Overviews of Federal Wildlife Executive Branch Agencies A r g iculture e Secretary T y homa s J. Vilsack E vi v ronmental P ronmental P otection

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1 Overviews of Federal Wildlife Agencies General Overview of Federal Involvement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service National Park Service Bureau of Land Management Executive Branch 15 Departments and 6 Cabinet- Level Offices Agriculture Bureau of Reclamation Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Forest Service National Resources Conservation Service Environmental Protection Commerce Agency Secretary Gary Locke Administrator Lisa P. Jackson National Marine Fisheries Service (under NOAA) Defense Office of Management and Secretary Robert Gates Budget Army Corps of Engineers Director Peter Orszag Millions of acres managed by Dept. Energy Secretary Steven Chu National Environmental Research Parks Interior Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar Bureau of Indian Affairs National Park Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management Factors That Affect Federal Natural Resource Agencies Treaties and Conventions (> 140) Congress (Senate and House) Statutes (e.g. Lacey Act) Appropriations Oversight Hearings Judicial Branch Factors, cont. Executive Branch Main line of authority for most agencies Executive orders and proclamations OMB and budget process Other Agencies and Departments States Indian Tribes Public Interest Groups 1

2 Major Historical Developments Overview of the FWS Primary federal law enforcer for wildlife Oversees the Endangered Species Act Manages 94 million acres in National Wildlife Refuge System Over 535 Refuges 37 Wetland Management Districts 50 Coordination Areas Oversees freshwater anadromous fisheries 70 National Fish Hatcheries 64 Fishery Resource Offices 78 Ecological Services Field Stations U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries Study declines of fisheries and promote fish culture First federal fish hatchery in Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy under USDA C. Hart Merriam first director Primarily studied the economic benefits of birds on crop pest control and cataloged nation s wildlife DEOM renamed Division of Biological Survey under USDA charged primarily with cataloging wildlife species in nation 1903 First Federal Bird Reservation created (Pelican Island, FL) 1905 Bureau of Biological Survey grew out from Division of Biological Survey Charged primarily with predator control 1939 Bureau of Biological Survey and Bureau of Fisheries moved to Department of Interior independently 1940 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created by combining fisheries and wildlife 1956 Conflict between sport and commercial fisheries led to (both with FWS) Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1970 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries moved to Dept. of Commerce, FWS renamed Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 1974 Renamed Fish and Wildlife Service 1986 Animal Damage Control unit of FWS moved to USDA under APHIS 1993 Coop Units and research centers of FWS moved to National Biological Survey/Service then to USGS in

3 Mission Statement The Mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The National Wildlife Refuge System Source: Defenders of Wildlife Organizational Structure Acting Director Rowan Gould (April current) 1 Deputy Director 11 Assistant Directors and Divisions Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration National Wildlife Refuges Migratory Birds Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Endangered Species International Affairs Law Enforcement External Affairs Budget, Planning and Human Resources Business Mgmt and Operations Information Resources and Technology Mgmt. 3

4 Annual FWS Budget Roughly $2.7 billion - Full time equivalent of 9,000 See for more details Manages about million acres, primarily in the West but includes 44 states, t Puerto Rico and Virgin i Islands 155 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands; most of the designated wilderness areas Provides habitat for about 50% of the big game and cold water fishes in the US The Mission of the U.S. Forest Service The phrase, Caring for the Land and Serving People, captures the Forest Service mission. As set forth in law, the mission is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use use management concept to meet the diverse needs of the people Organized into 9 Regions Source: U.S.Forest Service

5 Where Are the U.S. Forest Lands? 57% West of the Rockies, 32% East of the Missouri, 10% in Alaska Important Historical Aspects Congress Appropriates $200,000 for purchase and protection of Naval Reserves 1876 Forestry Division of USDA formed to conduct study on establishing forest reserves 1886 Division of Forestry within USDA, Bernard Fernow first Chief Source: U.S. Forest Service -- History, cont Forest Reserve Act authorizing DOI to reserve public lands covered with timber soon acquired > 17 million acres No provision for protection, administration or use DOI interpreted act as dictating NO USE By 1897 Reserves totaled t 21.3 million acres 1897 Organic Administration Act Defined purposes of Forest Reserves as securing water flow, to furnish a continual supply of timber, and to improve and protect forests Public mining laws extended to forests Timber could be sold but it had to be dead, matured or in large growths of trees 1905 forests transferred from DOI to USDA, Bureau of Forestry was renamed Forest Service 1907 Forest Reserves renamed National Forests Gifford Pinchot first Chief of U.S. Forest Service Philosophy of wise use implemented under Pinchot; followed European conservation of forests By 1909 National Forest program had grown to 132 million acres, all in the western U.S. 5

6 Weeks Act (1911) and Clarke-McNary Act (1924) authorized purchase of eastern forests, by 1940 acquisition had about 24 million acres 1924 First primitive (wilderness) area established in Gila National Forest, NM 1930 Knutson-Vandenberg Act required timber companies to restore harvested forested areas 1960 National Forest Multiple Use, Sustained Yield Act Defined multiple use as including outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, fish and wildlife values Grand-fathered in mining where it had been occurring No provision for conflict of use No real definition of where the forest managers discretion is limited 1964 Wilderness Act Augmented by 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Required environmental assessments (EA) and environmental impact statements (EIS) to be developed for any major activity on federal lands that may impact the environment 1974 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act Outlines planning process for National Forests Organization of Forest Service Ranger Districts - > 600 offices from 50,000 acres to > 1 million acres National Forests headed by a Forest Supervisor 9 regions (no region 7) $6.1 billion requested for

7 National Organization Chief Tom Tidwell Budget and Finance Business and Operations National Forests Programs, Legislation and Communications Research and Development State and Private Forestry Mission Statement The National park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country. What Does the NPS Do? The National Park System Manages 384 areas National Parks National Monuments Scenic Parkways, rivers, seashores, etc National Historic sites Total of 83.6 million acres Most units are in the East but the largest are in the West 7

8 Historical Highlights 1872 Yellowstone National Park created 1906 Antiquities Act Gave the President the authority to declare national historical sites, landmarks and set up the National Monuments National Park Service formally established with the Organic Act Conservation of scenery, nature and history 1933 Government Reorganization Act Made the NPS responsible for all federally owned parks, monuments and memorials Expanded the agency greatly and made it more diverse 1935 to 1937 greater expansion of NPS Historic sites National seashores Parkways and other things 1964 Land and Water Conservation Fund Act Provided a source of funding for land acquisition 1963 Wildlife Management in the National Parks report established a management without harvest policy for wildlife 1998 National Parks Omnibus Management Act Director Jon Jarvis 7 Regions (Directors) Alaska Pacific Intermountain Midwest Northeast Southeast National Capital Organization Annual Budget Request around 2.75 billion 8

9 Three Major Pillars of the BLM Manages 261 million acres, primarily in 12 Western states This amounts to about 41% of the federal public lands and 1/8 of the surface area of the U.S. Oversees the mineral mgmt on 300 million acres BLM lands house > 3000 species of wildlife including 140 plant and animal of concern Grazing Recreation Minerals mining These are also the most contentious areas of BLM management Where are BLM Lands? Mission Statement It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Source: BLM

10 Historical and Legal Perspectives 1934 Taylor Grazing Act Ended the Homestead act Established grazing districts for the highest use (really grazing) U.S. Grazing Service Districts headed by cattlemen and a wildlife representative 1946 Merger of Grazing Service with Lands Office into Bureau of Land Management At the time of BLM creation there were > 2,000 laws regulating federal land use, many of these were contradictory Classification and Multiple Use Act Temporary law to guide BLM s land mgmt. Directed that public lands under the BLM be managed for multiple use and sustained yield Fish and wildlife were listed among top priorities Emphasis was also placed on disposing of federal lands Organization 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act Served as the agency s organic act Established a value to federal lands stopped the long term disposal Protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric and water resource and archeological values Permitted the BLM to purchase lands with Land and Water Conservation dollars Director Bob Abbey Three Divisions National Landscape and Conservation National Operations Law Enforcement Seven Programs Renewable Resources Minerals and Realty Fire and Aviation Information Resources Communications Human Resources Business Regions are equivalent to the 12 states that the BLM serves 1.3 billion requested for FY11 10

11 A Few Major Acts Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Acts and Treaties Migratory Bird Conservation Act Created National Wildlife Refuge System Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act 1934 Duck stamps to provide money to purchase land Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 1934 Policy to include fish and wildlife in water development projects such as dam construction, later expanded to cover other projects Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act 1937 Aka Pittman Robertson Act National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act 1966 Expanded NWR system Endangered Species Act 1973 Gave FWS jurisdiction over endangered species (now excludes marine mammals) Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act 1980 Nongame Act grant in aid for nongame species but never funded Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act 1980 Expanded NWR by 54 million acres National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act The organic act for NWR, unified mission and compatible use defined 11