Richard Pombo: “this legislation establishes for the first time a comprehensive concession policy for our National Wildlife Refuge…”

“this legislation establishes for the first time a comprehensive concession policy for our National Wildlife Refuge System. Unlike our National Park System, There is no standardized refuge concession contract, concessionaires are statutorily prohibited from repairing the federal facilities they lease and consequently there are only a handful of refuges that offer concession services to the visiting public. In fact, there are only seven refuges where concessionaires have a signed contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These concessionaires offer a variety of services including canoe rentals, interpretive tours and tour boat operators. H.R. 1204 is a long overdue and important measure. It will authorize the establishment of a standardized refuge contract for all commercial concessionaires, it will allow a concessionaire to use some of their franchise fees to maintain or repair leased property and it allows the service to keep these franchise fees onsite to be spent on a specific list of items designed to improve the quality of the visitors experience. The legislation exempts bookstores operated by refuge friends groups from the contract requirements. In addition, the bill is not intended to include activities by guides and outfitters.”