Fellow Board Members & Members of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery,

I just received the following email from Richard Christian regarding the approval of the 2016 Omnibus Bill for the DOI.  Richard asked me to share this with you.

Please take a few minutes to read the attached document as it applies to the DOI FY2016 Budget.  Of special note is that the Bill includes a directive to ensure that the national fish hatcheries remain open and at full production.  This is in keeping with the Strategic Plan that we just received and discussed.  This is such good news for those of us that have mitigation hatcheries and have been living under the threat of closure for the past 6 years.  However, this is an Omnibus Bill and is good for FY 2016 only.  So the security for these and other fish hatcheries remains open for the following year.  As I have been explaining, we need a long term agreement. One that continues to maintain these hatchery operations without the annual approval process.  This can be accomplished with the Congressman Rick Crawford Bill HR 2261 which is still pending in the House even though it did not come to a vote this year.

So the Omnibus Bill is a relief for FY2016 and could be a good omen for the future.  However, our work is still not complete until we get a long term solution from Congress regarding the fish hatcheries.

So let’s all lift our glasses and celebrate this important news and make a toast that we can finish our work ahead.

Best wishes for the Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Read the bill here

Leon Alexander