PRIVACY STATEMENT
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is committed to maintaining a web site
that protects the individualÕs right to privacy. We do not
require personal information from our visitors, nor do we
collect any personally identifying information (name, email
address, Social Security number, or other unique identifier)
unless you knowingly provide it. Likewise, we do not
give, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third
party except as might be required by law.
Data Collection
for Statistics
To aid in web site
management, certain information is collected for statistical
purposes. The Service uses specialized software to create
summary statistics, which are used for such purposes as assessing
what information is of most and least interest to our customers,
determining technical design specifications, and identifying
system performance or problem areas.
We collect only
the following information about your visit:
- The name of
the domain from which you access the Internet (for example,
"princeton.edu" if you are connecting from Princeton
UniversityÕs domain, or "aol.com" if you are connecting
from an America Online account);
- The web site
from which you linked directly to our web site, if you have
used another web site to reach our site;
- The operating
system and web browser you use to view pages;
- The date and
time you access our web site.
We use the information
we collect to measure the number of visitors to the different
sections of our web site, allowing us to make our web site
more useful and accessible to visitors. We do not store any
personal identifiers.
Information
Collected from E-mails and Forms
You may decide to
send us personally identifying information through e-mail
messages or through on-line forms. Electronic communication
allows us to collect information that will improve our web
site for you, and we encourage it. We use personally-identifying
information from consumers in various ways to further our
customer's protection and to provide better service. This
may be to correct broken links that you have identified or
provide additional information that you have requested.
Visit the Department's Talk
to Us page to learn what can happen to the information
you provide us when you send us e-mail or fill out a questionnaire
or guestbook. Any information that we collect via a questionnaire
or a guestbook may be subject to disclosure, but will be handled
in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act and
the Freedom of Information Act to ensure the greatest protection
of personal privacy in the face of any required disclosure.
Security
Checks
For web site security purposes and to ensure that this service
remains available to all users, we employ software programs
to monitor network traffic, identify unauthorized attempts
to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this
web site are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under
the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National
Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Cookies
When you visit some websites, their webservers generate pieces
of information known as cookies. Some cookies collect personal
information to recognize your computer in the future. This
is not the case at www.fws.gov, where we only use non-persistent
cookies or "per-session cookies." These cookies
do not collect personal information on users and they are
erased as soon as you leave our website.
Per-session cookies
serve technical purposes like providing seamless navigation
through www.fws.gov. These cookies do not permanently record
data and they are not stored on your computer's hard drive.
www.fws.gov cookies are stored in memory and are only available
during an active browser session. Again, once you close your
browser, the cookie disappears.
For Kids!
Please don't send us e-mail, Especially if you
are under 13. Instead, have an adult send the
message. Have your parents, teachers and school librarian
contact
us if you need further assistance.
For more information: Check out the Federal Trade Commission's
KIDZ
Privacy Web Site.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER
The Department of the Interior Disclaimer Statement
applies to the Service.
We will link to
external sites that help us perform our mission - "working
with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife,
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of
the American people."
- Links to external
servers do not imply any official U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service endorsement of the opinions or ideas expressed therein,
or guarantee the validity of the information provided. Links
to commercial sites are in no way an endorsement of any
vendor's products or services.
- Links will be
provided to external servers that are managed in a professional
manner (i.e., it is fully operational, is available most
of the time, does not serve inaccurate information or obscene
graphics, etc.).
- This server
will not link to external servers if such a link would appear
to provide an official endorsement of fundraising efforts
or lobbying for a political agenda.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
Please note:
- you are welcome
to make a link to any of the Web pages the Service has published
on the Internet. There is no need to request
permission.
- not all the information on our site is in the public domain.
Some images/graphics are licensed for use under the copyright law, and
the use of the Service logo is restricted
to official publications (see below).
We will identify material
we use from sources outside the Service, and request others
do the same when using information published by the Service.
Credit can be provided by including on the page (or via a link
to a credits page) a citation such as:
- Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/photo by Robert Shallenberger
(if the artist is known)
- USFWS/Elkins,
WV (if originating office but not the artist is known)
RESTRICTIONS
ON USING THE SERVICE LOGO
The
Service logo is our official "trademark" and not available
for general use. Please use alternative images
if you need a graphic.
Use of the Service logo is reserved for official publications,
electronic or paper. Restrictions on use of the Service logo
were published in the Federal Register on February 13, 1984
(Vol. 49, No. 30, page 5387), and 18 USC
701 provides for enforcement.
There are procedures for obtaining approval for the use of
the official Service logo on a joint publication with the
Service, including electronic publications. Contact Mitch
Snow in the Washington Office - External Affairs at (202)
208-5634 for assistance.M
There are also restrictions on the use of the images of the
Federal Duck
Stamps and the Federal
Aid in Wildlife Restoration and Federal Aid in Sport Fish
Restoration symbols, and on the "blue
goose" image used to identify wildlife refuges.
Comments? Questions? Please check our answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
before you contact us
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