National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Improvement Act of 1994
PL 103-232 (S.476), enacted 04/11/1994

108 STAT. 336 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
Apr. 11, 1994 
[S. 476] 
National Fish 
and Wildlife 
Foundation 
Improvement 
Act of 1994. 
Public Law 103-232 
103d Congress 
An Act 
To reauthorize and amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment 
Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL 
FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION ES-
TABLISHMENT ACT 
16 u s e 3701 
note. 
16 u s e 3702 
note-
16 u s e 3702 
note. 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the **National Fish and WildUfe 
Foundation Improvement Act of 1994". 
SEC. 102. COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS WITH NATIONAL OCEANIC AND 
ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. 
Section 2(b) of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701) is amended by inserting "and 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" after "the 
United States Fish and WildUfe Service". 
SEC. 103. MEMBERSHIP OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FOUNDATION. 
(a) CONSULTATIONS REGARDING APPOINTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(b) of the National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(b)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: "The Secretary 
of the Interior shall consult with the Under Secretary of Com-
merce for Oceans and Atmosphere before appointing any Direc-
tor of the Board.". 
(2) APPLICATION.—The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
shall apply to appointments of Directors of the Board of Direc-
tors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation made after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) EXPANSION OF BOARD.—Section 3(a) of the National Fish 
and Wildlife. Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(a)) 
is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking "nine" 
and inserting "15"; and 
(2) in paragraph (2) by striking "three" and inserting "4". 
(c) INITIAL TERMS.—Of the Directors on the Board of Directors 
of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation first appointed pursu-
ant to the amendment made by subsection (b)(1), notwithstanding 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
108 STAT. 337 
the second sentence of section 3(b) of the National Fish and Wildlife 
Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(b))— 
(1) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 2 years; 
(2) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 4 years; and 
(3) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 6 years; 
as specified by the Secretary of the Interior at the time of appoint-
ment. 
(d) COMPLETION OF APPOINTMENTS.—^The Secretary of the i6 use 3702 
Interior shall appoint the additional members of the Board of Direc- "
°
*
^
®
' 
tors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation authorized by 
the amendment made by subsection (a), by not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(e) AUTHORITY OF BOARD NOT AFFECTED.—The authority of i6 use 3702 
the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation "°*^^-
to take any action otherwise authorized by law shall not be affected 
by reason of the Secretary of the Interior not having completed 
the appointment of Directors of the Board of Directors of the 
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation pursuant to the amendment 
made by subsection (b)(1). 
SEC. 104. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE 
FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT ACT. 
(a) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 10 of the National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation Estabhshment Act (16 U.S.C. 3709) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking "not to exceed $15,000,000" 
and all that follows through the end of the sentence and insert-
ing "$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 
1997, and 1998."; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
"(c) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION.—The amounts authorized to 
be appropriated under this section are in addition to any amounts 
{)rovided or available to the Foundation under any other Federal 
aw.". 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 10(b)(1) of the National 
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Estabhshment Act (16 U.S.C. 
3709(b)(1)) is amended by striking "paragraphs (2) and (3)," and 
inserting "paragraph (2),". 
SEC. 105. CONVEYANCE OF SENECAVILLE NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY. Ohio. 
(a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—^Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law and within 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey to the State 
of Ohio without reimbursement all right, title, and interest of 
the United States in and to the property known as the Senecaville 
National Fish Hatchery, located in Senecaville, Ohio, including— 
(1) all easements and water rights relating to that property, 
and 
(2) all land, improvements, and related personal property 
comprising that hatchery. 
(b) USE OF PROPERTY.—^All property and interests conveyed 
under this section shall be used by the Ohio Department of Natural 
Resources for the Ohio fishery resources management program. 
(c) REVERSIONARY INTEREST.—^All right, title, and interest in 
and to all property and interests conveyed under this section shall 
revert to the United States on any date on which any of the 
property or interests are used other than for the Ohio fishery 
resources management program. 
108 STAT. 338 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
wXnlfpoiicy 
TITLE II—BROWNSVILLE WETLANDS 
TS 
J'^'^'°' "
^ 
POLICY CENTER 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the "Brownsville Wetlands Policy 
Act of 1994". 
SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT OF WETLANDS POLICY CENTER AT THE 
PORT OF BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER.—For piuposes of utilizing 
grants made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service there 
may be established in accordance with this title, on property owned 
or held in trust by the Brownsville Navigation District at the 
Port of Brownsville, Texas, a wetlands policy center which shall 
be known as the "Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center at the Port 
of Brownsville, Texas" (in this title referred to as the "Center"). 
The Center shall be operated and maintained by the Port of Browns-
ville with programs to be administered by the University of Texas 
at Brownsville. 
(b) MISSION OF THE CENTER.—^The primary mission of the Cen-
ter shall be to utilize the unique wetlands property at the Port 
of Brownsville and adjacent waters of South Texas to focus on 
wetland matters for the purposes of protecting, restoring, and 
maintaining the Lagoon Ecosystems of the Western Gulf of Mexico 
Region. 
(c) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—^The Center shall be governed by 
a Board of Directors to oversee the management and financial 
affairs of the Center. The Board of Directors shall be cochaired 
by the Port of Brownsville, the University of Texas at Brownsville, 
and the designee of the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, 
and shall include as members other representatives considered 
appropriate by those cochairs. 
(d) OVERSIGHT OF THE CENTER.— 
(1) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Board of Directors of the Center 
shall prepare an annual report and submit it through the 
Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to 
the Congress. 
(2) CONTENTS.—^Annual reports under this subsection shall 
cover the programs, projects, activities, and accomplishments 
of the Center. The reports shall include a review of the budget 
of the Center, including all sources of funding received to carry 
out Center operations. 
(3) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The Board of Directors 
of the Center shall make available all pertinent information 
and records to allow preparation of annual reports under this 
subsection. 
Reports. 
(4) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.—^The Comptroller Gen-
eral of the United States shall periodically submit to the Con-
gress reports on the operations of the Center. 
SEC. 203. GRANTS. 
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, make grants 
to the Center for use for carrying out activities of the Center. 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
108 STAT. 339 
SEC. 204. LEASE. 
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
subject to the availability of appropriations, may enter into a long-
term lease with the Port; of Brownsville for use by the Center 
of wetlands property owned by the Port of Brownsville. Terms 
of the lease shall be negotiated, and the lease shall be signed 
by both parties, prior to the disposal of any Federal funds pursuant 
to this title. The lease shall include a provision authorizing the 
Director to terminate the lease at any time. 
SEC. 205. OTHER REQUIREMENTS. 
As conditions of receiving assistance under this title— 
(1) the University of Texas at Brownsville shall make avail-
able to the Center for fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997— 
(A) administrative office space; 
(B) classroom space; and 
(C) other in-kind contributions for the Center, including 
overhead and personnel; and 
(2) the Port of Brownsville shall make available up to 
7,000 acres of Port Property for the programs, projects, and 
activities of the Center. 
The Board of Directors of the Center shall include in their annual 
report under section 202(d) a statement of whether these conditions 
have been met. 
SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of 
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service $5,000,000 for fiscal 
year 1994, $4,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $4,000,000 for fiscal 
year 1996; and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
1997, for making grants to the Center under section 203, including 
for use for the establishment, operation, maintenance, and msmage-
ment of the Center. 
SEC. 207. RELATIONSHIP OF CENTER WITH THE CENTER FOR 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
STUDIES 
AND 
SERVICES, 
CORPUS 
CHRISTI, TEXAS. 
None of the funds appropriated pursuant to this title may 
be used to relocate any of the administrative operations of the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service from the Center for 
Environmental Studies and Services Building on the campus of 
Corpus Christi State University, to the Brownsville Wetlands Policy 
Center at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, estabHshed pursuant 
to this title. 
TITLE III—WALTER B. 
JONES CENTER 
FOR THE SOUNDS AT THE POCOSIN 
LAKES 
NATIONAL 
WILDLIFE 
REFUGE 
SEC. 301. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, located 
in northeastern North Carolina, provides unique opportunities 
for observing and interpreting the biological richness of the 
region's estuaries and wetlands. 
North 
Carolina. 
16 use 668d(l 
note. 
108 STAT. 340 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
(2) Although there are 10 national wildlife refuges in east-
ern North Carolina, not one has an educational or interpretative 
center for visitors. 
(3) The State of North Carolina, Tjorell County, the town 
of Columbia, the Conservation Fund, and private citizens have 
proposed to enter into a partnership with the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service to establish an educational and 
interpretati ve facility to be known as the Center for the Sounds. 
(4) Establishment of the Center for the Sounds would 
bestow economic benefits upon Tyrrell County and the town 
of Columbia. 
(5) The Federal Government has designated the Albemarle-
Pamlico estuary system of northeastern North Carolina as an 
estuary of national concern. 
(6) Throughout his congressional career, the Honorable 
Walter B. Jones was a strong supporter of the Nationsd Wildlife 
Refuge System. 
(7) During his years of service in the House of Representa-
tives, Walter B. Jones supported the establishment and expan-
sion of National Wildlife Refuges in eastern North Carolina; 
these include 6 new National Wildlife Refuges established in 
his district, including the Alligator River National WildHfe Ref-
uge and the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which 
are respectively the third largest and fifth largest National 
Wildlife Refuges east of the Mississippi River. 
(8) Walter B. Jones helped increase refuge acreage in his 
district by over 303,000 acres, thus ensuring the protection 
of these lands for wildlife habitat and public recreation. 
(9) Walter B. Jones' support for reintroducing endangered 
red wolves into the wild at Alligator River National Wildlife 
Refuge was a major factor in securing public acceptance of, 
and support for, this first successful effort to reintroduce endan-
gered predators into formerly occupied habitat. 
(10) Walter B. Jones devoted much of his congressional 
career, including his years as Chairman of the Merchant Marine 
and Fisheries Committee, to the conservation of fish and wild-
life, for the benefit of the Nation and the people of North 
Carolina. 
(11) Walter B. Jones should most appropriately be recog-
nized for his work on behalf of fish and wildlife conservation 
by having the Center for the Sounds at the Pocosin Lakes 
National Wildlife Refuge System named in his honor. 
SEC. 302. AUTHORITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE FACILITY. 
The Secretary of the Interior may, subject to the availability 
of appropriations, construct and operate a facility at the Pocosin 
Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, 
which shall be known as the "Walter B. Jones Center for the 
Sounds", for the following purposes: 
(1) Providing public opportunities, facilities, and resources 
to study the natural history and natural resources of north-
eastern North Carolina. 
(2) Offering a variety of environmental educational pro-
grams and interpretive exhibits. 
(3) Fostering an awareness and understanding of the inter-
actions among wildlife, estuarine and wetland ecosystems, and 
human activities. 
PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 
108 STAT. 341 
(4) Providing office space and facilities for refuge adminis-
tration, research, education, and related activities. 
SEC. 303. DESIGN. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall ensure that the design, 
size, and location of a facility constructed under this title are 
consistent with the cultural and natural history of the area with 
which the facility will be concerned. 
SEC. 304. COST SHARING. 
The Secretary of the Interior may accept contributions of funds 
from non-Federal sources to pay the costs of operating and 
maintaining the facility authorized under this title, and shall take 
appropriate steps to seek to obtain such contributions. 
SEC. 305. REPORT. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report to 
the Congress on progress made in designing and constructing a 
facility under this title, including steps taken under section 304 
to obtain contributions and any such contributions that have been 
pledged to or received by the United States. 
Approved April 11, 1994. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 476 (H.R. 2684): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 103-249 accompanying H.R. 2684 (Comm. on Merchant 
Marine and Fisheries). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 103-225 (Comm. on Environment and Public Works). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 139 (1993): Nov. 2, 3, H.R. 2684 considered and passed House. 
Vol. 140 (1994): Mar. 8, S. 476 considered and passed Senate. 
Mar. 21, considered and passed House, amended. 
Mar. 25, Senate concurred in House amendments.