98 



Ultiniately, we recommend (hat these changes be made on federal land nationwide through a new Federal Lands Riverine 

 Management Act. a comprehensive, uniform policy that would be apphed to all federal lands and that mandates 

 watershed-level, ecosystem-based protection and restoration. One uniform federal poUcy is needed to cut across the many 

 conflicting pohcy fragments that exist today concemmg nvenne systems and biodiversity on federal lands. Federal lands 

 are cnbcal to the heaJth of the nation's rivers: much of the remammg natural ecological capital and much of the 

 remainmg biodiversity is found on federal lands, especially m the West. These systems must be protected quickly to 

 prevent further degradation and to provide the fimdamental buildmg blocks for long-term restoration. 



The Private Lands Strategy: We propose the concurrent establishment of a National Watershed Registry to support 

 existing programs and initiate' new volimtaiy, non-regulatory state and local efforts to recover rivenne systems on pnvate 

 lands. The National Watershed Registry is needed to support the many ongomg state and local efforts that have sprouted 

 across the region but that currently are limited m effectiveness. It should also stimulate the growth of many new local 

 efforts regionwide. The NWR would estabUsh non-profit local watershed council on pnonty nvenne systems that would 

 develop and implement, from the bottom-up. Watershed Restoration Action Plans. The federal government would 

 provide grants, funding and technical assistance to these programs. The NWR would focus stimulating appropriate 

 economic benefits to local communities m three ways: local jobs and restoration technologies, appropriate community 

 revitalization projects, and economic conversions such as agricultural changes to less water and energy intensive crops. 



A complete description of these proposals is found in our recently released report to Congress: Entering the Watershed: 

 An Action Plan To Restore America's River Ecosystems and Biodiversity . 



THE IMPERATIVE OF CHANGE 



Alttiough we evaluated numerous federal and state rivenne policies and programs in preparation for this testimony, we 

 have not spent a great deal of time recommending improvements for each. We beheve that unprovmg existing poUcies, 

 although important to do, will still not provide the strategies, policies and incentives needed to initiate an era of 

 comprehensive riverine restoration nationwide. No existmg policies appear to be based on contemporary scientific 

 assumptions or knowledge, or effective implementation strategies and mechanisms. Until new pohcies are enacted, most 

 efforts in improving, properly applying, or enforcing existmg poUcies will remain primarily "rear guard" actions. That 

 is. they may (but likely will not) mamtam the existmg levels of health for some riverine systems for a short time. 

 However, they are certain to fail to maintain rivenne health in the long run or lead to comprehensive recovery. New 

 federal restoration goals, strategies, and policies are needed. 



We hope to see the region and nation turned toward new strategies and policies that will protect and restore riverine 

 systems, fisheries and biodiversity. New approaches are certainly needed. Riverine systems are the life-support system 

 of our nation. These systems offer important sources of food, timber, fiber, water, and many other products that provide 

 both jobs and sustenance. From the remaining healthy nvenne systems will come vital genetic resources to recolonize the 

 environment for future generations. And it is the natural beauty and recreational opportumties of our region's and 

 nation's rivers that uplift the human spirit. 



It is m our self-mterest to protect and restore die Northwest's and America's nverine systems and biodiversity. It is 

 also our moral responsibihty . 



