NBS

[Elaine Hoagland]

A compromise was reached last week that would have salvaged the National
Biological Service by changing its name (again) and moving it under the
"water and research" arm of the Dept. of Interior (along with the USGS),
and reducing the budget about 14% to $146 million. However, at the
markup today, the House Subcommittee on Interior of the House
Appropriations Committee agreed to an amendment that transfers $50 M
from NBS to the Nat. Endowment for the Humanities (itself under attack
in the Republican Congress). This change was, according to ASC's
representative at the markup, done almost frivolously --- proposed by
Congr. Taylor of N. Carolina and after 5 minutes of "lighthearated"
talk, voted upon. The "wise use" movement has been circulating paranoid
literature calling NBS the greatest threat to private property since the
endangered sp. act and calling NBS research "secret, behind closed
doors" and calling for its information to be DESTROYED! We must correct
this mistaken view of scientific research. Every taxacom subscriber who
cares about the future of biodiversity and indeed taxonomic research and
museum-related information should, as a private citizen, express his/her
views to his/her Congressperson IMMEDIATE>ly.

ÿÿ    NBS                                                                     55