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Executive Order 12996
of March 25, 1996:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL PUBLIC USE OF THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE
REFUGE SYSTEM |
By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,
and in furtherance of the purposes of the Fish and Wildlife Act of
1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a), the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661), the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd), the Refuge
Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460k), the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531), the Emergency Wetlands
Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3901),the North American Wetlands Conservation
Act (16 U.S.C. 4401),the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4321), and other pertinent statutes, and in order to conserve fish
and wildlife and their habitat, it is ordered as follows:
Section 1. The
Mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System ("Refuge System") is to
preserve a national network of lands and waters for the conservation
and management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources of the United
States for the benefit of present and future generations.
Sec.2. Guiding
Principles. To help ensure a bright future for its treasured national
heritage, I hereby affirm the following four guiding principles
for the management and general public use of the Refuge System:
- Public Use.
The Refuge System provides important opportunities for compatible
wildlife-dependent recreational activities involving hunting,
fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental
education and interpretation.
- Habitat. Fish
and wildlife will not prosper without high-quality habitat, and
without fish and wildlife, traditional uses of refuges cannot
be sustained. The Refuge System will continue to conserve and
enhance the quality and diversity of fish and wildlife habitat
within refuges.
- Partnerships.
America's sportsmen and women were the first partners who insisted
on protecting valuable wildlife habitat within wildlife refuges.
Conservation partnerships with other Federal agencies, State agencies,
Tribes, organizations, industry, and the general public can make
significant contributions to the growth and management of the
Refuge System.
- Public Involvement.
The public should be given a full and open opportunity to participate
in decisions regarding acquisition and management of our National
Wildlife Refuges.
Sec. 3. Directives
to the Secretary of the Interior. To the extent consistent with existing
laws and interagency agreements, the Secretary of the Interior, in
carrying out his trustee and stewardship responsibilities for the
Refuge System, is directed to:
- recognize compatible
wildlife-dependent recreational activities involving hunting,
fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental
education and interpretation as priority general public uses of
the Refuge System through which the American public can develop
an appreciation for fish and wildlife
- provide expanded opportunities
for these priority public uses within the Refuge System when they
are compatible and consistent with sound principles of fish and
wildlife management, and are otherwise in the public interest
- ensure that such priority
public uses receive enhanced attention in planning and management
within the Refuge System
- provide increased
opportunities for families to experience wildlife-dependent recreation,
particularly opportunities for parents and their children to safely
engage in traditional outdoor activities, such as fishing and
hunting
- ensure that the biological
integrity and environmental health of the Refuge System is maintained
for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans
- continue, consistent
with existing laws and interagency agreements, authorized or permitted
uses of units of the Refuge System by other Federal agencies,
including those necessary to facilitate military preparedness
- plan and direct the
continued growth of the Refuge System in a manner that is best
designed to accomplish the mission of the Refuge System, to contribute
to the conservation of the ecosystems of the United States, and
to increase support for the Refuge System and participation from
conservation partners and the public
- ensure timely and
effective cooperation and collaboration with Federal agencies
and State fish and wildlife agencies during the course of acquiring
and managing National Wildlife Refuges
- ensure appropriate
public involvement opportunities will be provided in conjunction
with refuge planning and management activities; and
- identify, prior to
acquisition, existing compatible wildlife-dependent uses of new
refuge lands that shall be permitted to continue on an interim
basis pending completion of comprehensive planning.
Sec. 4. Judicial
Review. This order does not create any right or benefit, substantive
or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against the
United States, its agencies, its officers, or any person.
THE WHITE HOUSE
March 25, 1996
Published in the
Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 214.
November 4, 1996. (Presidential Documents) |
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