[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1573 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1573

 To redesignate the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in the State 
of Louisiana as the ``Theodore Roosevelt-Tensas River National Wildlife 
                               Refuge''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 2, 2003

  Mr. Breaux introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To redesignate the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in the State 
of Louisiana as the ``Theodore Roosevelt-Tensas River 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 ``Theodore Roosevelt-Tensas River 
National Wildlife Refuge Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, located in 
        Madison, Tensas, and Franklin Parishes, Louisiana--
                    (A) was established in 1980; and
                    (B) consists of 64,012 acres;
            (2) the refuge is in the upper basin of the Tensas River in 
        northeast Louisiana, the last documented home of the ivory-
        billed woodpecker;
            (3) the refuge is home to 1 of the last concentrations of 
        the threatened Louisiana black bear;
            (4) in 1907, Teddy Roosevelt hunted bear just north of the 
        refuge boundary and the ``Teddy Bear'' was introduced as a 
        result of an incident during the hunt;
            (5) the refuge supports--
                    (A) several rookeries; and
                    (B) concentrations of ducks, geese, raptors, wading 
                birds, and shorebirds;
            (6) the refuge was established to--
                    (A) preserve and develop environmental resources;
                    (B) conserve the diversity of fish and wildlife 
                (including fish and wildlife habitat); and
                    (C) develop outdoor recreation opportunities and 
                interpretive education;
            (7) the refuge uses several management tools to accomplish 
        the purposes for which it was established, including--
                    (A) water management for waterfowl, wading birds, 
                and shorebirds;
                    (B) cooperative farming to provide habitat for 
                migratory birds and Louisiana black bears;
                    (C) forest habitat management for bears, 
                neotropical birds, and other forest dwelling species;
                    (D) education and interpretation;
                    (E) deer management with public hunting;
                    (F) law enforcement for the protection of the 
                public and the resources of the Refuge; and
                    (G) partnerships to make programs ecosystem in 
                scope; and
            (8) the refuge provides several public use opportunities, 
        including trails, an auto tour route, fishing, 2 observation 
        towers, wildlife observation, photography, and hunting 
        (including youth hunts).

SEC. 3. THEODORE ROOSEVELT-TENSAS RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

    (a) Designation.--The Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, 
located in Tensas, Franklin, and Madison Parishes, Louisiana, shall be 
known and designated as the ``Theodore Roosevelt-Tensas River National 
Wildlife Refuge''.
    (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, 
paper, or other document of the United States to the refuge referred to 
in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Theodore 
Roosevelt-Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge.
                                 <all>