Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: November 2, 2000

CONTACT: Joan Moody 202-208-6416

NEW LAW NAMES 2003 "YEAR OF THE WILDLIFE REFUGE,"
CALLS FOR BOOSTING SUPPORT FOR REFUGES BY CENTENNIAL YEAR

The world's largest network of lands dedicated to wildlife conservation received a strong boost on November 1, 2000, when President Clinton signed into law the National Wildlife Refuge Centennial Act. Intended to strengthen and highlight the 93-million-acre Refuge System for its upcoming 100th birthday, the legislation names 2003 as "Year of the Wildlife Refuge," charges the Secretary of the Interior with recruiting a commission of distinguished citizens to rally public support, and requires the Department of the Interior to develop new benchmarks for Congress to evaluate progress on the System's maintenance, operations and construction backlog.

"The National Wildlife Refuge System is absolutely vital to the conservation, protection and enhancement of our nation's wildlife and their habitat, " said Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. "This legislation will serve as the cornerstone for our efforts to use the 100^th birthday of the system to strengthen it for the benefit of future generations. We are grateful to the President and Congress for their leadership to ensure that the Refuge System receives the recognition it deserves, and for their vigorous efforts to save America's natural heritage."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

Finding that the System "has an unacceptable backlog in critical operations and maintenance needs" that approaches $800 million, and that "visitor centers and public use facilities must be properly constructed, operated, and maintained," the new law calls for the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a long-term plan by March 2002 to address the priority operations, maintenance, and construction needs of the Refuge System, ("Operations" refers to all efforts to protect wildlife, improve habitat, and serve visitors.) The Secretary of the Interior must report annually on progress towards meeting this backlog and priority transition costs for newly acquired refuge lands.

The legislation also requires the Interior Secretary to recommend a National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Commission to the next President. The President must appoint the commission within 90 days after taking office. Modeled after a similar distinguished group that oversaw the National Park System's Centennial celebrations in 1972, members will include the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Congressional leaders, and up to ten distinguished private citizens. This commission is charged with developing and coordinating a plan to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the beginning of the System, and to host a major conference in 2003.

The National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act of 2000 was introduced and shepherded through Congress by a bipartisan coalition of Senators and Representatives, including Senators Bob Smith from New Hampshire and Max Baucus from Montana, and Representatives Jim Saxton from New Jersey and Eni F.H. Faleomavaega from American Samoa. It is the third major piece of legislation intended to strengthen the System since 1997.

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, signed in 1997, is the System's first-ever organic legislation, and ended decades of debate over the System's role by unequivocally naming wildlife conservation as the sole mission of the Refuge System, and giving wildlife related recreational and educational uses - such as hunting, fishing, birdwatching, and environmental education - priority over all other public uses on refuge lands. The 1998 National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act has enabled the Service to expand a volunteer network that already accounts for 20 percent of all work performed on refuges.

The Refuge System also has benefitted from the support of an unusual alliance of conservation and outdoor groups known as the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) that has rallied around the Refuge System's budgetary needs. Thanks in part to the efforts of these groups, which range from Defenders of Wildlife to the Safari Club International, the System's budget for operations and maintenance has more than doubled since 1990, exceeding $260 million for FY2000.

"With the support of Congress and our stakeholders, the National Wildlife Refuge System has made great strides in recent years," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark. "We envision the Centennial as an opportunity to strengthen these partnerships and build on our progress."

After establishing the first refuge in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt went on to establish some 50 more during his presidency, laying the groundwork for what has since evolved into the world's most comprehensive effort to conserve wildlife. Refuges range from tiny Pelican Island in Florida, the nation's first, to the 20-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the crown jewel of wild America. At least one refuge is located in every state and U.S. territory.

This 93-million-acre network of land and water provides "stepping stones" of habitat for many species of migratory birds and other wildlife, sanctuary for hundreds of the nation's endangered species, and secure spawning areas for the nation's last healthy wild salmon fisheries. More than 35 million people annually visit refuges to enjoy activities such as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation.

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An "online almanac" of refuge information, including the history of the System, a timeline of recent events, and a wide variety of background information, is available at http://refuges 100.fws.gov.