[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 13647-13648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7774]
                        Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 61 / Thursday, March 28, 1996 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 13647]]
                Executive Order 12996 of March 25, 1996
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:
                    (a) 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.
                    (b) 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.
                    (c) 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.
                    (d) 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:
                    (a) 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;
                    (b) 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;
[[Page 13648]]
                    (c) ensure that such priority public uses receive
                enhanced attention in planning and management within
                the Refuge System;
                    (d) 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;
                    (e) ensure that the biological integrity and
                environmental health of the Refuge System is maintained
                for the benefit of present and future generations of
                Americans;
                    (f) 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;
                    (g) 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;
                    (h) 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;
                    (i) ensure appropriate public involvement
                opportunities will be provided in conjunction with
                refuge planning and management activities; and
                    (j) 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.
                    (Presidential Sig.)
                THE WHITE HOUSE,
                    March 25, 1996.
[FR Doc. 96-7774
Filed 3-27-96; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P