There were 10 speakers at SAMAB's annual Spring Planning Meeting held at the North Carolina Arboretum on April 28 and 29. The common theme was community assistance programs and building partnerships through cooperation, integration, and public involvement.
Allen E. Pigg of the U.S. Forest Service in Atlanta urged SAMAB to adovcate public participation in all SAMAB activities. Pigg is regional manager of the Forest Service's rural community assistance program. "Keep people in mind and don't be absorbed just in programming," Pigg said. He described the economic development program under way in Southern Appalachia. Action teams are formed in various communities. They develop proposals for funding needed projects, with the funding coming not just from the federal government but from private sources, too. The Forest Service uses a 50-50 cost-sharing formula in its community assistance program. Grants from foundations and other sources are solicited. Technical and financial assistance also are offered. Pigg outlined steps to be taken in seeking grant money. These include: Get well organized, identify leaders and get them on an action team, identify the community's needs and opportunities, select ideas that will work, resolve conflicts and develop common ground, focus on the whole community, prepare a community plan and submit it for funding. The objective of the rural community assistance program is to strengthen communities and enhance the quality of rural life in ways that will last. To do this, long-term solutions, not short-term "fixes," are sought. Other objectives of the program, Pigg said, are to protect the environment and sustainable resources. He pointed out that the economic and social vitality of America's rural communities is essential to the nation's growth and prosperity, SAMAB can help, Pigg said, by cooperating with the rural community development program, coordinating and by integrating these into the SAMAB work plan.
Partnerships For Conservation - Dana York, Partnership Laiason for the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service listed strategic initiatives for building partnerships. She said it is important that communities be motivated to promote healthy watersheds for a clean and abundant water supply and sustainable agriculture. Competing demands for water use are increasing, she said, and these make the problem more complex.Conservation is also essential. Soil erosion has been reduced because of better conservation practices, but constant improvement is needed. Buffer strips --strips of farm land kept in permanent vegetation to intercept pollutants --can conserve the soil. They also enhance wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and enrich the aesthetic appeal of farmlands. These strips of perennial vegetation, alternated with wider cropland strips farmed on the contour, reduce sheet erosion and the movement of pesticides and sediments into the water. She said the Natural Resource Conservation Service is also encouraging the conservation of wetlands on agricultural lands. This improves wildlife habitat and produces other benefits. A grazing land initiative is also in place to curb erosion of rangeland soils, and a croplands initiative improves production of crops. Her agency's goal, she said, is to cut by one-third the acres of erodible land in the region. Other initiatives, York said, are to get more community involvement through strong, effective grassroots partnerships.
Mass Effort Helps Rural People- David Seivers, Tennessee Director of the USDA's Rural Economic and Development Agency(REDA), said a "mass effort" is under way in his agency to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Twenty Tennessee counties are considered poor, he said. His agency provides long-term loans at 1 per cent interest to people in such poverty areas so they can improve their houses. The agency also provides low-interest loans so people can make their homes safer. Our role is to be a partner in helping rural communities advance economically and environmentally," Seivers said. He mentioned numerous REDA programs focused on community assistance. He said that TVA works with REDA in an effort to get financial and technical assistance to rural communities. REDA also works with regional development teams. Partnerships between agencies play a major role in improving rural community life. EDA Creates Job Opportunities -Bob Sheppeard of the Land of the Sky Regional Council representatiing the Economic Development Authority, described programs in the four counties for which he is responsible. These programs offer communities assistance in generating new jobs and otherwise stimulating industrial and commercial growth in economically distressed areas, both rural and urban. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds projects such as water and sewerage expansion to serve industry and commerce, access roads to industrial parks, and port improvements. Among other things, the EDA funds a network of 12 Trade Adjustment Centers, provides grants for economic development, and offers technical assistance to help communities solve specific economic development problems. It also provides grants to help colleges and universities address economic development problems in their service areas.
EDA Creates Job Opportunities - Bob Sheppeard of the Land of the Sky Regional Council representatiing the Economic Development Authority, described programs in the four counties for which he is responsible. These programs offer communities assistance in generating new jobs and otherwise stimulating industrial and commercial growth in economically distressed areas, both rural and urban. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds projects such as water and sewerage expansion to serve industry and commerce, access roads to industrial parks, and port improvements. Among other things, the EDA funds a network of 12 Trade Adjustment Centers, provides grants for economic development, and offers technical assistance to help communities solve specific economic development problems. It also provides grants to help colleges and universities address economic development problems in their service areas.
Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Works As Partners - Community outreach is a key feature of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program , according to Recreation Planner Chris Abbett. The RTCA Program helps citizens, organizations, and agencies protect local resources and develop "close-to-home" outdoor recreation opportunities. RTCA uses the skills of planners and landscape architects to offer assistance to communities and neighborhoods to promote recognition of valuable natural, cultural, and recreational resources throughout the southeastern states. Some recent examples of RTCA projects include: river assessment studies, trail planning, the preservation of abandoned railroad strips for hiking or biking trails, and greenway planning. Abbett said three things make the RTCA's work noteworthy. First, they don't tell communities what to do but, rather, act as a partner. They only go into a community when invited. Second, RTCA encourages citizen-based planning through workshops and the staff can help sponsors organize and carry out a variety of workshops to meet the community needs. Third, the RTCA helps establish working partnerships among citizens, government agencies, and private organizations.
Partnerships In North Carolina - Jeanne Robbins of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Raleigh, North Carolina described several water resource initiatives, emphasizing cooperative programs that utilize state and federal resources. There is a 50-50 cost-share arrangement with local communties for collecting data and hydrologic research. Robbins pointed out that 17 major rivers in the state supply drinking water to users in North Carolina and adjoining states. The USGS in cooperation with other agencies keeps streamflow records at about 183 sites and collects water quality data at more than 60 stream and lake locations. Attention is given not only to water supply and water quality, she said, but also to recreational and wildlife benefits provided by the rivers and lakes. Robbins stated that North Carolina has a record of interagency cooperation that goes back 100 years, citing the 100 year old records from the guage station on the French Broad River.
Work Remains On Assessment - Joe Clark, Director of the Biological Resources Division Appalachian Laboratory, of the USGS at the University of Tennessee, spoke about the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA) completed last year. "I would submit to you that the assessment is just beginning, he said. "We have really only scratched the surface" in terms of exploiting the vast amount of data collected. He said the real value of the assessment will be realized by grasping the predictive capabilities of the data and using these in a more pro-active way. He pointed out that Frank van Manen has been hired by USGS to replace Karl Hermann. Mr. van Manen brings to the agency expertise in wildlife biology and Geographic Information Systems and is working on several projects utilizing the SAA data set.
Sustainability At The Local Level - Karen Holloway, program analyst with the Appalachian Regional Commission, said "SAMAB is a vehicle for achieving sustainability at the local level." She said that areas in which SAMAB would be more useful include the fields of health and education, economic programs, and resource conservation. Ms. Holloway stated that the President's Council on Sustainable Development recommended the creation of partnershipstoachieve sustainability. There is a need to help people in Southern Appalachia learn how to compete, develop a sustainable economy, and work more closely together. Five ARC goals for the next decade were presented: (1) To reduce the school dropout rate and generally improve education so that graduates will gain skills necessary for a good quality of life. (2) Insure adequate access to telecommunications and improve access to safe drinking water and good housing. (3) Double the number of leadership development programs in the region. (4) Increase business start-ups and increase opportunities for international trade and (5) Reduce infant mortality and improve access to good health care.
TVA's Focus on Clean Water - Forrest Rich, education specialist for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), described that agency's Clean Water Initiative, which began in 1994. Several multi-disciplinary teams are focusing on key watersheds, assessing their physical and biological condition and the prevalence of toxics and bacteria in fish. Rich said the teams work closely with the affected communities, consulting people to see what their interests and concerns are for a particular stream. "We take a comprehensive approach," Rich said. "We get community partners involved at the very start." TVA's Clean Water Initiative won the prestigious Hammer Award sponsored by Vice President Al Gore. The award is presented to government organizations that demonstrate innovative methods of promoting a sustainable environment.
<TVA's Partnerships For The Economy - Phillip Hyatt of TVA's Economic and Community Development Program followed. He said the program has been refocused to embrace partnership as a key element. An Economic Development Loan Fund has helped leverage more than a billion dollars in additional business investments in the region. It is expected that within five years more than 12,000 jobs will have been created. Hyatt said TVA goes into communities and identifies what is needed to improve the economy. Experts from TVA's "business incubator" program then provide technical assistance. Input from local citizens is obtained. A "Quality Communities Initiative" helps local citizens increase their ability to compete. TVA provides communities a strategic plan for improvements. Another program provides financial assistance to counties with low per capita income to help them with economic development projects, particularly in industrial expansion.
Planning for Community Enhancements - Kaye Batey of the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), described results of an enhancement fund her agency maintains for improving highway landscapes. She said the FHA's ISTEA transportation planning includes enhancement projects for pedestrian and bike trails, landscape design, and historic preservation efforts such as rerestoring abandoned railroad stations to provide reminders of an important era in American history.
Karen Wade, Superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and chair of the Executive Committee, encouraged SAMAB to "move ahead" at the annual Spring Planning Meeting. In opening the session, she urged the cooperative to focus on just a few projects that have been given high priority by at least two member agencies. She said SAMAB should concentrate on "high-profile" work such as the Hiwassee watershed improvement project in which TVA is taking the lead.SAMAB should define both long-term and short-term projects and do more to gain private-sector participation, she said. Wade also enlisted the support of the Southern Natural Resource Leaders group. She said the group would be asked for guidance and assistance to help SAMAB plan its future directions.
The SAMAB Executive
Committee's next meeting will be held August 14 at the U.S. Forest Service
officein Gainesville, GA. SAMAB's Annual Fall Conference will be held Nov.
5, 6, and 7 at the Holiday Inn in Gatlinburg.
SAMAB SPRING PLANNING MEETING: FOCUS
GROUPS IDENTIFY PRIORITY ISSUES
Three focus groups led by SAMAB committee chairs were instructed to identify high-priority issues for SAMAB. Each group was responsible for developing ways to follow up on the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA), to develop proposals and identify funding sources for projects, and to promote assistance to local communities . The sessions dealt with sustainable communities, exotic species, water and air quality, environmental education, riparian habitat, and habitat restoration. The Sustainable Communities focus group was facilitated by John Peine of the Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, chairman of SAMAB's Sustainable Development Committee and Ruthanne Mitchell, National Park Service, SAMAB assistant and chair of the Cultural and Historical Resources Committee.
Issues discussed included: Increasing development and population growth. How the SAA database can be used to assist local community leaders. What "sustainability" really means. How the SAMAB Cultural and Historic Resources Committee can advocate the preservation and protection of historical resources and cultural heritage as an element of sustainable communities? Increasing SAMAB participation from private citizens. Using the SAA database to development of county atlases.
Decisions made by this committee, subject to Executive committee approval, were: Cultural and historical information will be added to the SAMAB web site, providing links to existing pages for the National Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Offices, State Arts Agencies, and Appalachian Studies programs at colleges and universities. Sponsor a workshop to determine what indicators of sustainability are best for use at the community and county level. Explore the possibility of forming a university consortium to assist in the development of sustainable communities. This effort will be also help us develop SAMAB's Annual Work Plan and integrate the work of all SAMAB standing committees, drawing upon the faculty, staff and facilities of regional universities. Terry Seyden of the U.S. Forest Service and Katherin Baer of the Upper Chattahoocee River Keeper organization reported on the discussions related to: Seyden said species of special concern include the black bear and the red wolf. Involved agencies are looking for new areas in which to reintroduce these animals. He suggested that SAMAB sponsor an education program on reintroduction of the elk to this region. Of concern, also, is the loss of hemlock trees in the region. He suggested that the Executive Committee be asked to convene a group quickly to develop a strategy for combating hemlock loss. The issue could also be included in SAMAB's Fall Conference, he said. Seyden said a brochure on native plants is needed. Katherine Baer reported on air and water quality issues and on habitat restoration. Baer suggested that SAMAB develop grant proposals for addressing these issues and provide environmental education materials. She said SAMAB could catalog and package materials for various groups, and report successes achieved in riparian restoration. Baer also suggested that SAMAB include citizen groups in the cooperative. This focus group also recommended a symposium be scheduled at SAMAB's Fall Conference on riparian restoration in the Southern Appalachians. This would be followed by a workshop, if needed. It was also recommended that an information clearing house be established. It would give out information on potential funding sources and list contacts with other watershed groups.
We all should be concerned about the Land Sovereignty Act," Tommy Gilbert, National Park Service-retired, advised the SAMAB Spring Meeting. This and other bills now before Congress would cut off funding for Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programs, and terminate and prohibit Biosphere Reserves he said. Gilbert, who was instrumental in development of the international biosphere reserve program, recommended that SAMAB launch a campaign to get accurate information about the value of the MAB program into the hands of the people. He labelled attacks on the MAB program "misinformation," and called for an organized strategy to "get the word out and set the record straight." Gilbert said the President would doubtless veto the proposed Land Sovereignty Act and similar bills now in Congress, "but the damage has already been done." He said it may be impossible to establish new Biosphere Reserves in other parts of the country.
People need to hear the right information, cautioned Terry Seyden. His thoughts were supported by John Peine who remarked on the serious questions being asked about the MAB program that need to be considered. He said, "The SAA is a wonderful testimony to what we are truly about." Executive Director Hubert Hinote, who chairs the USMAB Directorate on Biosphere Reserves, urged the Executive Committee to prepare a strategy to provide accurate information about the U.S. Man and the Biosphere This is being done. Said Gilbert: "It will definitely take an organized effort to turn this around." *See insert prepared by US MAB's Dr. Roger Soles for additional information.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOCUSES ON SAA FOLLOW UP
At its meeting April 29, SAMAB’s Executive Committee discussed the Southern Appalachian (SAA) data base: (1) ways it could be made available to a wider audience. Nancy Herbert, of theU.S. Forest Service, said a simpler version of the GIS software is needed. Those who access the database via the Internet need a more user-friendly computer program than the current ArcView computer software. (2) uses of the SAA GIS data base: many uses are being made of it according to Joe Clark. Moreover, a regional workshop to explore ways of using the SAA data base is being planned July 15-17 at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville. It is to be sponsored by the White House’s Sustainable Indicators Interagency Task Force and SAMAB.The objective is to identify community-level indicators of sustainable communities using the SAA data base.(3) Maintianing the SAA data base: Executive Director Hubert Hinote said a system is in place for updating the data base periodically through the USGS Biological Resources Division, Southern Appalachian Field Office at the University of Tennessee.
A workshop on global climate change is planned for the Southeast on June 24-27 at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. The Workshop on Climate Variability and Water Resource Management in the Southeastern United States is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S.Geological Survey. Emphasis will be on water and water-related issues as identified by representatives of federal, state, and local governments.
Next was heard a proposal from the SAMAB Foundation that SAMAB acquire an exotic species education coordinator. Exotic species are threatening the stability of the Southern Appalachian ecosystem, according to the proposal. Researchers say the number one threat to forest health in southern Appalachia is the introduction of exotic species. These include the balsam wooly adelgid, the hemlock wooly adelgid, and the gypsy moth. Fraser firs, hemlocks, and oak trees are being affected. An education coordinator could develop educational materials, traveling exhibits, slide shows, and technical materials to combat the problem.
The Executive Committee heard also that the Southern Growth Policy Board (SGPB) plans a conference on the future of the South June 22-24 in Nashville, Tennessee. Speakers will include Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, Frederick Smith, president of Federal Express Corporation, author Peter Applebome, and Richard Riley, former governor of South Carolina and now U.S. Secretary of Education. The SGPB specializes in creating strategies for economic development. Executive Director Hubert Hinote said it typically does not feature natural resources issues. Still, SAMAB needs to find ways to link its efforts with them and will send a representative to the conference.
The Executive Committee next heard of a proposed video program to be produced by the USGS. Tentatively, it is titled “The Geologic Story of the Southern Appalachians,” and will run close to 30 minutes. Total costs are estimated at $100,000. SAMAB’s Environmental Education Committee will review the proposal.
Executive Committee Chair Karen Wade wrote a letter to superintendents of National Parks in the SAMAB region, encouraging their participation in SAMAB’s standing committees’ programs and activities. They were also invited to participate in SAMAB’s Fall Conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
John Peine, who chairs SAMAB’s Sustainable Development Committee, is editing a book on ecosystem management for sustainability that features the SAMAB Cooperative. SAMAB endorsed the publication earlier. Discussion of SAMAB’s committee structure followed. Executive Committee Chair Karen Wade conceded that the use of focus groups at the Spring Planning Meeting may have caused confusion about the role of SAMAB’s standing committees. She asked whether SAMAB should shift entirely to the use of focus groups rather than standing committees. There was extensive discussion of this issue with the decision being made to keep both the standing committees and occasionally to use the focus groups.
Suzette Kimball, the NPS associate regional director for natural resources and science, discussed potential NPS ecosystem initiatives. She said this is an extraordinary time for federal resource management agencies because there is growing demand for scientific expertise, significant organizational change, and limited resources for science. This presents opportunities for innovation, she said. The benefits of Cooperative Ecosystem Study Units, which involve partnerships with universities and other entities, include a broadened scope of scientific services, multi-disciplinary problem-solving, increased collaboration among federal agencies and individual scientists, increased technical assistance to resource managers, and reduced costs.
The Executive Committee reported results of its meeting to the plenary session that followed. Karen Wade asked leaders of the focus groups to submit written reports of their meetings. These will be circulated to the standing committees so they can prepare work plans based upon the priority issues identified by the focus groups.
Dr. Roger Soles, Executive Director U.S. MAB Secretariat
Some individuals and organizations have been seriously misinformed about the nature of the Biosphere Reserve element of the U.S. MAB Program. Here are some of the more recent charges that we have heard concerning biosphere reserves. I have condensed some of the charges into common categories because of their similarities. 1
Charge Number 1: When an area receives biosphere reserve recognition, the United Nations will control the area, or the USA “loses sovereignty” over the area, etc.
Answer: The idea that the United Nations is taking over U.S. lands, private and public, is completely false. Neither the United Nations nor any other international body has any authority over public or private U.S. lands which have received recognition as biosphere reserves.
Only voluntary guidelines exist for biosphere reserves. No international biosphere reserve treaty or biosphere reserve convention exists. In 1995, managers from Biosphere Reserves around the world, representatives of conservation groups and scholars met in Seville, Spain, to set a voluntary framework for international science and conservation cooperation. Among the documents they produced were The Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves and the Statutory Framework for the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The Introduction for this “Framework”; states:
“Biosphere Reserves, each of which remains under the sole sovereignty of the State where it is situated and thereby submitted to State legislation only, form a world network in which participation by States is voluntary.”
Furthermore, Article 2, paragraph 1 of that “Framework” states, “Individual Biosphere Reserves remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the States where they are situated. Under the present Statutory Framework, States take the measures which they deem necessary according to their national legislation”
This fact was also recognized by the Congressional Research Service’s CRS Report for Congress on June 6, 1996. In that report to Congress entitled “Biosphere reserves: Fact Sheet” it noted: “Biosphere reserve recognition does not convey any control or jurisdiction over such sites to the United Nations or to any other entity. The United States and/or state and local communities where biosphere reserves are located continue to exercise the same jurisdiction as that in place before designation. Areas are listed only at the request of the country in which they are located, and can be removed from the biosphere reserve list at any time by a request from that country.”
In sum, neither the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) nor any other U.N. body has jurisdiction over any U.S. Biosphere Reserve.
Charge Number 2: Biosphere reserves will restrict property and land use rights and lower land values.
Answer: There are no economic or scientific studies which show any detrimental effect of biosphere reserve status on the use and value of non-Federal lands located in the vicinity of a biosphere reserve. Neither is there any evidence that any restrictions were placed on any private lands in the vicinity of a biosphere reserve because it was a biosphere reserve.
In testimony given to Congress last year on “A Bill to Preserve the Sovereignty of the United States Over Public Lands” (H. R. 3752), not one of the witnesses was able to cite any actual or observed increased land use restrictions or any decrease in the value of any private property in the vicinity of a biosphere reserve.(See “Sovereignty Over Public Lands”, Hearings before the Committee on Resources, House of Representatives, 104th Congress, Second Session on HR 3752, September 12, 1996 - Serial No. 104-98, Washington DC).
Within the biosphere reserve program there is no authorization for the”taking” of anyone’s land, nor for the placing of any legal restrictions on private land use and individual land rights.
Charge Number 3: Biosphere reserves will circumvent the Constitution and infringe upon the laws enacted by Congress.
Answer: The Federal or state agencies responsible for various biosphere reserve protected areas are agencies with Congressional, state or local authority for managing the lands within those areas. Most often, the agencies are the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Areas which are recognized as Biosphere Reserves receive no special land use authority or regulations which might conflict with the authority of the Congress, the state government agencies, or county and local authorities. BiosphereReserves have no international or other authority. They receive Biosphere Reserve recognition and status, in part, because the land management authority for the protected and managed use areas must already exist within domestic legislation. National Parks, for example, have Congressional authority for the management of the park. Such parks have a “management plan” for the park. Frequently these park management plans identify specific “wilderness areas” for research and study thus serving as the “Protected Area” of the Biosphere Reserve. The entire surrounding park area is the “Managed Used Area” because the Park Service or other authority is mandated to manage that area.
These local or national authorities must pre-exist before an area can be nominated as a Biosphere Reserve. No new regulations are created with Biosphere Reserve recognition that in any way could diminish the authority of the U.S. government, Congress, or any state, county or local legislative body to make rules and regulations respecting these lands.
Charge Number 4: UN Troops are moving into a region to depopulate it in order to establish a Biosphere Reserve; or UN roadblocks have been set up; or that some type of “animal worship” is going to be imposed though the “secret AGENDA 21” or through a Seville Strategy or a UN truck depot base, etc.
Answer: It is impossible to keep up with all of these erroneous claims. No such proof or evidence has ever been offered to substantiate these claims. They have no basis in fact. Agenda 21 is a lengthy compilation (40 chapters, each of which has multiple subsections) of resolutions adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 to promote sustainable development. It is not secret and can be obtained from many public sources and bookstores. The official U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) statement about recent misinformation circulated, and the truth, about “Agenda 21” may be found at the Web site (http://www.mabnet.org).
The primary objective of the Seville Strategy is to promote and encourage greater involvement by local citizens and officials in the management of biosphere reserves — not to depopulate areas or impose new laws or regulations upon them.
It does seem that the burden of proof ought to reside on those that make these fearful charges. Certainly it would seem that with 47 biosphere reserves in the U.S., that if any of these charges were true, someone, somewhere, somehow, would have some proof or evidence of increased land use restrictions, etc. Yet, no one has and no one ever will, because all of these charges are false.
Charge Number 5: The U.S. MAB Program operates without legal approval.
Answer: U.S. MAB is a voluntary, interagency, effort which operates within the existing authorities of the participating agencies. No specific law exists for the U.S. MAB Program.
Federal agencies were directed by the “Memorandum for Heads of Certain Departments and Agencies, Subject: U.S. Participation in UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program,” Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC, March 9, 1979, to participate in the U.S. MAB Program.
Other applicable authorities which are cited in Interagency agreements to participate in the U.S. MAB program include: the Economy Act of 1932, as amended, 31 U.S.C. 1535; An Act Authorizing the Secretary of State to Manage Foreign Affairs, 22 U.S.C. 2656; House Joint Resolution 305, July 30, 1946 (PL 565, 79th Congress); the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Act, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 287m-287t; House Joint Resolution 305, July 30, 1946 (PL 565, 79th Congress); and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and PL91-190, 91st Congress. Again, while none of these laws specifically cite the MAB Program, they do authorize the federal agencies to cooperate and support programs within which they have an interest.
Charge Number 6: What is unreasonable about Congress being involved in the biosphere reserve nomination process?
Answer: Nothing. Indeed Congressional involvement in the process of the recognition of biosphere reserves would probably be desired by the U.S. MAB Program. However, to tie up Congress with the naming of areas, most of which in the future will likely be non-federal lands which are nominated by their state park authorities or the private organizations or individual owners, seems unwarranted.
However, it does not seem reasonable for Congress to terminate all of the currently existing Biosphere Reserve designations. According to currently proposed legislation (HR 901) Congress would have to specifically authorize the existence of each and every biosphere reserve in the U.S. before 2001. That would involve at least 47 specific acts of Congress. If specific allegations are being raised against any specific U.S. biosphere reserve concerning any of the above charges, then perhaps a case could be made.
Please review the USMAB web site carefully (http://www.mabnet.org). All U.S. Mab publications are posted there so you — the concerned citizen — can knowledgeably determine the truth about biosphere reserves and MAB.
1 This is my personal statement. The opinions, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this statement are mine and do not necessarily reflect the view of the participating and supporting agencies of the U.S. MAB.
ANNOUNCEMENT
On May 19, 1997, KarenWade, Chair of the SAMAB Executive Committee, announced that Nancy Herbert, the Assistant Station Director for Research-East, U.S. Forest Service (Asheville) will serve six months as the co-chair. After that, John Ramey, Forest Supervisor, National Forests of North Carolina will serve as co-chair.