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The Berry Botanic Garden 



.11505 SW Summerville Awrniic • PoeiUnil, Ongan 977 1« ■ Sfl.^ ftV. 4;:: 



November 9, 1993 



Congressman Gerry E. Scudds, Chainnan 

 Subcommittee on Environment and Natural Resources 

 U.S. House of Representatives 

 QDmmittEc on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 

 Room 1334, Longworth House OfHcc Building 

 Washington, DC 20515-0260 



Congressman Studds, Members of the Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



1 am Linda McMahan, Excaitivc Director of The Berry Botanic Garden in 

 Portland Oregon. I hold graduate degrees in lv)tany and law, and have studied how 

 endangered plants laws have been passed and implemented, primarily in the states. 

 Conservation of our nation's plants and odier natiiral resources is an important issue to 

 mc. In this regard, I chair the Conservation Committee of the American Association of 

 Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. I am also honored to serve as a Member of Oregon's 

 Environmental Quality Commission, which oversees the activities of the Department of 

 Environmenta; Quality. 



1. The first point I would like to make today is that botanical gardens are already 

 working to conserve plants both here and abroad . Wc in botanic gardens arc not 

 waving die flag alxiut issues so much as rolling up their sleeves and gening to work. 

 The larger botanical gardcm, such as those in New Vork and St. Louis, Missouri, have 

 majtir programs to work on both native and tropical plants in many realms of sciciKC 

 and coascrvation, including assessing the economic value of plants worldwide. Smaller 

 botanical gardens have their own programs. 



1 am vcr)' proud of my own institution. Wc arc small, with a total annual 

 budget of alxjut $300,000. Yet in 1983, wc became the first botanical garden in the 

 u)unrry to set up a regional seed bank for rare and endangered plants. Over 1 million 

 seeds from over 250 different kinds of plants arc now stored in sub-zero storage. The 

 Garden is currently working on nmc different projects to conserve plants cooperatively 

 with state and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest 

 Service, and tlic U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Wich relative modest investment and a 

 clear view to our potential, mission, and horticultural skills, even a small institution like 

 The Bcrr\' Botanic Garden has been able to accomplish much when these arc paired with 

 the land management agenciK . Much more, however, remains to be done. 



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