Welcome
Who is FWS and the National Wildlife Refuge System?
Introduction to Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Location and Boundary Maps
FAQ's

What's in a name?

Many people confuse state and federal fish and wildlife agencies because their names are similar. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Interior. The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is a department within the California Resources Agency.

Our names are similar and so are our missions: Both agencies are dedicated to wildlife conservation for the benefit of present and future generations. Our jurisdictions are different. The FWS is the lead agency responsible for federally-listed species and migratory birds, whether they are located on federal, state, or private lands. The DFG has primary responsibility for resident fish and wildlife on state and private lands, and oversees state-listed species and stream alteration issues throughout California.

Stone Lakes NWR is managed by the FWS, which coordinates with DFG on a variety of management issues.

Who is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

The FWS manages the 94-million acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses more than 542 refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 78 ecological services field stations.

The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their wildlife and habitat conservation efforts.The FWS also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. Some of these FWS programs are housed in the Federal Building at Cottage Way in Sacramento.

What is the National Wildlife Refuge System?

In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt protected an island with nesting pelicans, herons, ibis, and roseate spoonbills in Florida's Indian River from feather collectors decimating their colonies. He established Pelican Island as the nation's first bird sanctuary and went on to establish many other sanctuaries for wildlife during his tenure. This small network of sanctuaries continued to expand, later becoming the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Today, nearly 100 years later, Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 540 National Wildlife Refuges encompassing nearly 94 million acres nationwide. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest system of lands in the world dedicated primarily for the conservation of wildlife. It is spread across 50 states, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Johnston Atoll, Midway Atoll, and several other Pacific Islands. About 20.6 million acres in the Refuge System are managed as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964.

In 1997 Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, legislation which provides clear guidance for the management of the Refuge System. The act included a new statutory mission statement and directed the Service to manage the Refuge System as a national system of lands and waters devoted to conserving wildlife and maintaining biological integrity of ecosystems.

This law requires the FWS to develop a comprehensive conservation plan for each refuge. It also stated that certain wildlife-dependent recreational uses are priority public uses on refuges and strengthened the compatibility determination process for assuring that these and other activities do not conflict with refuge management purposes and goals.

Refuge Purposes

The purposes of Stone Lakes NWR are defined by language within a number of acts of Congress which grant the FWS general authority to acquire land for National Wildlife Refuges:

• …for the conservation of the wetlands of the Nation in order to maintain the public benefits they provide and to help fulfill international obligations contained in various migratory bird treaties and conventions ... 16 U.S.C.§3901(b) (Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986)
• …for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources ... 16 U.S.C. §742f(a)(4)
• …for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services ... 16 U.S.C. §742f(b)(1) (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956) n
• …for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds. 16 U.S.C.§715d (Migratory Bird Conservation Act)
• …to conserve (A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species .... or (B) plants ... 16 U.S.C.§1534 (Endangered Species Act of 1973) and other purposes.