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CONTENTS

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Duffus, James III, Director, Natural Resources Management Issues, General
Accounting Office, accompanied by Robert Robinson, Assistant Director,
Natural Resources Management Issues.

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Pavlik, Dr. Bruce M., associate professor, chairman of biology, Mills College....
Reveles, Robert, California Mining Association, accompanied by Dr. William
P. Leedy, geologist..

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CALIFORNIA DESERT PROTECTION ACT OF 1989

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1989

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS,

NATIONAL PARKS AND FORESTS,

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES,

Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:05 p.m. in room SD-366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Dale Bumpers, presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TIMOTHY E. WIRTH, U.S.
SENATOR FROM COLORADO

Senator WIRTH. The committee will come to order. I thank you very much for coming, Senator Cranston. Welcome.

The purpose of today's hearing is to receive testimony on S. 11, the California Desert Protection Act.

S. 11 represents the most ambitious land allocation measure to come before this committee since the Alaska Lands Act of 1980. It would designate 81 new wilderness areas in the California Desert, adding approximately eight and a half million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Some four million of these acres would be administered by the Park Service and four and a half million by the Bureau of Land Management.

S. 11 would also establish the new East Mojave National Park and make sizeable additions to the existing Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Monuments and redesignate these areas as national parks.

In addition, the bill would withdraw approximately 1.3 million acres of public lands for use by the military.

I want to applaud Senator Cranston for his efforts to protect the valuable natural resources of the California desert, and I for one have been a cosponsor of your legislation, Senator Cranston, and we really appreciate your good work.

I would like to welcome all of the witnesses who will be testifying this afternoon and to add a special welcome to Cy Jamison, who is making his first appearance before this subcommittee in his new role as Director of BLM. I am pleased that he was able to rearrange his speaking schedule so that he could be here today.

Since we have a number of witnesses in a short amount of time, I will ask all witnesses to please limit their statements to no more than five minutes. Their statements will, of course, be included in full in the record.

(1)

At this point I will insert copies of the proposal in the hearing record which will remain open for two weeks to receive additional statements and materials.

I appreciate your being here, Senator Cranston, to kick us off this afternoon. I am sorry that there has been no interest in this legislation, but maybe as we move along in the hearing, some people may want to attend.

Senator Cranston, please proceed in whatever way you feel would be most helpful for the record and for the committee.

[The prepared statements of Senators Bumpers, McClure, and Wallop, a statement from the Department of Agriculture, and the text of S. 11 follow:]

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DALE BUMPERS

ON S. 11

THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S HEARING IS TO RECEIVE TESTIMONY ON S. 11,

THE CALIFORNIA DESERT PROTECTION ACT.

S. 11 REPRESENTS THE MOST AMBITIOUS LAND ALLOCATION MEASURE TO

COME BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE SINCE THE ALASKA LANDS ACT OF 1980. IT
WOULD DESIGNATE 81 NEW WILDERNESS AREAS IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT,
ADDING APPROXIMATELY 8.5 MILLION ACRES TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS

PRESERVATION SYSTEM; SOME 4.0 MILLION OF THESE ACRES WOULD BE

ADMINISTERED BY THE PARK SERVICE AND 4.5 MILLION ACRES BY THE BLM. S.

11 WOULD ALSO ESTABLISH THE NEW EAST MOJAVE NATIONAL PARK, AND MAKE SIZEABLE ADDITIONS TO THE EXISTING JOSHUA TREE AND DEATH VALLEY

NATIONAL MONUMENTS, AND REDESIGNATE THESE AREAS AS NATIONAL PARKS. IN ADDITION, THE BILL WOULD WITHDRAW APPROXIMATELY 1.3 MILLION ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND FOR USE BY THE MILITARY.

WHILE I HAVE NOT FORMALLY TAKEN A POSITION ON THIS BILL, I APPLAUD SENATOR CRANSTON FOR HIS EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE VALUABLE NATURAL

RESOURCES OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT.

I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL OF THE WITNESSES WHO WILL BE

TESTIFYING THIS AFTERNOON. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD A SPECIAL WELCOME TO CY

JAMISON, WHO IS MAKING HIS FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE IN

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