1) The National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee (NWSAC) advises the Secretary of Agriculture concerning policies, program issues and research of Wildlife Services in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).

2) The NWSAC also serves as a public forum enabling those interested in Wildlife Services’ activities to have a voice in Wildlife Services’ policies. NWSAC membership is supposed to be composed of persons representing a broad spectrum of agricultural, environmental, conservation, academic, animal welfare, and related interests.

3) The next NWSAC meeting is in Maryland during 24-25 June 2003 and will focus on Wildlife Services’ operational and research activities and is open to the public. However, due to time constraints, the public will NOT be able to participate in the committee’s discussions. But WRITTEN statements concerning NWSAC meeting topics may be filed with the committee BEFORE or AFTER the June 24-25 meeting by sending them to:
Joanne Garrett, Director
Operational Support Staff
USDA, APHIS, WS
4700 River Road, Unit 87
Riverdale, MD 20737

4) The NWSAC was re-established on 9 August 2001, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Departmental Regulation 1043-027 directs that the regulation be TERMINATED on 9 AUGUST 2003.

5) In Bayer's opinion, if individuals or groups have concerns about Wildlife Services' operations, it may be best to send them to the NWSAC before June 10 because the NWSAC may be terminated in August 2003. NWSAC is supposed to be a public forum and include a diverse membership and thus may be much more responsive than comments directed to Wildlife Services.

6) The information from items 1-4 above is derived from: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/news/2003/04/advisory_ws.html ("USDA to Hold National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee Meeting," 8 April 2003)

http://www.usda.gov/ocio/directives/DR/DR1043-027.htm (U.S. Department of Agriculture Departmental Regulation 1043-027: "Reestablishment of National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee," 9 August 2001)

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Links
• Wildlife Services' (2003) Pre-Decisional Environmental Assessment: Piscivorous Bird Damage Management for the Protection of Juvenile Salmonids on the Mid-Columbia River and Comments about this Environmental Assessment.
• Review: Bird Predation of Juvenile Salmonids and Management of Birds Near 14 Columbia Basin Dams by R. D. Bayer. 2003. Yaquina Studies in Natural History No. 10. (This was published on 28 February 2003; the same day that Wildlife Services sent out its following Environmental Assessment)
• Other Papers about Bird Predation and Management at Columbia Basin Dams
• Predation of Juvenile Salmon in the Columbia Basin & Along the Oregon Coast

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