I AM PLEASED TO SHARE WITH YOU A COPY OF OUR THIRD ANNUAL REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT, "A YEAR OF ENRICHMENT:
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Publication Date:
October 27, 1983
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LETTER
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Body:
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
Honorable William J. Casey
Director of Central Intelligence
Central Intelligency Agency
Washington, DC 20505
I am pleased to share with you a copy of our third annual report
to the President, 'A Year of Enrichment: Improving the quality of
life for all Americans." This report outlines many of the most
important accomplishments at the Interior Department in the past
three years.
As I prepare to leave the post of Interior Secretary, I look with
pride to the major changes we have made in managing our natural
resources. The restoration of our national parks, wildlife
refuges and public lands is well underway. Our actions to reduce
the Nation's dependency on foreign sources of energy and strategic
minerals are working. Balance is being restored.
I have been proud to serve with you on President Reagan's team.
We came to Washington to make a difference. We have brought
change.
Thank you for your support and friendship over the past three
years. It has been an honor to serve this great Nation and to
have worked with you.
United States Department of the Interior
J
A Year of Enrichment:
Improving the quality of
life for all Americans
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
United States Department of the Interior
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
Dear Mr. President:
This year, 1983, has been marvelously successful. It
has been: A Year of Enrichment-Improving the quality of
life for all Americans.
All of the lands (one-third of the Nation) managed
by the Department of the Interior are in better condi-
tion today than they were three years ago when we
took responsibility for them. Because we have cared
and exercised stewardship, the parks, refuges, forests,
coastal barriers, wetlands and deserts are being better
managed. This is also true for the wildlife living on
these lands.
Our efforts to bring common sense and balance to
the management of our natural resources have been
successful, because we have put people in the environ-
mental equation. People are important; they need jobs,
recreation, agricultural products, energy and water,
plus all the other values that come from the lands and
waters of this country. In addition, they want to be
assured that future generations in the 21st Century will
enjoy these same benefits. That is why we have
worked so hard to bring about the change, progress
and enrichment necessary to improve the quality of life
for all Americans.
Our National Park System is the envy of the world.
Unfortunately, funds to restore and improve the parks
were cut by over 50 percent from fiscal year 1978 to
fiscal year 1981. To reverse that trend, we implemented
a $1 billion Park Restoration and Improvement Pro-
gram. The Reagan program is a great success. In fact,
our program is the largest commitment that has ever
been made to the National Park System. In 1956,
President Eisenhower initiated Project 66, a ten-year
effort of $500 million to upgrade the parks. Our
program far exceeds even that gallant effort.
In the years ahead, we will be able to purchase the
additional parklands needed to round out the federal
recreation estate. Unfortunately, by fiscal year 1981,
appropriations for parkland acquisitions were cut to
one-sixth of what had been appropriated in fiscal year
1978. Because of the economic conditions inherited in
1981, we have not yet been able to increase the
appropriation requests for parkland acquisitions.
Even at that, because of our commitment to good
conservation practices, we have set a remarkable record
of increasing protection for the fragile and ecologically
important conservation lands of the Nation. In our
three years, we have acquired for the Federal Govern-
ment more than 1.6 million (1,620,651) acres of land to
be managed as national parks and wildlife refuges.
In 1983 alone, we have, through trade, donations and
purchase, added more park and wildlife land to the
federal estate than any previous Administration added
in a single year since Alaska was purchased in 1867. In
fact, in this single year, we have added more park and
wildlife land to the federal estate than was added from
1977 to 1980. (During that period, management respon-
sibilities for tens of millions of acres were shuffled
between various federal bureaucracies, but not as many
new acres were added to the federal estate.) Neither
Teddy Roosevelt, nor Franklin Roosevelt, nor Lyndon
Johnson, nor Jimmy Carter came close to our 1983
record of adding to the federal park and wildlife estate
in a single year.
Our stewardship commitment extends to preserving
for future generations those historic sites and structures
that pay tribute to America's past and the principles
upon which our Nation was founded. As a result of the
1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act's 25 percent tax credit
for private sector restoration of historic structures, in
our three years private investment in historic preserva-
tion has increased five-fold over the investment from
1977 to 1980.
Preservation is important in improving the quality of
life for all Americans. One of the areas of preservation
that has received our special attention is the En-
dangered Species Program. Congress set-up a program
requiring the Department of the Interior to identify
those plants and animals that are endangered and then
develop plans for their recovery. Because of our
concern for and commitment to stewardship, we have
accelerated the efforts to bring about the recovery of
those endangered plants and animals. By the end of
this year, we will have approved or reviewed nearly
three times as many recovery plans as were developed
in the four-year period 1977 to 1980.
Because we have put people in the environmental
equation, we recommended or supported additions to
our great wilderness system in the Lower 48 States
totaling more than 1.8 million acres. We believe
wilderness preservation is one of the legitimate multi-
ple uses of the vast public lands. Not one acre of land
has been leased for mining or drilling in the national
parks or on the wilderness.
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Mr. President, when we took office, I pledged to the project planning which remove cumbersome and
Governors of the fifty States that the Department of the burdensome regulations, promote flexibility in planning
Interior would be a "good neighbor" in managing the and encourage water project development. In addition,
750 million acres of land spread throughout the Nation. we have proposed to Congress new water projects.
I told the Governors that we would include them in our Cost-sharing arrangements will be established on a
land use planning and that we would make available case-by-case basis, according to the non-federal part-
isolated, small tracts of federal lands to communities ners' ability to participate and honoring prior commit-
needing land for hospitals, schools, parks, recreation
areas or housing projects.
We also stated that we would sell isolated, small
tracts of land to ranchers and farmers so that more
efficiency could be realized by both the Federal Govern-
ment and the individuals in managing these lands. Of
course, the national parks, wildlife refuges, wilderness
areas and Indian trust lands have never been and are
not for sale.
Despite some criticism that we were selling our
national heritage, the facts tell a different story. In
1982, we sold 55 tracts of land, the largest one
equalling 507 acres. The total sold in 1982 was 1,312
acres. In 1983, we sold 93 tracts totaling 7,981 acres.
The largest tract was 640 acres.
Many of the western States were promised title to
lands when they joined the Union at Statehood, but,
for many years, delivery of those promised lands was
"delayed." We promised the Governors that, if they
would identify lands they had a right to claim under
their Statehood acts, we would make the Federal
Government honest. The response from the Governors
has been tremendous. As a result, by the end of this
year more land will have been delivered by the Reagan
Administration to the States to support their school
systems than at any time since 1969.
People are important. That is why so much of our
effort is on providing for their consumer needs now
and into the 21st Century. In order to hold down the
cost of housing, we have made changes in the way we
manage our forest lands. We want those lands to
produce timber in the centuries ahead so that all
generations will have an increased sustained yield.
We also have a strong commitment to water re-
sources development. People need water-as a reliable
and safe drinking water supply, for irrigation making
our Nation the breadbasket of the world, for electric
power generation and for enhancement of wildlife
habitat.
This year, we have made major strides in im-
plementing a national water policy which reflects State
primacy in managing their water resources. We have
put in place new Principles and Guidelines for water
ments made by the Federal Government.
Most of the future energy needed to heat houses,
fuel cars and increase the number of jobs for Americans
will come from federally controlled lands and offshore
areas. With that understanding, we have aggressively
moved to increase energy potential for the decades to
come. People need energy. Our efforts to increase the
supply of energy sources and reduce our dependency
on foreign countries have been carried out with more
environmental stipulations, conditions and care than
ever before. We know that we can have both an
increased energy supply for people and an enhanced
environment.
For America to be strong domestically and militarily,
we had to reverse the policies and programs of the
past. During the 1970s, energy production from federal
offshore and onshore lands fell, weakening our eco-
nomy and increasing our dependency on foreign coun-
tries. In that period, the Department of the Interior
reduced leasing activities. Reduced leasing hurts con-
sumers, because of the long lead time needed to get oil
and gas, coal, geothermal and other forms of renew-
able and non-renewable energy to the people-the
consumers.
Our actions to implement proper environmental
safeguards and lease federal lands will not benefit
American consumers immediately, but will benefit
future generations. In three years, we have leased
nearly twice as much onshore oil and gas land as was
leased between 1977 and 1980; we have also leased
more than twice the offshore lands; and, 31/2 times as
much coal land.
Mr. President, our excellent record for managing the
natural resources of this land is unequalled-because
we put people in the environmental equation.
This year, 1983, has truly been A Year of Enrichment-
Improving the quality of life for all Americans.
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Table of Contents
A Year of Enrichment:
Restoring our National Parks and Wildlife
1
A Year of Enrichment:
Improving Relations with the States and Public
25
Refuges for the Enjoyment of This and Future
Generations
A Year of Enrichment:
Land Users
A Year of Enrichment:
Making Self-Determination a Reality for Indian
31
Providing Energy and Minerals to Meet the
Needs of American Consumers, Now and in the
21st Century
13
People
A Year of Enrichment:
Encouraging Economic Development and Self-
35
A Year of Enrichment:
Managing Water for People and the
Environment
23
Government in the Island Territories
A Year of Enrichment:
Improving the Management Effectiveness of the
37
Department of the Interior
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A Year of Enrichment:
Restoring our National
Parks and Wildlife
Refuges for the
Enjoyment of This and
Future Generations
America's national park and wildlife refuge systems,
enjoyed by 367 million visitors this year, are the envy
of the world. Because we are committed to good
conservation practices and protection of ecologically
important resources, in three years we acquired more
than 1.6 million acres for the federal park and wildlife
estate. In 1983 alone, through trade, donations and
purchase, we added more new park and wildlife land
to the federal estate than any previous Administration
added in a single year since Alaska was purchased in
1867. In 1983, we added more land to the national park
and wildlife refuge systems than was added in the
entire four-year period from 1977 through 1980. Nei-
ther Teddy Roosevelt, nor Franklin Roosevelt, nor
Lyndon Johnson, nor Jimmy Carter matched our 1983
record of federal park and wildlife land acquisition in a
single year.
Not only have we moved aggressively to protect
important natural resources, but also, in 1981, we
brought to this Department a philosophy of steward-
ship-of taking care; taking care of the land, the water
and the wildlife. Our stewardship commitment is most
evident in our park restoration program-the largest
rehabilitation effort ever undertaken in the National
Additions to the Federal Estate for Park & Wildlife Purposes
1979 1980
CALENDAR YEAR
APPROPRIATION
REQUEST
1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
FISCAL YEAR
maintenance ever; and in our endangered species Our $1 billion Park Restoration and Improve-
recovery program-another unequalled effort. ment Program demonstrates a strong commitment
In addition, rather than focusing on the listing of to the stewardship of the Nation's precious
endangered species, our emphasis has been on de- national parks-the crown jewels of America.
velopment of recovery plans to bring species to the In 1981, the General Accounting Office reported
point where they are no longer endangered. that the national parks had been allowed to
By changing the policies of the past, we have made deteriorate to such a shameful degree that health
great progress in protecting, restoring and improving and safety hazards were rampant. Restoration
those resources already owned by the people for the funding had been cut by over 50 percent between
enjoyment of this and future generations. fiscal years 1978 and 1981.
In 1983, we: To correct past neglect, we doubled the restora-
tion funding commitment in our first year;
National Park System provided $268.5 million in fiscal year 1983; and, in
fiscal year 1984, we will spend $302.4 million on
? Made significant progress in protecting the natural restoration and improvement-four times what
resource base and restoring the physical facilities in was requested in fiscal year 1981. In fact, our
the national parks to bring them to acceptable health program is the largest rehabilitation commitment
and safety standards. Our $1 billion Park Restoration that has ever been made to the National Park
and Improvement Program has been extremely suc- System. To put things in perspective, in 1956,
cessful. In 1982, our $165.8 million budget was twice President Eisenhower initiated Project 66-a ten-
that requested in fiscal year 1981; in 1983, we year effort of $500 million to upgrade the parks.
provided $268.5 million; and this fiscal year, 1984, Our commitment far exceeds even that gallant
we'll spend $302.4 million for restoration and im- effort.
provement-nearly four times the amount requested The following description of our most compre-
in 1981. U R d d
t
t
t
t
N
t
? Added 474,700 acres of parkland to the federal
estate-mostly through trade and donation-between
1981 and 1983. In 1983 alone, we added 375,500 acres
of national parkland, more acreage than was acquired
in any single year from 1977 to 1980.
ensrve res
ora
ion prolec
-a
a woo s
a
ion-
al Park, California-is exemplary of this success-
ful program which not only protects the natural
resource base and restores facilities, but also
provides jobs.
tion-but necessary to protect our irreplaceable
investments for this and future generations.
Since 1981, the National Park Service has
been engaged in the complete restoration,
reforestation and rehabilitation of the upper
watershed area of Redwoods National Park
that was totally modified by man. Some 40
miles of abandoned logging roads have been
rehabilitated, major watershed natural drain-
age channels have been restored, and over
400,000 trees and shrubs have been planted.
Since 1981, approximately $2 million has
been spent annually on this program which
represents the most extensive single natural
resource restoration/reclamation project ever
undertaken by the National Park Service. A
special team of handicapped persons are
employed in the reclamation program, and
Youth Conservation Corps and Comprehen-
sive Employment Training Act participants
have been used throughout the project. Jobs
have been provided to loggers and to Native
Americans who have been hard hit by the
slump in the lumber industry, and some 70
contracts totaling $2 million have been
awarded to local small businesses in the
1981-1983 period.
Restoring our parks is an expensive proposi-
Road area after revegetation-June 1981.
2
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Park Restoration & Improvement
? Implemented a new $7 million program to respond to
high priority natural resource problems in 65 units of
the National Park System, including: water quality
monitoring and protection in Glacier National Park;
reestablishing salmon and steelhead fisheries in
Olympic National Park; fencing to eliminate trespass
animals at Death Valley; geothermal monitoring at
Yellowstone National Park; wolf-moose endangered
species studies at Isle Royale National Park; fishery
ecosystem studies at Everglades National Park;
humpback whale studies at Glacier Bay National
Park; erosion control at Redwoods National Park;
wildlife management at Great Smoky Mountains
National Park; protecting cave resources at Mammoth
Cave; and feral pig and goat control at Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park.
? Involved over 20,000 private citizens as volunteers in
National Park System operations through the Volun-
teers-in-the-Parks program. Volunteers provided an
estimated $7 million in services.
? Created the Visitor Facilities Fund-a six-year, $36
million effort to improve National Park Service-
owned, concession-operated, overnight public
accommodations and support facilities. Funding
comes from franchise fees paid by concessioners for
the use of park facilities which previously were
credited to the Federal Treasury as miscellaneous
revenues.
? Established a Building Inventory-Inspection Program
to document the repairs needed to bring all park
facilities into minimum code compliance. Professional
architects and engineers are identifying problems
such as fire and life safety, electrical, mechanical and
structural components, public health, and handicap-
ped accessibility.
? Completed a $12 million restoration project to save
the Sandy Hook Beach at Gateway National Recrea-
tion Area. This New Jersey site, used by over 2.5
million park visitors annually, had been severely
eroded by storms.
? Received a 10,000-acre donation of mining claims
within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Pre-
serve, Alaska, from Cooper Industries of Houston,
Texas. This is the largest such donation by the
private sector in National Park Service history. The
mining claims, located in the heart of the park and
preserve unit, were in an area noted for its scenic
values.
? Added 102,000 acres to Gates of the Arctic National
Park and Preserve through an exchange with the
Arctic Slope Regional Native Corporation. The added
lands surround spectacular Chandler Lake and pro-
vide hiking routes to adjoining scenic wildlands. The
addition will improve protection of Dall sheep habi-
tat, park watersheds, and caribou migration routes.
Arctic through a land exchange; another land ex-
change is under negotiation to add Cascade Lake-
now owned by the Arctic Slope Regional Corpora-
tion-to the park.
? Completed a complex land exchange that eliminated
private inholdings (privately owned land within park
boundaries) in Grand Teton National Park. Inhold-
ings totaling 1,221 acres were purchased by Rocky
Mountain Energy Company for $9.8 million and then
exchanged by the company for 1,190 acres of public
land in Carbon County, Wyoming. The Carbon
County lands were appraised at $11.3 million, and
the company paid the difference of $1.5 million to
the Federal Government.
? Joined with the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the States of Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming, to create a cooperative federal-State Inter-
agency Grizzly Bear Committee to implement an
effective protection and recovery program for grizzly
bears within the Lower 48 States where they are
endangered.
? Completed development of a comprehensive air
quality environmental monitoring program in 40
units of the National Park System to ensure that air
pollution levels in pristine areas are not permitted to
exceed statutory levels and that visibility levels do
not impair scenic park views.
National Natural Landmarks because of their highly
significant ecological and geological features, bringing
to 548 the number of areas listed on the National
Registry of Natural Landmarks.
? Designated, since 1981, three U.S. properties as
World Heritage Sites having "universal significance
to mankind." They are Mammoth Cave and Olympic
National Parks, and Cahokia Mounds State Historic
Site. Two additional sites have been nominated for
consideration in December 1983 by the 21-nation
World Heritage Committee-Great Smoky Mountains
National Park and the Historic Properties of San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
? Awarded $80 million in grant assistance to State and
local governments for rehabilitation and new de-
velopment of parks and recreation facilities, in re-
sponse to the Emergency Jobs legislation; and, appor-
tioned $40 million in supplemental Land and Water
Conservation Fund monies to States and Territories.
? Conducted a $40 million national grant competition
for Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Rehabilita-
tion grants which resulted in the award of 126 Jobs
Bill grants within 80 days of the legislation's enact-
ment. Special grants management procedures were
developed to ensure rapid implementation of these
grants so that construction work could begin prompt-
ly and be completed by September 1984.
E OPERATION AND
CONSTRUCTION
867.4
895.5
894.3
366:8
RESTORATION AND
116.5
67A
EI
IMPROVEMENT
779.4
F253:7,
572.4
65:9
1981 1982 1983 1984
FISCAL YEAR
culminating some 43 years of effort to acquire the
largest remaining inholding in Great Smoky Moun-
tains National Park. 400
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