IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 560 
Encouraging observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week with appropriate 
events and activities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 5, 2017 
Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. 
KIND, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HECK, Mr. FITZPATRICK, 
Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. NORTON, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. PIN-
GREE, Mr. KIHUEN, Ms. LEE, Mr. WALZ, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. VELA, 
Mr. PANETTA, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. COSTA, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. CONNOLLY, 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. MOOLENAAR, 
Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. POLIS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
SABLAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. HUFFMAN, and Ms. LOF-
GREN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
Encouraging observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week 
with appropriate events and activities, and for other pur-
poses. 
Whereas, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established 
the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in 
Florida; 
Whereas, in 2017, the National Wildlife Refuge System, ad-
ministered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice, is the premier system of lands and waters to conserve 
wildlife in the world and has grown to approximately 
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836,000,000 acres, 566 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 
United States, and this protected land offers a variety of 
recreational opportunities, including six wildlife-depend-
ent uses that the National Wildlife Refuge System man-
ages: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, 
environmental education, and interpretation; 
Whereas, in 2017, 373 units of the National Wildlife Refuge 
System have hunting programs and 310 units of the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System have fishing programs, 
averaging more than 2,400,000 hunting visits and nearly 
6,900,000 fishing visits each year; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experienced 
more than 31,400,000 wildlife observation visits during 
fiscal year 2016; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important to local busi-
nesses and gateway communities; 
Whereas for every $1 appropriated, national wildlife refuges 
generate nearly $5 in economic activity; 
Whereas visitation to the National Wildlife Refuge System in-
creased by nearly 30 percent from 2006 to 2016; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experiences 
over 50,000,000 visits each year, which generate more 
than $2,400,000,000 from sales and 35,000 jobs in local 
economies; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses 
every kind of ecosystem in the United States, including 
temperate, tropical, and boreal forests; wetlands; deserts; 
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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; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are the primary Federal 
land that fosters 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 5,700,000 acres of habitat for wa-
terfowl and numerous other species in the National Wild-
life Refuge System; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges provide protection to more 
than 380 threatened species and endangered species; 
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 efforts to secure the 
wildlife heritage of the United States; 
Whereas more than 40,000 volunteers and approximately 200 
national wildlife refuge ‘‘Friends’’ organizations con-
tribute more than 1,350,000 volunteer hours annually, 
the equivalent of nearly 650 full-time employees, and pro-
vide 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; 
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Whereas because there are national wildlife refuges located in 
several urban and suburban areas and there is a refuge 
located within a one-hour drive of every metropolitan 
area in the United States, national wildlife refuges em-
ploy, educate, and engage young people from all back-
grounds in exploring, connecting with, and preserving the 
natural heritage of the United States; 
Whereas, since 1995, national wildlife 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 Oc-
tober; 
Whereas the week beginning on October 8, 2017, has been 
designated as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’ by the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and 
Whereas the encouragement by the House of Representatives 
of the observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week 
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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) encourages the observance of National Wild-
life Refuge Week with appropriate events and activi-
ties; 
(2) acknowledges the importance of national 
wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities 
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and contribution to local economies across the 
United States; 
(3) pronounces that national wildlife refuges 
play a vital role in securing the hunting and fishing 
heritage of the United States for future generations; 
(4) identifies the significance of national wild-
life refuges in advancing the traditions of wildlife ob-
servation, photography, environmental education, 
and interpretation; 
(5) recognizes the importance of national wild-
life refuges to wildlife conservation and the protec-
tion of imperiled species and ecosystems, as well as 
compatible uses; 
(6) acknowledges the role of national wildlife 
refuges in conserving waterfowl and waterfowl habi-
tat pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 
U.S.C. 703 et seq.); 
(7) reaffirms the support of the House of Rep-
resentatives for wildlife conservation and the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System; and 
(8) expresses the intent of the House of Rep-
resentatives— 
(A) to continue working to conserve wild-
life; and 
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(B) to oversee the National Wildlife Ref-
uge System for current and future generations. 
Æ 
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