OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 1999

Stephanie Hanna (O) 202/208-6416

BABBITT CALLS ATTENTION TO PLIGHT OF FROGS AND AMPHIBIANS
Amphibian Declines, Deformities and Disappearances Focus of Inter-Agency
Taskforce - Interior Budget Increases for Amphibian Response Activities

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will speak to an inter-agency Taskforce on Amphibian Decline and Deformities (TADD) on Wednesday, February 24, as it meets for the first time since its formation last September. Media is invited to attend the meeting, which will also include presentations by several scientists involved in amphibian research projects.

"Last year, my fellow Cabinet members joined me in responding to an increasing environmental threat showing up in unexplained declines, deformities and even disappearances of frogs, toads and salamanders, species that have been on Earth for 350 million years," Babbitt said. "We agreed to gather the combined expertise of scientists and policy-makers from a variety of government agencies to gain a better understanding of the problems and to point the way toward solutions while there's still time."

In response to this commitment, TADD held an initial meeting in September to organize this multi-agency approach to amphibian problems as to plan outreach strategy to share information with classrooms and private organizations interested in seeking solutions to frog deformities and disappearances in the United States and elsewhere.

The next TADD meeting will discuss new amphibian-related activities in science, conservation and education as well as budget increases for amphibian projects in the Clinton Administrations Fiscal Year 2000 budget request which was introduced earlier this month.

The February 24th meeting will begin at noon with a briefing by Secretary Babbitt during a working lunch in Room 5160 of the Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The TADD meeting is expected to end about 2:30 p.m. The working lunch will also be open to media.

TADD includes representatives from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Education, Justice, Health & Human Services, Defense, State and Energy; the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Agency for International Development, Smithsonian Institution, the National Science Foundation, GLOBE; and the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Science & Technology Policy.

To provide the media with additional background and information on amphibian problems, Environmental Media Services will host a media breakfast on the morning of the 24th at the Willard Hotel in Washington. Secretary Babbitt will kick off the breakfast at 9:00 a.m., which will also include presentations by scientists studying frog disappearances and declines nationally and internationally.

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