I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 972 
To establish the Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2021 
Mr. CALVERT (for himself and Mr. TAKANO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wildlife Refuge Con-
servation and Recreation for the Community Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY 
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior (in 
this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), acting 
through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall 
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establish as a national wildlife refuge the lands, waters, 
and interests therein acquired under subsection (g). The 
national wildlife refuge shall be known as the ‘‘Western 
Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge’’ (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘‘Wildlife Refuge’’). 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Wildlife Refuge 
shall be— 
(1) to conserve, manage, and restore wildlife 
habitats for the benefit of present and future gen-
erations of Americans; 
(2) to conserve species listed as threatened or 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) or the California En-
dangered Species Act (California Fish and Game 
Code 2050–2068), or which is a covered species 
under the Western Riverside County Multiple Spe-
cies Habitat Conservation Plan; 
(3) to support the recovery and protection of 
threatened and endangered species under the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.); and 
(4) to provide for wildlife habitat connectivity 
and migratory corridors within the Western River-
side County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan Area. 
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(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary shall seek to acquire land, water, 
or interests therein (including conservation easements), or 
sufficient to satisfy the goals established in the Multiple 
Species Habitat Conservation Plan, within the acquisition 
boundaries pursuant to this section, including but not lim-
ited to those which have been heretofore or may be herein-
after acquired by the Western Riverside County Regional 
Conservation Authority for Purposes of the Multiple Spe-
cies Habitat Conservation Plan. 
(d) NOTIFICATION OF ESTABLISHMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall publish notice of the establishment of the 
Wildlife Refuge in the Federal Register. 
(e) ACQUISITION BOUNDARIES.—The Secretary shall 
establish the acquisition boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge 
as the lands and waters within the Western Riverside 
County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area 
(as depicted on maps and described in the Final Western 
Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan dated June 17, 2003). 
(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Upon the establishment of 
the Wildlife Refuge and thereafter, the Secretary 
shall administer all federally owned lands, waters, 
and interests in the Wildlife Refuge in accordance 
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with the National Wildlife Refuge System Adminis-
tration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) and 
this section. The Secretary may use such additional 
statutory authority as may be available to the Sec-
retary for the conservation, management, recovery 
and restoration of fish and wildlife and habitat, the 
development of compatible wildlife dependent out-
door recreation opportunities, and the facilitation of 
fish and wildlife interpretation and education as the 
Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the pur-
poses of this section and serve the objectives of the 
Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat 
Conservation Plan. 
(2) COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENTS
REGARDING 
NON-FEDERAL
LANDS.—The Secretary may enter 
into cooperative agreements with the State of Cali-
fornia, any political subdivision thereof, or any other 
person— 
(A) for the management, in a manner con-
sistent with this section and the Western River-
side County Multiple Species Habitat Conserva-
tion Plan, of lands that are owned by such 
State, subdivision, or other person and located 
within the acquisition boundaries of the Wildlife 
Refuge; 
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(B) to promote public awareness of the 
natural resources of the Western Riverside 
County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan Area; or 
(C) to encourage public participation in the 
conservation of those resources. 
(g) ACQUISITION AND TRANSFERS OF LANDS AND 
WATERS FOR WILDLIFE REFUGE.— 
(1) ACQUISITIONS.—The Secretary shall ac-
quire by donation, purchase with appropriated 
funds, or exchange such lands and waters, or inter-
ests therein (including conservation easements), as 
they become available, that will achieve the purposes 
of subsection (b), within the acquisition boundaries 
of the Wildlife Refuge, except that the lands, waters, 
and interests therein owned by the State of Cali-
fornia and its political subdivisions may be acquired 
only by donation. 
(2) TRANSFERS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of any Fed-
eral department or agency, including any agen-
cy within the Department of the Interior, that 
has jurisdiction of any Federal property located 
within the boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge as 
described by this section shall, not later than 1 
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year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
submit to the Secretary an assessment of the 
suitability of such property for inclusion in the 
Wildlife Refuge. 
(B) ASSESSMENT.—Any assessment under 
subparagraph (A) shall include— 
(i) parcel descriptions and best exist-
ing land surveys for such property; 
(ii) a list of existing special reserva-
tions designations, or purposes of the prop-
erty; 
(iii) a list of all known or suspected 
hazardous substance contamination of such 
property, and any facilities, surface water, 
or groundwater on such property; 
(iv) the status of withdrawal of such 
property from— 
(I) the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
U.S.C. 181 et seq.); and 
(II) the General Mining Act of 
1872 (30 U.S.C. 22 et seq.); and 
(v) a recommendation as to whether 
such property is or is not suitable for in-
clusion in the Wildlife Refuge, and the rea-
sons supporting the recommendation. 
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(C) INCLUSION IN WILDLIFE REFUGE.— 
(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Secretary 
shall, not later than 60 days after receiving 
an assessment submitted pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A), determine if the property 
described in such assessment is suitable for 
inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge. 
(ii) TRANSFER.—If the Secretary de-
termines the property in an assessment 
submitted under subparagraph (A) is suit-
able for inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge, 
the head of the Federal department or 
agency that has jurisdiction of such prop-
erty shall transfer such property to the ad-
ministrative jurisdiction of the Secretary 
for the purposes of this section. 
(D) PROPERTY UNSUITABLE FOR INCLU-
SION.—Property determined by the Secretary to 
be unsuitable for inclusion in the Wildlife Ref-
uge based on an assessment submitted under 
subparagraph (A) shall be subsequently trans-
ferred to the Secretary for purposes of this sec-
tion by the head of the department or agency 
that has jurisdiction of such property if such 
property becomes suitable for inclusion in the 
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Wildlife Refuge as determined by the Secretary 
in consultation with the head of the department 
or agency that has jurisdiction of such prop-
erty. 
(E) PUBLIC
ACCESS.—If property trans-
ferred to the Secretary under this paragraph al-
lows for public access at the time of transfer, 
such access shall be maintained unless such ac-
cess— 
(i) would be incompatible with the 
purposes of the Wildlife Refuge; 
(ii) would jeopardize public health or 
safety; or 
(iii) must be limited due to emergency 
circumstances. 
Æ 
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