6 



time and that are outside the traditional realm of polarized advoca- 

 cy that plagues so many environmental issues. 



Let me elaborate on how the Foundation operates. We have 

 three basic tenets that govern our day to day operations. 



First, we seek out and fund innovative on-the-ground projects 

 that can be models for conservation. 



Second, we stay lean, flexible and minimize our operating costs. 

 In other words, we have no intention of becoming another environ- 

 mental bureaucracy. 



Third, to achieve — we aim to achieve maximum financial and 

 policy leverage in return for our investments. 



I want to stress that we are absolutely committed to maintaining 

 our institutional cost-effectiveness. The Committee should under- 

 stand that no portion of the Federal matching moneys is applied to 

 the Foundation's operating budgets, to salaries, rent, any sort of 

 overhead expense. All the operating costs are met solely with con- 

 tributions from private sources including individuals, foundations 

 and corporations. 



The Foundation has a stated commitment to hold our overhead 

 to less than 5 percent of our year to year operating budget. 



We currently have five major initiatives under which we award 

 grants: First, the North American Wetlands Partnership; second, 

 Fisheries Management; third, our Neotropical Migratory Bird Pro- 

 gram; fourth. Conservation Education and Leadership Training. 

 And the fifth category is Wildlife and Habitat. 



I will give you examples. 



Under wetlands conservation, the Foundation used its first con- 

 gressional appropriations to jump-start the North American Water- 

 fowl Management Plan, and we continue as a driving force to this 

 day. 



To date, we have underwritten projects in 34 States, totaling $40 

 million for acquisition and wetlands habitat restoration, and we 

 have impacted over 1.6 million acres of wetland habitat throughout 

 the United States, Canada and Mexico. 



Today, the emphasis has evolved to supporting private land 

 grants, working with private landowners voluntarily to restore or 

 rehabilitate wetlands habitats, and we have made State-wide 

 grants in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Texas. 



On the inland and marine fisheries side, the Foundation is at- 

 tempting to fundamentally change the way fisheries management 

 is conducted in this country toward a focus on watersheds and 

 habitats and that they be the primary focus of management agen- 

 cies. 



Consistent with this goal, we are funding the Bring Back the Na- 

 tives program of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest 

 Service where, for the first time, entire riverine systems are man- 

 aged for native species, especially systems where the Forest Service 

 and Bureau of Land Management enjoy adjoining jurisdiction. 

 There are now 47 different rivers and streams in 15 States as part 

 of this program. 



In the east, we are funding a similar program on the Beaverkill 

 River in New York. We are funding several programs in the far 

 west that are aimed specifically at Pacific salmon restoration, Wil- 



