Title: Wildlife Refuge Conservation and Recreation for the Community Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Wildlife Refuge Conservation and Recreation for the Community Act
This bill directs the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to establish as a national wildlife refuge the lands, waters, and interests therein acquired pursuant to this bill, to be known as the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge.
The FWS shall publish notice of the establishment of the wildlife refuge in the Federal Register.
The FWS 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.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 972 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wildlife Refuge Conservation 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 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 section 
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 generations 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 Endangered Species Act (California Fish 
        and Game Code 2050-2068), or which is a covered species under 
        the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat 
        Conservation Plan;
            (3) to support the recovery and protection of threatened 
        and endangered species under the Endangered 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 Riverside County 
        Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress 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 
limited to those which have been heretofore or may be hereinafter 
acquired by the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation 
Authority for Purposes of the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan.
    (d) Notification of Establishment.--The Secretary 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 with the National Wildlife Refuge System 
        Administration 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 Secretary for the 
        conservation, management, recovery and restoration of fish and 
        wildlife and habitat, the development of compatible wildlife 
        dependent outdoor recreation opportunities, and the 
        facilitation of fish and wildlife interpretation and education 
        as the Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the 
        purposes 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 California, any political subdivision thereof, or any 
        other person--
                    (A) for the management, in a manner consistent with 
                this section and the Western Riverside County Multiple 
                Species Habitat Conservation Plan, of lands that are 
                owned by such State, subdivision, or other person and 
                located within the acquisition boundaries of the 
                Wildlife Refuge;
                    (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 acquire by donation, 
        purchase with appropriated funds, or exchange such lands and 
        waters, or interests 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 California and its 
        political subdivisions may be acquired only by donation.
            (2) Transfers.--
                    (A) In general.--The head of any Federal department 
                or agency, including any agency 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 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 existing 
                        land surveys for such property;
                            (ii) a list of existing special 
                        reservations designations, or purposes of the 
                        property;
                            (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 inclusion in 
                        the Wildlife Refuge, and the reasons supporting 
                        the recommendation.
                    (C) Inclusion in wildlife refuge.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary shall, not 
                        later than 60 days after receiving an 
                        assessment submitted pursuant to subparagraph 
                        (A), determine if the property described in 
                        such assessment is suitable for inclusion in 
                        the Wildlife Refuge.
                            (ii) Transfer.--If the Secretary determines 
                        the property in an assessment submitted under 
                        subparagraph (A) is suitable for inclusion in 
                        the Wildlife Refuge, the head of the Federal 
                        department or agency that has jurisdiction of 
                        such property shall transfer such property to 
                        the administrative jurisdiction of the 
                        Secretary for the purposes of this section.
                    (D) Property unsuitable for inclusion.--Property 
                determined by the Secretary to be unsuitable for 
                inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge based on an assessment 
                submitted under subparagraph (A) shall be subsequently 
                transferred to the Secretary for purposes of this 
                section by the head of the department or agency that 
                has jurisdiction of such property if such property 
                becomes suitable for inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge 
                as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the 
                head of the department or agency that has jurisdiction 
                of such property.
                    (E) Public access.--If property transferred to the 
                Secretary under this paragraph allows for public access 
                at the time of transfer, such access shall be 
                maintained unless such access--
                            (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.
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