President's Budget Increases WNS Funding

[PYoungbaer]

President Obama's proposed budget, releases yesterday, has several proposed increases in WNS funding:

White-nose Syndrome
FY 2014 President’s budget

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Science Support:
“The 2014 request includes... a program increase of $1.5 million to direct, focus, and accelerate the science efforts of partnering universities, cooperative wildlife units, and other institutions to answer some of the remaining questions about how to address and mitigate the threats posed by the white-nose syndrome on bat populations.”

White-nose Syndrome...........................................+1,500,000

U.S. Geological Survey

Ecosystems activity/Wildlife Program/White-nose Syndrome

White-nose Syndrome........................................... +1,505,000

National Park Service

America’s Great Outdoors/Park Operations from America’s Great Outdoors funds

“The 2014 budget proposal provides several key programmatic increases, including $3.0 million to address white-nose syndrome in bats at national park units. This disease was first detected in New York State in 2006 and since then has killed millions of cave-dwelling bats and threatens bat populations in the national parks.”

" Control and Management of White-nose Syndrome in Bats……….+3,000,000"

(Figures provided by Jocelyn Zeimian, Bat Conservation International, who works on Capitol Hill. She reports that this is new money, not re-allocated as has been the recent practice. If appropriated, this would be the first new money since we successfully lobbied for $1.9 million in 2009. She also reports that the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers, is supportive of WNS funding efforts. This is likely due in large part to his representing the district of Carter Caves State Park, now infected with WNS. With strong Senate support from the likes of Frank Lautenberg and Patrick Leahy, this funding stands a decent chance of making it through the process.)

[batrotter]

I would say this is a good thing except that the Resident's budget is almost $4 trillion of which we do not have. Everyone's pet project is going to have to be cut.

[Extremeophile]

I would say this is a good thing except that the Resident's budget is almost $4 trillion of which we do not have. Everyone's pet project is going to have to be cut.

Maybe personal politics should be kept out of the discussion . I have my own opinions on where cuts should be made and I'm sure nobody is interested in hearing those details, but it's not in the area of WNS response.

[batrotter]

Maybe personal politics should be kept out of the discussion . I have my own opinions on where cuts should be made and I'm sure nobody is interested in hearing those details, but it's not in the area of WNS response.

There was no "personal politics" in my statement. I was only stating that we don't have the money for all this spending. And I already know where you are coming from.

[BrianC]

I could use some extra spending cash, where do I sign up for the cash? Should I ask for like four times more money than I want , or what percentage would look better to the agency?

[Extremeophile]

Maybe personal politics should be kept out of the discussion . I have my own opinions on where cuts should be made and I'm sure nobody is interested in hearing those details, but it's not in the area of WNS response.

There was no "personal politics" in my statement. I was only stating that we don't have the money for all this spending.

My mistake. Some people will make blanket political statements that all spending should be cut because they don't trust the government. Even those people don't really believe in cutting EVERYTHING, just the stuff they don't like. Of course you didn't propose cutting everything, just "pet projects". I can assure you that this WNS funding isn't for studying bats as pets. Everyone knows they don't do well in captivity. I don't know much about other government pet projects, but at the risk of turning this too political, i agree that funding for domestic animal research should come from the private sector.

[BrianC]

This is indefinably a Coke "vs" Pepsi debate here.

[Indymonkey]

Its not about trusting the government, its about being broke and the problems that is causing now and in the future. All politicians have been spending too much money for yeeeeeears.

[BrianC]

This is indefinably a Coke "vs" Pepsi debate here.

The real drink can only be Sprite.