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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 274 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 274

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2003

 Received, read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the property in 
 Cecil County, Maryland, known as Garrett Island for inclusion in the 
                  Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge 
Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Garrett Island, located at the mouth of the Susquehanna 
        River in Cecil County, Maryland, is a microcosm of the geology 
        and geography of the region, including hard rock piedmont, 
        coastal plain, and volcanic formations.
            (2) Garrett Island is the only rocky island in the tidal 
        waters of the Chesapeake.
            (3) Garrett Island and adjacent waters provide high-quality 
        habitat for bird and fish species.
            (4) Garrett Island contains significant archaeological 
        sites reflecting human history and prehistory of the region.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY FOR INCLUSION IN THE BLACKWATER 
              NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

    (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary of the Interior may use otherwise 
available amounts to acquire the area known as Garrett Island, 
consisting of approximately 198 acres located at the mouth of the 
Susquehanna River in Cecil County, Maryland.
    (b) Administration.--Lands and interests acquired by the United 
States under this section shall be managed by the Secretary as the 
Garrett Island Unit of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes for which the Garrett Island Unit is 
established and shall be managed are the following:
            (1) To support the Delmarva Conservation Corridor 
        Demonstration Program.
            (2) To conserve, restore, and manage habitats as necessary 
        to contribute to the migratory bird populations prevalent in 
        the Atlantic Flyway.
            (3) To conserve, restore, and manage the significant 
        aquatic resource values associated with submerged land adjacent 
        to the unit and to achieve the habitat objectives of the 
        agreement known as the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement.
            (4) To conserve the archaeological resources on the unit.
            (5) To provide public access to the unit in a manner that 
        does not adversely impact natural resources on and around the 
        unit.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 2003.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.
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