III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 580 

Designating the week beginning on October 14, 2012, as ‘‘National Wildlife 

Refuge Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 22 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 21), 2012 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. 

BROWN of Massachusetts, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Ms. SNOWE, Mrs. 

MURRAY, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. REED, Mr. COCHRAN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mr. KERRY, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. 

BINGAMAN, and Ms. COLLINS) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week beginning on October 14, 2012, as 

‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’. 

Whereas, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established 

the first national wildlife refuge on Florida’s Pelican Island; 

Whereas, in 2012, 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 more than 150,000,000 

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agement 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 

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 more than 360 units of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System have hunting programs and more than 300 units 

of the National Wildlife Refuge System have fishing programs, averaging more than 2,500,000 hunting visits and 

more than 7,000,000 fishing visits each year; 

Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experienced 

more than 30,000,000 wildlife observation visits during 

fiscal year 2012; 

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

Whereas, for every $1 appropriated, national wildlife refuges 

generate $4 in economic activity; 

Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experiences approximately 47,000,000 visits each year, which generated 

nearly $2,100,000,000 and more than 35,000 jobs in 

local economies during fiscal year 2012; 

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; 


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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; 

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 waterfowl habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System; 

Whereas 59 refuges were established specifically to protect 

imperiled species, and of the more than 1,300 federally 

listed threatened and endangered species in the United 

States, 280 species are found on units of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System; 

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 42,000 volunteers and approximately 220 

national wildlife refuge ‘‘Friends’’ organizations contribute nearly 1,600,000 hours annually, the equivalent 

of 766 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; 


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Whereas, because there are national wildlife refuges located 

in several urban and suburban areas and 1 refuge located 

within an hour’s 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; 

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 14, 2012, 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 14, 2012, as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’; 


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1 (2) encourages the observance of National Wild2 life Refuge Week with appropriate events and activi3 ties; 

4 (3) acknowledges the importance of national 

5 wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities 

6 and contribution to local economies across the 

7 United States; 

8 (4) pronounces that national wildlife refuges 

9 play a vital role in securing the hunting and fishing 

10 heritage of the United States for future generations; 

11 (5) identifies the significance of national wild12 life refuges in advancing the traditions of wildlife ob13 servation, photography, environmental education, 

14 and interpretation; 

15 (6) recognizes the importance of national wild16 life refuges to wildlife conservation and the protec17 tion of imperiled species and ecosystems, as well as 

18 compatible uses; 

19 (7) acknowledges the role of national wildlife 

20 refuges in conserving waterfowl and waterfowl habi21 tat pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (40 

22 Stat. 755, chapter 128); 

23 (8) reaffirms the support of the Senate for 

24 wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Ref25 uge System; and 


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1 (9) expresses the intent of the Senate— 

2 (A) to continue working to conserve wild3 life; and 

4 (B) to manage the National Wildlife Ref5 uge System for current and future generations. 

Æ 


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