CRAPO: COLLABORATION, INCENTIVES KEY TO ESA IMPROVEMENTS

Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will visit Bonners Ferry and Orofino next week to mark collaborative agreements that he says are a critical component of federal legislation he is working to introduce this year to improve how the Endangered Species Act operates. Crapo is writing a bill and coordinating ideas on ESA improvements with Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-Rhode Island) and Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), as well as Representative Richard Pombo (R-California) and other members. Chafee, Inhofe, and Pombo chair the relevant ESA committees in the Senate and House. Crapo's bill is based on agreements that produce conservation for species and respect private property rights"Ironically, ESA has worked best when landowners and concerned citizens have improvised with the law to get around its clumsy provisions and legal controversies," Crapo said. "Species need progress and action, not court cases and gridlock. These agreements being signed in Idaho will bear testimony to the power of collaboration in planning for species recovery efforts."Crapo's schedule for July 5th and 6th includes the following events:Monday, July 4th:11:00 a.m. Coeur d'Alene Senator Crapo takes part in the 4th of July Parade in Downtown Coeur d'Alene. He will meet with those attending the parade and a local Boy Scout troop following the parade in City Park, around 1:30 p.m. Family Advocate Program.Tuesday, July 5th: Noon Bonners Ferry Crapo joins local elected, tribal, agency, and conservation leaders in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding spanning the efforts of two nations, two states, a Canadian province, and others to protect populations of burbot in the Kootenai River in Idaho and the Kootenay River and Lake in British Columbia. The signing is the product of a collaborative effort by the KVRI group and is the culmination of many years of effort toward a recovery plan. The ceremony is scheduled at the Kootenai River Inn, 7169 Plaza Street. 3:30 p.m. Post Falls Crapo will tour and speak to employees at the new Buck Knives manufacturing facility, 660 South Lochsa Street. Wednesday, July 6th: 12:30 p.m. Orofino Crapo speaks at a signing ceremony regarding the funding of conservation and other actions contemplated under the recently-signed Clearwater Elk Collaborative. The collaborative agreement reached among sporting and hunting groups, Idaho Fish & Game, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Trust for Public Land, Crapo, and other federal leaders seeks to preserve elk populations.The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will be announcing at the event a multi-million dollar contribution for efforts under the Elk Collaboration announced by Crapo and others at an elk summit held in Lewiston in January of 2003. The ceremony is planned at the Orofino Best Western Hotel, 615 Main Street.Pictures and video of some events are available by contacting Susan Wheeler and Lindsay Nothern at the above phone numbers or at (208) 870-1800. # # #