| 1871 |
U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries is created by Congress and charged
with studying and recommending solutions to the decline in food fishes
and to promote fish culture. Spencer Fullerton Baird is appointed as the
first Commissioner. A year later, the Commission's Baird Station in northern
California is used to collect, fertilize and ship salmon eggs by rail to
the East Coast. |
| 1885 |
Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy is established in the
Department of Agriculture. With Clinton Hart Merriam appointed as its first
Chief, much of the Division's early work focuses on studying the positive
effects of birds in controlling agricultural pests and defining the geographical
distribution of animals and plants throughout the country. The Division
later expands and is renamed the Bureau of Biological Survey. |
| 1900 |
The Lacey Act becomes the first Federal law protecting game, prohibiting
the interstate shipment of illegally taken wildlife and importation of
species. Enforcement of the Act becomes the responsibility of the Biological
Survey. |
| 1903 |
The first Federal Bird Reservation is established by President Theodore
Roosevelt on Pelican Island, Florida, and placed under the jurisdiction
of the Biological Survey. Pelican Island and other early Federal wildlife
reservations are re- designated as "national wildlife refuges" in 1942. |
| 1918 |
Migratory Bird Treaty Act is passed implementing the Convention Between
the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the Protection of
Migratory Birds. The Act, a landmark in wildlife conservation legislation,
provides for the regulation of migratory bird hunting. |
| 1930's |
Thousands of workers employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and
Works Progress Administration improve habitat and build the infrastructure
of over 50 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries. |
| 1934 |
The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, popularly known as the "Duck
Stamp Act," is passed by Congress. The Act requires the purchase of a stamp
by waterfowl hunters. Revenue generated by the stamp is used to acquire
important wetlands. Since its inception, the program has resulted in the
protection of approximately 4.5 million acres of waterfowl habitat. |
| 1934 |
Jay Norwood ("Ding") Darling is appointed Chief of the Bureau of Biological
Survey. Darling's brief tenure results in a new ambitious course for the
agency to acquire and protect vital wetlands and other habitat throughout
the country. |
| 1937 |
The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (commonly referred to as
the Pittman-Robertson Act) is passed by Congress to provide funding for
the selection and improvement of wildlife habitat, improving wildlife management
research and distributing information. |
| 1939 |
The Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey are moved to the Department
of the Interior and the following year combined to create the Fish and
Wildlife Service. |
| 1946 |
In response to amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act,
the Service establishes a River Basins Study program to help minimize and
prevent damage to fish and wildlife resulting from Federal water projects. |
| 1947 |
The Service officially establishes a program recognizing North America's
four migratory bird flyways in an effort to improve the management of migratory
waterfowl hunting. |
| 1950 |
The FWS' Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (commonly referred
to as the Dingell-Johnson Act) is passed to create a program for restoring
and improving America's fishery resources. It is patterned after the Pittman-Robertson
Act passed in 1937. |
| 1956 |
Fish and Wildlife Act creates two new bureaus: Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. |
| 1966 |
The first piece of comprehensive legislation addressing the management
of refuges, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, is
passed. The Act provides new guidance for administering the System and
requires that proposed uses on refuges must be "compatible" with refuge
purposes. |
| 1970 |
The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, an arm of the Fish and Wildlife
Service, is transferred to the Department of Commerce and renamed the National
Marine Fisheries Service. |
| 1973 |
The Endangered Species Act is passed by Congress to protect endangered
plants and animals. Building upon legislation passed in 1966 and 1969,
the new law expands and strengthens efforts to protect species domestically
and internationally. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service assume responsibility for administering the Act. |
| 1980 |
Passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act dramatically
expands the size of the National Wildlife Refuge System, adding nine new
refuges, expanding seven existing refuges, adding over 53 million acres
of land and designating numerous Wilderness Areas |
| 1997 |
Passage of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act provides
the first "organic" legislation for the management of the Refuge System.
The Act amends the 1966 Act and strengthens the mission of the Refuge System,
clarifies the compatibility standard for public uses of refuges, and requires
the completion of comprehensive plans for every refuge. |
