(Date)

The Honorable Henry Bonilla

Chairman, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, 
            Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

United States House of Representatives

Room 2458, Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC  20515

SUBJECT:  U.S. National Arboretum Funding Cuts

As a member of the National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., I am writing to express my concern over the proposed cut in funding for the U. S. National Arboretum. 

Over the past five years, Congress has recognized the Arboretum's urgent need for increased funding to maintain the superb gardens and grounds, and to provide educational and visitors' services to the ever-growing members of the public who use the Arboretum as a horticultural learning destination as well as simply a tranquil green space in the midst of the Nation's Capital.  Until Congress started to direct specific appropriations to the Arboretum, the upkeep of the Public Gardens and the Education and Visitors' Services functions had been woefully under-funded.  Today, thanks to this Congressional support, the Arboretum finally has sufficient staff to maintain the Gardens and is beginning to provide an array of needed educational services to its many visitors.

However, all this progress is threatened by the current budget request for the Department of Agriculture.  The proposed FY06 budget deletes all previous Congressional initiatives to the Department.  For the National Arboretum, this is a cut of over $2 million in a total budget of approximately $10 million, a 20 percent reduction from the current services level.  With a cut of this magnitude, the Arboretum has said they will have to let go the majority of their gardeners and make significant cutbacks in their Educational and Visitors' Services.  This is incredibly short-sighted in light of the fact that for every $1 of landscape maintenance that is deferred for a single year, the cost to restore that decline is $1.50 in the following year, plus that year's $1.00 maintenance.

It is imperative that Congress restore these proposed cutbacks simply to allow the Arboretum to maintain the Gardens and their current level of services.  Because the Department of Agriculture has neither a separate line item for the Arboretum, nor any specific program account for the Gardens and Education and Visitors' Services Units, the specific prior year Congressional initiative that need to be restored fall into the following categories:

            Germplasm/Ornamental Horticulture                                     $1,422,446.00

               (Category used for Gardens and Visitors' Services)

            Minor Use Pesticide (IR-4)                                                            15,821.00

            National Germplasm Resources Program                                    122,467.00

            Turfgrass Research                                                                       481,728.00

                                                                                                            ____________

                             Total                                                                      $2, 042,462.00

Sadly, the National Arboretum's Master Plan also remains completely unfunded, including any funds to build the much-needed new entrance on Bladensburg Road.  As you may know, the current entrance from New York Avenue is difficult to negotiate because drivers must enter through the limited-access side road, not the main roadway.  The District of Columbia has recently completed a major renovation of Bladensburg Road with the curb cuts and other infrastructure needed for the new Arboretum entrance.  Despite Congressional urging over the years to the Department of Agriculture to include these funds in their capital budget, it has not happened to date and the current budget has no provision for this expenditure.  The National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. members hope that Congress will appropriate funds to at least initiate this project.  Over a year ago, the estimated cost for the gate, attendant roads and parking lot, landscaping and tram shelter was about $7.1 million.  If Congress could at least appropriate the $1.4 million for the gate itself, this might provide the incentive the Department needs to make this a priority.

We recognize that these are difficult financial times for the federal government and that this is a particularly difficult budget year.  However, for the U. S. National Arboretum to lose the Congressional initiatives that have literally saved the Arboretum from the inevitable deterioration due to under-funding would be devastating to this vital public resource.

We ask your help in bringing this matter to the attention of all appropriators and ask them to restore the Congressional initiatives that now form a core part of the U. S. National Arboretum's ongoing budget. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Saving this national public treasure is vitally important.

Sincerely,