"We are committed to providing recreational opportunities such as hunting and fishing wildlife refuges with our conservation mission," said Acting Service Director John Rogers. "Over the past five years, the number of refuges offering hunting and fishing opportunities and the numbers of hunters and anglers visiting refuges have both grown substantially."
As part of this proposal, the Service announced the establishment of 13 "Lead-Free Fishing Areas" to protect common loons which are at risk of lead poisoning after swallowing lost or discarded lead tackle. The Service has proposed establishing these areas wherever it has jurisdiction over habitat on National Wildlife Refuges used by both common loons and anglers. Following a two-year phase-in period, the Service will require anglers to use non-toxic sinkers and jigs in these areas.
The proposed rules also stipulate that hunters can only use shot that is on the list of non-toxic loads that has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when hunting waterfowl or upland game on designated national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas. In most cases, hunters will be able to use slugs and shot containing lead to hunt deer and other big game.
The Service annually reviews fishing and hunting programs on national wildlife refuges to determine whether to add, modify, or remove them, and there are only a handful of substantive changes this year.
The National Wildlife Refuge Systems agenda for the 21st Century, known as Fulfilling the Promise, calls for refuges to provide an "enduring legacy of healthy fish, wildlife, and plant resources for people to enjoy today and for generations to come," and the number of wildlife enthusiasts visiting refuges has grown to over 35 million each year.
Recreational visits to national wildlife refuges generate substantial economic activity; in 1995, recreation-related spending generated more than $400 million in sales in regional economies. As that spending flowed through the economy, it supported 10,000 jobs and provided nearly $170 million in payrolls. Since President Theodore Roosevelt created the first refuge in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown to include more than 517 refuges and thousands of waterfowl production areas. At least one refuge is located in each of the 50 states and U.S. territories and insular areas. The full text of the proposed Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations can be found in the August 11, 1999 Federal Register, on the Internet at >.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries 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 conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes over 500 million dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies annually.
Proposed New Refuge Hunting and Fishing Programs for 1999-2000
Hunting of migratory game birds on:
Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer, Oregon Plum Tree National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia
Upland game hunting on:
Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana
Big game hunting on:
Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana
Sport fishing on:
Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota Stewart Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer, Oregon Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina
Proposed Lead Free Fishing Areas
From the outlet of Skilak Lake downstream to the refuge boundary and the Dave Spenser Unit of the Kenai Refuge Wilderness Area, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Maine
Carlton Pond Waterfowl Production Area (part of Sunkhaze National Wildlife Refuge), Maine
Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan
One Waterfowl Production Area in the Fergus Falls Wetland Management District: Nicholson WPA, Minnesota
Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota
Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, Montana
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin
5 Waterfowl Production Areas in the St. Croix Wetland Management District: Oakridge and Amschler WPAs (both in St. Croix County), Rose Lee WPA, Flatey WPA, and Bass Lake WPA (in Polk County), Wisconsin
National Elk Refuge, Wyoming
