in the autumn sky, these programs are a big part of the reason 

 they are there. 



The Service agrees with the states that there is a growing need 

 to accommodate increasing numbers of nonconsumptive wildHfe re- 

 source users. Wildhfe populations are dwindling due to the frag- 

 mentation of forest habitat, changing land use, and farming prac- 

 tices. Certain nongame species, such as neotropical birds, have de- 

 clined drastically. 



A generation of children has grown up watching nature programs 

 on public television, becoming more knowledgeable and interested 

 in their environment, and more and more people are wanting to get 

 out into the outdoors. This illustrates a growing need to provide 

 greater opportunities for Americans to experience the outdoors. 



While this Administration, again, is not in a position to endorse 

 the proposal at this time, the concept of funding wildlife conserva- 

 tion from taxes on certain merchandise is a well-demonstrated suc- 

 cess under the Pittman-Robertson and Wallop-Breaux Programs 

 and is a sound model for Congress to consider in efforts to conserve 

 nongame fish and wildlife. Thank you very much. 



[Statement of Mr. Ashe may be found at end of hearing.] 



Mr. Saxton. Thank you very much, Mr. Ashe. Did I understand 

 you correctly at the outset to say that the Service does not have 

 an official position at this time relative to the bill? 



Mr. Ashe. That is correct, Mr. Saxton. 



Mr. Saxton. We have been working together, you and I, on a 

 number of projects, not the least important of which is the Endan- 

 gered Species Act. And I would suspect that these funds, if they 

 were made available, could be used in conjunction with some of the 

 concepts that we have been discussing on protection of endangered 

 species. 



Mr. Ashe. There is no doubt of that, and as you know, there's 

 been a great deal of talk and a great deal of consensus about the 

 need for nonregulatory approaches to species conservation. And leg- 

 islation such as this offers really the opportunity to realize that 

 consensus by providing the resources that we need to put on the 

 ground through the State experts to conserve a diversity of fish and 

 wildlife species before we are in a crisis mode. 



Mr. Saxton. Have you come across any examples of nongame 

 species that we can look to as examples of some species that need 

 help, that perhaps haven't been able to get it because of lack of 

 funding? 



Mr. Ashe. I think undoubtedly in my mind, two areas jump out. 

 One certainly are songbirds and neotropical migrants, in particu- 

 lar, where there has been a great deal of concern expressed about 

 the declines in populations of neotropical migrants, and these are 

 some of the most recognizable songbirds in the United States, in- 

 cluding the Maryland State bird, the Baltimore oriole, the 

 woodthrush, and scarlet tanagers, varieties of other birds which 

 are really — there are serious concerns about the trends and the de- 

 clines. 



Another big category would be amphibians in general and, you 

 know, again, serious concerns about large-scale declines in popu- 

 lations of amphibians and really no consensus yet as to why but 

 extreme concern. And a program like this would really provide the 



