NOAA budget to Congress

[Rose Cook]

Dear Coral-listers,

Regarding John Ogden's request for Fax messages to Congress in regard 
to the NOAA appropriations bill, and following Osha Gray Davidson's 
lead, I am attaching the message I sent to 
the following individuals.  Please feel free to use any portion of 
it in your letters.

Jack Lew
Director, Office of Management and Budget
Fax: 202-395-3888

Congressmen, with Fax Numbers
Harold Rogers (202-225-0940)
Jose Serano (202-225-6001)
Bill Young (202-225-9764)

Senators
Judd Gregg (202-224-4952)
Fritz Hollings (202-224-4293)

I was able to get through to Lew at the above number around 12:30 
Mountain Time.


Hon. Director Lew;

I am writing today out of serious concern for the future of our
Nation's coral reefs.  As you may know, coral reefs support the
highest diversity of life in the oceans and are invaluable to us as
sources of  recreation, inspiration, and beauty.  Coral reefs shelter
coastlines and provide us with an important source of food, and what
is potentially an invaluable wealth of medicinal compounds. 

Today, coral reefs in the United States and around the world are
gravely threatened with massive loss and deterioration.  As an
American citizen, I am pleased to know that coral reefs exist in my
country and glad that we as Americans have an opportunity to preserve and
protect these miracles of nature.  But I also am aware of the threats
reefs face from many sources: pollution, destructive fishing
practices, and global warming to name a few.  I also know that because
of their extremely slow growth rates, coral reefs may take thousands
of years to return once lost.  I find it impossible to believe that
funding to protect and restore these irreplaceable treasures of ours,
has been left out of the Fiscal Year 2000 budget from Congress.  

NOAA's budget contained a request for a relatively small amount of
money - $12 million dollars for conservation and restoration of our
Nation's reefs.  The Senate funded half of this, but Congress provided
nothing.  The current budget before the President contains no funding
for coral reef protection.  I urge you to act now and do whatever is
in your power to ensure that coral reef protection programs are well
funded in the coming year and into the future.  Extinction in the
ocean is very possible.  Once our reefs are gone, we may never see
them again.  This matter is extremely urgent.  Please do whatever you
can now.  Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Rosamonde Cook



Rosamonde Cook
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO  80523
email: rcook at cnr.colostate.edu
phone: 970-491-5901
fax: 970-491-5091