SJ0001 - Grizzly Bear & Gray Wolf National Conservation Trust.

 

2001

State of Wyoming

01LSO-0132.E1

Substitute No. 1

 

 

 

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.  SJ0001

 

 

Grizzly Bear & Gray Wolf National Conservation Trust.

 

Sponsored by:

 

 

A Bill

 

for

 

 1  A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to establish a
 2  Northern Rocky Mountain Grizzly Bear and Gray Wolf
 3  Management Trust to fund management of these wildlife
 4  populations.

 5 

 6  WHEREAS, the United States government has adopted and is
 7  implementing a plan for the recovery of the grizzly bear
 8  and gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountain region; and

 9 

10  WHEREAS, the federal policy to restore the grizzly bear and
11  gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountain region has a
12  continuing financial obligation which should be borne by
13  the same broad segment of the United States population
14  which imposed the policy in order to continue the effective
15  management of these species; and

16 

 

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 1  WHEREAS, significant portions of the range of the grizzly
 2  bear and gray wolf are located within the Northern Rocky
 3  Mountain region on lands managed by the United States
 4  Department of the Interior and the United States Department
 5  of Agriculture; and

 6 

 7  WHEREAS, the management of resident wildlife species not
 8  listed under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
 9  amended, is the responsibility of the states; and

10 

11  WHEREAS, grizzly bear and gray wolf populations are
12  increasing and should therefore be removed from the federal
13  list of endangered species, thereby shifting a substantial
14  responsibility for management of these wildlife species to
15  the state of Wyoming; and

16 

17  WHEREAS, the state of Wyoming acknowledges its
18  responsibility and authority for the management of the
19  grizzly bear and gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountain
20  region after those species have been removed from the list
21  of endangered species; and

22 

23  WHEREAS, providing a substantial permanent and stable
24  source of funding to help pay for the continuing costs of

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 1  managing these unique species is essential for the
 2  successful management of the grizzly bear and gray wolf in
 3  the Northern Rocky Mountain region; and

 4 

 5  WHEREAS, the costs to manage these wildlife species in the
 6  Northern Rocky Mountain region will be significantly
 7  greater than can be sustained through the existing budgets
 8  of the responsible state and federal agencies; and

 9 

10  WHEREAS, a national trust should be established for the
11  management of these wildlife species with the understanding
12  that the responsible state and federal agencies will
13  continue to seek necessary appropriations from their
14  respective legislative bodies for the continuing management
15  of these wildlife species, consistent with their respective
16  statutory mandates.

17 

18  Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved By The Members of the
19  Legislature of the State of Wyoming, a majority of all the
20  members of each house, voting separately, concurring
21  therein:

22 

23       Section 1.  That the Wyoming State Legislature
24  endorses the establishment of the Northern Rocky Mountain

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 1  Grizzly Bear and Gray Wolf Management Trust as a special
 2  fund within the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to
 3  provide funding for the management and payment of
 4  compensation by state and federal entities arising out of
 5  the continuing management of grizzly bear and gray wolf
 6  populations in the Northern Rocky Mountain region.

 7 

 8       Section 2.  That the Wyoming State Legislature
 9  requests that the United States Congress fund the corpus of
10  the Management Trust with a minimum of forty million
11  dollars ($40,000,000.00) by January 1, 2003, which is the
12  minimum amount presently anticipated to be required to fund
13  the obligations resulting from the continuing management of
14  these unique species.

15 

16       Section 3.  That the Wyoming State Legislature
17  encourages individuals, businesses, corporations and
18  organizations across the United States to contribute to the
19  corpus of the Management Trust to ensure the continuing
20  management of the grizzly bear and gray wolf in the
21  Northern Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

22 

 

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 1       Section 4.  The Secretary of State of Wyoming is
 2  directed to transmit copies of this resolution and a copy
 3  of the list of members voting for this proposal to the
 4  President of the United States, to the President of the
 5  Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of
 6  the United States Congress, to the United States Secretary
 7  of Interior and the United States Secretary of Agriculture
 8  and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation.

 9 

10                         (END)

 

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