eries for shellfish and finfish, as critical habiut for migratory waterfowl and endan- 



^'^'eSnl- is a terrestrial example O- SUte DePf me"'^^^^^^^^ 

 cation tells me *at Connecticut s forests have been assau^w^ oy ^ ^^,^^ 



array of exotic organisms over *c 'a't WO yea^s I ma « ^ , j .^„^ „f the 

 recently fi-om Enc Thomas one of the State^^^^ ^.^^^. ^^^ ^,,. 



src'heitit";,^nt^|^^t-.^;c^^^ 



Sch%'„-M^sMe SSSrva"^^^^^^^^^ 



exJ:;ic*raJet^rwe« t^I Ss rs^P^^^i^rdli^s 



sity. I'm always struck by this ^^^n reading joumals o^ luu ye s, .^ ^^^^ 



the landscape looked then, how fllff^J^^^^^^^^^^^ also of our natural ties 

 wav our lives our diminished by that loss— ot diversity, ^'"^ /;=" " THnnk vou 

 to history Hook forward to studying the testimony presented today. Thank you. 



Senator Akaka. At this time. I would like to call on Mr. Don 

 Schmitz for his testimony. 



S Sp^rJ^Roi^NTil PROTECTION, TALLAHASSEE, FL 



Mr Schmitz Thank you, Senator, and good morning. 



TW to Walize with me for a few moments that umque eco- 

 svlt7m in south Florida Siown as the Everglades. Picture in your 

 mfndTtsyrge expanses of native sawgrass, its beautiful tree island 

 S^immocks fts s!ow vast southern sheet flow of water its rare and 



tn the citizens of southern Florida who depend on its water YJ^l' 



SS ori^forTts natural resources but for 't^ 'W'?^^':^ ^=en des- 

 the orime tourist destinations m all the world. It has been aes 

 i^ated a world heritage site, international biosphere reserve, and 

 wetland of international importance. . ^ ,„ if „„,, ^^ii a fleet 



mfMmmm 



""The* AusSian melaleuca tree was first imported around the 



tu^ofr ^^"ry'in gonda a^^^^^^^^^ 



drying capabilities. In 1990, the &oum ^a"^^"",/'^ , .° f 5q 



iThe prepared statement of Mr. Schmitz appears on page 73. 



