STATEMENT OF HON. NORMAN D. DICKS, A U.S. 

 REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON 



Mr. Dicks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the oppor- 

 tunity to be here, and I will start on my testimony and I will try 

 to be brief. 



Mr, Chairman, and Members of the subcommittee, I greatly ap- 

 preciate the opportunity to appear before you this morning to 

 present my perspective on the subject of watershed restoration and 

 the protection of salmon habitat, specifically, as these matters are 

 relevant to the lands in the Pacific Northwest. 



We have large areas of Forest Service lands in Washington, and 

 large areas of Forest Service-BLM land in Washington. I believe 

 that the issue being addressed today is important, critical, and 

 timely; and I am supportive of all credible actions that can be 

 taken to get ahead of the curve on these concerns. 



As you know, I am a Member of the Appropriations Subcommit- 

 tee which shares oversight with this committee. I believe that if we 

 work together creatively with the new administration in identifying 

 opportunities to deal with the problems, progress can be made 

 sooner rather than later in reversing the damage on the ground 

 and restoring ecological integrity of the watershed. 



I am encouraged by the attitude of the new administration in 

 being wilHng to place on the front burner issues like habitat res- 

 toration. I have had the opportunity to speak to President Clinton 

 and Vice President Gore and Secretary Babbitt, and I am im- 

 pressed with their commitment to work with the Congress and con- 

 cerned citizen organizations to take appropriate responsible action. 

 I recognize the urgency to move forward with an action agenda for 

 a rehabilitation-oriented initiative, and I have been a long-time 

 supporter of on-the-ground approaches to solving the environ- 

 mental problems of the Northwest. 



I would like to add that my new congressional district, which is 

 dominated by Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, is an area in 

 great need of qualitative on-the-ground responses to its ecological 

 problems. The more that I have been able to be briefed on these 

 matters by scientific experts, by Federal and State natural resource 

 experts, and to conduct both aerial tours and site visits to damaged 

 riparian areas along river corridors, the more I believe that we can 

 take positive action and produce a coordinated, scientifically credi- 

 ble approach to rehabilitating our streams, rivers, and watershed 

 ecosystems on the Olympic Peninsula in the Northwest. 



I emphasize an on-the-ground response because that is where 

 true success must ultimately be measured. I believe that we have 

 to start reversing the damage and getting ahead of the problem. 

 We need to prevent damage to our remaining salmon habitat. This 

 is why I was pleased to include $1 million in the fiscal year 1993 

 Interior appropriations bill to begin watershed restoration and 

 streambed rehabilitation activities on the Olympic National Forest. 

 This was obviously an initial but necessary investment, and I am 

 hopeful that moneys identified through the President's economic 

 stimulus package will accelerate the work that has begun on the 

 peninsula. And I am pleased that Secretaries Espy and Babbitt 

 have been supportive. 



