"Although national wildlife refuges are places where the needs of wildlife come first, the refuge system welcomes more than 35 million visitors each year," said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark. "Compatibility is a powerful tool that refuge managers use to ensure that recreation, educational activities, and other uses are in keeping with their refuges wildlife conservation mandates.
The 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act required the Service to update the compatibility policy, first issued in 1966. Under the new policy, a refuge manager must determine whether any proposed or existing public use will "materially interfere with or detract from" the refuges conservation mandates; and all compatibility determinations must be made in writing after following uniform procedures. This includes providing notice to the public and inviting comment on pending determinations.
"During these reviews, refuge managers will take steps to notify and involve the public such as posting notices at the refuge visitor centers and in local newspapers," Clark said. "Using a more coordinated approach with our neighbors and partners will strengthen our ability to conserve wildlife on a much broader scale.
The 1997 act also established "priority public uses"-- compatible uses involving hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation -- that are especially welcome on refuges and receive preference over other uses. Priority public uses are reviewed for compatibility less frequently than other uses, and refuge managers are encouraged to seek resources to facilitate these activities if they are determined to be otherwise compatible.
The compatibility policy does not apply to private property within refuge boundaries, and does not affect the terms of conservation easements and other agreements between the Service and private landowners. In Alaska, however, the compatibility policy does apply to the village lands in national wildlife refuges in Alaska withdrawn under Section 22(g) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. These lands were deeded to Alaska Native Village Corporations with specific restrictions, called covenants, on their sale and use.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants 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 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance 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 conservation efforts. It 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.
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Reporters: An "online almanac" of refuge information for journalists and filmmakers, including the history of the system, a timeline of recent events, a wide variety of background information, and public domain footage and photos, is available at " http://refuges100.fws.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Services Compatibility Policy and Regulations is also available at this site.
LinksFrequently Asked Questions about Refuge Compatibility Policy Online Almanac of Refuge Information for Journalists and Filmmakers Home page of the National Wildlife Refuge System
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home Page
