History of The National Wildlife Refuge System - Approaching The Centennial (1997 and On)

Approaching The Centennial (1997 and On)

In 1997, Congress provided much-needed organic legislation with the passage of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. This legislation amended the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 and provided significant new guidance for the management of the Refuge System. It provided a new statutory mission statement and directed that the Refuge System be managed as a national system of lands and waters devoted to conserving wildlife and maintaining biological integrity of ecosystems. The law also clarified management priorities by declaring that certain wildlife-dependent recreational uses are appropriate activities on refuges, strengthened the compatibility determination process, and required the Service to undertake comprehensive conservation planning for each refuge. In 2006, a bi-partisan group of 100 members of Congress formed the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus to further the needs of the Refuge System with a unified voice.

From the earliest years national wildlife refuges have played a major role in the evolution of resource conservation in the United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System now comprises more than 520 units in all 50 states, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Johnston Atoll, Midway Atoll and several other Pacific Islands. Refuges now encompass over 93 million acres (380,000 km²) of valuable wildlife habitat.

Included in this total are nearly 1.9 million acres (7,700 km²) of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the north-central United States. These wetlands are known as "waterfowl production areas," and have Federal protection through fee acquisition or easements. This vital habitat, together with the wetlands of the Canadian prairies and Alaska, provides the key production areas where the bulk of North America's waterfowl nest and rear their young.

Wilderness designation also helps protect diverse refuge areas including islands, lakes, forests, deserts, and mountains. Currently, 20.6 million acres (83,400 km²) of refuge lands have been designated as wilderness under provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Act states that these Congressionally designated areas "... shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness."