resources that we need to put on the ground to start doing both the 

 research and the management to deal with these issues again in 

 a nonregulator>' context. 



Mr. Saxton. Thank you very much. I have no further questions 

 at this time. Mr. Longley, do you have any questions for Mr. Ashe? 



Mr. Longley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple ques- 

 tions. Mr. Ashe, in your statement on page five, you made ref- 

 erence that wildlife populations are dwindling due to the frag- 

 mentation of forest habitat. Could you be more specific? Because 

 isn't it the case that we are actually seeing significant increases in 

 some species and dwindling of others? 



Mr. Ashe. That is true. I mean, I don't mean to overemphasize 

 that point, although in some cases certainly changing habitat pat- 

 terns and the creation of edge habitat, which is. in effect, the result 

 of fragmentation of forests or whatever, has beneficial impacts for 

 certain species that depend on that type of edge habitat. 



But the large-scale fragmentation I think is looking at it from a 

 macro standpoint and the loss of certain types of habitat that are 

 key for species like neotropical migrants, species that depend on 

 breeding habitat in North America, migratory habitat to sustain 

 them along their trips, and then wintering habitat in 



Mr. Longley. Well, where I am going with the question is have 

 you done any studies particularly in the continental U.S. that 

 might be more specific or generic to certain parts of the country? 

 In other words, I am familiar with it more on a micro basis. 



Somewhere between the neighborhood and the United States, is 

 there any attempt to regionalize or — I am trving to get more to the 

 particulars. I would imagine, for instance, in the East where there 

 are more urban areas that there is more of a serious problem than 

 you might find in some of the more rural areas. 



Mr. Ashe. Sure. 



Mr. Longley. And where I am tr>ing to go with this is to under- 

 stand the nature of what is happening in terms of are there species 

 that are increasing or decreasing? What parts of the country-? Are 

 there any areas that particularly jump out at you that are of high- 

 er priority? Are there areas that might be of lower or nonexistent 

 priority? 



And I am trying to really get at the basis for how the program 

 has been developed: how did we come up with the $350 million fig- 

 ure; the five percent: and there are other questions that I have. 

 But that is kind of the direction I am going, and I would like to 

 give you an opportunity to speak on the record. 



Mr. Ashe. Yes. I would. \\Tic.t I would like to do is provide you 

 with a response for the record in '-egard to exactly what studies we 

 may have done that would provide regional pictures regarding the 

 effects of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation on populations of 

 wildlife. 



And it certainly is a problem m urban areas and certainly along 

 the kind of heavily urbanizea corridor along the eastern seaboard. 

 But it is also a problem and a concern in rural areas, and there 

 is a great concern over the less and fragmentation of grassland and 

 prairie habitat in the Midwest. And so it is not only a problem as- 

 sociated with urban and suburban environments. It is also a prob- 

 lem associated with rural environments as well. 



