[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2142-E2143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONVEYING TITLE TO TUNNISON LAB HAGERMAN FIELD STATION IN GOODLING 
                 COUNTY, IDAHO, TO UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL D. CRAPO

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 1998

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. Speaker, Idaho is the nation's leading producer of 
fresh water trout. This important industry depends on springs that 
supply the Snake River, which is coming under increasingly strict water 
quality regulations. The State also finds itself leading the debate on 
Salmon conservation and is continually looking for sound scientific 
solutions. The University of Idaho is already establishing itself as a 
significant resource in the science of identifying and developing 
preservation strategies for the nation's endangered and threatened fish 
species.
  The University of Idaho currently operates the Tunnison Lab, 
approximately four acres of the Hagerman National Fish Hatchery, 
pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service. This agreement has allowed the University of Idaho to pursue 
research that will help conserve the region's endangered and threatened 
salmonids, and study alternative fish feed that may reduce nutrient 
loads normally associated with the aquaculture industry nationwide.
  S. 2505 will transfer the title of the Tunnison Lab from the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service to the University of Idaho. By doing this, 
the University will be able to take advantage of federal funding 
secured as part of the University's biotech improvement efforts. The 
University has proposed to spend $1.75 million on improvements to the 
Tunnison Lab.
  As part of the improvements, the University of Idaho will include an 
on-site learning center that will provide educational training on fish 
management for federal agents, industry representatives, and others 
interested in improved management of salmonid species. This bill has 
the support of the Administration, the Senate, the Governor of Idaho, 
local government officials, adjacent property owners, Idaho's 
aquaculture industry, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[[Page E2143]]

  Knowing that the Hagerman Valley is a rich archaeological area, home 
to rich fossil sites, extra precautions have been taken to assure 
protection of any valuable sites discovered in the Environmental 
Assessment conducted as part of the transfer.
  S. 2505 is good government in action. Because of the initiative of a 
state entity (the UI) and a federal entity (USFWS), we've taken federal 
resources and put them to the best use for the American public. It is 
going to address some very real research needs. The result is going to 
be a cleaner environment, a stronger Idaho aquaculture industry, and a 
more secure future for Idaho's wild salmon.

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