III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 296 

Designating the week beginning on October 13, 2013, as ‘‘National Wildlife 

Refuge Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2013 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. SESSIONS, and Mr. SCHATZ) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week beginning on October 13, 2013, as 

‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’. 

Whereas, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established 

the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in 

Florida; 

Whereas, in 2013, the National Wildlife Refuge System, administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, is the premier system of lands and waters to conserve wildlife in 

the world, and has grown to approximately 150,000,000 

acres, 561 national wildlife refuges, and 38 wetland management districts in every State and territory of the 

United States; 

Whereas national wildlife refuges are important recreational 

and tourism destinations in communities across the 

United States, and these protected lands offer a variety 


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of recreational opportunities, including 6 wildlife-dependent uses that the National Wildlife Refuge System manages: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, 

environmental education, and interpretation; 

Whereas, in 2013, 364 units of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System have hunting programs and 303 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System have fishing programs, 

averaging approximately 2,500,000 hunting visits and 

nearly 7,000,000 fishing visits each year; 

Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experienced 

nearly 31,000,000 wildlife observation visits during fiscal 

year 2013; 

Whereas national wildlife refuges are important to local businesses and gateway communities; 

Whereas, for every $1 appropriated, national wildlife refuges 

generate nearly $5 in economic activity; 

Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experiences 

nearly 47,000,000 visits each year, which generated more 

than $2,400,000,000 and more than 35,000 jobs in local 

economies during fiscal year 2011; 

Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses 

every kind of ecosystem in the United States, including 

temperate, tropical, and boreal forests, wetlands, deserts, 

grasslands, arctic tundras, and remote islands, and spans 

12 time zones from the Virgin Islands to Guam; 

Whereas national wildlife refuges are home to more than 700 

species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 species of 

reptiles and amphibians, and more than 1,000 species of 

fish; 


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Whereas national wildlife refuges are the primary Federal 

lands that foster production, migration, and wintering 

habitat for waterfowl; 

Whereas, since 1934, the sale of the Federal Duck Stamp to 

outdoor enthusiasts has generated more than 

$850,000,000 in funds, which has enabled the purchase 

or lease of more than 5,500,000 acres of wetland habitat 

for waterfowl and numerous other species in the National 

Wildlife Refuge System; 

Whereas the recovery of 386 threatened and endangered species is supported on refuge lands; 

Whereas national wildlife refuges are cores of conservation 

for larger landscapes and resources for other agencies of 

the Federal Government and State governments, private 

landowners, and organizations in their efforts to secure 

the wildlife heritage of the United States; 

Whereas more than 38,000 volunteers and approximately 220 

national wildlife refuge ‘‘Friends’’ organizations contribute more than 1,400,000 hours annually, the equivalent of more than 700 full-time employees, and provide 

an important link to local communities; 

Whereas national wildlife refuges provide an important opportunity for children to discover and gain a greater appreciation for the natural world; 

Whereas, because there are national wildlife refuges located 

in several urban and suburban areas and one refuge located within an hour drive of every metropolitan area in 

the United States, national wildlife refuges employ, educate, and engage young people from all backgrounds in 

exploring, connecting with, and preserving the natural 

heritage of the United States; 


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Whereas, since 1995, refuges across the United States have 

held festivals, educational programs, guided tours, and 

other events to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week 

during the second full week of October; 

Whereas the Fish and Wildlife Service will continue to seek 

stakeholder input on the implementation of ‘‘Conserving 

the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation’’, 

an update to the strategic plan of the Fish and Wildlife 

Service for the future of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System; 

Whereas the week beginning on October 13, 2013, has been 

designated as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’ by the 

Fish and Wildlife Service; and 

Whereas the designation of National Wildlife Refuge Week by 

the Senate would recognize more than a century of conservation in the United States, raise awareness about the 

importance of wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge 

System, and celebrate the myriad recreational opportunities available to enjoy this network of protected lands: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the week beginning on October 

3 13, 2013, as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’; 

4 (2) encourages the observance of National Wild5 life Refuge Week with appropriate events and activi6 ties; 

7 (3) acknowledges the importance of national 

8 wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities 


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1 and contribution to local economies across the 

2 United States; 

3 (4) pronounces that national wildlife refuges 

4 play a vital role in securing the hunting and fishing 

5 heritage of the United States for future generations; 

6 (5) identifies the significance of national wild7 life refuges in advancing the traditions of wildlife ob8 servation, photography, environmental education, 

9 and interpretation; 

10 (6) recognizes the importance of national wild11 life refuges to wildlife conservation and the protec12 tion of imperiled species and ecosystems, as well as 

13 compatible uses; 

14 (7) acknowledges the role of national wildlife 

15 refuges in conserving waterfowl and waterfowl habi16 tat pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (40 

17 Stat. 755, chapter 128); 

18 (8) reaffirms the support of the Senate for 

19 wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Ref20 uge System; and 

21 (9) expresses the intent of the Senate— 

22 (A) to continue working to conserve wild23 life; and 


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1 (B) to manage the National Wildlife Ref2 uge System for current and future generations. 

Æ 


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