has been reworked over the next six months to a year. The loss of
sandy beaches on the barrier islands may cause many colonies to be
abandoned due to the limited availability of this type of habitat in
coastal Louisiana. If there is no other available nesting habitat in
the vicinity of the former colony sites, many individuals may be forced
to forego breeding in 2006.
The barrier islands of the Louisiana coast also provide nesting
habitat for several species of shorebirds and are essential foraging
and resting habitat during the spring and fall migrations for a
multitude of neotropical migrant species and shorebirds. Numerous
shorebird species utilize barrier islands as wintering habitat
(plovers, sandpipers, curlews, etc.) including the threatened piping
plover.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recommends that
all colonial nesting waterbird colonies and plover sites be monitored
for nesting success from 2006 through 2010, which will require federal
funding to accomplish. Baseline data from the 2005 comprehensive
colonial nesting waterbird survey of the Louisiana coast should be used
as a benchmark to compare the relative sizes and species composition of
the colonies in 2006. Every effort should be made to fast track all
coastal restoration projects to restore as much nesting habitat in the
short term as possible. Additionally a representative sample of
individuals should be taken for contaminant testing because of the
numerous oil spills that occurred on the Louisiana coast and the Gulf
of Mexico during both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Louisiana contains one of the primary flyways for both the spring
and fall migration of neotropical migrant songbirds. The coastal
forests of Louisiana provide critical stopover habitat for the spring
migration of species flying non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico and
important feeding areas for these species' southward migration. Radar
data analysis by USGS after these storms revealed a dramatic shift in
neotropical migrants from hard hit forested areas to areas of less
damage. A survey methodology needs to be developed (either point counts
or constant effort mist-netting) to determine the abundance of
neotropical migrant songbird species present within this forest type
post hurricane damage which would require federal assistance.
The bald eagle is commonly found nesting in dominant cypress trees
in the southeastern coastal marshes of Louisiana. The greatest impact
to the bald eagle from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita would be the loss of
nests. However early indications with the 2006 nest counts documented
minimal numbers of damaged or destroyed nests. These impacts may be
mitigated by the fact that most nesting pairs have several nests within
their territory. The secondary impact to both mature and immature bald
eagles could be contaminant loading from the numerous oil spills that
occurred on the coast of Louisiana. LDWF should continue to conduct its
yearly bald eagle surveys of known nesting locations and search for new
nests at sites where nest trees have been destroyed. Additionally LDWF
recommends that blood samples be taken from eaglets and all injured
eagles beginning in 2006 to determine if contaminant loading has
occurred which would require federal assistance.
Recovery and Rebuilding Assistance
There will be many opinions both inside and outside of government
about what to do. Recovery and rebuilding will be a long-term endeavor;
however, action by Congress is needed now before restoration efforts
can begin. Many who are considering reinvestment in coastal Louisiana
are looking for acknowledgment that the federal government recognizes
the importance of the resources of the area and the vital need to
protect these resources. Recovery efforts must include rehabilitating
coastal wetlands and assessing the wildlife and natural resources where
direct impacts have been documented.
Coastal restoration and enhanced storm and flood protection
projects are presently being reevaluated at all levels of government
and in the public forum. Wildlife and resource managers must play a
role in future coastal planning to ensure that potential impacts of
these projects on the wildlife and natural resources are considered.
I have presented the importance of the coastal marshes, forested
wetlands and some of the wildlife species that depend on these
habitats. I have presented how these habitats and resources have been
impacted due to damage from the storms, and have suggested ways that
Congress can help.----Federal funding will be a key to adequately allow
resource managers to assess damages to the resources and habitats and
to begin the process of rebuilding and restoring these habitats and the
multitude of wildlife species that utilize them. Your consideration is
appreciated.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you very much. It was very
informative.
Mr. Moore. I appreciate it.
Mr. Gilchrest. Mr. Hirsche?
STATEMENT OF EVAN HIRSCHE, PRESIDENT,
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ASSOCIATION
Mr. Hirsche. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
My name is Evan Hirsche. I am President of the National
Wildlife Refuge Association, and on behalf of the NWRA and its
membership comprised of current and former refuge
professionals, nearly 110 refuge friends, affiliate
organizations and thousands of concerned citizens throughout
the U.S., thanks for the opportunity to testify regarding
damages to America's national wildlife refuges caused by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
At this point, Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit my
written testimony for the record.
Mr. Gilchrest. Without objection.
Mr. Hirsche. Thank you.
As we know, in August of 2005 Hurricane Rita, the worst
natural disaster in U.S. history, caused unprecedented damage
to our national wildlife refuges in the region. In the wake of
Katrina, 16 refuges were closed. Only a few weeks later,
Hurricane Rita, as we just saw, slammed into Louisiana near the
Texas border causing further damages.
While Rita and Katrina caused extreme damages to refuges
along the coast, the effects were also felt as far inland as
Arkansas. All told, facility and natural resources damages from
the 2005 storms exceed $270 million. This represents
approximately 70 percent of the refuge system's total Fiscal
Year 2006 operations and maintenance budget. In short, we are
quite literally looking at an unmitigated disaster.
Before I move on, I did also want to recognize the Fish and
Wildlife Service's role in serving on the front lines in
assisting with humanitarian efforts, a herculean effort
certainly.
Four hurricanes in 2005 affected 66 national wildlife
refuges in eight states with damages to facilities and
infrastructure totaling about $170 million. In addition,
damages to habitat and natural resources on refuges are
estimated by Fish and Wildlife to be about $88 million.
However, estimates for cleanup range from $10 to $50
million at Sabine when we are talking about HAZMAT materials
being distributed on several refuges. Quite frankly, if the
refuge system doesn't receive sufficient emergency funding to
recover from these damages we fear that refuges around the
country are going to pay the price. They are already stretched
to their breaking point, and we are concerned that they will
not recover from the excessive burden that these storms had to
an already crippling funding situation.
Mr. Chairman, as I think you know, the national wildlife
refuge system as a whole continues to be hobbled by a lack of
funding and resources with a top-tier maintenance and
operations backlog approaching $2.7 billion. The hurricane
damages simply add insult to injury for an already beleaguered
system.
That said, we do appreciate that President Bush has
requested $132 million for facilities repair in the most recent
emergency supplemental. If approved by Congress, it will
certainly go a long way to meeting fundamental repair needs.
Nevertheless, the Refuge Association does urge Congress to
appropriate an additional $88 million for habitat and resource
restoration on these hurricane-affected refuges.
I wanted to go to the PowerPoint. There we go.
[Slide.]
Mr. Hirsche. At this point I wanted to talk about a couple
individual refuges that illustrate some of the problems we are
looking at. This first is a photo on the ground at Sabine,
which we have heard quite a bit about. There we have 1,400
barrels of toxic materials sinking into the marsh. The question
is how did all this get there?
Next slide, please?
Part of it, we are looking here at the town of Holly Beach,
which is on the coast. The border of the refuge begins about a
mile north of this photograph. This was before the storm.
If we can go to the next slide, we will see the town of
Holly Beach after the storm. That gives you a sense of where
some of this debris came from.
Next slide, please?
What happened was that a whole lot of debris washed into
the refuge, and what you are looking at here on the left there
is a green line which denotes a water control structure in the
refuge. On the right of that is the debris that washed in. This
is a six mile long debris field that includes everything from
oil and propane to bleach and chlorine. There are several 18-
wheelers in there, and of course refrigerators, ovens and other
materials.
Next slide, please?
Here you have a good sense of the ``white goods'' strewn up
and down the refuge. It is just an enormous problem, and
clearly the hazardous debris poses a serious risk to wildlife
while also putting groundwater for local people at risk.
The Fish and Wildlife Service did commission an independent
report on the prospective cleanup, what the cleanup is likely
to look like. The report says, and I quote, ``It is likely that
without the address of these issues Sabine will be at
significant risk of chemical and physical damages for
decades.''
Next slide, please?
Next I am going to go through a few photos showing Breton
Island or Breton National Wildlife Refuge, which is a part of
the Chandeleur Islands. These are before and after photos.
Next, please? Next, please? And another? I think we have
one more. And another? I think that is it for the photos. Thank
you.
That gives you a sense of what the damage is to the
Chandeleur Islands. Biologists estimate that 50 to 70 percent
of the habitat on these islands has been completely washed away
with nothing but open water in its place. This is the second
oldest refuge in the system established by President Theodore
Roosevelt and hosts 15 percent of the world's nesting ground
penguins and up to 30 percent of the world's nesting sandwich
terns. I am sorry. Did I say penguins? Unbelievable. We are
watching you.
Mr. Hirsche. You know, that is the second time this
happened to me. All right. Pelicans. Thank you.
Mr. Gilchrest. I heard pelican. Up here we heard pelican.
Mr. Hirsche. Fortunately, somebody was reading along on my
testimony.
As for direct impacts to wildlife, we know that wintering
waterfowl numbers are down by about 75 percent at Bayou Savage
within the New Orleans city limits, 70 percent at Delta
National Wildlife Refuge, and 70 percent of endangered red-
cockaded woodpecker nesting trees were lost at Big Branch Marsh
also near New Orleans.
While the ramifications to wildlife are obviously of
paramount concern to the Refuge Association, we also recognize
the important value of refuges to people. According to the Fish
and Wildlife Service, visitation at the affected refuges
exceeded 4.5 million people in 2005, including more than
250,000 at Sabine. They also contribute heavily to the local
economies.
I wanted at this point to reiterate Director Hall's earlier
comments about the importance of wetlands and coastal marshes
in protecting communities. We think it is vitally important to
recognize that refuges play an instrumental role in this regard
and should be viewed as a benefit not only to wildlife, but
also to people and communities and that it is vitally important
that we address these wetland restoration issues sooner than
later.
Finally, I did want to say that with total damages
exceeding $270 million, the refuge system is simply unable to
absorb the cost of cleanup and recovery, so we strongly urge
Congress to pursue additional funding in supplementals to
address these vital issues.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hirsche follows:]
Statement of Evan Hirsche, President,
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
My name is Evan Hirsche, and I am the President of the National
Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA). On behalf of the NWRA and its
membership comprised of current and former refuge professionals, nearly
110 refuge Friends organization affiliates and thousands of concerned
citizens throughout the United States, thank you for the opportunity to
testify on the issue of damage to America's national wildlife refuges
caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the only network of Federal
lands managed for the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants and their
habitat. President Theodore Roosevelt created the first national
wildlife refuge (NWR) in 1903 on Florida's Pelican Island to protect
brown pelicans as well as egrets and herons from commercial hunting.
Today, the Refuge System, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), consists of 545 refuges in all 50 states and most U.S.
territories.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster
in U.S. history, struck the Gulf Coast, causing unprecedented damage to
national wildlife refuges in the region. In the wake of Katrina, 16
national wildlife refuges were closed. Only a few weeks later,
Hurricane Rita slammed into Louisiana near the Texas border, causing
further damage to refuges in the Gulf. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina
caused extreme devastation along the coast; however, the effects were
also felt as far inland as Arkansas, where refuges experienced storm-
related impacts such as damaged roads from flooding, downed trees and
debris build up.
Mr. Chairman, before I discuss the damages to refuges by hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, I believe it is important to recognize that the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service was out in front on conducting humanitarian
efforts and helping local communities immediately following these
terrible storms. The Service brought its equipment and expertise to aid
those devastated by Katrina and Rita, including providing 20,400 meals,
disposing of more than 100 truckloads of debris, and housing Red Cross
and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers, among other
things. While FEMA provided reimbursement for certain activities, the
total non-reimbursed costs to FWS for incident operations was
approximately $6.6 million.
Hurricanes in 2005 (Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma) affected 66
national wildlife refuges, located in eight states (Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas),
with damages to facilities and infrastructure totaling approximately
$170 million. In addition, damages to habitat and natural resources on
refuges are estimated by FWS to be approximately $88 million. Costs
related to hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and debris on refuges remains
mostly unknown. However, cost estimates for surface clean up and
removing subsurface tanks range from $10 million to $50 million at
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana alone.
Total facility and natural resource damages from the 2005 storms
exceed $270 million. This represents approximately 70% of the Refuge
System's total FY2006 Operations and Maintenance funding ($382
million). If the Refuge System does not receive sufficient emergency
funding to recover from the damages caused by hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, we fear that refuges throughout the country--already stretched to
the breaking point--will not recover from the extensive burden the
storms add to an already crippling funding situation.
The National Wildlife Refuge System as a whole continues to be
crippled by a lack of sufficient funding and resources, with the top-
tier operations and maintenance backlog alone registering at $2.7
billion. Funding shortfalls limit the ability of refuges to
successfully conduct important biological programs and hire critical
staff, while also hindering opportunities for the public to engage in
compatible wildlife-dependent recreation.
While significant strides were made to reduce the budgetary
shortfall in connection with the 100th anniversary of the National
Wildlife Refuge System in 2003--and we extend our appreciation to
Congress and members of this Committee for those increases--funding
since that time has been stagnant. Recently, the Cooperative Alliance
for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), a diverse group of national conservation
and sporting organizations that I chair, sent a letter to Capitol Hill
recommending that Congress approve hurricane supplemental funding for
the Refuge System of at least $132.4 million, as requested by President
Bush. While this amount does not cover all hurricane damage costs, when
combined with the $30 million already approved by Congress, it should
provide for the fundamental facility needs of hurricane-affected
refuges. Nevertheless, the NWRA and CARE urge the Congress to
appropriate an additional $88 million to address habitat and natural
resource damage on hurricane-affected refuges in a third supplemental
funding bill this year.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in tremendous destruction of
national wildlife refuge facilities and natural resources. At Sabine
NWR, where the eye of Hurricane Rita passed directly over the refuge,
five of eight buildings were immediately condemned, while the remaining
3 need extensive repairs before they can be occupied again. In fact,
NWRA staff and other CARE representatives visited Sabine after the
storm and witnessed the extensive damage to boardwalks, bathroom
facilities and the headquarters buildings firsthand. With the damage to
public-use facilities and extensive distribution of HAZMAT, it is clear
the refuge poses a public health risk and must remain closed until
these issues are resolved. At Delta NWR in Louisiana, where Hurricane
Katrina made its landfall, the headquarters building, along with all
refuge facilities, was almost completely destroyed. FWS staff returning
after the storm were greeted by a refuge boathouse crushed beneath a
900-ton barge. Big Branch Marsh NWR in Louisiana also suffered
extensive damages. The refuge needs funding to replace a number of
vehicles, and repairs are necessary for the visitor center,
administrative building and roads, among other things.
Habitat and natural resource damage from hurricanes Katrina and
Rita was equally devastating and widespread. Vast areas of coastal
wetlands in the Gulf Coast region have been converted to open water by
the two storms. According to the FWS, satellite imagery of Southeast
Louisiana shows that more than 100 square miles of coastal wetlands
have been transformed from marsh to open water. In addition,
approximately 150,000 acres of coastal wetlands and bottomland forests
on national wildlife refuges were damaged. Aquatic habitats are choked
by debris, silt, oil, chemicals, and other hazardous wastes. Wintering
waterfowl numbers are down 75% at Bayou Sauvage NWR in Louisiana and
70% at Delta NWR, while 70% of endangered red-cockaded woodpecker
nesting trees were lost at Big Branch Marsh NWR.
At Breton NWR in Louisiana, which includes all of the federally
owned Chandeleur islands, an estimated 50-70% of habitat has been
completely washed away, with nothing but open water in its place.
Breton is the second-oldest refuge in the System, established by decree
by President in 1904, and hosts up to 15% of the world's nesting brown
pelicans and up to 30% of the world's nesting sandwich terns. The
refuge at one time had the largest tern colony in the U.S., and more
than 10,000 brown pelicans have recently been found in the island
chain, along with reddish egret, American oystercatcher, and snowy
plover. The islands are also an important location for wintering piping
plovers and serve as a stopover site for songbirds in spring.
Sadly, the acceleration of habitat loss has been dramatic over the
past few decades, with Katrina dealing a near fatal blow. We must act
quickly if we are to salvage this critical bird refuge.
Levees and dikes on national wildlife refuges are important
resource management tools, preventing saltwater intrusion and
controlling water levels for wildlife and plants. They also support
habitat for millions of migratory waterfowl. Hurricanes caused
extensive damage to these water control structures, and, if left
unrepaired, the impacts to habitat and migratory bird populations will
be felt nationwide. Refuge levees and marshes absorb the brunt of storm
surges before they reach communities. For example, at Bayou Sauvage NWR
in Louisiana, levees on the refuge protect New Orleans from flooding.
After the refuge levee was breached during Katrina, stabilizing the
levee and utilizing the pumps that support it aided in the removal of
water from New Orleans and prevented further damage to the city.
Of great concern is that many of the hurricane-damaged refuges are
contaminated with HAZMAT, including Bayou Sauvage in Louisiana, Big
Branch Marsh, Delta and Sabine. Of these, Sabine NWR has suffered some
of the most serious and disturbing consequences. Hurricane Rita passed
directly over Sabine NWR, bringing with it tons of debris from the
remnants of beach communities as well as oil and gas facilities. Among
the debris are thousands of refrigerators and appliances, lumber, and
at least two complete tractor-trailer trucks. As we sit here today,
more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases are sinking further
into the low-lying marsh right in the heart of the refuge. A report
prepared for the FWS found that 115,000-350,000 gallons of hazardous
liquids and gases--full of everything from oil and bleach to propane
and four missing containers of chlorine gas, which kill immediately
upon exposure--are contained within those barrels. The barrels have
contributed to a six-mile debris field that can be seen from space.
According to the report, ``It is likely that, without the address of
these issues, [Sabine] will be at significant risk of chemical and
physical damages for decades.'' In spite of this, neither the
Environmental Protection Agency nor FEMA have been granted authority to
work on refuge lands; the Department of the Interior is paralyzed to
act due to a lack of funding. While the hazardous debris clearly poses
a serious risk to wildlife at the refuge, it is also putting
groundwater for local people at risk as well as the local economy. In
short, we're looking at a refuge that's been converted to a toxic dump.
Our wildlife refuges are economic engines for many local
communities. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that, in FY2004
alone, nearly 37 million people visiting refuges generated $1.37
billion of sales in regional economies, helping to create nearly 24,000
jobs and about $454 million in employment income. At many refuges on
the Gulf Coast, for every one dollar of budget expenditures, ten
dollars of total economic effects are returned to the community.
According to the FWS, visitation at affected refuges exceeded 4.5
million during 2005, including over 250,000 at Sabine NWR. These
visitation figures were already lower than previous years, due to
impacts from the 2004 hurricane season, and visitation will be
dramatically decreased until public use facilities can be repaired.
As our only public lands system dedicated to wildlife conservation,
the National Wildlife Refuge System is truly an American treasure.
During the past 100 years, the Refuge System has been instrumental in
restoring North America's wildlife populations, providing diverse
opportunities to hunt, fish, birdwatch and photograph wildlife.
Moreover, wildlife refuges serve as anchors for important natural
systems that help support a clean and safe environment. In the affected
regions, wildlife refuges protect vital wetlands and coastal marshes,
often serving as key buffers protecting communities from storm surges.
As our nation begins to repair the damage from these devastating
storms, we must not neglect these critical resources.
Finally, it has become common knowledge that the absence of marshes
along the Gulf Coast, and the virtual elimination of marsh-buffers over
the years, only exacerbated the damage of Katrina and Rita. There were
enormous human consequences to this habitat neglect. It is not my role
to revisit this issue again for the Committee, but simply to remind the
members here that the national wildlife refuges play a major role in
sustaining that barrier. Indeed, the Refuge System should be called
upon to fulfill a natural resource responsibility and a human need in
recovering and re-building that vital marsh-buffer.
With total damages exceeding $270 million, the Refuge System simply
cannot absorb the cost of clean up and recovery from hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. Emergency supplemental funding from Congress to sufficiently
address the massive facility and natural resource damages is essential
to the continued viability of the entire National Wildlife Refuge
System, as well as the economic and environmental well being of the
Gulf Coast region.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you very much, Mr. Hirsche.
Mr. Daulton?
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL DAULTON, DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION POLICY,
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
Mr. Daulton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
My name is Mike Daulton. I am Director of Conservation
Policy for the National Audubon Society. Thank you for the
opportunity to testify regarding the impacts of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita on the national wildlife refuge system.
At this time I would like to ask that my full testimony be
entered for the record.
Mr. Gilchrest. Without objection.
Mr. Daulton. National Audubon Society has a long history in
the Gulf Coast region with three state offices and 81 local
chapters in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida.
My testimony today will focus on three main areas: The urgent
need for funding to address the damage to affected Gulf Coast
refuges, the impacts of the hurricanes on bird and wildlife
habitat and the impact specifically on birds, including species
of conservation concern.
In the three hurricane seasons from 2003 through 2005, the
national wildlife refuges of the Gulf Coast region have
experienced substantial damage from some of the most severe
hurricanes ever to strike the United States. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service estimates a total funding need to address
these damages of $270 million.
Audubon supports the President's budget request of $132
million to clean up debris and hazardous materials, rebuild
roads and facilities and repair the water control
infrastructure necessary to protect and manage refuge
resources.
However, the Fish and Wildlife Service also has identified
a $100 million funding need to stabilize, assess, monitor and
restore damaged habitat on the affected refuges. This request
was not included in the President's proposal, but I strongly
urge this committee and the Congress to support this critical
funding.
The hurricane impacts to birds and their habitats on Gulf
Coast wildlife refuges are extensive with a number of high
priority species and habitats affected. The Fish and Wildlife
Service has estimated that the wildlife refuges of the
southeast region experienced land losses, accelerated
degradation or other damage on 150,000 acres of coastal and
bottomland wetlands.
Wind and storm surge impacts to bird habitats were
pervasive across the Louisiana coast. Trees were completely
stripped of their leaves. Fruit and insects were at low levels
or were gone. Low-lying shrubs and woody cheniers were sprayed
with salt and buried in sand and silt. Saltwater intrusion into
freshwater marshes and other bird habitats was widespread.
Among the most striking examples of habitat damage is to
the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. This refuge
is threatened by a six mile debris field that includes more
than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids blown in by the hurricane.
Of particular concern to Audubon and its members is the
potentially devastating impact of the recent hurricanes on
birds. Scientists working at the U.S. Geological Survey at the
National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, have
completed radar studies that show massive shifts in bird
migration patterns immediately following Hurricane Katrina.
Neotropical birds moved away from the Louisiana coast to
uplands in Mississippi. Waterfowl moved from coastal habitats
impacted by the saltwater storm surge into freshwater habitats
further north.
Preliminary evidence from Audubon's Christmas bird counts
in the Gulf Coast also point toward significant impacts.
Audubon completed its 106th Christmas bird count on January 5.
Each year this event engages 50,000 citizens in an all-day
census of early winter bird populations.
An organizer in Grand Isle, Louisiana, reported that, and I
quote, ``Many resident species and some wintering species
appear to be affected. At Grand Isle during Hurricane Katrina
the water poured over the back part of the island and swept
toward the beachfront. Much of the understory has been replaced
by debris. Trees like mulberries and sugarberries have been
knocked back.''
The report from Dauphin Island, Alabama, said it was the
lowest count in birds and species in the past 10 years. Similar
accounts came in from across the Gulf Coast.
Birds of conservation concern may also have been affected.
Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge lost 70 percent of
the trees that were documented habitat for the endangered red-
cockaded woodpecker. Mississippi's Sand Hill Crane Refuge lost
two of their most important breeding female cranes. These two
females alone had been responsible for 40 percent of all
fledged young since 1997.
Braten Refuge, which is a nesting area for 15 percent of
the world's endangered brown pelicans, was devastated by
Hurricane Katrina and is now largely under water.
In conclusion, the hurricanes of the past three years have
drastically altered Gulf Coast wildlife refuges. Some have been
devastated and will take years to recover. Audubon supports the
President's supplemental request, but strongly urges this
committee and the Congress to provide additional funding to
stabilize, monitor and restore the coastal wetlands and barrier
islands within the national wildlife refuges of the Gulf Coast.
Mr. Chairman, this concluded my prepared statement. I would
be happy to answer any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Daulton follows:]
Statement of Mike Daulton, Director of Conservation Policy,
National Audubon Society
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am Mike Daulton, Director of Conservation Policy for the National
Audubon Society. Thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the
impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the National Wildlife Refuge
System. I commend you for holding this important hearing today.
National Audubon Society's 27 state offices and more than 500 local
chapters throughout the United States serve more than one million
members and supporters. Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore
natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their
habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological
diversity. Our national network of community-based nature centers and
chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf
of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of
people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation
experiences.
Audubon has a long history in the Gulf Coast region and has three
state offices and 81 local chapters in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,
Texas and Florida. Audubon also has a long history of deep connection
and commitment to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Early Audubon
Societies provided the first wardens to guard our wildlife refuges, a
commitment to protection that continues today. As one of the founding
members of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE),
Audubon has worked to ensure the great potential of the Refuge System
is fulfilled through increased appropriations for operations and
maintenance needs.
My comments today will focus on three mains areas: habitat and
ecosystem impacts, facility and structural damage at the refuges, and
funding and management needs. In the three hurricane seasons from 2003
through 2005, the National Wildlife Refuges in the Gulf Coast region
have experienced a wide range of damages from some of the most severe
hurricanes ever to strike the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service estimates a total funding need to address these damages of $270
million. Emergency supplemental funding granted by the Congress on
December 30, 2005 provided $30 million to address some of the most
critical needs facing these refuges in the immediate aftermath of the
hurricanes.
The President's budget for Fiscal Year 2007 requests $132 million
to address the needs on 61 wildlife refuges in the Gulf Coast region to
clean up debris, rebuild and repair roads and facilities, and repair
the water control infrastructure necessary to protect and manage refuge
resources. The state-by-state summary of the funding is: Louisiana $103
million, Mississippi $17.5 million, Florida $17.1 million, Texas $12.3
million, Alabama $2.6 million, and Georgia $1.25 million. This funding
request is phase one of a multi-year effort to monitor, repair,
rehabilitate, and restore the refuges, levees, dikes, marshes, dunes,
barrier islands, seagrasses, and forests in the Gulf Coast. Audubon
strongly supports the President's request.
The Service also has identified a $96.7 million funding need for
immediate stabilization and restoration of damaged habitat and long-
term monitoring of the effects of the hurricanes on wildlife resources.
The $96.7 million for habitat stabilization and monitoring was not
included in the President's proposal but I strongly urge this committee
and the Congress to provide this critical funding. The Service would
use this money for coastal habitat assessment and restoration, aquatic
and upland ecosystem impacts, invasive species, and imperiled species.
It will be important moving forward for wildlife habitat needs, as
determined by sound science, to be considered as part of recovery
planning for Gulf Coast wetlands and barrier systems.
The Importance of Restoring Wetlands and Barrier Systems on Wildlife
Refuges to Protect Coastal Areas and Provide Protection for
Trust Species
The national wildlife refuges in the Gulf Coast region were
established as critical stopovers for migratory birds and to support
endangered species and millions of waterfowl. It has long been
understood that wetlands provide multiple benefits such as protecting
biodiversity, storing water, controlling and mitigating floods,
purifying water, and serving as nurseries for populations of fish and
shellfish that support the seafood industry. The recent hurricanes,
however, brought into stark relief one of the most critically important
services that wetlands and barrier islands provide to the Gulf Coast:
protecting communities from storm surges and other devastating impacts
from hurricanes.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that the wildlife
refuges of the Southeast Region experienced direct land losses,
accelerated degradation, or other damage on more than 150,000 acres of
coastal and bottomland wetlands. Without the stabilization and
restoration of these areas, coastal wetland loss will continue,
biodiversity will decline, ecosystem health will suffer, and future
storms will be more and more damaging to coastal communities and
ecosystems. Although these refuges are highly valuable for protecting
trust species of birds and wildlife, they also can play an integral
role in the larger restoration efforts ongoing to rebuild and restore
the coastal wetlands and barrier systems of the Gulf Coast to better
protect coastal communities.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, 61 wildlife refuges
were directly impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and Dennis,
resulting in habitat destruction and damage to facilities essential for
refuge management and recreational programs. More than 4.5 million
people visited the 61 affected refuges in 2005. These refuges are
immensely popular with birdwatchers who visit the Gulf Coast to see a
wide array of bird species including a variety of neotropical migratory
birds. More than 45 million birders spend $32 billion each year
pursuing their interest in bird and wildlife watching. Overall, these
purchases have a ripple effect in the economy that leads to a total of
$85 billion in economic benefit and generates more than 800,000 jobs,
according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Concerns Regarding Impacts to Birds and Bird Habitat
The hurricane impacts to birds and their habitats on Gulf Coast
wildlife refuges are extensive, with a number of high priority species
and habitats affected. Historically, the Gulf coast areas damaged by
the hurricanes have been extremely rich in supporting migratory birds
and these areas enjoy some of the highest bird-related recreation.
Coastal Louisiana, for example, provides critical habitat for birds
migrating across the Gulf of Mexico twice a year and is a prime
destination for birding and ecotourism. Coastal Louisiana is the home
to 60 percent of all mottled ducks and 66 percent of the entire
Mississippi flyway waterfowl population.
Preliminary data from scientific studies performed by federal
agencies, as well as direct observations and anecdotal evidence from
sources such as Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, provide an
alarming picture of widespread habitat changes and large shifts in bird
migrations. It is not possible to assess accurately at this time
whether these changes will result in equally alarming reductions in
bird populations, but this early data suggests that the Congress should
consider very carefully the need to provide additional funding to
restore habitat and provide adequate resources to properly understand
the scope of these impacts and how they might be lessened or mitigated.
In preparation for my testimony, I spoke with scientists working
with the U.S. Geological Survey at the National Wetlands Research
Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. Their research is not yet published but
they expect to release it within the next few weeks. These scientists
have been monitoring the habitat use of migratory birds in Louisiana
and have recorded field observations of significant habitat destruction
and large scale shifts in bird migration patterns.
Based on field observations of the USGS scientists, wind and storm
surge impacts to bird habitat was pervasive across the Louisiana coast.
Trees were completely stripped of their leaves. Fruit and insects,
which would have served as food for migratory birds, were at low levels
or were gone. In other areas, the low lying shrubs and woody cheniers
that would have provided stopover locations for neotropical migratory
birds had been buried under six feet of sand and silt. Saltwater
intrusion into freshwater marshes and other valuable bird habitats was
widespread.
Based on data from radar studies, bird migration patterns appear to
have shifted in response to the changes in habitat. In eastern
Louisiana, for example, the riverine systems along the shore of Lake
Pontchartrain historically used by neotropical migrants widely during
this time of year were used very little in the months following
Hurricane Katrina. Their habitat use appears to have shifted to upland
areas in Mississippi where food might have been more available.
Similarly, based on the radar studies by USGS, in western
Louisiana, waterfowl populations appear to have shifted after the
hurricanes toward the north into more freshwater areas, away from the
coastal areas affected by the saltwater storm surge.
It is difficult to assess at this time how bird populations would
be affected. But the scope of the changes in habitat and the
significance of the shift in migratory patterns suggests the need for
Congress to provide the resources necessary to allow federal agencies
with responsibility for these trust resources to do the studies and
monitoring necessary to make appropriate management decisions and
maximize the use of funds dedicated to restoration of coastal habitats.
I received a number of anecdotal accounts of declines in bird
populations based on a preliminary analysis of data from Audubon's
annual Christmas Bird Counts along the Gulf Coast. A sampling of these
accounts follows:
From an organizer of the Sabine Refuge Christmas Bird
Count: ``It is hard to draw too many conclusions...but I have no doubt
that most everything will be near historic lows...Most of these numbers
would have been considered low just for a single party on a bad weather
day.''
From the Venice, Louisiana Christmas Bird Count: ``Very
few wintering sparrows, few raptors...essentially all undergrowth was
dead, offering little or no cover. No wax myrtle, no berry vines.''
From the Dauphin Island, Alabama Christmas Bird Count:
``This was the lowest count in birds and species in the last 10
years...vegetation was seriously damaged, our western area was
overwashed.''
From the Grand Isle, Louisiana Christmas Bird Count:
``Many resident species and some wintering species appear to be
affected. At Grand Isle during Hurricane Katrina, the water poured over
the back part of the island and swept toward the beachfront. Much of
the understory has been replaced by debris. Trees like mulberries and
sugarberries have been knocked back.''
From the New Orleans Christmas Bird Count: ``Obviously,
bird populations were affected. The most obvious effect seems to have
been on resident forest birds and some water birds. For most resident
birds, the news was bad--most came in less than half the previous six
year average number.''
I also received a report from Audubon's Center for Birds of Prey in
Florida. The center observed a striking decrease in the number of
eastern screech owls admitted to the center in the spring of 2005.
Typically, the month of May is when the center will observe an increase
in admissions of baby screech owls, most of them fallen from their
nests. In 2004, the center admitted 42 screech owl babies. In 2005, the
number dropped to 15. Screech owls are cavity nesters dependent on
snags and oaks for nest cavities. This may indicate that a loss of
trees in Central Florida due to the hurricanes contributed to a decline
in this species.
Over the years, Audubon has monitored many of the birds affected by
the hurricanes and is particularly concerned that a number of imperiled
bird species may have been impacted. Species considered by Audubon
scientists to be of conservation concern that may have been affected by
hurricane impacts include freshwater wet grass species such as the
Black Rail, Long-billed Curlew, Yellow Rail, and Whimbrel; beach
species such as Snowy Plover, Piping Plover, Wilson's Plover, Reddish
Egret, American Oystercatcher, Red Knot, and Short-billed Dowitcher;
and emergent salt march species such as Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
and Seaside Sparrow. Each of these birds is included on Audubon's
WatchList of birds of conservation concern.
Audubon recommends extensive monitoring of neotropical migratory
birds and priority bird species of conservation concern, as well as
complete assessments of natural resource damage. Without annual surveys
and habitat assessments over the next five years, the Service will be
unable to separate effects of Hurricane Katrina from other causes of
habitat change and bird population fluctuations.
Concerns Regarding Impacts to Threatened and Endangered Species
Audubon is concerned about the impacts the hurricanes have had on
species listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered
Species Act. In Southeast Louisiana, for example, the Big Branch Marsh
National Wildlife Refuge has lost 70 percent of the trees that were
documented nesting sites for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.--
--
The refuge staff at Big Branch March NWR has been actively going
out and putting new cavities in trees to replace the nesting sites. The
Service is conducting ``spring roost counts'' for the birds right now
and is optimistic that many of the 15 to 17 Red-cockaded Woodpecker
families that nest on the refuge each year will nest again this
April.----
However, there is one area of Big Branch Marsh NWR where no trees
are left standing at all, and the ground is making it difficult for
refuge staff to access. There is a layer of ``sticky pudding'' from
deposited debris and muck that their four-wheelers cannot get
through.--Five of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker families historically
used this area that is difficult to access with no standing trees. It
is unclear how the birds that used the habitat in this area that was
completely destroyed will adapt to the changed environment.
The Breton National Wildlife Refuge is important for nesting birds
and in particular it is a globally important nesting area for 15
percent of the world's endangered Brown Pelicans. Breton is part of
Chandeleur Islands and lost 50 to 70 percent of its land due to the
hurricanes. The amount of land that is above the water line that could
serve as nesting habitat has been greatly reduced. The refuge is not
getting the natural replenishment of sediment from the Mississippi
River the way it did historically.--The refuge staff is considering
projects to do dredging to build up the islands and do plantings to
bring back native vegetation.--The Breton Refuge's chain of barrier
islands provides a significant wave buffer for the City of New Orleans
as well as wetland coastal areas. Restoration on the refuge will help
protect the communities of Louisiana, protect the area's vital
wetlands, and also provide habitat for endangered species.
Audubon recommends that monitoring and surveys be conducted for the
Brown Pelican. Late last year, the Service announced plans to issue a
rule to delist the Gulf coast population of the brown pelican. Many
coastal habitats have been destroyed and assessment of the nesting and
roosting areas in needed before the Service can move forward with
delisting.
Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR was created to protect the
endangered Mississippi Sandhill Crane, of which 135 exist in the wild.
The recent hurricanes caused the deaths of two very important breeding
females, which have been responsible for 40 percent of all fledged
young since 1997. Biologists at the refuge are optimistic that other
females will be able to replace this reproductive success, but
extensive monitoring of this vulnerable population will be needed.
Structures used to observe the species in the field must be rebuilt,
and the refuge will need biologists to conduct monitoring. Currently
the refuge has one full time biologist and one full time assistant to
conduct the field work, and additional staffing may be necessary.
The Need to Repair Damage to Water Control Infrastructure to Ensure
Ecological Health and Biological Integrity
The 2005 storms breached levees and dikes important to wildlife and
habitat management and flood control on national wildlife refuges.
These levees and dikes protect freshwater marshes from damaging
saltwater intrusion and allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to manage
the wetlands for optimal conditions for millions of migratory birds.
For example, some water control structures used in Gulf Coast refuges
allow refuge managers to maintain a historic continuum of different
marsh types--freshwater, intermediate, and saline--to which different
species are adapted. Without active management of water levels to
maintain this diversity of habitats, the species that use the refuge
will be less biologically diverse. With pieces of the ecological puzzle
missing, the wetlands may provide fewer ecosystem services to
surrounding communities.
The Refuge System is managed under authority of the Refuge
Improvement Act of 1997, which directs the Fish and Wildlife Service to
manage the System to ensure the environmental health and ecological
integrity of the refuges. The Service's ability to manage the refuges
in a manner consistent with its legislative mandate will be severely
limited without additional funding to repair water control
infrastructure.
The Need for Immediate Assistance to Ensure Proper Cleanup of Hazardous
Debris
In addition to habitat impacts to a variety of Gulf Coast refuges
that require major restoration efforts to protect trust species, many
refuges are in need of an immense amount of debris cleanup. All four of
the southwestern Louisiana refuges were devastated by hurricane Rita.
According to a recent report, the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is
threatened by more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids blown in by the
hurricane. These barrels hold 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of oil,
bleach, and propane, and several containers of lethal chlorine gas were
found on the refuge as well. The barrels are part of a six-mile debris
field which includes two 18-wheelers, plywood, aluminum siding, and
refrigerators. Much of the debris came from the oil and gas facilities
that surround the refuge.
The marsh presents difficulties both in terms of access to the
refuge to retrieve hazardous materials and other debris, as well as
presenting a risk that hazardous materials will sink down into the
marsh, out of sight. Fish and Wildlife Service hired consultants to
review the risks at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge who recommended
that thermal surveys be conducted to identify any sunken materials that
may present a risk to the environment.
The costs of managing the damage to Sabine Refuge are not yet
completely understood. The cost of managing the damage to Bon Secour
Refuge from Hurricane Ivan may help to put the potential costs in
perspective. Hurricane Ivan hit Bon Secour Refuge with a 16 foot storm
surge carried large amounts of debris from destroyed houses in nearby
development. The refuge spent $3.5 million and eight months using the
cooperation of three federal and state agencies to remove hazardous and
non-hazardous debris from 200 acres of the refuge. The hazmat cleanup
took three weeks, but most of the hazardous debris was from household
products. Sabine Refuge presents a hazardous materials problem that is
orders of magnitude larger, with acutely toxic materials brought in
from oil and gas facilities, and a debris field strewn across 32,000
acres.
The recent report entitled ``Assessment of Hazardous Materials and
Debris from Hurricane Rita in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge''
provides important data on the extent of the problem but additional
surveys are needed to identify submerged items. The Service has
estimated that it will cost between $10 million and $50 million to
clean-up and remove the hazardous debris at five national wildlife
refuges during to the hurricanes.
It appears that additional funding, beyond the Bush Administration
request in the emergency supplemental bill, will be needed to cleanup
debris and toxic waste at many of the refuges. Contaminant assessments
are necessary to enable us to identify and prioritize corrective
actions.
Conclusion
Facing a backlog of operations and maintenance needs now well over
$2 billion, the National Wildlife Refuge System does not have the
funding available to divert to the acute threats and emergency needs
created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. National Audubon Society
supports the President's emergency supplemental request to restore the
wildlife refuges of the Gulf Coast that have been devastated by
hurricanes. An additional $96.7 million for habitat stabilization and
monitoring of the national wildlife refuges impacted by the hurricanes
should be included in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill.
The refuges in the Gulf Coast region have drastically changed and
it is essential that baseline surveys of habitat damage and bird and
wildlife populations are conducted as soon as possible. These surveys
will be an important guide for managers as they begin to cleanup,
repair, and restore the refuge system. In addition, it is critical that
the Fish and Wildlife Service, as a large landowner in the Gulf Coast
region, participate fully in the efforts of federal, state, and local
agencies, as well as partner organizations, to rebuild and restore
wetland habitat and the barrier islands that will be necessary to
ensure protection of the vast biological resources of the area and to
protect coastal communities from future storm events.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be
happy to answer any questions you may have.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Daulton.
Mr. Richard?
STATEMENT OF DAVID RICHARD, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, STREAM
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC., STREAM COMPANY
Mr. Richard. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am David Richard. I am a wildlife biologist who has
worked on the coast of Louisiana and southwest Louisiana in
particular for the past 30 years. I spent 16 years working for
the State of Louisiana and the last 14 years working with
private land management.
I am a resident of Grand Chenier or was a resident until
Hurricane Rita when that community and our home was devastated.
Mr. Gilchrest. What was the name?
Mr. Richard. Grand Chenier. It means oak ridge in French,
the Chenier word.
It is a unique geological area between Vermilion Bay and
Galveston Bay. There are only three of them in the world, and
that is on the northern shore of Australia and the eastern
shore of Madagascar. It is called the Chenier Plain. It is
actually an isolated beach ridge, but it made an awfully
wonderful home.
You all have heard about land lost in Louisiana. It is
catastrophic. To put it in perspective, there is a million
acres that is gone. The three main topics that I think we need
to look at today are some of immediate concern. You have heard
of the huge land loss in Louisiana and how that land loss has
impacted. I feel it is a direct result, the devastation that we
saw in Mississippi and in New Orleans, because of the loss of
that million acres of coastal wetlands.
The diversity in coastal wetlands in Louisiana is
unparalleled in this country. Marshes are not monotypic. There
are fresh marshes and intermediate marshes and brackish marshes
and saline marshes, and the diversity of Louisiana coastal
wetlands is a unique feature.
So what do we need to do? You asked Mr. Hamilton this
morning about particular monies that were available through PL-
646 of the Breaux Act. There are $257 million that are needed
to fund designed and engineered projects that are ready to be
constructed at this point in time. $200 million of that remains
unfunded as we sit here today.
The Louisiana coastal area plan in the year 2000, after the
formulation of the 2050 plan, called for a $15 billion
investment. A $15 billion investment would be cheap in
comparison to where we are today.
It gives you a total at this point in time that there are
$200 million worth of projects ready to construct. There is
another $500 million of projects that are in design and
engineering, and for the complete implementation of the
Louisiana coastal area plan we are in the range at this point
in time of about $18 billion.
From a national wildlife perspective, which is what I was
asked to speak on, the national wildlife refuge system works
very closely with the private landowners, with the parishes and
with the local governments in regard to the overall plan and
regional planning system.
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Prairie National
Wildlife Refuge and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge are
located in Cameron Parish encompassing about 180,000 acres.
They work very closely with us in a program for watershed
management. We have state-of-the-art structures on Sabine built
with PL-646 money and PL-566 money on the watershed program
under the Cameron-Creole Watershed that not only impact refuge
lands, but impact the lands that are adjacent to that, the many
thousands of acres of private lands. We urge and encourage that
those water control structures and levees be repaired and
rebuilt as soon as possible.
The socio-economic proportion of these hurricanes. We have
hundreds of thousands of visitors that went down the Creole
Nature Trail, which is an American byway, that learned
education and hands-on experience that was completely destroyed
at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and heavily damaged at
Cameron Prairie. This gave the public a real opportunity to
walk through the wetlands in Louisiana and to also see specific
exhibits in that regard.
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most
important wintering waterfowl areas in the country. Half a
million birds winter there. We have a levee breach there that
needs to be immediately done, and we also have public
facilities there that were damaged. Cameron Prairie also.
I do urge that we do the hydrologic issues that need to be
restored and the public facilities and public use facilities
and administrative buildings that should be restored on those
refuges.
You have heard a lot about the hazardous waste. I worked
with live cattle rescue and spotting the 360 graves that were
talked about a while ago that were lost, and I would like to
commend Fish and Wildlife Service for their help, but would
also like to commend General Honore. When I needed helicopters,
I called General Honore, and he provided whatever we needed to
be able to do what we needed to do.
I have witnessed the debris fields on Sabine, just as I
have witnessed thousands of acres of debris fields on private
lands. The EPA began their cleanup from Hurricane Rita on lands
that I manage. They have done an excellent job of picking up
the hazardous waste off of those areas. We had hundreds of
containers, thousands of containers that have been picked up.
Those methods have been seen and have been shown and proven
that we can do it.
The estimate of money that is involved in doing that is
approximately $20 to $30 million. My written testimony, I would
ask that that be submitted. A lot of those figures are in that
written testimony.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate being asked to come here and
appreciate whatever you can do for the needs of coastal
Louisiana on private lands and on Fish and Wildlife Service
lands.
Thank you for being here. I would love any questions that
you might have.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Richard follows:]
Statement of David M. Richard, Executive Vice-President,
Stream Property Management
I was asked to testify before you with an assessment of the
destruction and the type of damage that was inflicted upon National
Wildlife Refuges by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I have spent 30 years
of my professional career in coastal Louisiana working as a State
Wildlife biologist and private land manager with emphasis in
Southwestern Louisiana. I was a resident of Grand Chenier, located in
lower Cameron Parish that was devastated by Hurricane Rita. My emphasis
today will be on the impacts of Hurricane Rita on Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge, Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge and Cameron Prairie
National Wildlife Refuge. These refuges comprise approximately 180,000
acres in Cameron Parish located in extreme Southwestern Louisiana.
These refuges are intricately involved with the water management and
resources management of Southwestern Louisiana. Southwestern Louisiana
is home to some of the most diverse wetlands in the United States. This
area comprises the Chenier Plain zone of Louisiana which extends from
Vermilion Bay in Southwest Louisiana to Galveston Bay in Southeast
Texas. Because of the geology and the topography of the area with
extensive marshes and cheniers, the wildlife and wetlands diversity is
unparalleled. The wintering waterfowl, the stopover habitat for
neotropical passerine birds and the wetland diversity is home to
multitudes of species of wildlife.
The destruction that was wrought upon Southwest Louisiana by
Hurricane Rita is unparalleled in our history. The hurricane struck
this area with winds in excess of 120 miles per hour, with tidal storm
surge up to 20 feet. In this low, flat wetland the damage that was
inflicted was beyond comprehension to the coastal communities involved
of Cameron, Grand Chenier, Creole, Holly Beach, Pecan Island and
Vermilion Parish and the entire coast of Louisiana that was affected by
excessive storm surge.
The damage inflicted upon National Wildlife Refuges in the area was
serious and catastrophic to the infrastructure. This infrastructure
includes levees, water control structures, headquarters facilities,
visitor centers and public use trails and supporting facilities.
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge was particularly hard hit due to
the storm surge. Major water control structures and levees that are
used to combat salt water intrusion were severely damaged. Subsequent
vegetative destruction and marsh deterioration are of immense
proportion. These structures and levees are needed to maintain the
historical wetland diversity of the area and thus its productivity. The
diversity of the land and productivity are linked through habitat
diversity. The needs of the Refuge include the rebuilding of these
levees and the water control structures in the Cameron-Creole Watershed
on the east side of Calcasieu Lake and the water control structures on
the west side of Calcasieu Lake. These structures and levees have been
built in coordination with the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection,
Restoration Act program (PL646), the Natural Resource Conservation
Service Watershed program (PL566). These structures which are state-of-
the-art water control structures impact not only National Wildlife
Service lands but also private lands. The United States Fish and
Wildlife Service have worked with the people of Southwestern Louisiana
in constructing and maintaining these water control structures and
levees to protect and maintain this historical diversity. The
structures and levees are repairable and should be repaired at the
earliest date possible. The infrastructure of Sabine National Wildlife
Refuge which includes waterways, headquarters facilities, visitors(
center, and support buildings were completely destroyed in Hurricane
Rita. These facilities should be rebuilt to support the continuing
management of over 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands as well as centers
for outreach and education of the values of America(s Wetland.
Other types of damage that were inflicted upon Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge was the deposition of debris fields. Over 1,700 acres
of debris has been located and identified on the Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge. The Sabine National Wildlife Refuge management
conducted an assessment of hazardous materials and debris from
Hurricane Rita in the months following the hurricane. This assessment
is attached to my written testimony for your perusal. In essence this
plan identifies 1,400 potential hazardous material items in the debris
field. These items are estimated to contain between 115,000 and 350,000
gallons of hazardous liquids and gases. This hazardous waste came from
offshore facilities, inshore facilities, and common household items.
The hazardous waste on private lands in Southwestern Louisiana is
progressing as planned and implemented by the Environmental Protection
Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency has retrieved tens of
thousands of containers from private lands in Southwest Louisiana and
has done a commendable job. These containers and hazardous materials
should be removed from Sabine National Wildlife Refuge to prevent
present and future damage to that habitat. There are also no doubt some
hazardous materials that have not been able to be identified due to the
immensity of the project. These debris fields can be at depths and
heights of 6-8 feet of vegetative, residential and hazardous materials.
There is the distinct possibility that more than the estimated number
of containers of hazardous waste is present on the Refuge. Every effort
should be made to commence their removal from Sabine National Wildlife
Refuge as is being done on private lands. There have been a number of
procedures that have been used to cause the least damage to the wetland
habitat that have been used in the hazardous material removal by the
Environmental Protection Agency that is on-going at this time.
The Lacassine Wildlife Refuge is also located in Southwestern
Louisiana. The infrastructure of Lacassine Wildlife Refuge was also
damaged by Hurricane Rita. Although Lacassine Wildlife Refuge is
located 20 miles inland the storm surge and accompanying salt water
intrusion damaged the levees that maintain diversity of this National
Wildlife Refuge. The levees and water control structures damaged should
be rebuilt and replaced as soon as possible. This Refuge maintains a
pristine historical wetland in the Mermentau Basin in Southwest
Louisiana as Sabine is used by thousands of people per year. The
incidence of debris fields and hazardous waste on Lacassine Wildlife
Refuge is not the scope that it is on Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
but the infrastructure damage and removal of hazardous waste on
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge should be implemented as soon as
possible.
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge is located on the eastern
side of Calcasieu Lake and also sustained heavy damage through
Hurricane Rita. The debris fields and infrastructure damage on Cameron
Prairie are similar to Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. The
headquarters facilities and visitors( center were used as a temporary
headquarters for the recovery of Cameron Parish. As a resident and
citizen of Southwest Louisiana we commend the Fish and Wildlife Service
for their willingness to house and coordinate the recovery activities
through that office in the early period following Hurricane Rita. This
area was used as a command center, as a staging area for troops and
private personnel that were involved in live cattle rescue, damage
assessment, road clearing, and as a support facility for hundreds of
Cameron Parish residents. The headquarters building and visitors(
center sustained damage due not only to the hurricane but to the number
of people and equipment that used the headquarters after the hurricane.
The infrastructure on Cameron Prairie was also damaged in Hurricane
Rita. There are waterways that need to be cleared of debris. There are
hazardous materials that have been deposited. This infrastructure
should be replaced as soon as possible.
One of the questions asked in your letter of invitation was if
these Refuges were permanently changed. The incidence of hurricanes is
a natural phenomenon along the Southeastern United States. These
hurricanes have historically changed the landscape over centuries. The
problem is that man has also changed the topography and hydrology of
the lands. When the Mississippi River was harnessed the natural flow of
the Mississippi with its nutrients and immense amount of wetland
creation capabilities were diverted and have forever changed the
landscape. We must now rely on man-made techniques to preserve the
diversity and wetlands of Coastal Louisiana. The Refuges will recover
if the existing infrastructure that was in place prior to the hurricane
is replaced. This infrastructure, comprised of levees and water control
structures maintain the historical diversity. There is going to be a
succession period where the plants and animals must recover. This time
frame is, hopefully, short. There are some areas that have been
permanently changed in regard to the removal of vegetation from the
marsh that created open water. These areas will take much longer to
heal and will take management of those wetlands to achieve that goal.
How much money Congress needs to appropriate for the repair for
these severely damaged Refuges in Southwestern Louisiana could range
from $20-50 million. The repair of the infrastructure alone is
estimated to cost between $10-20 million. The estimates regarding the
removal of hazardous material from the Refuges could range from $20-30
million. These heavily damaged Refuges in Southwest Louisiana are in
need of rebuilding and re-establishing in infrastructure. The
socioeconomic impacts of Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge,
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
are important for the education and economy of Southwest Louisiana.
These Refuges have in excess of one-half million visitors per year that
learn and enjoy the ecology and natural resources of this productive
area. I urge this Committee to appropriate those funds necessary to
rebuild the levees, water control structures, headquarters buildings,
visitor centers and support facilities that have made Southwestern
Louisiana and National Wildlife Refuges so productive and so unique and
so important to the people of Southwestern Louisiana.
______
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Richard.
We are going down to Louisiana next week mainly to look at
the fisheries issues, the fishermen, the boats, the processors,
the infrastructure, those kinds of things, but I think this
issue, as big as it is, it would be important for us to go down
and visit some of the places that you have seen and personally
walked and see what we can do to help in this arena.
Mr. Richard, you talked about wetlands recovery, land loss
mainly due because of the loss of wetlands, $15 billion of the
original estimate for the recovery of lower Louisiana I guess
over about a 40-year period or something like that, and you
said it was bumped up to $18 billion I guess considering the
hurricane.
Do you think that without this massive introduction of
funds to understand the hydrologic issues so that the wetlands
can be restored and reduce to a minimum land loss, without that
do you see any hope for lower Louisiana?
Mr. Richard. As I have said in my testimony, we have lost a
million acres. That land loss is accelerated. USGS, as was
stated here earlier today, estimated we had lost 118 square
miles just with this hurricane. We have a normal land loss of
25 square miles per year at this time. If there are not major
massive efforts to restore coastal Louisiana it will cease to
exist. Absolutely no question.
I began the bald eagle program in Louisiana in monitoring.
I have done the alligator surveys in Louisiana since 1976. I
used to band every brown pelican that we brought into the state
to reestablish in my hands in the late 1970s.
I have witnessed that land disappear. I have witnessed
cypress forests die with bald eagle nests on the ground. I have
witnessed the Chandeleur Islands being completely destroyed. I
have witnessed vast wetlands where I used to look at productive
marshes now in open water.
The answer to your question is from firsthand experience,
drastic measures are needed, and they are needed quickly. The
$15 billion figure was compiled by the Corps off the 2050 plan.
The 2050 plan was compiled in 1998 with a cost of $14.9 billion
in 1998. In normal inflation we are looking at an $18 billion
figure. It needs to be put at the top of a priority list to
preserve the diversity of that ecosystem.
Mr. Gilchrest. Now, the 2050 plan, I guess also
incorporated into the 2050 plan was a technological fix for
coastal or lower Louisiana based in part on some changes in the
sediment flow from the Mississippi River I would guess?
Mr. Richard. That is correct. You know, the Mississippi
River has to be looked at from a nationwide perspective. Number
one, we know that we have 50 percent of the silt that used to
come down the Mississippi no longer comes here.
Since the 1927 flood when we harnessed the Mississippi, and
we have all the locks and dams up the Mississippi River, and we
have all the dredging that is imposed because of those lock and
dams and lack of flow. We do have a huge lack of sediment
coming down the Mississippi. We need to make use of every
available spoonful in regard to rebuilding that coast.
That works very well in what we call the Delta Plain and
the sub Delta Plain, which is from Vermilion Bay to the State
of Mississippi, but in the southwestern part of the state we
have hydrological controls there that need to be maintained
because there is not that flow.
We do have literal flow coming through the Gulf. Major
operations on the Mississippi River are necessary to save
coastal Louisiana.
Mr. Gilchrest. Mr. Daulton, you said you were in support of
the supplemental from President Bush, which amounted to some
$130 million or so, but you also I think made a comment that
the total needed, at least if I added up everything you said,
and I am assuming you mean just on Federal wildlife refuges,
was $370 million. Or was it $270 million?
Mr. Daulton. I think the Fish and Wildlife Service has
estimated $270 million as a total overarching need. $132
million was in the President's request.
Mr. Gilchrest. I see.
Mr. Daulton. There was a $100 million need for habitat
assessment, habitat monitoring.
Mr. Gilchrest. Is that over and above the $270 million?
Mr. Daulton. No.
Mr. Gilchrest. That was included in the $270 million?
Mr. Daulton. That question could be maybe better directed
to Fish and Wildlife Service, but I think that my understanding
of it is that the habitat request is within the $270 million.
Mr. Gilchrest. So we are short about $100 million with the
President's request?
Mr. Daulton. Correct.
Mr. Gilchrest. As we look at this, coastal Louisiana, the
state refuges, the state land and in the Federal wildlife
refuges, as you look at these areas of need are you making
distinctions?
In your efforts in Louisiana and your efforts to talk to us
are you making distinctions between the Federal dollars that
will go for Federal wildlife refuges or for the state-owned
land? Is there a collaboration? This is the region from Texas
to Mississippi that needs to be fixed.
Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, if I may?
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes.
Mr. Moore. Parke Moore. We have made an estimate based upon
our initial assessments of damage to our state-owned lands of
approximately $258 million that is not included in any of those
dollars that have been talked about today.
Mr. Gilchrest. So it is $250 million just for the state-
owned land?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir.
Mr. Gilchrest. Where are you looking to get that money
from?
Mr. Moore. You.
Mr. Gilchrest. Mr. Jefferson?
Mr. Moore. Maybe in Jeffersons.
Mr. Gilchrest. OK. So the state is looking to the Federal
government----
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir.
Mr. Gilchrest.--for some of those dollars?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir. We feel as though the Federal
government is a major player in the recovery of Louisiana and
the health of our ecosystems in Louisiana to the benefit of the
Nation as a whole.
Our estuarine system is critical to the seafood industry,
to the whole United State and also internationally.
Mr. Gilchrest. Yes. So just between what the Federal
refuges appear to need and what the state land appears to need,
which I am assuming we are talking about land lost to Hurricane
Katrina that was marsh or swamp or wetlands and now is open
water or potentially open water, so we are looking at that to
be about $500 million I would guess.
From the Federal side and the state side is a round,
ballpark figure of about $500 million for that habitat
restoration?
Mr. Moore. Well, it is not only habitat restoration, but
those projects that are involved in ensuring that we can
maintain what we have.
Mr. Gilchrest. Right. Sure. Not only habitat restoration,
but make sure the habitat can withstand another hurricane.
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir. To get back to where we were, not to
improve really much of anything.
Mr. Gilchrest. Right. Mr. Hirsche?
Mr. Hirsche. If I could comment? Yes, Mr. Chairman. Fish
and Wildlife has estimated $170 million for facilities and
infrastructure repair needs and $88 million for habitat
restoration to get us back to where we were, but I think there
is a real question mark with those numbers. I think the
likelihood is that they are going to increase.
Mr. Gilchrest. I see. I have some other follow-up
questions, but my time is up so I will yield to the gentleman
from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone.
Mr. Pallone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I wanted to ask Don Young about his statement. In your
statement you mention that it might be more harmful to attempt
to remove some debris or hazardous material than to leave the
waste in place and let nature repair itself, and this would
allow the Service to invest limited resources in restoration
efforts.
I just wondered by what criteria you would make such a
judgment to leave waste or debris in place. How would you
determine that?
Mr. Young. Mr. Pallone, I believe that testimony was
provided by Director Hall this morning. I didn't provide
comments on that.
Mr. Pallone. OK. So I am misquoting you then? It was not
you who said that?
Mr. Young. Not in my remarks today, no.
Mr. Pallone. OK.
Mr. Young. With regard to our written testimony, we spoke
to some of the same concerns that Director Hall spoke of this
morning that in some cases the materials, the toxic materials
in situ, may be problematic in terms of removal of some of
those materials in terms of releasing them by virtue of the
actual process of removing them from their current location, so
we will have to look on a case-by-case basis as to what is the
most effective way of dealing with the particular toxic
elements.
Mr. Pallone. So there may be some cases where you would
advocate that, but you don't really want to establish a
criteria saying what those would be?
Mr. Young. No. That is correct.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Let me ask Mr. Hirsche. I don't know if I
am pronouncing it right.
Mr. Hirsche. It is Hirsche, Mr. Pallone.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Like Hershey, Pennsylvania, I guess.
Mr. Hirsche. That is right.
Mr. Pallone. All right. In your statement you note that the
estimated storm damage to refuge facilities and infrastructure
exceeds $270 million or about 70 percent of the refuge system's
total 2006 operations and maintenance budget.
Then you say you fear that refuges across the country,
already stretched to the breaking point, would not recover from
the extensive budget burden already crippling the system.
I just wanted you to share with us what the Cooperative
Alliance for Refuge Enhancement currently estimates as the
budget backlog for operations and maintenance activities within
the refuge system.
Mr. Hirsche. Yes, sir. The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge
Enhancement is, as I think you know, a diverse alliance of 21
national organizations that runs the gamut from the National
Rifle Association to Defenders of Wildlife. We don't always
agree on management strategies, but we certainly agree that the
refuge system is massively underfunded.
Our most recent, and this goes back a couple years,
estimate on an annual budget for the refuge system that would
help to alleviate the $2.7 billion backlog would be $700
million a year, so you can see we are already operating behind
the curve.
I think our concern with the expenses associated with
cleaning up the Gulf--I mean, you have two options; either do
it or you don't, and what are the ramifications if you don't,
and if you do address the facilities repairs and the habitat
restoration where is that money going to come from?
If we take it from the refuge system budget it is going to
have a serious impact on refuges throughout the nation.
Mr. Pallone. Are there ways in which the unintended
operations and maintenance activities in the refuge system may
have amplified the damage inflicted by the hurricanes in 2005?
Mr. Hirsche. I am not sure I understand your question.
Mr. Pallone. In other words, is it possible that because of
the underfunding or problems with O&M activities in the refuge
system that once the hurricane came through that there were
consequences that may not have existed otherwise?
Mr. Hirsche. I mean, I think that is entirely possible. I
can't point to specifics, but the reality is that at refuges
around the country, including the Gulf, you have facilities
that were already in need of enormous repairs. In some cases
they needed tearing down and actual replacement to reduce
costs.
There were serious habitat restoration needs. In many cases
you have water control structures and other things that were
not up to full operating standard, but I think we would have to
look case-by-case, and I don't have specific examples with me.
Mr. Pallone. OK. In your written statement you express
concern in the contracted report of hazardous materials about
contamination at the Sabine National Refuge, that unless the
issue of contaminant removal and rehabilitation is addressed
that that refuge will be at significant risk of chemical and
physical damage for decades.
I only mention that because that seems at odds with the
idea, and again I don't want to misquote Mr. Young, that it
might make more sense to leave some of the spoiled areas alone
to heal themselves.
Do you want to comment on this sort of leave-it-alone
approach at all?
Mr. Hirsche. My gut would say you let hazardous material
sink into the marsh you are looking at a ticking time bomb.
The reality is the habitats we are talking about have
already taken a significant hammering, and it seems that at
this point removing these items would be probably the best
option, but it may be a case-by-case situation as well.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Pallone.
Just a couple of extra questions. Mr. Hirsche, following up
on Mr. Pallone's questions about leaving certain things alone,
I think I would agree with you that if we can get those toxic
materials out of there that would be one of our top priorities.
The other thing though is looking at the national wildlife
refuges and looking at certain buildings or infrastructure that
have been destroyed, have you given any thought to just leaving
those, to taking the debris of those buildings away and not
rebuilding in those areas? Is there any consideration given to
that?
Mr. Hirsche. I can't speak for the Fish and Wildlife
Service. My sense is that is under consideration. On the other
hand, most of these facilities that we are talking about are
vital to the operations. They store maintenance equipment.
Often we are talking about visitor services structures.
The reality is refuges provide an outstanding opportunity
for the public to enjoy these places, and if they don't have
the interpretive and educational opportunities to engage at
these refuges we are going to lose community and public support
for them.
Mr. Gilchrest. Given the fact that we have to squeeze out
blood from a stone here----
Mr. Hirsche. Yes.
Mr. Gilchrest. Not that we wouldn't want to rebuild some of
those structures, but just to give your honest opinion if we
had to prioritize this.
We are not going to come up with $18 billion over the next
two or three years. We hope to bump the $132 million up, but
given the fact that there are toxic waste problems out there,
that there are restoration to habitat problems out there, that
there is holding onto wetlands problems where structures are
going to have to be built, and we haven't talked to Mr. Hall
about this.
This is a fairly minor equation into the whole problem, but
if we had to prioritize I guess that would be low on our
priority list to rebuild some of the facilities on those
refuges that need to be protected with wetlands first.
Mr. Hirsche. Yes. Mr. Chairman, I guess I would in
answering that question raise a question for the Committee, and
that is we are talking about funding all these activities
through emergency supplemental dollars, but the reality is that
FEMA dollars are precluded right now by statute from being
spent on Federal lands.
As I understand it, at Sabine there are areas where EPA has
been hard at work, and they have cleaned up all the ``white
coats'' and other items right along the boundary and so there
is a stark contrast between within and without the refuge. I
guess I would urge the Committee to explore the notion of being
able to allocate some of those FEMA dollars to addressing
cleanup.
As far as habitat restoration is concerned, this is an
issue not only of vital importance to wildlife, but to
communities, to people, to economies. It seems to me that the
burden should be shared.
Mr. Gilchrest. We did discuss that briefly this morning,
and that will be an issue of concern with us whether we have to
change the statute or how to get FEMA dollars because we have
been pumping, and rightly so, a lot of money down to lower
Louisiana. We just don't want it to sit in a field in Arkansas,
but make sure it gets to the right spot.
Just a quick question about the salt problem. Mr. Moore,
you mentioned a number of the farm fields, not to mention a
vast array of other areas that have been inundated with
saltwater, brackish water. We saw the burned out fields and
vegetation.
What is the solution? Is it natural rain and washing this
salt through the soil? Is that how you get rid of it? How long
does that take?
Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, you are exactly right. Can you get
us some rain? We have a drought in southwest Louisiana. Rain is
one of the mechanisms that will help wash our soils.
We also need other aggressive techniques. Sometimes gypsum
applied to the soils will then make it more agronomic. We are
now involved in extensive studies on a pilot scale throughout
the Ag Extension Service, and the Rice Experiment Station is
doing work to determine what levels of salinity in the soils
will allow a crop to be successfully grown.
We are engaged in a number of venues of research,
investigations. The best course is good rains with good runoff
to allow that washing to occur. We are just not getting that
right now.
Mr. Gilchrest. The wildlife situation, especially the
migratory waterfowl. Do you know whether or not the migrating
waterfowl or red-cockaded woodpecker or a number of other of
these species that have depended upon lower Louisiana--where
are they now? Are they making out? Are they on golf courses?
Are they doing OK? Where have they flown to? Are they starving?
A general assessment.
Mr. Moore. Excellent question. I appreciate you asking
that. We had an average year for wintering waterfowl. We had a
cold winter in the north, which brought them down. We had ample
water and ample food.
In time though the food resource is provided by our natural
properties that grow natural plants and seeds, as well as that
mosaic and matrix of agricultural or agronomic activities that
provide feed for those waterfowl and other species.
From the standpoint of the red-cockaded woodpecker, we have
many mechanisms by which we will make cavities in older
coniferous trees, typically long-leaf pines, and we augment
those populations.
We are engaged in a very aggressive and proactive program
of engaging the private sector and their lands and hope that we
can recover the red-cockaded sufficiently with the damage that
was done. I think that we are on track there.
Mr. Gilchrest. All right.
Mr. Moore. Waterfowl over time will detriment if we don't
plant our agricultural fields and our properties that we manage
with natural vegetation do not produce grains and greenery.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you very much.
Did you have any other questions, Mr. Pallone? Frank has a
question.
Mr. Pallone. I just wanted to ask. I could ask Mr. Don
Young initially, and then if anybody else wants to answer it.
When we were talking about this leave-it-alone approach
with hazardous waste, I just wanted to ask the same thing with
regard to harmful invasive species because when you have the
hurricane they might be established easier after a natural
disaster and so I just wanted to ask what you would think about
a leave-it-alone approach or case-by-case with regard to
invasive species, you know, the same type of question.
Mr. Young. Let me provide some clarification to your
earlier question.
Mr. Pallone. Sure.
Mr. Young. With respect to the leave-it-alone concept, what
I was speaking to primarily, more specifically to, is that
there are certain biodegradable materials, such as timber and
things like that, that will naturally degrade with time that
don't have toxic implications.
We would certainly not be advocating leave-it-alone where
you have particularly notorious toxic chemicals out there, for
example, that may be problematic, so I just wanted to make that
clarification.
Mr. Pallone. Sure.
Mr. Young. Now, with regard to the invasive species issue
that is a significant concern not only with regard to plant
species, but also with regard to animal species. Our colleagues
here from the State of Louisiana can speak to that, but we are
very actively involved as a conservation organization in terms
of advocating control of invasive species where it is feasible.
They are extremely productive and aggressive in their
growth and can cause significant problematic issues for
indigenous wildlife and other plant species, so our view on
that is to look for opportunities for controlling invasive
species.
Mr. Pallone. Does anybody else want to comment?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir, I would like to. Parke Moore, Wildlife
and Fisheries. We are very much concerned from both aquatic
invasives and also terrestrial flora and fauna. I will give you
one example, and that is the Chinese tallow tree.
These types of invasives come in. They are not normally in
the food chain. They do well. They are not eaten up. They then
spread. They then become monotypic. They cover the ground. It
precludes other beneficial plants from coming up.
In our areas, particularly in southeast Louisiana where we
sustained heavy timber damage, we are going to have those
invasives to come in, and Chinese tallow tree is one. We are
going to seek substantial assistance wherever we can to combat
that establishment and allow for our natural species, our plant
species, to then develop an understory which will then
constitute an overstory in our 20 to 40 year establishment of a
forest.
We have to get our natives established, and these types of
invasives will come in, will shadow out and shelter out any of
the good plants and will not provide any kind of habitat or
home for our animals.
As we have seen in southwest Louisiana, these invasives
species on terrestrial habitats have been not only established
on the periphery of areas. They have begun to infiltrate and
migrate into the centers of our forests and marshlands, so,
yes, invasives is a major concern to the State of Louisiana.
Mr. Hirsche. Yes. I would just like to add that as I think
you probably know, invasive species are a top threat to the
refuge system, and whenever you have disturbed habitat you are
looking at the threat of invasives establishing a real
foothold.
When we are talking about habitat restoration, we should be
thinking that funding in part as a way to reduce the level of
invasive infestation.
Mr. Daulton. And I would just like to add that the invasive
species management would be included in the habitat management
portion of the funding so that that is not included in the
current President's budget request.
I think that what you have heard on the panel underscores
how important that problem will be to address and in addition
to that underscores the importance of that additional funding.
Mr. Pallone. OK. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gilchrest. Thank you, Mr. Pallone.
Gentlemen, thank you for your testimony. We hope to see you
down in the Gulf fairly soon. Thank you for your time and your
effort and your skill and your passion for what you do.
The hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:25 p.m. the Subcommittee was adjourned.]