[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 39 (Thursday, April 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE SETTLEMENT ACT OF 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2002

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, rise today to give my whole-hearted 
endorsement and support for H.R. 3958, the Bear River Migratory Bird 
Refuge Settlement Act.
  This bill provides more than just a mere settlement between the 
federal government and the State of Utah, it is a model of how state 
and federal interests can work together in order to protect our shared 
environment.
  The Bear River Refuge is an ecological treasure. Surrounded by a 
desert and a brackish marsh, the Bear River is truly an oasis for 
thousands of birds. In 1843, explorer John C. Freemont visited the site 
and said that the sounds of waterfowl were like ``a thunder, and the 
whole scene was animated with waterfowl.''
  The refuge, however, is threatened. In 1983 the Great Salt Lake 
breached its banks and flooded the fragile ecosystem of the refuge. The 
pristine waters became contaminated; microbes, plants, and animals were 
all put at risk.
  The refuge is now on its way to recovery. There has been a concerted 
effort by the federal government and the state to remediate the damage 
caused and return the refuge to its prior condition.
  That job has been complicated, not by the forces of nature but by the 
anachronistic ambiguities of lines of ownership between federal and 
state holdings. The lack of a meander line survey of the land has led 
to uncertainty of ownership within the refuge.
  State and federal agencies are unsure of their jurisdiction, and that 
uncertainty has stymied the important environmental work that needs to 
be completed.
  This $15 million agreement would invest much needed resources into 
the continued protection of the refuge-$10 million would be provided 
into a wetlands protection account. The remaining $5 million will be 
used for development, improvement, and expansion of a trail system 
throughout the refuge.
  This is a good deal for the United States, a great agreement for 
Utah, and important step in preserving a fragile ecosystem.

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