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Mr. LaRocco, You know, when you talk about ecosystem man- 

 agement, some people say you will know it when you see it. It is 

 a warm and fUzzy feeling. But there has been some talk about it 

 today. I think we have an example of it here in the Colxunbia 

 basin. If you are talking about ecosystem management and it is all 

 on your desk somewhere, this whole thing because under Section 

 7 consultation, you are looking at timber sale plans, you are look- 

 ing at cattle grazing and the whole thing within the Columbia 

 basin ecosystem. So I think we are closer to knowing what it is all 

 about. But I think what is critical — I will just make this point with 

 you, and I have been pressing that point today — ^we also have to 

 be looking at sustainable economies, sustainable communities and 

 there has to be a buy-in by the local people. They have to imder- 

 stand what is going on, it has to be explained to them and the sci- 

 entific data that is being put out has to be clear. 



So as we move along here, it is very important to my constitu- 

 ents that they understand exactly where we are headed. Now you 

 are going to be issuing this draft in October and what I am saying 

 too is I am concerned about yovir staffing. Could you address that, 

 on whether you have enough people to deal with this whole process 

 that we are embarking on here in terms of ecosystem management 

 for our region? 



Mr. Smith. There are two parts of that, if I may. In addressing 

 your initial comment, I think there is an important distinction to 

 be made with reference to the consultation process, and that is 

 looking at a jeopardy standard or a jeopardy level to ensure that 

 the species are not going to extinction while you are building the 

 recovery process. The recovery process is another level, another 

 standard higher than that that brings in those actions to rebuild 

 the stocks to the Usting. 



The ecosystem approach provides a imique opportimity, and in 

 looking at what the Council has done with the Strategy for Salmon, 

 that includes all the species throughout the basin, not just the list- 

 ed ones, and allows us to integrate this process so that we can con- 

 sider it and balance all these needs and not just have it narrowly 

 focus on the ESA species. So I agree, this is probably the closest 

 that we are going to get to be able to implement this kind of proce- 

 dure, and it is really important that we do work together to do 

 that. 



Now in the meantime, we do have this consultation process as 

 part of the Endangered Species Act until the Recovery Plan is im- 

 plemented. Our staffing is carried out by the Portland Office staff 

 and some additional contract staff through the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service here in Boise that has looked primarily at BLM consulta- 

 tions. We started out with two people. 



Mr. LaRocco. Started out with two people? 



Mr. Smith. Two people. We are now at 24 and building. And as 

 the various appropriations come up, we have been able to add some 

 additional staff. We have been able to bring in contract people, re- 

 tired annuitants and wherever we could find people to help fill in 

 this schedule that we are dealing with. We have been able to do 

 that, and further through agreements with the Forest Service in 

 particular in this area on streamlining the process so that they pro- 

 vide us adequate information so that we can accelerate this proc- 



