Next Thursday, Sept. 27, a whole host of advocacy organizations, primarily wildlife and environmental, who have been working the halls of Congress for the past couple of years, will be meeting in Washington. I plan to participate by phone, as I have in the past. Cheryl Jones will attend in person, as she has in the past.
I expect that most discussion will focus on the ongoing requests for direct research funding, a difficult subject in the current fiscal environment. Discussions may include both the current budget cycle (not likely to be decided until the "super committee" set up after the debt ceiling deal, as well as setting the stage for next year's Congress. These budget discussions have included efforts within both the Department of Interior, as well as the Department of Agriculture.
The WNS National Plan may also come in the discussions, as many of the activities are highly dependent on appropriations. Similarly, the attempt in the U.S. House of Representatives to totally defund any work whatsoever on the Endangered Species Act, which failed early in the summer on a bi-partisan vote, may also be discussed. The recent settlement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, which lays out a schedule for endangered species reviews in exchange for no further litigation, may also be discussed.
Readers here are familiar with the efforts the NSS has made in both live testimony before Congress, as well as in extensive formal comments and in the legal arena. What I'm looking for here and now is for NSS members to pass on any additional comments or initiatives you would like us to bring up in the meeting.
Comments may be posted here on Cave Chat, or you may feel free to PM me or send me an email at wnsliaison@caves.org. Thank you.