IIA
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1856
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
NOVEMBER 5, 1997
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and
Public Works
AN ACT
To amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to direct the
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a volunteer pilot
project at one national wildlife refuge in each United
States Fish and Wildlife Service region, and for other
purposes.
HR 1856 RFS
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 ‘‘National Wildlife Ref-
uge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Act of
1997’’.
SEC. 2. VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
FOR WILDLIFE.
(a) PROMOTION
OF VOLUNTEERS
AT NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGES.—Section 7(b)(2) of the Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(b)(2)) is amended
by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Any gift or bequest
made for the benefit of a particular national wildlife refuge
or complex of refuges shall be disbursed only for the bene-
fit of that refuge or complex of refuges.’’.
(b) AWARDS
AND
RECOGNITION
FOR
VOLUN-
TEERS.—Section 7(c)(2) of that Act (16 U.S.C.
742f(c)(2)) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘awards and recognition,’’ after
‘‘lodging,’’; and
(2) by inserting ‘‘without regard to their place
of residence’’ after ‘‘volunteers’’.
(c) VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP EN-
HANCEMENT.—Section 7 of that Act (16 U.S.C. 742) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(d) VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
ENHANCEMENT.—(1) The purposes of this subsection are
the following:
‘‘(A) To encourage the use of volunteers in the
National Wildlife Refuge System.
‘‘(B) To facilitate partnerships between the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System and partner organiza-
tions.
‘‘(C) To promote participation by individuals,
organizations, and communities in understanding
and conserving the fish and wildlife resources, lands,
and facilities of the National Wildlife Refuge Sys-
tem.
‘‘(D) To enhance the availability of interpretive
and educational materials and services for the enjoy-
ment of visitors to national wildlife refuges.
‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a pilot project at
1 national wildlife refuge in each United States Fish and
Wildlife Service region, under which the Secretary shall
employ a full-time volunteer coordinator for each refuge.
‘‘(3)(A) Subject to the compatibility requirements of
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
of 1966 and this paragraph, the Secretary of the Interior
may enter into a cooperative agreement (as that term is
HR 1856 RFS
used in chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code) with
any partner organization, academic institution, or State
or local government organization, for the conduct of a
project on a national wildlife refuge, under which—
‘‘(i) there will be provided enhanced opportuni-
ties for private citizens to volunteer with a national
wildlife refuge in their local communities and con-
tribute to stewardship of the resources on that ref-
uge;
‘‘(ii) a partner organization, academic institu-
tion, or State or local government organization will
develop, produce, publish, distribute, or sell edu-
cational materials and products pertaining to a na-
tional wildlife refuge approved by the Secretary,
under conditions specified by the Secretary;
‘‘(iii) a partner organization, academic institu-
tion, or State or local government organization will
construct, maintain, operate, or improve a facility on
a national wildlife refuge necessary for the sale or
distribution of educational materials, products, pro-
grams, and services pertaining to national wildlife
refuges;
‘‘(iv) a partner organization, academic institu-
tion, or State or local government organization will
provide visitor services, facilities, or activities within