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understanding that everything is transient; nothing lasts forever, including species. Survival or extinction are probalistic phenomenon, and not deterministic phenomenon. The chances of a wild population's survival depends greatly on its abundance and how widespread it is. This is a general rule that varies with the particular circumstances. A species survival also depends on its genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is a function of how abundant and widespread the species is; the larger the population, the more widespread the species, the greater the level of genetic diversity it will generally contain. The reason that we have a problem, quite literally folks, is that we are running out of room. I know that maybe hard to image or believe. It is particularly hard for me. I am from the east coast. I flew out to Denver yesterday, and rented a car to drive up here. It was a magnificent drive through very beautiful country. I did not see many houses compared to northern Virginia, where I live. However, we are running out of room in this country and in other countries to maintain the full diversity of living things. I would like to give some examples to illustrate this. By our best estimates, we have reduced our wetlands by 50% since the arrival of our European ancestors to North America. There are approximately one-half the marshes, swamps and potholes today as there were 500 years ago. In our ancient forests, I am defining ancient forests as the very old forests of the Pacific Northwest, the trees are on average somewhere between 250 and 450 years old, though some are much older. There is only 10% of those ancient forests left. I think Ms. Sheftel brought up the point about balance when she referred to Senator Hatfield's column. Senator Hatfield was discussing the Endangered Species Act and the lack of balanced resource management in the Pacific Northwest today. I agree with him. However, I do not agree with the reason he gave us. The problem is not the Endangered Species Act. When 90% of a natural system has been removed, and there is only 10% left, where is the balance? If the 10% that is left is absolutely essential for maintaining that system and all the species that it supports, it seems to me that having given up 90% is pretty good balance. Consider, tall grass prairie, there is less than 1% of the original tall grass prairie left in the United States. Long leaf pine was once an expansive community along the coastal plain from Virginia to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. Currently, less than one- half of one percent of that original community type is left. What percentage of the fish fauna of the United States is at risk? When we focus a debate on a specific species we need to understand the broader pattern it represents. Regardless of whether we are discussing the Colorado Squawfish, the Spotted Owl, or the Desert Tortoise, it is a reverberation of the same theme. More and more of our natural world is at risk. The total species diversity of North American fresh water fish is about 790 species and there are. many subspecies within that figure. The Nature Conservancy, which I think does the best job of keeping tabs on which species are at risk or are vulnerable to becoming threatened or endangered, lists about 269 of those 790 species in various categories of risk. Currently, the federal government lists only 55 of those species as threatened or endangered. However, by adding in the candidates their figure would be very close to TNC. Therefore, roughly one-third of the fish species diversity in North America is at some level of risk. I do not 82