Management and General Public Use of the National Wildlife Refuge System

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;

    (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.