[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H3425-H3428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
SYSTEM ON CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY AND EXPRESSING STRONG SUPPORT FOR ITS
CONTINUED SUCCESS
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 173) recognizing the achievements and contributions
of the National Wildlife Refuge System on the occasion of its
centennial anniversary and expressing strong support for the continued
success of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 173
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System, operated by
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, marked its
centennial anniversary on March 14, 2003;
Whereas President Theodore Roosevelt stated in 1903 that
``Wild beasts and birds are by right not the property merely
of the people who are alive today, but the property of
unknown generations, whose belongings we have no right to
squander.'';
Whereas the vision of conserving wildlife embraced by
President Roosevelt was begun with the plants and animals
located on Pelican Island off the East Coast of Florida, and
[[Page H3426]]
has since flourished across the United States and its
territories and possessions, allowing for the preservation of
an overwhelmingly vast array of flora and fauna;
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System is composed of
540 refuges encompassing nearly 95 million acres, hosts 35
million visitors annually, and benefits from the selfless
efforts of 30,000 volunteers; and
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System has established
refuges in every State in the United States, many of which
are reachable within an hour's drive of almost every major
city: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the achievements and contributions of the
National Wildlife Refuge System on the occasion of its
centennial anniversary;
(2) expresses strong support for the continued success of
the National Wildlife Refuge System;
(3) encourages the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
in its efforts to broaden understanding and appreciation for
the National Wildlife Refuge System by increasing
partnerships on behalf of the refuge system to better manage
and monitor wildlife and by continuing its support of
wildlife dependent recreational activities as embodied in the
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57);
and
(4) reaffirms its commitment to the National Wildlife
Refuge System and the conservation of the rich natural
heritage of the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi).
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution was introduced by our colleagues, the
gentlemen from Florida, Mr. Boyd and Mr. Putnam. It celebrates the
100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
This system of public lands had its humble origins in Sebastian,
Florida when in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside a 5-acre
strip of swampland on Pelican Island. Since that time, the system has
grown to some 540 units that provide habitat for hundreds of wildlife
species and recreational opportunities for millions of Americans.
As a member of the Committee on Resources, I recognize the value of
these lands and their importance to the 39 million people who visit a
refuge each year to hunt, fish, observe wildlife, photograph them, and
engage in conservation education.
It is appropriate that we recognize the refuge system at this
important milestone, and I congratulate the Bush administration for
requesting the highest level of funding ever for the National Wildlife
Refuge System for the upcoming fiscal year. The American people deserve
the finest refuge system, and I am committed to the revitalization of
this system and to reduce the unacceptable maintenance backlogs of
projects that currently exist.
I urge a yea vote on House Resolution 173, and I compliment the
authors of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Arizona
(Mr. Renzi) for his management of this piece of legislation. I also
commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam) for his sponsorship of
this proposed resolution.
Mr. Speaker, as stated by the previous gentleman, my good friend, the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi), this is a noncontroversial
resolution which salutes our National Wildlife Refuge System on its
100th birthday. Certainly our refuge system must be listed as one of
our Nation's best and most enduring conservation success stories.
While I agree wholeheartedly with my colleagues that we indeed should
celebrate our refuge system, I would be remiss if I did not also remind
my colleagues of the significant challenges that confront this system
today.
At present, the refuge system faces a combined operations and
maintenance backlog, backlog, Mr. Speaker, that is approaching some
$1.8 billion. Funding to acquire or protect additional refuge lands has
also shrunk, leaving some refuges fragmented or with gaping holes which
both complicate and frustrate management.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, critics still debate whether the ``wildlife
first'' mission of the refuge system should be adjusted more towards
the benefit of wildlife and less to the interests of other stakeholders
who wish to extract or otherwise use refuge resources.
Mr. Speaker, these are all issues that the refuge system will have to
face as it begins its second hundred years. But for now, we should take
a moment to reflect with pride on the accomplishments of this genuine
conservation success story and congratulate it for a job well done.
Again, I commend my good friend, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Renzi) for bringing this resolution to the floor; and I commend our
chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), and our ranking
member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for their
leadership and support of this legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam), the cosponsor of the bill.
{time} 1600
Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Renzi) for yielding me time, a good friend who has made a tremendous
difference in this body in a very short period of time; and my friend
and colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega); and our fellow
author of this bill, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Boyd). Truly,
conservation in the movement and the commitment to public access for
hunting and other outdoor activities is a bipartisan effort and
something all of us are committed to.
Mr. Speaker, on March 14, 2003, the National Wildlife Refuge System
celebrated its centennial anniversary. A hundred years ago, President
Theodore Roosevelt established the first refuge, the Pelican Island
Bird Reservation in Florida's Indian River Lagoon. Today the National
Wildlife Refuge System has evolved into the world's most unique network
of lands and waters set aside specifically for conservation of fish,
wildlife, and plants. With 540 refuges encompassing nearly 95 million
acres and hosting some 35 million visitors annually, the National
Wildlife Refuge System is a complex network of lands managed for
wildlife and the public. There are refuges in every State of the Union
and within an hour's drive of almost every major city.
The Secretary of the Interior, Gayle Norton, was joined by thousands
of wildlife enthusiasts, Members of Congress, and notable
conservationists to celebrate the centennial of the system on March 14
at Pelican Island. These celebrations occurred simultaneously at
wildlife refuges across America, and the celebration will continue
throughout the year.
To commemorate this event, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) and
I introduced H. Res. 173 to commemorate this centennial anniversary and
to express support for its continued success in the next 100 years and
beyond.
As we gather in support of this to commemorate this tremendous
birthday for the system, I would like to read into the Record an
advertisement from Roll Call sponsored by nearly 40 sportsmen
conservation groups. This diverse group represents the backbone of
America's conservation efforts, and their strong support of the refuge
system is both a testament and a tribute to the vision of the sportsman
conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt, who proclaimed the first
refuge in 1903. The ad begins with a quote from that great President
and reads as follows: ``In a civilized and cultivated country, wild
animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The
excellent people who protest against all hunting and consider sportsmen
an enemy of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the
genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping
the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.''
The hunting community was one of the original, if not the only
original, entity that recognized the need for
[[Page H3427]]
wildlife conservation, not only for hunters but for all those who seek
to enjoy wildlife. Hunters were conservationists long before it was the
politically correct thing to do. The timing of the formation of the
National Refuge System illustrates this. The system was formed after
the virtual eradication of the native bison, together with a dangerous
reduction in a number of other species such as the prong horn,
migratory water fowl and others. Hunters were the first to wake up to
the reality that our wildlife resources were not unlimited.
President Roosevelt, an avid hunter and conservationist himself,
recognized the need to preserve wildlife through sustainable use.
Unfortunately, some who oppose these hunting efforts attempt to revise
history to diminish the hunting community's contribution to wildlife
conservation. Recently on the eve of the centennial of the system, some
have cast a pall by waging a litigation challenge to the system. Sadly,
they missed the beauty of the refuge system as a place for all to enjoy
wildlife and to cooperate in that effort.
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997,
identified by then President Clinton as ``the most significant
conservation legislation to emerge from Congress to date,'' was a
collaborative effort born of extensive negotiations between executive
branch, Congress, environmental groups, and sportsmens organizations.
According to the executive order that announced the 1997 law, the bill
was ``proof that when there is a shared commitment to do what is right
for our natural resources, partisan and idealogical differences can be
set aside and compromises can be negotiated for the benefit of the
common good.''
Sportsmen are the original conservationists. The stewardship of the
game population that provides a bounty of food and sport is crucial in
the survival of many game species. The gains achieved in scientific
management of game species can be linked to the efforts of hunters to
maintain the populations and quality of the game they hunt. Populations
of game animals have flourished through proper game management by
concerned and devoted hunters. The populations of deer and turkey alone
are far greater now at the beginning of this century than they ever
were at the beginning of the last.
It is in a hunter's best interest to maintain game populations so
that they may continue to practice the tradition they love. Licensed
game hunters are deeply involved in game management on a number of
levels. They pay taxes on their arms and ammunition, stamps and
permits, funds that all go to help protect and maintain the sport that
they hold so dear to their hearts. The rules and codes that today's
sportsmen follow serve to protect and improve the quality of game
species for generations to come.
I again thank the cosponsors of this legislation on both sides of the
aisle, and I appreciate the time given us by the gentleman from Arizona
(Mr. Renzi).
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) to speak in support of the
legislation.
Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from American Samoa
(Mr. Faleomavaega) for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, as the National Wildlife Refuge System celebrates its
100th anniversary, recognition for water fowl hunters and the
contribution they have collectively and individually made on behalf of
the refuge system is in order. Acquisition of lands for the National
Wildlife Refuge System is funded in part by sales of the migratory bird
hunting and conservation stamp, known wide and far as the duck stamp.
Water fowl hunters are required to purchase a duck stamp as part of
their hunting license to hunt water fowl on or off any refuge.
Since 1934, the hunting community virtually alone has been funding
the duck stamp program, raising more than a half a billion dollars for
the refuge system. In fact, 98 percent of the revenue generated from
sales of the duck stamp goes directly to acquisition of our national
wildlife refuges, some 5 million acres so far, an extraordinary
contribution, I think, by any measure.
Currently, the 8th Congressional District of Tennessee is home to
seven: Chickasaw, Cross Creeks, Hatchie, Lake Isom, Lower Hatchie,
Reelfoot and Tennessee national wildlife refuges.
Beginning back in August of 1934, Federal law mandated that
individuals buy a duck stamp for the privilege of hunting migratory
water fowl. Some 635,000 hunters paid $1 each for that stamp issued and
it was none too soon. For the if the Great Depression was bad on
people, it was worse on the ducks. Their prairie pot holes, ponds,
marshes, and wetlands dried up and blew away along with much of the
Midwest. Revenues from the duck stamp program were used to purchase and
restore submarginal land for wildlife, particularly migratory water
fowl.
Today, the cost of a duck stamp is $15, but duck populations are
stable and growing. So the next time you are at a National Wildlife
Refuge and see a flight of ducks sweeping across the sky, remember to
thank a hunter.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Shaw).
Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, many lands and waters managed by the Fish and
Wildlife Service allow recreational fishing and include more than 260
public fishing programs on national wildlife refuges nationwide. There
were about 6 million fishing visits to national wildlife refuges in
1999. While the number of visitors engaged in freshwater fishing is
holding steady, saltwater fishing is growing in popularity. Recent
surveys indicate that many people engage in fishing in order to
experience peace and solitude. National wildlife refuges can offer a
quiet, yet wild, fishing experience for the American people.
Among prime fishing experiences on national wildlife refuges are
Tamarac Refuge in Minnesota, featuring some 21 lakes, five of which are
open to canoes or small boats; anglers can real in northern pike and
walleye. The Bayou Sauvage near New Orleans gives urban anglers a
spectacular setting of both freshwater and saltwater fishing. In
Philadelphia, John Heinz Refuge provides year-round fishing
opportunities as one of the growing number of refuges with facilities
that are disabled accessible. In my home State of Florida there are
about 30 such refuges in where countless numbers of natives and
tourists go each year to experience the great outdoors.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this resolution and our
National Wildlife Refuge System, which creates these opportunities for
anglers all across the United States.
Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House
Resolution 173. This resolution recognizes the achievements and
contributions of the National Wildlife Refuge System on the occasion of
its centennial anniversary and expresses strong support for the
continued success of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside Pelican
Island off Florida's east coast to preserve the natural beauty of the
islands for future generations. This act gave birth to a vision for
America that has become the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Each year, millions of people who share Teddy Roosevelt's passion for
the outdoors and his devotion to preserving these places visit and
enjoy more than 540 refuges and nearly 100 million acres nationwide all
set aside for the wildlife that live and visit these areas and for the
people that treasure these natural wonders.
In my Southern New Jersey District, we have much to be thankful for
with the trio of jewels that are the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife
Refuge in Salem County, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
in Atlantic and Burlington Counties, and the Cape May National Wildlife
Refuge in Cape May County. These three refuges provide both a welcome
respite for important species who visit in this area as well as places
for thousands of visitors to see these species in their natural
habitat.
Throughout my service in Congress, I have been proud to work to
preserve and enhance these wildlife refuges. However, much of the
credit for the hard work of protecting our wildlife refuges must go to
the dedicated employees and volunteers at each of our local refuges.
Without their dedication and drive, these refuges would not be a living
realization off Teddy Roosevelt's dream which began a century ago.
It is my hope that one hundred years from now, those who visit these
national treasures are as astounded and inspired by the same beauty
that the National Wildlife Refuge System is working so hard to preserve
today.
[[Page H3428]]
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House
Resolution 173, recognizing the important achievements and
contributions of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The National
Wildlife Refuge System has been a national treasure for one hundred
years thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Since its creation in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System has
successfully protected numerous plant and animal species in each of the
fifty states. In my great State of Delaware, the Bombay Hook and Prime
Hook National Wildlife Refuges have protected and encouraged growth of
migratory bird populations so that future generations can benefit from
their existence just as we and our ancestors have marveled at their
presence.
The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge has provided a safe habitat
for eagles, deer, and migratory waterfowl and shorebirds since its
creation in 1937. During that period, the refuge has maintained an
eagle population and has seen 28 eaglets fledged. The refuge currently
has one active bald eagle nest. I am thankful that, through the efforts
of taxpayers, volunteers, and refuge employees, future generations of
Delawareans will not miss the splendor of a soaring bald eagle, a
national icon. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge has also
successfully protected the tidal salt marsh so that waterfowl
populations including the snow geese continue to migrate to the
Delaware shore. Recently, ten years of horseshoe crab surveying have
led to the implementation of tighter restrictions on the harvesting of
the species. All of these achievements have benefited nature lovers and
birders across the nation and enriched the education of generations of
children.
The Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, since its establishment in
1963, also has provided protection for numerous migratory bird and
other populations. The refuge has expanded recently from a satellite of
the Bombary Hook National Wildlife Refuge to become an independent
refuge with an active bald eagle nest and one of the largest freshwater
marshes on the East Coast. I have been proud to work with Delawareans
to improve Prime Hook through the voluntary purchase of new properties
in and adjacent to the refuge. These land purchases will provide a
valuable buffer between the refuge and fast growing development in the
county.
It gives me great pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to recognize these
achievements and to ensure that these refuges receive the continued
support of Congress. In reaffirming our commitment to the conservation
of our nation's rich natural heritage, we allow our future generations
to witness the same natural wonders we have the privilege of seeing
today.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Boozman). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 173.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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