Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Chapter 1
document, or administrative memorandum establishing, authorizing , or expanding a refuge,
refuge unit, or refuge subunit.”
The Refuge Administration Act, as amended, clearly establishes wildlife conservation as the core
NWRS mission. House Report 105-106, accompanying the Improvement Act, states that “the
fundamental mission of our Refuge System is wildlife conservation: wildlife and wildlife
conservation must come first.” In contrast to other systems of public lands, which are managed on
the sustained–yield basis for multiple uses, the NWRS is a primary-use network of lands and
waters. First and foremost, refuges are managed for fish and wildlife, plants and their habitats. In
addition, units of the NWRS are legally closed to all public access and use, including economic
uses, unless and until they are officially opened through an analytical, public process called the
refuge compatibility process. With the exception of refuge management activities, which are not
economic in nature, all other uses are subservient to the NWRS’ primary wildlife management
responsibility and they must be determined compatible before being authorized.
The Improvement Act provides clear standards for management, use, planning, and growth of the
NWRS. Its passage followed the promulgation of Executive Order 12996 (April 1996),
“Management of Public Uses on National Wildlife Refuges,” reflecting the importance of
conserving natural resource for the benefit of present and future generations of people. The
Improvement Act recognizes that wildlife-dependent recreational uses involving hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation, when
determined to be compatible with the mission of the NWRS and purposes of the Refuge, are
legitimate and appropriate public uses of the Refuge System.
Section 5 of the Improvement Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to ensure or conduct 14
actions in administering the NWRS. In addressing these actions, a number of policies have been
developed to help guide the administration of Refuge lands. These policies are summarized below.
Compatibility Policy
The Improvement Act states “the Secretary shall not initiate or permit a new use of a Refuge
or expand, renew, or extend an existing use of a Refuge, unless the Secretary has determined
that the use is a compatible use and that the use is not inconsistent with public safety.” The
Improvement Act also states that “compatible wildlife-dependent recreational uses [hunting,
fishing, wildlife observation and photography, or environmental education and interpretation]
are the priority general public uses of the System and shall receive priority consideration in
Refuge planning and management; and when the Secretary determines that a proposed
wildlife–dependent recreational use is a compatible use within a refuge, that activity should be
facilitated, subject to such restrictions or regulations as may be necessary, reasonable, and
appropriate.”
In accordance with the Improvement Act, the Service has adopted a Compatibility Policy (Fish
and Wildlife Service Manual, Part 603 FW 2) that includes guidelines for determining if a use
proposed on a NWR is compatible with the purposes for which the refuge was established. A
compatible use is defined in the policy as a proposed or existing wildlife-dependent recreational
use or any other use of a NWR that, based on sound professional judgment, will not materially
interfere with or detract from the fulfillment of the NWRS mission or the purposes for which
the Refuge was established. The Policy also includes procedures for documentation and
periodic review of existing refuge uses.
When a determination is made as to whether a proposed use is compatible or not, this
determination is provided in writing and is referred to as a compatibility determination. An
1-6 Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge