34 



MW? I i B93 



STATEMENT OF MICHAEL PENFOLD, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, LAND AND 

 RENEWABLE RESOURCES, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, UNITED STATES 

 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL 

 PARKS, FORESTS AND PUBLIC LANDS, COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, 

 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ON WATERSHED AND FISH 

 HABITAT DEGRADATION ON PUBLIC LANDS AND NATIONAL FORESTS IN THE 

 PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 



I appreciate the opportunity to address the Committee on the 

 Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) efforts in the management and 

 recovery of watersheds and fish habitat in the Pacific Northwest. 

 The BLM administers approximately 180,000 miles of streams and a 

 large number of diverse watersheds. Of the 180,000 miles of 

 streams administered by the BLM, approximately 133,000 are in 

 Alaska, 1,420 in California, 4,140 in Idaho and 7,639 in Oregon 

 and Washington. 



The BLM fully recognizes the severity and extent of watershed 

 degradation in the Pacific Northwest as well as the 

 environmental, social and economic consequences of watershed 

 dysfunction. The July 1992 report. Management of Anadromous 

 Salmon and Trout Habitat and Their Status in the Salem District , 

 illustrates the magnitude of the issue on BLM public lands. For 

 instance, the BLM's Salem District in western Oregon manages 

 28,000 acres of riparian habitat along 633 miles of perennial 

 stream. There are 211 miles of streams in 16 drainage areas 

 containing anadromous salmon and trout, which support 33 of the 

 214 stocks at risk as identified by the 1991 American Fisheries 

 Society (APS) report, Pacific Salmon at the Crossroads . Of the 

 28,000 acres of riparian habitat in the District, 41% are in poor 

 condition, 31% fair, and 28% optimum. Of the 211 stream miles 



