[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 130 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7452-S7454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE WEEK
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 644, submitted
earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 644) designating the week of October
10, 2010, as ``National Wildlife Refuge Week.''
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I rise to speak on a resolution I
submitted today with Senators Crapo and Cardin to celebrate National
Wildlife Refuge Week and honor the extraordinary National Wildlife
Refuge System. I am pleased that so many of my colleagues have joined
me to cosponsor this resolution.
President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national wildlife
refuge on Florida's Pelican Island in 1903. He was a renowned
naturalist, an avid hunter, and is considered to be one of the greatest
conservation leaders in American history.
Roosevelt was spurred to action after witnessing a dramatic decline
in bird and animal populations across the country due to unregulated
and unsustainable hunting. A sportsman himself, Roosevelt saw a great
need to conserve our nation's natural resources not only for the
benefit of his generation but for future generations as well.
President Roosevelt set out this basic principle when he said:
I recognize the right and duty of this generation to
develop and use the natural resources of our land. But I do
not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful
use, the generations that come after us.
He was a man of action. Over the course of Presidency, Roosevelt
would establish more than 50 Federal bird reserves which would become
the foundation of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Today, the Refuge System has grown to more than 150 million acres,
552 national wildlife refuges, and 38 wetland management districts.
These lands are truly American treasures and important parts of our
natural heritage.
The Refuge System is a magnificent network of lands and waters
dedicated to wildlife conservation. It is exceptionally diverse,
encompassing every kind of ecosystem in the United States, including
forests, wetlands, deserts, grasslands, tundras, and remote islands.
National wildlife refuges are critical to the broad goals of wildlife
conservation to both keep common species common and to protect and
restore imperiled species. Refuges do this well. They are home to an
incredible amount of biodiversity, including over 700 species of birds,
220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species, and
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more than 1,000 species of fish. Furthermore, of the more than 1,200
federally listed threatened and endangered species in the United
States, 280 are found on national wildlife refuges.
The incredible resources available through the National Wildlife
Refuge System offer a variety of recreational opportunities including
hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, photography, hiking, boating,
environmental education, and so much more. In fact, hunting and fishing
is permitted on hundreds of refuges, providing opportunities for over
2.5 million hunters and more than 7 million anglers.
National wildlife refuges also provide children and families a unique
opportunity to explore and learn about wildlife and the outdoors. A
third of U.S. children and teens are overweight or close to it. Playing
outside and engaging with the natural world can get our children
active, and studies show that it can also reduce stress, improve
attention and cooperation, and open children's imagination and
creativity.
Refuges also afford service opportunities for local residents. Every
year 39,000 volunteers and over 220 refuge ``Friends'' organizations
contribute nearly 1.4 million hours of their time to lead educational
programs, guide tours, restore habitat, maintain trails, and offer
their time and energy in other important ways. Their efforts are worth
the equivalent of 665 full-time employees.
National wildlife refuges are important to local businesses and
gateway communities. Each year, refuges draw 41 million visitors,
generating nearly $1.7 billion and 27,000 jobs for local economies.
Refuges are also a good investment for the American people. For every
$1 appropriated, refuges generate $4 in economic activity.
Since 1995 refuges across the country have held festivals,
educational programs, guided tours, and other events to celebrate
National Wildlife Refuge Week during the second week of October. This
year Refuge Week will take place from October 10 to 17.
There is much to celebrate. For over a century, the National Wildlife
Refuge System has served to conserve our wildlife heritage, provide
recreational opportunities for our communities, and support for local
economies. With at least one refuge located in every State and within
an hour's drive of every metropolitan area across the Nation, we can
all take part in National Wildlife Refuge Week.
In my home State of Delaware, we are fortunate to have two national
wildlife refuges: Bombay Hook and Prime Hook. The tens of thousands of
acres of freshwater wetlands and tidal salt marshes these refuges
protect are considered some of the best on the Atlantic coast and
provide critical habitat for waterfowl migrating between Canada and
Mexico. In fact, the American Bird Conservancy has recognized Bombay
Hook as one of America's 100 important Bird Areas.
Bombay Hook and Prime Hook are also incredible places to visit and
enjoy. Bombay Hook host over 100,000 visitors a year, and the Great
Outdoor Recreation Pages, GORP magazine recently rated the refuge as
one of the top Ten most scenic drives in the United States.
Furthermore, studies show that visitors of Prime Hook generate over
$1.21 million and nearly 20 jobs a year in the local Sussex County
economy.
I am proud to join my colleagues in sponsoring this resolution to
celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week and honor the National Wildlife
Refuge System.
As President Roosevelt once said:
It is not what we have that will make us a great Nation. It
is the way in which we use it.
We must continue the legacy of President Roosevelt and work to
conserve our wildlife heritage for current and future generations.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate, and that any statements related to the resolution be printed in
the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 644) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 644
Whereas, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established
the first national wildlife refuge on Florida's Pelican
Island;
Whereas, in 2010, the National Wildlife Refuge System is
the premier system of lands and waters to conserve wildlife
in the world, and has grown to more than 150 million acres,
552 national wildlife refuges, and 38 wetland management
districts in every State and territory of the United States;
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important
recreational and tourism destinations in communities across
the Nation, and these protected lands offer a variety of
recreational opportunities, including 6 wildlife-dependent
uses that the National Wildlife Refuge System manages:
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography,
environmental education, and interpretation;
Whereas hunting is permitted on more than 320 national
wildlife refuges and fishing is permitted on 272 national
wildlife refuges, welcoming more than 2,500,000 hunters and
more than 7,000,000 anglers;
Whereas national wildlife refuges are important to local
businesses and gateway communities;
Whereas, for every $1 appropriated, national wildlife
refuges generate $4 in economic activity;
Whereas approximately 41,000,000 people visit national
wildlife refuges every year, generating nearly $1,700,000,000
and 27,000 jobs in local economies;
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses
every kind of ecosystem in the United States, including
temperate, tropical, and boreal forests, wetlands, deserts,
grasslands, arctic tundras, and remote islands, and spans 12
time zones from the Virgin Islands to Guam;
Whereas national wildlife refuges are home to more than 700
species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 species of
reptiles and amphibians, and more than 1,000 species of fish;
Whereas 59 refuges were established specifically to protect
imperiled species and of the more than 1,200 federally listed
threatened and endangered species in the United States, 280
species are found on units of the National Wildlife Refuge
System;
Whereas national wildlife refuges are cores of conservation
for larger landscapes and resources for other agencies of the
Federal Government and State governments, private landowners,
and organizations in their efforts to secure the wildlife
heritage of the United States;
Whereas 39,000 volunteers and more than 220 national
wildlife refuge ``Friends'' organizations contribute nearly
1,400,000 hours annually, the equivalent of 665 full-time
employees, and provide an important link with local
communities;
Whereas national wildlife refuges provide an important
opportunity for children to connect with nature and discover
the natural world;
Whereas, because there are national wildlife refuges
located in several urban and suburban areas and 1 refuge
located within an hour's drive of every metropolitan area in
the United States, national wildlife refuges employ, educate,
and engage young people from all backgrounds in exploring,
connecting with, and preserving the natural heritage of the
Nation;
Whereas, since 1995, refuges across the Nation have held
festivals, educational programs, guided tours, and other
events to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week during the
second full week of October;
Whereas the week beginning on October 10, 2010, has been
designated as ``National Wildlife Refuge Week'' by the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service;
Whereas, in 2010, the designation of National Wildlife
Refuge Week would recognize more than a century of
conservation in the United States and would serve to raise
awareness about the importance of wildlife and the National
Wildlife Refuge System and to celebrate the myriad
recreational opportunities available to enjoy this network of
protected lands: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates the week beginning on October 10, 2010, as
``National Wildlife Refuge Week'';
(2) supports the goals and ideals of National Wildlife
Refuge Week;
(3) acknowledges the importance of national wildlife
refuges for their recreational opportunities and contribution
to local economies across the United States;
(4) pronounces that national wildlife refuges play a vital
role in securing the hunting and fishing heritage of the
United States for future generations;
(5) recognizes the importance of national wildlife refuges
to wildlife conservation and the protection of imperiled
species and ecosystems;
(6) applauds the work of refuge ``Friends'' groups,
national and community organizations, and public partners
that promote awareness, compatible use, protection, and
restoration of national wildlife refuges;
(7) reaffirms the support of the Senate for wildlife
conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
(8) expresses the intent of the Senate--
(A) to continue working to conserve wildlife; and
(B) to manage the National Wildlife Refuge System for
current and future generations.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
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The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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