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OJ1l72f\ . FWS Accomplishments acquiring and developing additional parcels in an attempt to bring overall Grand Valley Unit mitigation concurrent with project salinity improvements. The Service is very supportive of such action as we do not believe the voluntary onfarm SCS program will ever reach its 1,200 acre commitment. Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Lower Gunnison (East side laterals) was not funded during FY94, except for the SCS onfarm portion, This fragmented funding has made it impossible for the Service to take an active role in monitoring and/or assisting in the development and management of wildlife features associated with the Lower Gunnison Unit. . Concluding Comments The 1994 yeal produced many open discussions on the wetland loss/replacement issue, The Fish and Wildlife Service message of concern is being received by involved agencies, at least at the field level. However, in spite of these discussions and the interaction that occurred at the August 1993 field review, no significant program changes have resulted, In fact, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service proposed policy changes eliminating extra ranking points for projects for fish/wildlife purposes which was counter to the goals identified by those involved in the 1993-94 field reviews, The cooperative efforts by many involved in the Salinity Program has resulted in the ASCS policy change not being implemented at this time, Fish and Wildlife Service major concerns with the SCS voluntary replacement of wetland/wildlife losses have not changed or been alleviated, Those concerns continue, to date, and without change in the wetland/wildlife replacement process it is questionable whether the Service can continue to support the SCS portion of the salinity control program, New legislation before Congress provides for blanket authorization for future salinity control projects without further congressional approval, The opportunity for the Service to petition Congress to establish a solution to the wetland replacement problem for individual projects would be lost. The Senil& believes that the only apparent solution to the unproductive wetland/wildlife replacement program of SCS is to provide a legislative remedy. That is, for Congress to establish a project funded wetland mitigation requirement for the SCS program the same as that available to the Bureau of Reclamation, It seems that the appropriate occasion to seek this SCS program change would be to suggest that this be concept be proposed for inclusion in the pending Bureau of Reclamation legislation, . 10