[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 274 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.274

                       One Hundred Eighth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
           the seventh day of January, two thousand and three


                                 An Act


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the property in 
  Cecil County, Maryland, known as Garrett Island for inclusion in the 
                  Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

    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 ``Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge 
Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     The Congress finds the following:
        (1) Garrett Island, located at the mouth of the Susquehanna 
    River in Cecil County, Maryland, is a microcosm of the geology and 
    geography of the region, including hard rock piedmont, coastal 
    plain, and volcanic formations.
        (2) Garrett Island is the only rocky island in the tidal waters 
    of the Chesapeake.
        (3) Garrett Island and adjacent waters provide high-quality 
    habitat for bird and fish species.
        (4) Garrett Island contains significant archaeological sites 
    reflecting human history and prehistory of the region.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY FOR INCLUSION IN THE BLACKWATER 
              NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

    (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary of the Interior may use otherwise 
available amounts to acquire the area known as Garrett Island, 
consisting of approximately 198 acres located at the mouth of the 
Susquehanna River in Cecil County, Maryland.
    (b) Administration.--Lands and interests acquired by the United 
States under this section shall be managed by the Secretary as the 
Garrett Island Unit of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes for which the Garrett Island Unit is 
established and shall be managed are the following:
        (1) To support the Delmarva Conservation Corridor Demonstration 
    Program.
        (2) To conserve, restore, and manage habitats as necessary to 
    contribute to the migratory bird populations prevalent in the 
    Atlantic Flyway.
        (3) To conserve, restore, and manage the significant aquatic 
    resource values associated with submerged land adjacent to the unit 
    and to achieve the habitat objectives of the agreement known as the 
    Chesapeake 2000 Agreement.
        (4) To conserve the archaeological resources on the unit.
        (5) To provide public access to the unit in a manner that does 
    not adversely impact natural resources on and around the unit.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.