IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1122 
Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning on October 
14, 2018, as National Wildlife Refuge Week. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 12, 2018 
Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself, Mr. KIND, Mr. LOBIONDO, and Mr. 
WITTMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning 
on October 14, 2018, as National Wildlife Refuge Week. 
Whereas, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established 
the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in 
Florida; 
Whereas, in 2018, the National Wildlife Refuge System, ad-
ministered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice, is the premier system of land and water to conserve 
wildlife in the world and has grown to approximately 
836,000,000 acres, 567 national wildlife refuges, and 38 
wetland management districts located in every State and 
territory of the United States; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important recreational 
and tourism destinations in communities across the 
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United States and this protected land offers a variety of 
recreational opportunities, including 6 wildlife-dependent 
uses that the National Wildlife Refuge System manages, 
specifically hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photog-
raphy, environmental education, and interpretation; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experiences 
more than 53,000,000 visits each year, which generate 
more than $2,400,000,000 in sales and 35,000 jobs in 
local economies; 
Whereas visitation to the National Wildlife Refuge System in- 
creased by nearly 30 percent from 2006 to 2017; 
Whereas, in 2018, 377 units of the National Wildlife Refuge 
System have hunting programs and 312 units of the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System have fishing programs, 
averaging more than 2,400,000 hunting visits and more 
than 7,300,000 fishing visits each year; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experienced 
more than 31,400,000 wildlife observation visits during 
fiscal year 2017; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important to local busi-
nesses and gateway communities; 
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 United States 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 on which the production, migration, and wintering 
habitat for waterfowl are fostered; 
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 5,700,000 acres of habitat for wa-
terfowl and numerous other species in the National Wild-
life Refuge System; 
Whereas refuges provide protection to more than 380 threat-
ened and endangered species; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are cores of conservation 
for larger landscapes and resources for other agencies of 
the Federal Government, State governments, private 
landowners, and organizations in efforts to secure the 
wildlife heritage of the United States; 
Whereas more than 38,000 volunteers and approximately 200 
national wildlife refuge ‘‘Friends’’ organizations con-
tribute more than 1,350,000 volunteer hours annually, 
the equivalent of 650 full-time employees, and provide an 
important link to local communities; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges provide an important op-
portunity for children to discover and gain a greater ap-
preciation for the natural world; 
Whereas there are national wildlife refuges located in several 
urban and suburban areas and there is a refuge located 
within a 1-hour drive of every metropolitan area in the 
United States, which has enabled national wildlife refuges 
to employ, educate, and engage young people from all 
backgrounds in exploring, connecting with, and pre-
serving 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 United States Fish and Wildlife Service has des-
ignated the week beginning on October 14, 2018, as Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge Week; and 
Whereas the designation of National Wildlife Refuge Week by 
the House of Representatives would recognize more than 
a century of conservation in the United States, raise 
awareness about the importance of wildlife and the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System, and celebrate the myriad 
recreational opportunities available for the enjoyment of 
this network of protected lands: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of National Wild-
life Refuge Week; 
(2) encourages the observance of National Wild-
life Refuge Week with appropriate events and activi-
ties; 
(3) acknowledges the importance of national 
wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities 
and contribution to local economies across the 
United States; 
(4) finds that national wildlife refuges play a 
vital role in securing the hunting and fishing herit-
age of the United States for future generations; 
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