Number: 2003-05
WHEREAS, on March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt started what is now known as our National Wildlife Refuge System by protecting Pelican Island to conserve migratory birds; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge System protects over 95 million acres and includes more than 540 National Wildlife Refuges; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge System, including at least one refuge in every state and U.S. Territory, is visited by more than 35 million people annually; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge system is essential to the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants, including over 250 threatened and endangered species; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 establishes that the “mission of the System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans”; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 recognizes “compatible wildlife-dependent recreational uses (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation) as the priority general public uses of the System through which the American public can develop an appreciation for fish and wildlife”; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Refuge System is under constant pressure from lack of funding, political motivations to develop its resources, and factors external to refuge boundaries, including development, pollution, and loss of water and habitat,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 27-29, 2003, in Washington, D.C., commends the staff of the National Wildlife Refuge System on the 100th Anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System for their dedicated efforts on behalf of conserving the nation’s fish, wildlife and plant resources; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges Congress to fully appropriate the funds necessary to properly administer the National Wildlife Refuge System in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997.