68.75% Missing from U.S. Senate Committee Bill to NOAA for Coral Reefs

[Judith Lang & Lynton Land]

To: U.S. Coral Reef Listers

From: Cliff McCreedy, Oceanwatch at aol.com
      Judy Lang, JandL at rivnet.net


Coral reefs are among Earth's most diverse and biologically complex
ecosystems, each year providing over $3 billion in economic benefits for the
United States, and nearly $500 billion worldwide.  Perhaps 10% of the world
's reefs have already been lost, and about 60% are threatened by bleaching,
disease, and direct human activities.  The current U.S. Senate bill
eliminates $11 million of the $16 million requested by the NOAA National
Ocean Service and National Marine Fisheries Service for "mapping,
monitoring, research, managing and restoring corals reefs."  Proper funding
of the Administration's request would help us all to better understand coral
diseases, contribute to the development of strategies for protecting reef
ecosystems and the fisheries they sustain, and be used to clean up coral
reefs that are damaged by oil spills, ship groundings, and other causes.  

PLEASE, call your Senators and ask them to support restoring this large
cut in NOAA's national coral reef program. Say that the funds would be used
for coral research (including the diseases that affect coral reef organisms
in U.S. waters), mapping, monitoring, restoration, and fisheries management.

This bill could be on the Senate floor as soon as September 18. 
Your actions are important---
the companion House funding bill completely eliminates NOAA's coral reef
budget.

US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm