Hi folks,

I saw the following article in the Tacoma News Tribune, and thought that
folks birding the south Sound area might be interested.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net
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Congress allocates $1 million to Nisqually wildlife refuge

SPENDING BILL: Funds likely will be used to increase the area of the animal
sanctuary

October 19, 2001

Susan Gordon; The News Tribune

Congress has approved spending $1 million to expand the Nisqually National
Wildlife Refuge.

Most of the money probably will be used to acquire land along the Black
River in Thurston County, said refuge manager Jean Takekawa, who works for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lawmakers put money for the refuge in the $18.8 billion Interior Department
spending bill approved Wednesday by both houses of Congress. The measure now
goes to President Bush for approval.

The refuge is one of three in the West likely to receive land-acquisition
money this year, Takekawa said. "It's quite an achievement, actually," she
said.

Several years ago, the wildlife service mapped out a potential 3,800-acre
sanctuary in the Black River area, which conservationists call the largest
remaining undisturbed freshwater wetland system in the Puget Sound region.
So far, the refuge has purchased 800 acres in the area, south of Black Lake
and north of Littlerock.

The new infusion of money will allow Takekawa to proceed with negotiations
for additional acquisitions. "Our momentum is very strong at Black River.
We have a number of new willing sellers," Takekawa said.

The Nature Conservancy, which has helped preserve the land so the refuge can
buy it, lobbied in support of the $1 million appropriation.

"It's really good news," said Leslie Brown, a conservancy spokeswoman.

The appropriation is in addition to $5 million the refuge got last year to
buy land around Black River and around the mouth of the Nisqually River. So
far, the refuge has not purchased more land near the Nisqually, although
Takekawa said informal talks continue with the Weyerhaeuser Co., the
developer of the Northwest Landing community in nearby DuPont.

The Interior appropriations bill approved Wednesday also includes $250,00
for the Fort Nisqually living history museum in Tacoma's Point Defiance
Park. The money would help restore a house that is one of the oldest wooden
structures in Washington and the only known remaining U.S. example of the
home of an officer of the Hudson's Bay Co.

In addition, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair) said the bill
would provide:

* $25.8 million for engineering and design that will lead to the removal of
two Elwha River dams that have blocked migration of native salmon on the
Olympic Peninsula.

* $14 million for U.S. Fish and Wildlife programs in the Pacific Northwest,
including fish research and habitat protection.

* $9.4 million for a U.S. Forest Service assistance program for economically
depressed timber towns and $3 million for a timber-related employment
program.

* $4 million to conserve forests along the Interstate 90 corridor.

* $6 million for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
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