SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Participants

Decker, Daniel (djd6@cornell.edu) - Cornell University; Drake, David (drake@AESOP.Rutgers.edu) - Rutgers University; Anderson, James (jander25@wvu.edu) - West Virginia University; Brown, Tommy (tlb4@cornell.edu) - Cornell University; Curtis, Paul (pdc1@cornell.edu) - Cornell University; Menzel, Bruce (BMenzel@csrees.usda.gov) - USDA-CSREES; Ramakrishnan, Uma (Uma.Ramakrishnan@po.state.ct.us) - Connecticut AES

The annual meeting to satisfy administrative requirements for NEREC 1001 occurred April 26, 2004 at the 60th Northeastern Fish and Wildlife Conference in Ocean City, Maryland. The meeting was co-chaired by Dan Decker (Cornell University) and David Drake (Rutgers University), and was attended by James Anderson (West Virginia University), Tommy Brown (Cornell University), Paul Curtis (Cornell University), Bruce Menzel (USDA-CSREES), and Uma Ramakrishnan (Connecticut AES). The meeting commenced at 2:50 pm and adjourned at 3:07 pm.


The meeting focused on federal funding prospects for the Northeast Research and Extension Consortium (NEREC) 1001 titled: Piloting a Regional Research and Educational Approach to Integrated Deer Damage Management. A primary funding focus has been to support interest developing in Congress for a new, special federal grant appropriation of $1.5 million in each of the next 5 years to establish and implement the proposal, and to support its proposed annual competitive grants program in the NE. Mike Voiland (Cornell) provided a written update to Dan Decker and David Drake on the NEREC funding activities. Dan Decker and David Drake made copies of Mike Voiland`s update available to those in attendance and verbally summarized Mike`s written comments.


Working through the offices of New York Reps. James Walsh and Maurice Hinchey, funding for the project in FY 03-04 was sought via the congressional Special Regional and State Research Grant program, as administered by USDA/CSREES. Despite the enthusiasm and support of the project by the 2 aforementioned congressmen, a growing federal deficit and other procedural constraints agreed to by members of the House Subcommittee on Agricultural Appropriations precluded having any federal support appropriated for the project in FY 03-04. In fact, the subcommittee decided that no new projects were to be added to the USDA/CSREES Special Grants Program.


The prospects for project funding in FY 04-05 are not positive. Severe constraints exist in all federal discretionary spending categories within the Executive Budget proposal. On the positive side, both Reps. Walsh and Hinchey have come to understand the problem that exists with wildlife damage and the NEREC`s proposed plan to address that problem in the Northeast. The NEREC remains on the list of potential funding initiatives to receive federal support should budget deliberations and decisions allow for new special grant projects.

Accomplishments

Although successful efforts were made to contact select Congressional representatives to support funding NEREC1001, no new appropriations were allowed in the FY03-04 federal budget. We will continue to look for funding opportunities in the coming year.

Impacts

  1. No impacts to report at this time.

Publications

No publications to report at this time.
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