IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 479 
Encouraging observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week with appropriate 
events and activities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 9, 2015 
Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. KIND, Mr. 
LOBIONDO, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. FARR, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. HONDA, Mr. PRICE of North Caro-
lina, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. ISRAEL, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. CAS-
TOR of Florida, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. CLAWSON of Flor-
ida, Mr. WALZ, Mr. POCAN, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New 
Mexico, Mr. HECK of Washington, Mr. PERLMUTTER, and Mr. COSTELLO 
of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee 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 2015, 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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150,000,000 acres, 563 national wildlife refuges, and 38 
wetland management districts in every State and terri-
tory of the United States; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important recreational 
and tourism destinations in communities across the 
United States, and these protected lands offer a variety 
of recreational opportunities, including 6 wildlife-depend-
ent uses that the National Wildlife Refuge System man-
ages: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, 
environmental education, and interpretation; 
Whereas, in 2015, 336 units of the National Wildlife Refuge 
System have hunting programs and 275 units of the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System have fishing programs, 
averaging approximately 2,500,000 hunting visits and 
nearly 7,000,000 fishing visits each year; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System experienced 
nearly 30,000,000 wildlife observation visits during fiscal 
year 2014; 
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 27 percent from 2005 to 2014 and ex-
periences over 47,000,000 visits each year, which gen-
erated more than $2,400,000,000 and more than 35,000 
jobs in local economies during fiscal year 2011; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses 
every kind of ecosystem in the United States, including 
temperate, tropical, and boreal forests, and wetlands, 
deserts, grasslands, arctic tundras, and remote islands, 
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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; 
Whereas national wildlife refuges are the primary Federal 
lands that foster 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 the recovery of 386 threatened species and endan-
gered species is supported on refuge lands; 
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 their efforts to secure 
the wildlife heritage of the United States; 
Whereas nearly 36,000 volunteers and approximately 200 na-
tional wildlife refuge ‘‘Friends’’ organizations contribute 
more than 1,400,000 hours to national wildlife refuges 
annually, the equivalent of nearly 700 full-time employ-
ees, 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; 
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Whereas because there are national wildlife refuges located in 
several urban and suburban areas and at least one refuge 
located within an hour drive of every metropolitan area 
in the United States, national wildlife refuges employ, 
educate, and engage young people from all backgrounds 
in exploring, connecting with, and preserving the natural 
heritage of the United States; 
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 will con-
tinue to seek stakeholder input on the implementation of 
‘‘Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next 
Generation’’, an update to the strategic plan of the Serv-
ice for the future of the National Wildlife Refuge System; 
Whereas the week beginning on October 11, 2015, has been 
designated as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’ by the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and 
Whereas 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; 
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(2) acknowledges the importance of national 
wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities 
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— 
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(A) to continue working to conserve wild-
life; and 
(B) to manage and grow the National 
Wildlife Refuge System for current and future 
generations. 
Æ 
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