Senator Craig Thomas

109 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Fax: 202-224-1724

April 11, 2003

Honorable Thomas,

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association would like to commend you for your hard work and dedication to the ag producers of this country. We appreciate your commitment to improving conditions for Midwestern producers, and the agriculture industry as a whole.

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association strongly supports S 369. The Endangered Species Act, while well-intended, is used in many cases as a weapon, as activists, working under the guise of "environmentalism," drastically impact range land and forest land in a negative way. Communities are also faced with economic hardships due to regulations and restrictions under the Act. We agree with you that the Act needs revision - quickly - as time is of the essence.

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association is a strong supporter of conservation of both wildlife and plants. Unfortunately, the ESA is often used to promote alternative agendas. Rather than being used to protect vanishing species in the U.S., the ESA is used as a tool to cripple ag production in the West. Just like Wyoming, the state of South Dakota relies on ag production for our economic stability. We are optimistic that our Congressional Delegation will recognize the need for ESA reform and will make a commitment to work with you on this issue.

Please contact the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association if we can assist you in any way in promoting S 369 through education, lobbying, information-gathering etc. Many members of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association have personally been negatively impacted by the ESA. We hope to garner widespread support for this bill and look forward to working with you more in the future.

Sincerely,

Bill Hutchinson, President

Carrie Longwood, Executive Director

cc: Representative Janklow, Senator Johnson, Senator Daschle