184 



In addition to the diversity of wildlife populations, the reservation is famous for quality of many species 

 (as measured by parameters such as twdy or antler size). Examples include: 



• the largest antlers ever produced by the species Cervus elaphus (elk, red deer, etc.) 



• two of the top ten bears on record 



• the pending worid record mountain lion 



• record book pronghom antelope, bighorn sheep, and Coues whitetail deer 



As prescribed by San Carlos Apache Tribal Ordinance 76-1 , the affairs of the Tribe pertaining to outdoor 

 recreation and wildlife are administered by the San Carlos Recreation & Wildlife Commission, a five- 

 tribal member body that provides policy decisions for the Recreation & Wildlife Department. Such 

 commissions have t»een recognized as a key to success in tribal wildlife management. 



As the director of the Recreation & Wildlife Department, and as the Tribe's first wildlife biologist from 

 1988 to eariy 1992, I testify that the federal funding level for wildlife management on the reservation is 

 far short of any normal standards. This is distressing, when the reservation ranks far higher than nomial 

 standards in its wildlife management needs and potential. 



The goal of the Recreation & Wildlife Department is to preserve, protect, and enhance wildlife 

 populations on the reservation, for the benefit of the Tribe and for the tienefit of the ecosystem itself. 

 Currently the Department consists of a l^w Enforcement Division and a Wildlife Management Program. 

 The Law Enforcement Division is comprised of nine rangers, one dispatcher, and a security guard. The 

 Wildlife Management Program consists of one wildlife biologist and one wildlife technician. Supporting 

 staff for the entire Department includes a maintenance man and three secretaries. The current budget of 

 the Department is about $696,000. $120,000 of this is federally funded. 



Please consider that: 1) Larger acreages (after the startup cost curve is overcome) require larger per- 

 acre expenditures due to motor vehicle operation/repair costs and time required by field personnel to 

 access the resource, and, 2) Less developed acreages require larger per-acre expenditures due to 

 difficulty of access, and, 3) Acreages with greater biodiversity require larger per-acre expenditures 

 due to the variety of species and issues to handle. 



The San Carios Apache Reservation is the fourth largest reservation in the United States and is one of 

 the least-developed of all reservations (with only two significant communities on the entire 1 .8 million 

 acres). And, I must re-iterate, the San Carios Apache Reservation has pertiaps the most biodiversity of 

 any contiguous landholding in the states. This indicates that the San Carios Apache Tribe should be 

 funded at a higher per/acre level than most federal acreages, not at a lesser level. 



To accomplish the goal of the Department, a budget of $1 ,775,000 is required, of which $1 ,200,000 is 

 requested of Congress. The following pages provide the justification for this budget. 



