[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 27 (Wednesday, March 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E387-E388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THE INTRODUCTION OF THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT WILDLIFE LEGACY ACT

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                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 1997

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the 
Theodore Roosevelt Wildlife Legacy Act. This legislation will improve 
the National Wildlife Refuge System because it clearly reaffirms 
President Roosevelt's original intent in establishing our first 
wildlife refuge in 1903--to conserve fish and wildlife for the 
enjoyment of present and future generations. Why is it necessary to 
reaffirm our commitment to the only system of public lands dedicated to 
wildlife conservation? Because legislation recently introduced in the 
House would fundamentally alter the purpose and undermine the 
conservation mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. In the 
last Congress, a vote against a very similar bill, H.R. 1675, was 
counted by the nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters as one of the 
key environmental votes of 1996.
  H.R. 511, which was recently introduced by the chairman of the 
Resources Committee, would undermine wildlife conservation on our 
refuges by elevating hunting, trapping, and other forms of recreation 
to a purpose of the system coequal to conservation. But do not think 
that this is a purely philosophical debate about whether hunting should 
be a purpose of

[[Page E388]]

the refuge system, because H.R. 511 would also restrict the ability of 
the wildlife management professionals at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service properly to manage recreational activities. Hunting, if 
properly controlled, in an important tool in the kit of the wildlife 
manager. However, if not managed properly, it can rapidly deplete 
wildlife populations.
  The Theodore Roosevelt Wildlife Legacy Act, on the other hand, 
reaffirms conservation as the purpose of the refugee system and 
establishes an objective process for evaluating whether recreational 
activities are compatible with wildlife conservation. It recognizes 
wildlife dependent recreation, including wildlife observation, hunting, 
and fishing, as priority uses of the system, but ensures that they are 
subordinate to conservation goals.
  While the National Wildlife Refuge System provides world class 
opportunities for hunting and other outdoor recreation, which I 
support, the approach taken in H.R. 511 is dead wrong. The overwhelming 
majority of visitors to our wildlife refuges come not to hunt or trap, 
but to observe and enjoy nature in other ways. Yet those who do wish to 
hunt and fish enjoy broad access to refuge lands; in fact, over half of 
all refuges--comprising more than 90 percent of the system's acreage--
already permit these recreational uses.
  The Theodore Roosevelt Wildlife Legacy Act provides an effective 
blueprint to guide the refuge system into the 21st century. This bill 
ensures that all Americans will continue to get a fair return on their 
investment in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is supported by a 
number of major conservation organizations, including the National 
Audubon Society, the Wildlife Society, Defenders of Wildlife, the 
Environmental Defense Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. 
In contrast, H.R. 511 is a solution in search of a problem, and that 
solution will undermine 94 years of fish and wildlife conservation.
  In 1903, President Roosevelt had the foresight to set aside a place--
a small place--where wildlife came first. Let us maintain a place in 
our increasingly crowded world where there is room for people, but 
where wildlife comes first. That place is the National Wildlife Refuge 
System and we should keep it that way. Support the Theodore Roosevelt 
Wildlife Legacy Act.

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