§ 3741. — Findings.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 16USC3741]
TITLE 16--CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 57A--PARTNERSHIPS FOR WILDLIFE
Sec. 3741. Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Three-fourths of all American children and adults
participate in wildlife-related recreational activities other than
hunting, fishing and trapping.
(2) In 1985, Americans spent over $14 billion on non-consumptive
wildlife-related recreation.
(3) The United States and Canada are inhabited by approximately
two thousand six hundred vertebrate species of native fish and
wildlife, which have provided food, clothing, and other essentials
to a rapidly expanding human population.
(4) Over 80 percent of vertebrate fish and wildlife species in
North America are not harvested for human use.
(5) The continued well-being of this once-abundant fish and
wildlife resource, and even the very existence of many species, is
in peril.
(6) In 1967, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
reported that forty-five common migratory bird species, which are
not hunted, had exhibited significant declines in abundance, and
that thirteen of these species have experienced widespread,
systematic declines of 46.9 percent during a twenty-year study
period.
(7) There have been nationwide declines in frogs and other
amphibians.
(8) Over two hundred and seventy-five of vertebrate fish and
wildlife species in the United States are now officially classified
as threatened or endangered by the Federal Government.
(9) During the past decade, fish and wildlife species, including
invertebrates, were added to the rapidly growing list of threatened
and endangered species in North America at the average rate of over
one per month.
(10) Currently, eighty-two species of invertebrates in the
United States are listed as threatened or endangered under the
Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.], and another nine
hundred and fifty-one United States invertebrate species are
candidates for listing under that Act.
(11) Proper management of fish and wildlife, before species
become threatened or endangered with extinction, is the key to
reversing the increasingly desperate status of fish and wildlife.
(12) Proper fish and wildlife conservation includes not only
management of fish and wildlife species taken for recreation and
protection of endangered and threatened species, but also management
of the vast majority of species which fall into neither category.
(13) Partnerships in fish and wildlife conservation, such as the
Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, the Federal Aid in
Sport Fish Restoration Program, and the North American Wetlands
Conservation Act [16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.] have benefitted greatly
the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats.
(14) A program that encourages partnerships among Federal and
State governments and private entities to carry out wildlife
conservation and appreciation projects would benefit all species of
fish and wildlife through such activities as management, research,
and interagency coordination.
(15) Many States, which are experiencing declining revenues, are
finding it increasingly difficult to carry out projects to conserve
the entire array of diverse fish and wildlife species and to provide
opportunities for the public to associate with, enjoy, and
appreciate fish and wildlife through nonconsumptive activities.
(Pub. L. 102-587, title VII, Sec. 7102, Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5094.)
References in Text
The Endangered Species Act referred to in par. (10), probably means
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Pub. L. 93-205, Dec. 28, 1973, 87
Stat. 884, as amended, which is classified generally to chapter 35
(Sec. 1531 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this
Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1531 of this
title and Tables.
The North American Wetlands Conservation Act, referred to in par.
(13), is Pub. L. 101-233, Dec. 13, 1989, 103 Stat. 1968, as amended,
which is classified principally to chapter 64 (Sec. 4401 et seq.) of
this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title note set out under section 4401 of this title and Tables.
Short Title
Section 7101 of title VII of Pub. L. 102-587 provided that: ``This
Title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the `Partnerships for
Wildlife Act'.''
