H. R. 4973 

One Hundred Eleventh Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the fifth day of January, two thousand and ten 

An Act 

To amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize volunteer programs 

and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Improvement Act of 2010’’. 

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO IMPLEMENT VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS UNDER FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956. 

(a) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 7(f) of the Fish and Wildlife 

Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(f)) is amended to read as follows: 

‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 

to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out 

subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f), $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 

years 2011 through 2014.’’. 

(b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f) is amended in subsections 

(b)(2)(B)(ii) and (d)(2)(C)(i) by striking ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge 

Administration Act of 1966’’ each place it appears and inserting 

‘‘National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966’’. 

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT 

ACT OF 1998. 

Section 4(a) of the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer 

and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 

742f–1) is amended— 

(1) in the subsection heading by striking ‘‘PROJECTS’’ and 

inserting ‘‘NATIONAL VOLUNTEER COORDINATION PROGRAM’’; 

(2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows: 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, and in conformance with the strategy developed under 

paragraph (2) and consistent with the authorities regarding 

gifts, volunteer services, community partnerships, and refuge 

education enhancement under section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife 

Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 741f), the Secretary of the Interior, 

through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 

Service, shall carry out a National Volunteer Coordination Program within the National Wildlife Refuge System to— 

‘‘(A) augment and support the capabilities and efforts 

of Federal employees to implement resource management, 
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conservation, and public education programs and activities 

across the National Wildlife Refuge System; 

‘‘(B) provide meaningful opportunities for volunteers 

to support the resource management, conservation, and 

public education programs and activities of national wildlife 

refuges or complexes of geographically related national 

wildlife refuges in each United States Fish and Wildlife 

Service region; and 

‘‘(C) fulfill the purpose and mission of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System under the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et 

seq.).’’; 

(3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows: 

‘‘(2) VOLUNTEER COORDINATION STRATEGY.— 

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No later than one year after date 

of enactment of this paragraph, the Director shall publish 

in the Federal Register a national strategy for the coordination and utilization of volunteers within the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

‘‘(B) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—The strategy shall be 

developed in consultation with State fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, refuge friends groups or similar volunteer organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. 

‘‘(C) VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS.—The Director shall 

provide, subject to the availability of appropriations, no 

less than one regional volunteer coordinator for each United 

States Fish and Wildlife Service region to implement the 

strategy published under this paragraph. Such coordinators 

may be responsible for assisting partner organizations in 

developing and implementing volunteer projects and activities under cooperative agreements under section 7(d) of 

the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(d)).’’; 

and 

(4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘for for each fiscal year 

through fiscal year 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year 

through fiscal year 2014’’. 

SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND EDUCATION 

PROGRAMS REPORT. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 

1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(e)) is amended— 

(1) by redesignating subsection (f) (as amended by this 

Act) as subsection (g); and 

(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new subsection: 

‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

of this subsection and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary of 

the Interior shall submit a report to the Committee on Natural 

Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Environment and Public Works of the Senate— 

‘‘(1) evaluating the accomplishments of the volunteer program, the community partnerships program, and the refuge 

education programs authorized under this section, and of the 

National Volunteer Coordination Program and volunteer 

coordination strategy under section 4(a) of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership 

Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1); and 
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‘‘(2) making recommendations to improve the effectiveness 

of such programs, including regarding implementing subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1) of subsection (e).’’. 

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 4(a) of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership 

Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1) is further amended 

by striking paragraph (3), and by redesignating paragraph (4) (as 

amended by this Act) as paragraph (3). 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.